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Pictures of a clogged fuel injector, Gen 2 Prius - Possible reasons

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by SWprius08, Feb 16, 2015.

  1. SWprius08

    SWprius08 SoCalprius

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    If you have never seen one, here is the picture of a clogged fuel injector which was causing performance issue and got fixed after replacing it. The # 1 is clogged, you can see how the consistent and cleaner the other 3 are. Car has 92K miles, used Arco gas 98% times. Never used a bottle of fuel injector cleaner until 87K. Here are the symptoms that got fixed by replacing the injectors,

    1) Loss of power from Engine (sounded like engine is revving high but the speed attained would be low)
    2) Louder than usual ticking sound from Engine
    3) Engine sound louder than normal
    4) Ran better with additives in tank (like Techron, Lucas, STP fuel injector cleaners)

    All.jpg
    here are a few more of only the clogged one.
    1 bad 2.JPG

    1 bad 3.JPG

    1 bad 4.JPG
     
  2. sorka

    sorka Active Member

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    I buy Techron by the case and use a bottle every 20K miles or so.
     
  3. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    great pics, thanks. 120k on my neighbors '04, 55 mpg, no drivability problems, never used an additive. no idea on the state of the injectors, what do you think is a probable cause?
     
  4. SWprius08

    SWprius08 SoCalprius

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    I think most likely it is the Arco Gas that caused this on mine. What Gas does the neighbor use on a regular basis?

    I have decided to get only Chevron going forward and use a bottle of Techron Progard every 5K miles just before changing the oil.
     
  5. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    i don't know, but the first 105,000 were me and then my daughter. we always use whatever is cheapest. i don't think we even have arco around here.

    all the best!(y)
     
  6. SWprius08

    SWprius08 SoCalprius

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    Arco is a Top Tier gas however the cheapest one. I am really not sure what could cause this, something got dropped into my tank when I was refueling maybe, hope the same does not happen to my new injectors. I will just have the old ones cleaned professionally and keep it as spare. :)
     
  7. tommymommy

    tommymommy Member

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    Can you post how you got them out of the car? I am having problems getting the fuel rail loose on my car to fully remove the injectors. The fuel line is solid, non-flexible, aluminum line. I do not see a disconnect anywhere near the fuel rail. Am I missing something?
     
  8. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    The service manual shows pretty clearly where the connectors and fasteners are on the fuel rail (techinfo.toyota.com), but it does make the job somewhat harder than it has to be. The valve cover has a funny hook-shaped thing that sticks over the fuel rail, and the manual says to crack the valve cover loose for access to the rail, but if all you want is access to the injectors that's not really necessary. There is enough flex in the rail to sneak them out (number 1 is really easy, number 4 takes some fancy sneakin'). The connector (which you really don't need to disturb) is near the firewall, and there is one bolt fastening the rail on that end of the cylinder head, hard to see, and very close to another bolt so it's tricky to know which is which.

    Another PriusChat member, astrolink, once changed injectors without doing anything with that bolt (thanks to not knowing it was there) and did just fine ... there is that much flex in the tube.

    Edit: just be sure to use a compressed air blowgun if you have one, or something similar, to chase all the grot away from the cylinder head ports before you start pulling injectors out. Especially if you're sneaking them out and in with the rail not completely out of the way, you'll be concentrating on just getting them out and in at all, and it won't be easy to avoid knocking grot in the engine if there's any around those ports.

    -Chap
     
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  9. tommymommy

    tommymommy Member

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    I'm looking at the instructions in Prodemand and it is way more than I really wanted to do. But, it needs done. Fun times!
     
  10. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    I have no idea what "Prodemand" is, but there really isn't that much to it provided you elect not to futz with the valve cover. I made a little 9 minute video for another PriusChat member a year or two ago that I can send you if you give me an address (about a 17 MB webm). (I haven't put it up on a video site yet because the audio sucks in some places and I haven't had time to re-dub it.) It shows a Gen 1 but the engine is largely the same.

    Caution: I think the guy I sent that video to the last time must have thought a couple parts of it didn't really need to be there, namely, all the time I spend explaining the gentle twist motion, and the time I spend showing how to do an engine-off pressure/leak test before trying to crank 'er up. So, he kind of rushed over those parts. Then he spent more time and money fixing the stuff that happens if you rush over those parts. Fair warning.

    -Chap
     
  11. tommymommy

    tommymommy Member

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    That would be great! My email is Ssweaser AT yahoo.com

    Prodemand is along the lines of alldata.
     
  12. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    Sent. (At least, my e-mail provider didn't choke on sending it...)

    Aha. 1988 was the year I bought a car and decided to try out the service manuals from the manufacturer for the first time ... and the difference was so clear that I've never used alternatives since ....

    -Chap
     
  13. insaner

    insaner Junior Member

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    I am having similar issues so if you could also send along that video I would be much obliged. Going to try injector cleaner first but would like the video just in case. Thanks.

    toolian at gmail
     
  14. cyclopathic

    cyclopathic Senior Member

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    switch to TopTier gas
     
  15. insaner

    insaner Junior Member

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    I already use it exclusively. I say I was going to add a cleaner but after reading up I'm not so sure. Thanks again.
     
  16. The Electric Me

    The Electric Me Go Speed Go!

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    I follow the personal protocol of using top tier (usually Chevron) gasoline and running a treatment of Techron through just before an oil change. Can I prove it helps? Not really. But it doesn't really cost that much, and I can say following this protocol I've never had fuel injector problems with any of my vehicles.

    PS.
    Is it my imagination, because it seemed not to long ago that the stations claiming to be "Top Tier" were much more exclusive. Now Arco and nearly "everyone" is claiming to be "Top TIer"?

    Chevron is "Top Tier" but of course they also claim their gasolines have a degree of techron added from the pump.
     
  17. insaner

    insaner Junior Member

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    Has it been determined without a doubt that the techron additive I can buy at Walmart will not damage the fuel tank bladder? I'm guessing it won't since chevron has it. I can't find a definitive thread about wether or not I should add anything to my fuel tank.
     
  18. The Electric Me

    The Electric Me Go Speed Go!

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    Interesting question.
    Never thought of that.

    While my gut instinct would be to say I would guess you'd be absolutely fine, since the fuel bladder is designed to hold "fuel" which as you note comes from the pump in some cases with additives already in the mix,- I'd have to say I really don't know.

    I think I've never read a thread where anyone claimed to have fuel bladder deterioration or failure due to using an additive.
    But I have to wonder if Chevron ever took in to account the Gen 2's fuel bladder?

    Wondering if some long time owners of Gen 2 Prius that HAVE used Techron regularly could chime in.
    I'm curious.
     
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  19. cyclopathic

    cyclopathic Senior Member

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    Valero and Costco are also TT sellers. We are using GasBuddy app when traveling and TopTier stations are marked up.
     
  20. The Electric Me

    The Electric Me Go Speed Go!

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    I suppose it's a good thing if more stations are meeting the "Top Tier" standards.

    I was kind of surprised to see Arco advertising they were "Top Tier" as their advertising use to be based on the idea that they were just "Plain Ol' Gasoline" at a lower price.

    At least in my area, it's probably a greater challenge to try to find a gas station that ISN'T top tier as opposed to finding one that is.
     
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