Rotate motor by hand possible when?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Technical Discussion' started by pasadena_commut, Jul 11, 2026 at 8:09 PM.

  1. pasadena_commut

    pasadena_commut Senior Member

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    (I could swear I asked this before but could not find the thread. Sorry if this is a duplicate.)

    Is it possible to rotate the ICE by hand (turning the pulley by hand or with a socket on the bolt) if the wheels are on the ground? Of course car off, 12V battery disconnected. Or is turning the ICE only possible when the car is jacked up?

    There are lots of threads where people report rotating the gasoline motor, but in 99% of these cases the vehicle is up on jacks. I want to be able to rotate the ICE while the vehicle is not tilted at all front to back, but on my driveway that is only possible when the front wheels are standing on ~4" of block with the vehicle pointed toward the street. Using jacks would be a minor PITA, as all 4 corners would need to be up with the jack heights different front and and back.
     
    #1 pasadena_commut, Jul 11, 2026 at 8:09 PM
  2. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    Somebody certainly asked it recently, I don't remember if that was you.

    Yes, certainly it's can be rotated by hand (well, easily with a wrench anyway) any time the car is stationary on the ground and powered off.

    The Park pawl locks the transmission output, not the input. Without the application of power by the hybrid system, the transmission is inherently in neutral and nothing interferes with turning the engine over.

    If the spark plugs are out, the engine turns over easily enough with a hand right on the crank pulley. Feels a bit like a sewing machine. If the plugs are in, there is compression, and using a wrench will be easier.
     
    #2 ChapmanF, Jul 11, 2026 at 9:33 PM
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