2011 engine light shake when starting after new plugs

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by icyrius, Feb 21, 2026 at 1:37 PM.

  1. icyrius

    icyrius Active Member

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    Hello,

    I noticed after installing a new set of spark plugs (Iridium DENSO SC20HR11), the engine does a light 2 second shake when turning on after switching from ECO. However, the rattle sounds like it’s coming from the exhaust touching the catalytic converter protector I installed due to theft in my area. Could this rattle be caused by the new spark plugs? I should I try better gas in my tank or something?

    Thanks
     
  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    How many miles on her? Are you losing any coolant?
    Where did you get the plugs?
     
  3. icyrius

    icyrius Active Member

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    175K. No coolant leaks. From EBay, but say Genuine Toyota part box.
     
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  4. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    Doesn’t mean a thing, but I’m not saying they’re counterfeit
     
  5. ASRDogman

    ASRDogman Senior Member

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    :confused::eek:o_O
    There is a 99% change if you get it from ebay or amazon, it is the cheap chinese copies!







     
    #5 ASRDogman, Feb 22, 2026 at 3:32 PM
    Last edited: Feb 22, 2026 at 3:45 PM
  6. BiomedO1

    BiomedO1 Senior Member

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    I buy my genuine Toyota parts through my local dealership's web portal, on a will-call to avoid shipping n handling charges. They will meet any "valid" advertised price for exact items posted. That means OEM part numbers and packaging clearly visible and must specifically state Genuine Toyota OEM part.
    This assures me an actual genuine OEM part. I'm not sure if your aware of this, but Amazon n Ebay has distribution centers. Similarly boxed and bar coded items are mixed together, so even if you have an honest vendor - you may still get a counterfeit part. If something is shipped from the vendors' "own" warehouse; they have more control over what you get. But that means longer and pricier shipping time and cost.
     
  7. icyrius

    icyrius Active Member

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    Yes. That is a possibility that I could have purchased a counterfeit. Even advanced auto sells any you non-Toyota genuine part. But wouldn’t a wrong spark plug cause a sustained knocking? Why does it only happen when the engine starts?
     
  8. BiomedO1

    BiomedO1 Senior Member

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    Electronic parts are NOT the same as machined mechanical parts. You can see and feel the differences in a machined part; not so much on an electronic part. The mode of failure would determine what an electronic part would do or not do.
    FWIW; I don't believe you have a spark plug issue, because the issues would happen at anytime your engine is running. ie. intermittent misfire and lower mpg. If your engine is rotating at 2K RPM; that plug is firing 2K times a minute - if there's a defect, you'll know it. IMHO. If you still have your old plugs; put them back in to eliminate that as the cause of your issue.

    This is a good example.
     
    #8 BiomedO1, Feb 22, 2026 at 4:39 PM
    Last edited: Feb 22, 2026 at 4:47 PM
  9. ASRDogman

    ASRDogman Senior Member

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    Sadly, you can't trust any parts store any longer. They are about making money, so they buy the
    cheapest they can. You have to be very careful. Look on the box and see where they are made.

    I've gotten good Bosch plugs from autozone. I also look at the each spark plug box and make sure they
    aren't made in china, rockauto totally sucks. Plain junk, NO customer support.

    After market electronic parts don't seem to work well with the Prius.
    Parts like the coils, and sensors, "if" you have to purchase them, it is very likely it will only be a 1 time thing.
    So it's worth the extra money to get OEM parts.