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shutter/vibration at low speeds

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Technical Discussion' started by defrankond, Mar 17, 2014.

  1. defrankond

    defrankond Member

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    vibration/shuttering feeling when on electric driving at low speeds 5mph or less or when letting car pull itself under creep in reverse/forward gears. it is almost like your driving over a rumble strip at low speed with no unusual sounds or noises. just feels a little jerky. it has been doing this since i got the car a year ago and no codes are thrown. trans fluid was changed about 5k miles ago at 87k and there was no unusual coloring, or metal in the fluid or on the plug. it was darker red but not burnt or foul smelling by any means. could this be a loose cv joint or drive shaft?
     
    #1 defrankond, Mar 17, 2014
  2. AzWxGuy

    AzWxGuy Weather Guy

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    Mine does this when backing up an incline. Maybe 1-2 mph on the speedometer. I don't suspect anything worn out on my car, although the odo is reading 166K +. I could guess that it might be DC motor "cogging", but I don't know the motor RPM, the number of pole pieces in the motor, or any contributions from gear reduction. I'm certain someone else will jump in with more knowledge or another theory.
     
    #2 AzWxGuy, Mar 17, 2014
  3. tanglefoot

    tanglefoot Whee!

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    No more knowledge here but mine does it as well, pulling up the driveway. I'm pretty sure it's always done it. I think it's just associated with the low-speed operation of the electric drive under moderate torque.
     
    #3 tanglefoot, Mar 17, 2014
  4. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    MG1 and MG2 within the transaxle are both three-phase AC motors.

    I don't think a bad CV joint or driveshaft is at issue. If that was the problem, you would hear a clicking sound as load is engaged and disengaged at the joint.

    MG2 is providing the motive force at low speed electric driving. MG1 and the gasoline engine are both off under that condition. So the issue is probably being caused by a slight vibration produced by MG2.

    I haven't noticed the OP's issue with my two Prius. I think this is something to be lived with, unless the OP wants to replace the transaxle.
     
    #4 Patrick Wong, Mar 17, 2014
  5. defrankond

    defrankond Member

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    well i never recalled the feeling on my 04 prius which had 200k+ miles. but i know that each unit is made slightly different in one aspect or another. seems others have experienced the same feeling/sensation and if its nothing to worry about im not going to stress over it. i did have the trans axle fluid changed which is as much as i can do at this point. i do try and take care of it as best as possible with very little rough accelerations and have not had any codes thrown. the car has close to 94k on it now and the only thing i can think of it possibly needing is replacement spark plugs and inverter coolant flush/change. which are just basic maintenance items at this point. that and i would really love to find a how to on taking apart the top dash so i can fix the squeak from where they did not install the felt boots when they did the tinting of the bottom part of the window. why they did that is beyond me.
     
    #5 defrankond, Mar 17, 2014
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