1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

Fuel in the intake manifold

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by Beaver Kicker, May 29, 2024.

  1. Beaver Kicker

    Beaver Kicker New Member

    Joined:
    Mar 27, 2024
    3
    1
    0
    Location:
    Mauritius
    Vehicle:
    2009 Prius
    Model:
    Active
    Hello world!,

    I'm new here and this is my first post. I own a Japanese base model gen 2 since new. I have been maintaining the car myself throughout the years and it currently has 240k on the clock.

    I did my regular service last week and when I took the throttle body apart, there was a noticeable amount of fuel pooled up in the intake manifold. Also my spark plugs were wet and smelled like fuel. Its getting colder here and I noticed the some shaking and variable rpm on the first crank in the morning. The car operates normally when the engine reaches its operating temperature. I was wondering what the issue could be?

    I did a scan with TechStream and nothing showed up.

    I have read somewhere that this problem is related to the fuel pressure regulator but I don't want to start changing parts without having a solid answer.

    Please help :(
     
    Tombukt2 likes this.
  2. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk EGR Fanatic

    Joined:
    Oct 17, 2010
    56,671
    39,221
    80
    Location:
    Greater Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    Touring
    Is it for sure fuel, aka gasoline. Might be due to PCV (Positive Crankcase Ventilation) vapours introduced to the intake manifold, depositing a mix of oil/water, with just enough gas to give it a sharp smell?
     
  3. Tombukt2

    Tombukt2 Senior Member

    Joined:
    Nov 29, 2020
    10,372
    1,792
    0
    Location:
    Durham NC
    Vehicle:
    2009 Prius
    Model:
    Base
    So on your vehicle you don't have the bladder in the tank and the changeable electric fuel pump and so on is this correct It's the same as the UK edition If so that's a bonus for you you can play around with the fuel pump and pressures and just about anything you want to because you can actually get to the fuel pump to the bottom of the back seat here in the United States and federal vehicles you can access that there's a bladder in the tank like what's in a bladder type water tank for a well pump system It's really kind of silly.
     
  4. Beaver Kicker

    Beaver Kicker New Member

    Joined:
    Mar 27, 2024
    3
    1
    0
    Location:
    Mauritius
    Vehicle:
    2009 Prius
    Model:
    Active
    Besides some regular cleaning, I have never actually replace the PCV valve. I might start with that since it is easier to have access to.
     
  5. Beaver Kicker

    Beaver Kicker New Member

    Joined:
    Mar 27, 2024
    3
    1
    0
    Location:
    Mauritius
    Vehicle:
    2009 Prius
    Model:
    Active
    So I replaced the PCV valve and drove it for a week. Took out the throttle body and gas was still present in the plenum. It is definitely not oil. Can anyone please help me diagnose this issue? How do I check if the fuel pressure regulator or the the fuel rail pressure sensor(if any) is bad?
     
  6. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk EGR Fanatic

    Joined:
    Oct 17, 2010
    56,671
    39,221
    80
    Location:
    Greater Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    Touring
    Take the intake manifold off and clean, say with brake cleaner, rags and brushes?

    If it's gas, how would it get into the intake manifold? Not a rhetorical question, but it is a puzzle. The injectors are in the intake ports, aimed at the valve openings; could that spray be back splashing somehow?

    Taking off the intake manifold will also allow you to clean off the injector tips, and the intake ports, might shed some light.

    Gen 3 PCV is very prone to dump gunk, due to it's position on the sidewall. I keep forgetting Gen 2's PCV valve is on the valve cover. Still, PCV is a common culprit.

    Also, with the intake manifold off, see if you can collect some of the stuff, get it into a narrow jar and let it settle, see if it separates into layers.
     

    Attached Files:

    #6 Mendel Leisk, Jun 10, 2024
    Last edited: Jun 10, 2024
    Beaver Kicker likes this.
  7. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk EGR Fanatic

    Joined:
    Oct 17, 2010
    56,671
    39,221
    80
    Location:
    Greater Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    Touring
    ^ Attachment says "non-reusable" on the intake manifold gaskets. Your call, if they're in good shape you can get away with reusing, still, gen 2, and never been off, safer to replace. They don't cost much. If you do replace them, then have it off soon after, just to recheck, I'd have no qualms about continuing to use the new ones.
     
  8. AzWxGuy

    AzWxGuy Weather Guy

    Joined:
    May 22, 2011
    1,003
    498
    0
    Location:
    Tucson, AZ
    Vehicle:
    2021 Prius
    Model:
    Limited
    Doesn't the Atkinson cycle ICE release some of the fuel/air compression cycle back into the intake manifold? I recall the floor of my GEN II intake manifold had a fairly regular fuel/oil mixture about an eighth of an inch deep.
     
  9. mr_guy_mann

    mr_guy_mann Senior Member

    Joined:
    Sep 3, 2020
    3,668
    1,715
    0
    Location:
    NJ-USA
    Vehicle:
    2006 Prius
    Model:
    Four
    I would get a scantool and look at data from the ECM. Specifically Short Term and Long Term Fuel Trim. These are corrections that the ECM makes to fuel injection amounts based on the Air Fuel sensor in the exhaust manifold.

    If everything is "like it left the factory", Fuel Trims stay near 0%. If the A/F sensor reports a "lean" mixture, STFT makes a positive (+)% correction. If STFT stays away from 0 long enough, LTFT will make a correction and STFT should return to 0. (ST and LT trims are added together for "total" fuel trim). STFT is a temporary reaction to the A/F sensor. LTFT is a learned response to STFT. There are different LTFT "cells" for different combinations of RPM and load. So fuel trims at idle can be different vs. acceleration vs. highway cruise.

    The same is true "in reverse" - if A/F reports a "rich" mixture, FT make a negative (-)% correction.

    I mention this because one of the only ways to have "excess" gasoline in the intake manifold would be for the fuel injectors to be leaking (dripping) or otherwise faulty. That would affect combustion while the ICE is running, and would show up as negative fuel trim values.

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.