Unknown problem after some work i’ve done, please help

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by ToyotaCoyotta, May 15, 2025 at 9:04 PM.

  1. ToyotaCoyotta

    ToyotaCoyotta New Member

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    Check youtube video first:


    There were no major problems with the car, except for one issue: when sitting in traffic, if the battery discharged and the gauge dropped to two bars, a slight vibration would appear when the gasoline engine kicked in. During the time it took for the battery level to rise from 2 to 3 bars, the engine didn't run completely smoothly (but nowhere near as rough as in the video).

    P.S. This issue was present both before and after the LPG system installation.

    I've also noticed that when pressing the gas pedal harder uphill, there's a slight pulsing sound (not reflected in the RPMs, which rise smoothly), so I didn't pay much attention to it.

    Recently, there have been two instances while driving where the car suddenly lost power, as if the gasoline engine had shut off. I continued driving on the battery until it fully discharged, and the car came to a complete stop. After turning the car off and restarting it, everything seemed fine. Diagnostics showed two error codes: Poor Engine Power and Engine Failed to Start. After clearing the codes, the car drove normally again.

    Today, trying to address these potential issues as a preventive measure, I:
    - Replaced the EGR cooler and EGR valve (both were cleaned and shiny).
    - Installed new spark plugs (one of the four plugs was hard to unscrew and had some slight corrosion).
    - Changed the transmission fluid.
    - Reassembled everything, but now it's clear something is wrong when starting the engine.

    I kindly ask for your advice on where to start looking for the problem. What might I have done incorrectly, and where should I check?

    No error codes are showing on startup.

    Car details:
    - Toyota Prius 2009 XW30, 2ZR-FXE 1.8, gasoline-LPG
    - Spark plugs used: Denso Iridium IXEH20TT
    - Transmission fluid: ATF T-WS Ravenol
     
  2. Brian1954

    Brian1954 Senior Member

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    Check for vacuum leak.
     
  3. rjparker

    rjparker Tu Humilde Sirviente

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    Sounds like a gen3 1.8L misfire, usually caused by a leaking head gasket.

    Given you tore down the egr, check all vacuum and pcv hoses.
     
  4. Grit

    Grit Senior Member

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    All this information but no miles driven? Oh well, off to another thread.
     
  5. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    What is “”LPG”, when did its installation occur, and what did that entail?

    video sounds like head gasket failure. What is the extra hose apparatus for? Maybe: Liquid Petroleum Gas??
     
  6. rjparker

    rjparker Tu Humilde Sirviente

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    LPG as an engine fuel is primarily propane which is more common in cars overseas like the op. He said the problem was there before the lpg conversion.
     
  7. BiomedO1

    BiomedO1 Senior Member

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    Probably liquid propane gas; it's a popular conversion in countries that has no oil. It's cheaper than gasoline over there.

    The problem existed before the conversion; but rather than fix the problem first - they converted it. So now the question is the conversion tuned properly or is it adding to the existing problem or did it get worse on it's own???
    Don't know how they were going to properly tune and balance the propane injectors with a potential head gasket issue; but that's just me.......
     
    #7 BiomedO1, May 15, 2025 at 11:26 PM
    Last edited: May 15, 2025 at 11:48 PM