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Occasional cylinder misfires when cold

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by TheLandYacht, Dec 3, 2020.

  1. TheLandYacht

    TheLandYacht Member

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    3 times in the last month (incidentally, it's been since the weather started getting cooler) I've had the Prius pop a P030(#) code within a minute or two of first starting the vehicle. I clear the code & it doesn't come back...for a bit over a week or so.

    Never the same cylinder twice.

    The car drives fine once it warms up (which I let it get over the 100f mark before I take off).

    Anyone else experience this?
     
  2. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    How many miles?
    Ever cleaned EGR/intake?
    Coolant level stable?
     
  3. tankyuong

    tankyuong Senior Member

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    Bad head gasket
     
  4. ETC(SS)

    ETC(SS) The OTHER One Percenter.....

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    Before the EGR - head gaskets issue became the major cause of death among G3's there were reports of G3's sputter-clang-banging on cold mornings that do not appear to be EGR related.

    OTOH.....
    If I drove a G3 - which I DO (I'm on my second as a company car, and the first one is still in service) I would check the EGR FIRST.

    Good Luck!
     
  5. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Leak down test is good to determine if-and-how head gasket is leaking.
     
  6. TheLandYacht

    TheLandYacht Member

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    EGR/Intake not cleaned (only had it a couple of months, it's on the list as soon as I get a little extra $$)
    Coolant level's right where it should be
     
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  7. TheLandYacht

    TheLandYacht Member

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    Here's hoping, and thanks for the advice.

    Also, looking at your Rating...thanks from a fellow (former) Bubblehead.
     
  8. TheLandYacht

    TheLandYacht Member

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    OK. After doing a little light reading...

    No visible oil in the coolant
    There was no coolant mixed into the oil when I changed it a couple of months ago
    Other than those codes, and ONE incident of the dreadful-sounding just-started clatter...it runs smooth as butter. Even on the days when it threw a code, I didn't hear much in the way of hesitation, knocking, etc.

    Backstory on that, wife had started it to move it across the yard & shut it off the morning before. That clatter when I started it up to go to work scared the be-jesus out of me.

    Looking at what it takes to do a leak-down test, I'm not sure I'm up to this. I'll probably take it to a professional.
     
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  9. jas8908

    jas8908 Member

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    About how many minutes did the clatter last?
     
  10. TheLandYacht

    TheLandYacht Member

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    I wasn't familiar with it at ALL...so it lasted about 1 second (long enough for me to reach for the key & shut it off).

    Next afternoon, after it'd had a chance to warm up...and I'd had a chance to read a bit about the Clatter, calm my nerves a bit, etc...it lasted 3-4 seconds before it settled out & sounded normal.

     
  11. jas8908

    jas8908 Member

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    That’s nothing to be concerned about. Still happens in cold weather sometimes with mine even though I cleaned the complete egr system, IM, throttle body and installed a catch can. Part of the Prius experience. :)
     
  12. TheLandYacht

    TheLandYacht Member

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    And every vehicle has its learning curve. You wouldn't believe how much crap I had to learn about "German diesel" vehicles when I bought my Sprinter (new off the lot) back in 2005.

    By the way, this (and a string of large vehicles before & after it) are where the "The Land Yacht" nickname comes from.

    [​IMG]
     
  13. TheLandYacht

    TheLandYacht Member

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    Whoever suggested it might be EGR...looks like you may have been right.

    Tonight, on the last leg of my nightly commute (40 miles each way), I start climbing a (rather small) hill & the car started shaking violently. Let off the gas & the shake immediately went away.

    After a few seconds, it seemed to go back to normal.

    I checked for codes (no CEL on the dash) & found this.
    p0401.jpg
     
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  14. TheLandYacht

    TheLandYacht Member

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