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  1. defrankond

    defrankond Member

    Joined:
    Apr 30, 2010
    217
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    Location:
    North Dakota
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    IV
    i live in a state that is very cold however this issue just started about 3 weeks ago. I honestly do not feel like paying 130 bucks a hour diagnostic charge to the toyota dealership either when it could be a easy fix i can do myself. the issue is my engine does have a little rattle/knock when cold like valve clatter almost but it goes away once the engine is warm, that however is not the issue as of now. car has 93k on the clock on a 2007 model year. after the engine is warm and your driving the ICE idle is high and gradually comes down its not instant like it used to be. you can be driving at 50mph and you can just hear the engine running when you never used to. my mpg is suffering as well. usually i would get about 45mpg and now im down into the high 20s to low 30s. the only thing that i had that could possibly known to cause a problem was the oil was replaced 5k miles ago with castrol synthetic 5w-20. after 4000 miles it had started to use the oil so within 1000 miles i had to add one quart, but i replaced the oil with mobile 5w-30 and so far the oil level is fine so im assuming that was a fluke but could that old oil have gotten past and gummed up the plugs, or the throttle body?
     
  2. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

    Joined:
    Mar 8, 2008
    18,200
    6,479
    0
    Location:
    Green Valley, AZ
    Vehicle:
    2015 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    Buy a can of throttle body cleaner and a can of mass air flow sensor cleaner from your local discount auto parts store. Clean the throttle body interior and the throttle plate with the throttle body cleaner, use the minimum necessary amount of fluid.

    Remove the mass air flow sensor from the air cleaner housing, and clean that part. Do not use throttle body cleaner on the MAF sensor.
     
  3. defrankond

    defrankond Member

    Joined:
    Apr 30, 2010
    217
    23
    0
    Location:
    North Dakota
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    IV
    thanks patrick. ill try that next month when i get paid again. do i need to avoid getting the cleaner in the holes below the butterfly plate? i can always use a old shirt and stuff down into the intake to keep cleaner from getting down in there and messing things up more. the plate is a little dirty but nothing to bad. but that probably dosn't say much about the gunk around the butterfly plate where it moves. it is a little hard to turn i know that.
     
  4. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

    Joined:
    Mar 8, 2008
    18,200
    6,479
    0
    Location:
    Green Valley, AZ
    Vehicle:
    2015 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    Actually, my personal practice is to first remove the engine air cleaner housing, then use Q-tips moistened in isopropyl alcohol to clean the throttle plate and throttle body interior. That ensures no fluid is going where it should not.

    Toyota recommends using a clean cloth which has throttle body cleaner fluid applied to it, to scrub the throttle plate and throttle body interior. The concept is to avoid dirty fluid flowing along the throttle plate shaft and getting into the throttle motor.

    If either of the above two practices is too much work for you, it is OK if a small amount of throttle body cleaner gets into the intake manifold. However, I would not spray as much fluid as the instructions on the throttle body cleaner can will suggest.