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Persistant P0300, P0301, P0302 engine misfires on idle.

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by Help07Prius, Nov 9, 2024.

  1. Help07Prius

    Help07Prius New Member

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    I'm getting intermittent misfires when the car idles, the exhaust has a subtle putputput sound and puts out the smell of gas when it misfires. Initially, I had misfires on all 4 cylinders but I replaced all the spark plugs and ignition coils and now it's just cylinder 1 and 2.

    What tried first:
    New spark plugs (4x DENSO Iridium Power 5303 Spark Plug) (I did not check the gaps but they all looked about right)
    New Ignition coils (4x Aulink UF316 Ignition Coil Pack)
    New MAF (OSKYUO 22204-22010 Mass Air Flow Sensor)

    After these changes I still had the misfires, so I then:
    Added fuel injector cleaner to the fuel
    Tried cleaning the throttle body (I used a toothbrush while still attached, using CRC throttle body cleaner)
    Did an engine flush (Liqui Moly Engine flush) and oil change
    filled the tank with fresh fuel (premium)
    Resolved the hybrid battery P0A08 and P3000 triangle by replacing bad cells and rebalancing pack.

    Still misfires... I'm a bit at a loss here. Any ideas? I won't be able to register the car unless I get it resolved.

    Car has 370k miles.
     
  2. Aegean

    Aegean Active Member

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    Maybe next check for Fuel pressure issues: If the fuel pump or fuel pressure regulator is malfunctioning, it could affect the fuel supply to the cylinders, causing misfires.

    Also, perform a compression test on cylinders 1 and 2 to check for mechanical issues such as low compression or cylinder head gasket problems.
     
  3. Tombukt2

    Tombukt2 Senior Member

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    In the morning before you start the car pull all four of the plugs out especially looking at one and two with your magnifying glasses or whatever You're looking for little vapor droplets on the part of the plug that's inside of the engine all the time If you see any of these little water droplets on your plug put your finger on it touch your finger to your tongue taste the ethylene glycol this is probably your problem it's rare for this engine but any engine can have a leaking head gasket they all actually do to a certain point but not enough to cause a misfire and coolant loss I would be looking at that very quickly given all the work you've done already The new coils are one or two of the new coils could be at fault because they just can be it's one of those kinds of parts if you were to swap coils one and two to three and four and the miss doesn't move then everything is staying there probably internally and I'd be looking for the water droplets or vapor on the plug tips if that's there he's pretty much found your issue I would think.
     
  4. highmilesgarage

    highmilesgarage Active Member

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    try swapping the injectors from cyls 3 & 4, if that didn't work then a compression test will set the verdict.
     
  5. rjparker

    rjparker Tu Humilde Sirviente

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    Most likely you bought counterfeit plugs and probably cheap aftermarket coils.
     
  6. pasadena_commut

    pasadena_commut Senior Member

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    Those coil packs are 4 for $38 on Amazon. The NGK pack is $44 for one on RockAuto. You're not going to get quality parts if they cost 25% of a good part from a discount(ish) but reliable vendor charges.

    I wouldn't trust any spark plugs from Amazon. So many fakes.

    Inspect the connectors that go to the coil packs for dirt or corrosion. If in doubt, spray them with contact cleaner. This probably is not the issue though.
     
  7. Xterra72

    Xterra72 Senior Member

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    Head gasket
     
  8. Help07Prius

    Help07Prius New Member

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    I switched the spark plugs and ignition coils for cylinder 2 and 3 and I'm still getting misfires on the same cylinders, 1 and 2. Also, I noticed that the spark plug in cylinder 3 is covered in carbon but the one in cylinder 2 was clean. When I got the car, I also remember a fuel lean error code, but it hasn't come back. Any cheap way to fix this? What are the chances I fix it with something cheap like fuel injectors or an additive or ATP Automotive AT-205 Re-Seal? I need it to pass inspection.
     
  9. Aegean

    Aegean Active Member

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    Just to be sure it is not fuel related, swap the fuel injectors too, reset codes and report if the codes reappear on cylinders 1 and 2.

    if still you get codes on 1 and 2, I am afraid it is the head gasket which could be verified by a compression cylinder test as I mentioned earlier.
     
  10. Help07Prius

    Help07Prius New Member

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    Good idea, would it be prudent to pick up a fire extinguisher before switching the fuel injectors? The one video I watched on the topic had fuel leaking after he switched them which makes me a bit nervous. I should also mention that there was oil on the spark plug threads. I don't remember the original spark plugs having oil on the threads though, but I did run an engine flush as well as added a very small amount of Liqui Moly MoS2 and small amount of AT-205, so I don't know if the engine flush or something else caused oil to temporarily get get through the gasket.

    Also, if it is something like the head gasket, what's the cheapest way to get help on that? It seems significantly above my current ability and tools, unless there is an easier way to get the head off than the video I watched.

    Would a gas test on the radiator work for testing a head gasket failure? Seems like it would be a lot easier than doing a compression test.

    Any thoughts on Steel Seal or are there any other non-teardown options that won't cause problems with the heater core or coolant system on a Gen 2 Prius?
     
    #10 Help07Prius, Nov 12, 2024 at 11:01 PM
    Last edited: Nov 12, 2024 at 11:42 PM
  11. highmilesgarage

    highmilesgarage Active Member

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    you need to sit down and think about how to diagnose this and not fire up the parts cannon.. I don't understand what's the reason for engine flush and AT-205 as a fix for misfires.

    a head gasket issue could manifest itself if you have coolant disappearing, overheating (usually a warning in the console), milky oil, misfires, coolant overflowing from overflow tank (which will make your coolant low) and sometimes smoke in the exhaust if it's really bad. Those steel seal and mechanic in a bottle stuff are temporary solutions which might work or not. Worst it could ruin other parts but it will give you time if it works and if you plan to sell it remember "karma" goes back.

    I fixed the head gasket issue on my 426k mile Prius and it doesn't require a lot of special tools, it's easy actually if you have the DIY capability. If your head is badly warped then you have to bring it to machine shop to straighten it and it will cost money.

    Start with the proper diagnosis first and worst of all you started with replacing the most important parts with cheapo/unknown quality parts, for one the original MAF might be in better condition than that piece of aftermarket replacement and replacing fuel injectors are not cheap either (don't tell me you're going to buy cheapo fuel injectors in amazon)

    4 things to have in order to not have a misfire:
    - air (got lots of it)
    - fuel (have to check the injectors, try swapping with working ones first)
    - spark (you already did this by swapping coils and plugs)
    - mechanical (have to do a leak down test or compression test, those carbon in the plugs could indicate a bad oil blowby, check pcv and throttle body for oil blowby)

    You also need a good code reader, you mention that there was a lean code. Lean codes can cause a misfire. Take note of that.. and good luck.
     
    Help07Prius and Xterra72 like this.
  12. Help07Prius

    Help07Prius New Member

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    My original idea was to use the cheapest parts to help troubleshoot by eliminating the common/easy problems, and I can switch back to the originals or upgrade for longevity later. No plans to sell the car as I need it (as long as I can get it registered), and I'd never sell a car without disclosing all the known issues. The AT-205 was because I thought it might help if there was a worn piston ring and also there may have been an oil leak (although it could have just been because the dipstick tube wasn't seated due to a missing bolt). I added the anti-friction mostly out of curiosity and to see if it would help in case of engine wear, but only about 10% of the recommended dose because the oil level is already at the max fill line. The engine had been run for at least 15 minutes almost totally dry (it was almost seizing), so I assume there is a lot of engine wear and also possible warping. However, the engine seems to run surprisingly well now except for the slight misfire on idle.

    The previous owner did mention that a mechanic had said something about the fuel system before (I think they mentioned fuel pump), but I have no idea what they did to diagnose the issue and since I replaced the sparks it's not misfiring on all 4 cylinders (only the first two). I didn't notice oil on the throttle body when it was cleaned (I did this before the engine flush). I haven't noticed a coolant leak and the levels seem fine, although the coolant in the engine overflow tank is clear, so it's not Toyota coolant. I don't know if the Prius has an engine overheating light, but it had no codes relating to overheating except for the inverter which I fixed by replacing the pump.

    I have the veepeak bluetooth reader, not sure which is the best app to use with it. I'm just using a free app at the moment which I can't remember the name of.

    Also, I may have overfilled the oil the first time due to the dipstick not actually being seated.
     
    #12 Help07Prius, Nov 13, 2024 at 1:01 PM
    Last edited: Nov 13, 2024 at 1:17 PM