2011 Prius Start rattling for a second or two

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by Chris777, Mar 10, 2025 at 9:58 PM.

  1. Chris777

    Chris777 Junior Member

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    Vehicle:
    2011 Prius
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    Base

    My 2011 Toyota Prius has been doing this on mostly every start up and mainly cold starts. I changed the spark plugs and coils but that did nothing. Still have the issue. Any ideas or thoughts on what it can be?Thank you. I have no engine codes as well that are coming from this. #prius #hybrid #sparkplugs #chrisfix #headgasket #coils#toyota #toyotaprius #2011prius.
     
  2. Chris777

    Chris777 Junior Member

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    Location:
    Los Angeles
    Vehicle:
    2011 Prius
    Model:
    Base
  3. Brian1954

    Brian1954 Senior Member

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    Location:
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    Vehicle:
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    III
    It is probably a bad head gasket.

    How many miles on the car?
     
  4. ETC(SS)

    ETC(SS) The OTHER One Percenter.....

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    Stop driving the car!

    Search for "Prius Death Rattle." in this forum or in the YouTubes.
    What you want to do is avoid having to replace a head gasket....or worse, your engine if your car is 'hydrolocking.'

    They CALL it the 'death rattle' for a pretty good reason.
    Symptoms:
    Low coolant level.
    "milk shake" or water droplets on your oil dip stick.