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Identify cylinder order

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by sw2765, Feb 2, 2009.

  1. sw2765

    sw2765 New Member

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    My 2006 with 63,000 miles is giving me a PO301 code. This is a misfire on cyl. one. I switched the coil pacs on what I believe are the # 1 and #2 cylinders to see if the code would move also. The code stayed off for about 600 miles but returned as the same PO301. Before replacing the one plug I want to be sure I have identified the correct plug. How are the cylinders numbered while facing the engine from left to right. I switched the coil pacs under the assumption that # 1 is the first one on the left. Was I right? I will continue the trouble shooting once I am sure of the order for the plugs.

    Thanks for the information.
     
  2. jayman

    jayman Senior Member

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    Yes, correct. I've attached a print from the shop manual
     

    Attached Files:

  3. jayman

    jayman Senior Member

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    Note: the troubleshooting flowchart covers quite a few things, from spark plugs, to PCV leaks, to valve clearance and wiring issues. If water has leaked into the coil pack, that will almost certainly cause a misfire. This was a known problem and subject to a TSB
     
  4. jayman

    jayman Senior Member

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    Did you remove and inspect the spark plug itself? Or just swap coil packs? Plugs are cheap enough, I'd toss them
     
  5. sw2765

    sw2765 New Member

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    Thanks to everyone for your responses. I have only swapped the coil pacs at this time. I will replace the plug tomorrow if I have time. I'll let you know the results. Right now the error message returns quickly so I should know if replacing the plug does the trick.
     
  6. patsparks

    patsparks An Aussie perspective

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    I have fixed a cracked coil with a little white gloss enamel in the past as a temporary measure. It was still good 12 years later when I sold the car.
     
  7. David Beale

    David Beale Senior Member

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    12 years is "temporary"? Boy, you Aussies keep your cars a long time! ;)
     
  8. jayman

    jayman Senior Member

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    The old fixes are sometimes the best fixes. One of my grandpas told me about that trick, it's been around for a *long* time
     
  9. sw2765

    sw2765 New Member

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    It's back! I changed the plug in number one and the check engine light stayed off for approximately 400 miles and now its back. I have swapped the coil and changed the plug on the #1 cylinder and I am still getting the misfire on number one error code. I would love ideas on what to check next to try and resolve this. Thanks in advance for your ideas.
     
  10. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    What spark plug(s) did you install? Did you do all four cylinders or only cyl 1?

    What do the electrical connectors look like for the spark igniter and for the fuel injector? I suggest that you carefully inspect the contacts, any corrosion within?

    If all of the above is good, then the next item to suspect is the cyl 1 fuel injector, but this is not easy to swap because you will have to depressurize the fuel line, then remove the valve cover so that the fuel rail can be lifted up. So this is going to be a bit of a PITA.

    Following is the full list of potential issues:

     ​
    Open or short in engine wire harness

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    Connector connection

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    Vacuum hose connection

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    Ignition system

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    Injector

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    Fuel pressure

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    Mass air flow meter

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    Engine coolant temperature sensor

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    Compression pressure

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    Valve clearance

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    Valve timing

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    PCV hose connection

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    PCV hose

     ECM
     
  11. sw2765

    sw2765 New Member

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    Patrick,

    I only changed the plug in number one as the it is my understanding that typically the plugs should be changed 100,000 miles. Thanks for the list of possible causes. I will take another look at the electrical connectors and spark igniter. Past that the rest of the list looks like a trip to the dealer as many of the items are beyond my level of comfort. Thanks again for the list and ideas.

    Steve
     
  12. jayman

    jayman Senior Member

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    That sucks, according the the troubleshooting flowchart, you're looking at anything from a wiring issue to a valve clearance issue.
     
  13. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    Hi Steve,

    Since the problem takes 400 miles to reappear, it seems that the issue is a subtle one. Maybe injector #1 is slightly clogged, and if you run a bottle of Chevron Techron through the system that might help. What gasoline brand do you purchase?
     
  14. sw2765

    sw2765 New Member

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    Patrick,

    Thanks again for sharing your knowledge. The first thing I did in trying to resolve this was add a bottle of techron to a fresh tank of gas. The light came back after approx 150 miles. I then swapped coils to see if that was the issue. The light stayed off for a week and I felt good then it came back with the same code P0301 I then put in a new plug NGK IFR5T11 the original plug was a NGK1FR5A11 I had to order the plug at the parts store. When I got home and noticed the "A" versus "T" I looked at the NGK website and the "T" is what they reccommend. I could not find a comparison between the two the site did not list an "A" plug. So I used the "T" plug. The light stayed off this time for approx 400 miles. I was traveling so the miles added up while the restarts of the car may have been the same as earlier attempts at resolving the issue. I think I have read that the number of restarts has something to do with resetting the computer? That's the history of these latest attempts to resolve this.

    My next attempt will be to clean the maf since it looks like something I can do. I read about on this site and am now trying to find the post that has pictures and description of the location and how to clean it. I will be getting some maf spray cleaner to do this with.

    Steve
     
  15. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    Hi Steve,

    The new spark plug sounds OK. I would have replaced all four.

    It is true that the system needs to log the misfire problem twice, before turning on the CEL.

    It won't hurt to clean the MAF but I doubt that is the cause of your problem since the problem seems to be limited to cyl 1. If you have P0300 (general misfire code) or logged several misfire codes for the various cylinders, then maybe the MAF might be contributing.

    My guess is that cyl 1 fuel injector has a slight problem, I would probably just replace it since the labor involved to swap injectors is considerable.
     
  16. goodMXguy

    goodMXguy Junior Member

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    I am baffled. I had a P0301. I swapped the coil pack with number 2. #1 appeared again so I swapped back and chan that spark plug in cylinder 1. P0300 and P0302 joined the party. Then I replaced all coil packs. No change. Then I swapped cylinder and coil 1 with 3 thinking that if the problem was from any of them, it would bring P0303. Turned on the car and got a rattle and P0304... I am scratching my head with the results... My plan is to change the fuel injectors and spark plugs... Any thoughts?
     
  17. Raytheeagle

    Raytheeagle Senior Member

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    How’s your fuel pressure?
     
  18. goodMXguy

    goodMXguy Junior Member

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    Just to clarify. In got P0300, P0301, P0302, and newly P0304
     
  19. goodMXguy

    goodMXguy Junior Member

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    I am not getting codes for fuel pressure...
     
  20. Raytheeagle

    Raytheeagle Senior Member

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    But how do you know your fuel to air ratio is correct?

    You’ve moved the k hectors around which is the easiest way to evaluate, but as you found, the problem is still in the same location.

    If the air to fuel ratio isn’t correct, you’ll get undesired results.