Gen 3 Prius Knocking Start Mystery Solved 2ZR-FXE Engine

[@FixYOURride13]

Hi all, the rattling com from damper (clutch) but it is only reactions for bad fuel mix, must come from EGR system -- inlet manifold EGR line blocked ,EGR volve dirty or blocked, or EGR cooler blocked . Remove the inlet manifold and ck the system .

[@TheKosi3]

I agree with u it fix my problem

[@nesdi6653]

So cleaning EGR will fix rough starting and wierd engine roughness

[@addictedtragedyx]

@@nesdi6653 Yes sir, clean EGR every 60k and install an oil catch can if you haven't already. And the issues in the video will not happen.

[@qettyz]

Old video, but from priuschat you can find that people have solved this issue by installing oil catch can. Check that out!

[@PaulKeppler]

My 2nd gen Prius has also made this noise today while starting up in 15F weather. Im glad to see it could be an ignition issue as opposed to a major internal engine issue.

[@steelerchuma4192]

Don't be so sure mine had this problem and it turned out to be a blown head gasket. It's a major pain but I did it after watching a few videos on it. The longer you wait the head cylinder might get warped. Fix asap.

[@juancampos8874]

@@steelerchuma4192 yes it's a head gasket problem

[@chouchhuneng5372]

@@steelerchuma4192

[@toninocars]

Absolutely normal behaviour to this type power train. Even brand new Toyota will do that if you shut your petrol engine while running or before reaches operating temperature. Just avoid those two things and all you ll be fine, no drama. 👍

[@Salletto]

Exactly that happens to me, yesterday I turn on car engine work maybe 30 seconds and today was sound like this for 15 seconds

[@MrEngineerNasa]

Same happened to me i was only driving for 30 seconds then car stod 2 days in rain. Then i started and this hapoened

[@2004hamza1]

It is from head gasket. It start with morning noise that come and go. I had the same problem with my 2010 prius ( 170 000) I had loud noise along with smoke and mixture off water and oil . I got it fix by using : SEAL UP liquid glass Metallic for bigger engine from CARGO. I use the small one at first and it only work for one month. After taking risk using the bigger engine Seal UP liquid glass ( same product but for much bigger engine). Check engine light went away, loud morning noise went away and no more oil and coolant burning and smoke. Very please i love my prius.

[@2004hamza1]

drew michael Hi my Prius is still working good since the head gasket seal. I am driving it daily going to more than 4000 miles no problem. I don’t smell antifreeze burning and no echoes at all. I hope and wish that your bar seal will work great as well. Thanks

[@2004hamza1]

drew michael My mileages is not very good around 40 miles per gallon. It goes a higher on the freeway to 48. I never service anything in my engine. I didn’t do EGR or intake manifold, or coil for spur-plug or even injectors. I didn’t even change transmission oil. My big battery is running great even that it’s almost at 200 000 miles. I think i will take my time before fixing anything else. Good luck..

[@figenkinaci2563]

Always a pleasure to see that people put their experiments on youtube. Saves a lot of time. Thanks ! I think my Prius misfires too, but no error code (yet). Anyone with the same experience ?

[@chrissignal8857]

Changing plugs maybe? Sometimes they get corroded or the gap isn't set correctly. They can also be defective when installed.

[@priusprius8148]

İyi akşamlar sizin arabanızda bu sorun var mıydı benim arabamda 3 kere oldu ve gecdi ne yazikki ingilizcem yok

[@LeandraCooper]

Thank you! I got the knocking noise when I started up this morning and it was quite startling! After a couple startup attempts in my car, the noise went away (probably after it got a little warmer-- it has been very cold here), but I was still concerned about the noise. This is a very helpful video and post, which helped me to understand what was happening in my car. Thank you!

[@gziofficial8879]

Now same issue is happening in my car

[@gibson7654]

Blown head gasket. Coolant leaking into your cylinders gets burned off at start. That's why it goes away soon after. Check exhaust for white smoke.

[@siriusblack7714]

@@gibson7654 it sounds like mine is going to blow up your saying just let it run for a bit and it will stop

[@gibson7654]

@@siriusblack7714 that depends on the severity of gasket damage. It could also be other things like spark plugs. You shouldn't allow it to shake violently or you risk damage to the components which could lead to engine needing to be replaced. I was lucky enough to have a small leak which I could control by releasing coolant pressure after each trip until I got the gasket replaced.

[@gibson7654]

@@siriusblack7714 the reason why it's shaking at start is likely due to coolant being inside the cylinders. The amount of time it will take to burn it off depends on how much fluid is there. If it takes you more than 10 seconds for engine to stabilize then you have a decent leak.

[@SaxoDNC]

@Johnny Boy. No I didn't fixt the issue, actually that sound is the begining of the end. My engin has a hole in it from a wild piston. So you have to change the gasket. Quick!!!

[@metrork1]

Same here with my 2010 Prius with 157,000 miles plus. Head gasket is blown. I blame it on a clogged EGR

[@Readdeo]

@@metrork1 and how could a clogged egr blow your head gasket? Please don't make stupid assumptions.

[@addictedtragedyx]

@@Readdeo not cleaning the EGR is what causes head gaskets to blow. It's a well known thing on the gen 3.

[@oujdadebdou2490]

you have to clean the egr valve, the intake, the pipe and the cooler behind it because if it gets clogged, otherwise it will subsequently produce a head gasket, there are plenty of videos on the subject.

[@NoShadowOfDoubt1]

this seems to happen when the car is shot off before it finishes it startup cycle..for an example taking it out of the garage and then shutting off before the gas engine stops on its own

[@nesdi6653]

Ooo good observation!

[@rondhole]

If you have 2012 or older, you probably have head gasket issue, 2013 has redesigned head gasket but if you buy new headgasket from Toyota dealer, it is a newer version. it is an expensive fix, probably close to $1000 for a good mechanics but could be 4x more in Dealership

[@danielc.9316]

what was the problem?

[@ryanvega4196]

While this recreates the issue, it doesn't solve it. It does point towards the fact that this likely happens due to a misfire on a cylinder, however doens't explain why that occurs. As a prius owner you can easily recreate the noise shown in this video by doing the following.. On a day when the weather is cold, like below 32 degrees F. Start the car make sure it is outside in the cold. Let the car run for about 1 minute, then shut it off. Leave the car sit for 6 to 8 hours. Come back and start it. I can almost 100% guarantee it will make this noise. Why? I don't know, but neither does Toyota because the issue still exists on many cars. In many cases it does not throw a check engine light either. It just is something to do with the car being started when its cold out, not allowed to warm up and then being shut off. I've read reports about possible condensation in the intake as a possibility which could cause a misfire. Regardless, this is an ongoing issue.

[@metrork1]

You will know when the piston smashes through the side of the engine block

[@mohammadnazmullahelwadud7]

Very right assessment. Same happened to my prius V 2015.

[@WarOnCOD]

My 2015 with only 9000 miles did this today. 15 degrees outside and scared the crap out of me.

[@jerrybibb]

I work at automotive dealership and we sold one to a guy in new York and had shipped over there. Didn't do it at all in texas as its warmer here. For some reason everyone complaining of noise on cold startup is in areas where its cold. Toyota has issued a technical service bulletin which means if they can duplicate the noise at the dealership then will be fixed by Toyota. I would recommend leaving the car a their dealership overnight and go back the next morning while still cold outside and have service manager listen as you start up the car to duplicate sound in front of him.

[@Lawrence818]

2011 Prius -Yeah i got that noise after spending the week in really cold weather then I can back and had to get it fixed cause the noise started. Now I just found out it's my head gasket hat got blown?

[@FixYOURride13]

@@brett2048...hi, if your EGR system is ok , Toyota Dealers has a Technical Information about water condensation in inlet manifold , exactly rattling noise after cold start in low temperatures, solved is replace inlet manifold for modified inlet manifold. Ask in your local Toyota Dealership.

[@techsolutions123]

Can this be harmless if still running

[@briank10101]

To add: It would be interesting to see if this happens in areas with very low humidity even during the cooler portions of the day.

[@sulu1men]

Its the spark plug, clean or change them and make sure they are tight so oil wont get to the spark

[@cashster0011]

sulu1men good point although I believe the problem starts with her valve. Bye simply disconnecting the get valve you will notice if it keeps rattling and misfiring or not

[@dimensione_Automobili]

cleaning the EGR, problem solved.

[@addictedtragedyx]

@@Miserybabylon your tech must not of cleaned everything then. The knocking is a result of not cleaning the EGR every 50k

[@SAMLEE-bb1xp]

Isn't this a recall issue

[@ethiopiannewendeavor8867]

Nope.... You need to replace the head gasket. Coolant is leaking in to the engine.

[@danfisseha6137]

How do you know?

[@metrork1]

@@danfisseha6137 Once your Prius starts with a heavy knocking noise coming from the engine, your head gasket is blown. Shut off immediately before the piston crashes through the side of the engine block

[@addictedtragedyx]

@@metrork1 Easy way to prevent is clean the EGR every 60k and isntall an oil catch can.

[@addictedtragedyx]

No it's not. If coolant isn't leaking it isn't a head gasket. These cars do this when prematurly shut down before the ICE warms up or if your EGR is dirty. If it's a headgasket it would do it every start up.

[@ernestoaguilera6632]

What if its not knocking its just loud when it turns on?

[@GTheoryTV]

RATTLING SOLVED. READ THIS!!!!!! I have a 2010 Prius. I have 152k miles on it. I was getting a bad rattling noise when I started car and the engine would start. The rattling would go away after about 30 seconds n it would drive fine. As time went on ( another week or two) the rattling got louder. Everytime I start car the engine would rattle. I would turn car off mid rattle n restart but rattling would come back. Once I switched to reverse the noise stopped and I'd drive fine. As more time went on anytime I came to a complete stop( red lights, traffic, etc) and would press gas to go again I'd get the rattling. It was loud and scary and embarrassing. Also check engine light was on when rattling started. I thought maybe gas tank was open so I made sure it was closed but check engine light never went away and neither did rattling. FINALLY I decided to take the car into Goodyear to get it checked out. They are close to my house and they always do my oil changes so why not get them to look at it. RESULTS: I had codes:P0300, P0301, P0302, P0304 I needed my Iridium spark plugs changed because I still had original spark plugs still in at 152k miles I got oil change because I was almost due for one in about 300 miles. I use Valvoline Synthetic Also GDI 2-Step fuel system cleaning using 3-P Fuel System Cleaner NO MORE KNOCKING AND RATTLING. CAR SOUNDS QUIET N BRAND NEW. I hope this helps some one out there. I saw a lot of info without many confirmation on results. This definitely worked for me. It cost me $632 but it's a small price to pay to not drive scared anymore.

[@Senorlatulla]

Bro do yourself a favor & never go there again, you can't put a price on a piece of mind but that is really expe for what they did. The plugs & oil are easy to change. I am going through the same problem and yes it definitely seems the rattling is lasting longer & getting louder. I was hoping it was just water in my gas tank but this issue has me really concern as other pointed out it could be a head gasket, I'm stuck. Any advice would be greatly appreciated

[@21boxhead]

KNOCKING AND RATTLING WAS DEFINITELY FROM OLD SPARK PLUGS THERE ONLY GOOD FOR 120K MILES TOPS I CHANGE MINE AT 100K MILES 632 BUCKS IS A HUGE RIP OFF SPARK PLUGS SOME OIL AND FUEL SYSTEM CLEANER YOU CAN DO THAT FOR LIKE 50 BUCKS FOR EVERYTHING YOU HAD DONE TO YOUR CAR

[@Senorlatulla]

@@21boxhead oil is fine but coolant is rather low, I just checked it

[@gregrichard9192]

What you did was regular maintenance. Nothing spectacular

[@metrork1]

@@Senorlatulla head gasket

[@Kilmej78]

My 2013 Prius V started doing this the next week after I paid it off. Took it in and had the coils and spark plugs changed. now a year later I find out the head gasket is blown 5900 to fix. WTF at 179K miles

[@scrut6498]

@drew michael is it still running good?

[@metrork1]

@drew michael There goes your radiator and heater core. You have just now clogged up your engine. You should of changed out your head gasket.

[@ahmetyasinerdil6245]

hello i have a question, it did this knocking problem when i was going to start the car last night, but it hasn't recurred for 3 days, do you think it's the ignition?

[@jhonnyjo3211]

Dear friendlyJacek thank you, I was able to solve the problem with my 2013 Prius C

[@willijiem]

The Prius C has the 1.5 engine.

[@JoelAutomotiveInaction]

did you scaned the vehicle prior doing any repair or touch in it ?? did you have any codes? I am mechanic and I had a 05 pruis in my shop with that rattling noise , the spark plugs were bad I replace them and noise is still there I have tech strem scanner which is dealer tool no misfire count ,my noise is at idle only and during deceleration customer is being already at two dealers they are not able to find what is causing it nether me.

[@user-iw8hz9sd3s]

Hiya... Mine have exactly the same problem, sometimes it makes a noise and huge vibration at idle, did you manage to sort it out? Thanks.

[@JoelAutomotiveInaction]

no, did not figure out I started the engine with tech stream scan tool connected monitoring misfire data and did not show misfire during rattle I know they do that rattle I ask a teacher on a Toyota class I took and he said the noise is produce by the damper clutch is in between the engine and transmission exactly like manual transmission clutch but it is spring loaded.

[@avucarguy]

I changed the transmission fluid on my 2007 Prius at about 110,000 miles and the fluid looks brand new, like the ones from the new bottle. I doubt the Prius' transmission is very rough on the fluid. My mom has my 07 Prius now and it has 190,000 miles with no transmission issues. I do burn oil about 2 quarts between the 5K mile oil change interval. I change my oil religiously on this car but it started burning oil anyway at about 90K miles. My 2012 Prius now has 83K miles and I do not plan to change the transmission fluid until at least 100K. Thank God this newer Prius does not burn any oil. I change this car's oil every 7.5K miles with synthetic oil and not the 10K oil change recommended by Toyota. Like another poster said, " this is a common problem Toyota has not been able to fix, they tried changing the manifold and it's still a problem". Also "this seems to happen when the car is shut off before it finishes its startup cycle..for an example taking it out of the garage and then shutting off before the gas engine stops on its own", the solution is to let the engine shut off first when you turn the car off in the WINTER.

[@danlatu209]

put an oil catch can in, the throttle body will stay clean and you will have no knock. priuschat.com/threads/oil-catch-can-eliminate-that-knock.179588/

[@21boxhead]

MY PRIUS MADE THAT NOISE AND TURNED TO BE BLOWN HEAD GASKET

[@scrut6498]

@drew michael is it still doing good?

[@zorg621]

@drew michael is the treatment still looking good? My gen 2 2009 is doing this at 123k miles

[@garynelson7578]

Mine is doing it more these days, I will try the stop leak today. Mileage is 367k! 2010 Red

[@21boxhead]

@@garynelson7578 THE OIL AND COOLANT LEAKS INTO THE PISTON CHAMBER THAT'S WHY YOU HEAR THE NOISE IN THE VIDEO CHANGE YOUR HEAD GASKET DON'T BOTHER WITH HEAD GASKET REPAIR LIQUID UNLESS YOUR SELLING IT AS IT DOESN'T LAST I CHANGED THE HEAD GASKET MYSELF NEVER DONE ANYTHING LIKE BEFORE TOOK ME 5 DAYS WATCHED VIDEO HOW TO DO IT NOW IT WORKS LIKE NEW PROBABLY DO IT FASTER NEXT TIME IT POPS OR PAY 1200 TO GET IT FIXED

[@addictedtragedyx]

@@garynelson7578 did you clean your EGR ? and install your oil catch can

[@daniellafond941]

Sorry for my english ... Good test! That help to understand what happen with our prius. Did you test by disconnecting an injector too? I'm thinking that when the engine not running smoothly the damper clutch between the engine and transmission rocking between is springs cause the electrical motors-generators (MG1 + MG2) inside the transmission have to spin exactly the same RPM than the ICE. If you know how work this tranny the ICE is direct drive whit the tranny but there is a safety clutch.

[@jhonsonmojica9061]

Time for an L.S. swap

[@cle569]

454

[@Sithgazmm]

Hi what year is this Prius I have a 2012 and the code says mass air flow sensor is bad

[@briank10101]

I wonder if there is a "best practice" way to shut down or start up the engine to reduce the probability of this happening. I read someone on Priuschat say immediately flooring the accelerator after the ICE starts. Perhaps this more quickly clears the condensed moisture that is maybe shorting the spark plug, if that indeed it is the root cause. Moisture which has some level of conductivity higher than air could be evaporated off by applying an increasing voltage to the plug to evaporate off the moisture. When the moisture is gone the conductivity would then go to zero. Perhaps this could be implemented in software if the spark voltage is variable and controlable by the ECU.

[@romansten9]

Brian K maybe it would help to reduce short trips and increase the chance for the engine to run longer to burn off moisture? Reduce short trips and running the climate controls, driving fast enough (if possible) would all be things to keep the engine on long enough, esp. at the beginning of trips to warm up properly.... and especially in colder weather where moisture might be more of a problem.

[@tonykilbourn7812]

When in “READY” Put in D Till serviced

[@johndammy4848]

Am having similar problem now on 2010 prius. But the different is that my is misfire on cylinder 2 and 3. natural once you change the plugs, the coil and the nuzzles all the problem should have gone, but am still having the same problem on the two cylinder. So what am thinking of doing now is to change the ECU and see the outcome.

[@fgowolo]

John dammy that my issue too, change coils all new didn’t do nothing, change spark plugs didn’t do nothing. No m wondering what else to do

[@raytwal1]

I had the same problem 20000 plus mile ago and the issue is you can use blue devil . I have no problem anymore

[@djclown7pb]

Did you figure it out? Maybe when you start it give it a good rev

[@haihuynh2362]

This problem what is come from the valve lifter. Open the head of engine, check the valve lifter, one of them was bad (not compress then release). Just change that one, it will be solved. It happened to my car, I changed many things, then I found out this is the main problem.

[@littlepump7653]

Hai Huynh same in mauritius .. got mad trying to find the problem

[@believr77]

Sorry, what was the problem that caused the noise? And what solved it?

[@advertisementprofile6911]

I bet if you drain the coolant from your car and put it maintenance mode the misfire will quit, but that's because your head gasket is blown....and your car can't run without coolant so.

[@MrNiku7a]

Hello, can you tell me, the noise from 10 sec to 22 (untill emgine actually starts) is normal?

[@itz_sebiii]

Yes

[@gustavomartinez324]

Could be caused by many things most common head gasket misfire egr has carbon build up coils or spark plugs that should fix the problem

[@Nj-ix1gk]

You didn't show how did u disconnectted.

[@marcooliden4248]

Perform a block check if it’s ok change your EGR. There’s is a technical service billeting about this problem.

[@jihadhadi9959]

Head gasket coolant in the cylinder and when it's warm up it burns the coolant and have misfired code.

[@cfldriven]

You should set your parking brakes and not rely only on the parking selector.

[@haywoodublowme8850]

you solved nothing, this is a common problem Toyota has not been able to fix, they tried changing the manifold and its still a problem...remove the number one spark plug and you will find oil and carbon build up inside ..the 1.8 motor is junk..i returned my 2011 prius and went back to a 2007 with the 1.5

[@21boxhead]

spark plug filled with oil yep that sounds like common problem with 2010 and 2011 Prius it's got a faulty piston rings which they yet to recall

[@middi3212]

Which one is the number one plug from the left to right or right to left ?

[@danlatu209]

put an oil catch can in, the throttle body will stay clean and you will have no knock. priuschat.com/threads/oil-catch-can-eliminate-that-knock.179588/

[@coldspring624]

Oil catch can

[@Senorlatulla]

@@21boxhead my 2014 has a real rough start that usually last for about no longer than 7 seconds but I will say it scares the day light out of me. I was told I might just have water in my gas tank but it seems to be getting louder & lasting longer (only when the engine 1st starts)... any tips on what it might be? (Btw the engine light was turned off Friday but it came back on today. Codes were cylinder 1,2,3,4 & 5th code said random misfires).. any advice would help

[@fxpestoperator5527]

Try some Sea Foam,,, That stuff is Great!!!!

[@fix-and-drive-diy-repairs]

Mine did this last year and yesterday. BEST THING, GET RID OF THIS NONSENSE AND BUY AN ELECTRIC CAR! Problem solved.

[@tonykilbourn7812]

Coolant level is low weeping into cylinder...it’s head gasket time before damaging engine simple job

[@tonykilbourn7812]

Book is about 16 if I remember correctly but it doesn’t take that longYou just Gotta take your time get organized mark everything take pictures videos whatever and then just go in reverse pretty simple nothing out of the ordinary... be sure to pull the HV PLUG and disconnect 12v battery too

[@tonykilbourn7812]

drew michael you won’t necessarily see white smoke until a real bad breach in head gasket Try putting cvt into D or R as soon as Prius is “READY”. (Before engine starts). It will distribute the knocking away. Just keep foot on brake or better yet, start driving. But if your seeing water already in oil.., you’ll need a head gasket at minimum as soon as possible to avoid damaging engine parts... I think parts were like $50 total. Gasket, cleaner, oil, filter and you’ll need special Toyota headbolt tool can find online cheap. You’ll also need a tube if Toyota FIPG

[@tonykilbourn7812]

drew michael don’t know just does! guess after cvt is in gear it doesn’t shake/ rattle? It doesn’t strain any component at all... judging by sound versus doing nothing! But doing nothing really stresses inner engine components ...I think it stems from bad design of PVC /routing ...pulls blow by into cylinders and causes head gasket failure then coolant added to compression really makes it go wonky and violently shakes/rattles under hood! So catch can install is a must

[@violet.orange]

Check oil level

[@Mizer78]

EGR !!!!!

[@fishlikeyoio2198]

if anybody has this problem use good injection fuel cleaner.

[@losesparkplug1190]

Intake

[@advertisementprofile6911]

Just put some sealer in your coolant. If you let it get worse and worse this won't work. But as soon as you have this misfire symptom it's a blown head gasket and you need to try the sealer. Very cheap very easy. If it doesn't work you need to replace the head gasket. If your a mechanic just replace it yourself. If your just a dude then buy another car.....

[@middi3212]

Mine knocks for about 2-6 seconds then clears up, p0300 p0303 &p0304 can any one help and shine some light I heard coils. Heard egr , heard injectors , heard the intake manifold !?? I'm clueless

[@21boxhead]

no coolant in tank than you got a blown head gasket

[@middi3212]

Cant be a head gasket Naww coolant is clear as new , and oil is nice and oil like , its only during a cycle start after it has sat around , you keep it in a gear it never acts up, only in park , and there been a few times while punching he gas it acted up, but the damn check engin light went off lmao so it must not be a big deal the car has also sat for a few months out side and needed a oil change , ima take it to the dealer if it does not clear up! It had po300 po303 and po304 but like i said the light went off

[@21boxhead]

well mine has a blown gasket that misfire mostly happens during cold start but just before it gaskets were blown those were the symptoms misfires on startup coolant looked fine than after a while all coolant was gone now have multiple misfires

[@middi3212]

21boxhead shucks ill take a borascope and look for some water now :(

[@Lawrence818]

I am having the same problem my mechanic just told me it's a blown gasket. It's wired that when you put it in reverse or natural it kinda goes away but i just found out it's the head gasket. 2011 Prius

[@kajkool007]

Head gasket. Need new engine

[@automobileknowledge1814]

Tune the engine

[@ryanmccormick2150]

I have a solution for this problem....... set your radio volume to say 35 . problem solved 😌

[@rossmelvin]

shit box

[@joseglennvargas5360]

Had the same issue with my 2010 Toyota Prius 1.8L I started to get a P0302, than I read online that they have a Fuel Injector problem, Replace All Injectors and Spark Plugs and Coils, know it jump to P0303, wife drives it today and blow a rod on the freeway, this is a common issue from what I'm reading from Toyota, and to make matters worse, this blown engine has had Full Synthetic since day one. This sucks now I have to install new engine, not a happy Toyota owner right now.