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04 Prius - clicking shifter

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by VUS, Oct 1, 2007.

  1. VUS

    VUS New Member

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    recently our 04 Prius has developed a "click" when shifting, it feels and sounds like the knob is gonna break off in my hand. it happens every time we shift into R or D. everything still works fine, but the sound and feel is disconcerting and it's not going away. any ideas on this? thanks all
     
  2. efusco

    efusco Moderator Emeritus
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    New one...we have heard about one other person who needed to change the control box on the back side of the shifter, but not a clicking/sticking like this.

    Let us know what the dealer tells you.

    You're sure nothing got stuck in the mechanical part of the shifter?
     
  3. galaxee

    galaxee mostly benevolent

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    the dealer will replace it. it's happened twice, i think, that DH saw.
     
  4. smithBYU85

    smithBYU85 Junior Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(VUS @ Oct 1 2007, 03:23 PM) [snapback]519988[/snapback]</div>

    I posted this morning about a similar issue in my 04. I'm interested to hear what you find. Mine seems to only click on cold mornings, it does okay in the warmth. Keep us updated on it. :)
     
  5. VUS

    VUS New Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(smithBYU @ Oct 1 2007, 06:53 PM) [snapback]520037[/snapback]</div>
    thanks everyone, I'll keep you posted, but not sure when. as far as I can tell nothing mechanical is stuck. weather doesn't seem to be a factor. we're driving from DC to CT and back this weekend, will write again next week
     
  6. VUS

    VUS New Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(VUS @ Oct 1 2007, 05:23 PM) [snapback]519988[/snapback]</div>
    took it to my dealer today. they said the shifter was making contact with the "inside panel" and that they "re-designed the inside panel." so it was a repair, not a replacement. I'll try to get more info tonight when I pick it up
    - VUS
     
  7. PA Prius

    PA Prius Active Member

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    Our '04 (77,000 miles) started doing the same thing about two weeks ago. Although it is merely a clicking, and nothing to the point of breaking off the shifter. I use "N" a lot am wondering whether it is simply wearing out. I'd be interested in hearing whether the others with this clicking also make good use of "N"?

    PA P
     
  8. TucsonPrius

    TucsonPrius Member

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    I also have started to notice a clicking in the shifter on my '04 (But I *never* use N). It seems to happen when the shifter is halfway towards the left, but not when it returns, and doesn't happen when switching to B.

    Thanks,
    Shawn
     
  9. jrmgkia

    jrmgkia Wish I was cycling

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(TucsonPrius @ Oct 3 2007, 06:58 PM) [snapback]520965[/snapback]</div>
    Our 2004 does the exact same thing but the click is getting louder and now you really feel the click, it happens when the shifter is being moved to the left the same as what TucsonPrius described. It feels like it is catching on a piece of plastic but then it breaks free making a loud clicking noise. My 04 Prius is way out of warrantee so any idea on how much the repair costs and what part is being replaced to fix the issue? Thanks
     
  10. nmrickie

    nmrickie Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(jrmgkia @ Oct 5 2007, 07:45 AM) [snapback]521683[/snapback]</div>
    Will this help?

    http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Toyota-Priu...sspagenameZWDVW
     
  11. PA Prius

    PA Prius Active Member

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    Ten months later and my shifter is clicking a bit more intensely. I am now at almost 95,000 miles. Has anyone else dealt with this?

    PA P
     
  12. fiblet

    fiblet Junior Member

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    Has anyone found the cure for this clicking sound?
     
  13. PA Prius

    PA Prius Active Member

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    Yes, a plastic piece in the shifter was warped, making it catch and then snap when moving the shifter. Toyota replaced my whole shifter mechanism free of charge under the 100,000 mile extended warranty. I likely would not have paid to have it done if it wasn't covered under warranty.

    PA P
     
  14. Chris Dragon

    Chris Dragon Junior Member

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    I've had this same clicking problem with the shifter I think within the first 6 months of buying my 04. I took it to the dealer and they fixed it under warranty, calling it an "adjustment", and it was fine for a few months and then went back to clicking. I think I had them fix it again and a few months later, same problem. This all makes me think it's not warped plastic but some sort of screw or other adjustment coming loose, because the clicking always starts soft and gets louder and requires increasing force to move the shifter to N or R. However, after it reaches a certain point, it doesn't get any worse, so since the dealer had failed to permanently fix it twice (and also failed to put my console back together correctly at least once after "fixing" it) I just gave up and have lived with it for the last 10 years.
     
  15. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    This thread may be of interest to you. One possibility is to install a used shift assembly. I know that you certainly have the capability to disassemble the dash for that purpose...
    How to Replace 2G Gearshift Lever | PriusChat
     
  16. Chris Dragon

    Chris Dragon Junior Member

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    Thanks Patrick! Such a fast response. That's really odd if it's that piece of plastic catching, though... I wonder how my dealer managed to temporarily fix it? I always figured I could fix it somehow if I ever took the time to take it apart, but free time is always limited. However, I just spent a week on 120K maintenance items and so was reminded of the sticking shift lever. Glad there seems to be a solution out there.

    Edit: I fixed my shifter in about 30 minutes. It was the same warped plastic as shown in the video from the other thread. I should have taken it apart years ago but never imagined it would be so simple. I'll post some pics in the other thread.

    Oh and thanks for your post about shorting the relay to run the CHS pump as well. After I got that spinning it pulled in another quart of coolant from the Lisle funnel. I don't see how anyone can change coolant without running that pump, but it wasn't part of the guide I read or video I watched.
     
  17. fiblet

    fiblet Junior Member

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    I was had purchased used shifter and was going to put it in, but I noticed that the old shifter is actually easy to repair. All I did was take a knife and carve out the section of plastic side wall that the warped plate was bumping into to allow it to freely move in and out without bumping into the outer plastic side of the shifter. Once you carve out enough plastic in the shape of the warped plastic plate, it will move freely. The great thing about this fix is that it only takes a couple minutes and you don't need to open up the shifter at all. Also if you buy a used shifter with the same design flaw, it will just break again without this modification.