Prius (2004-09) :: Sluggishness Like Car Is Working Harder
Dec 7, 2015
I had my car in a garage for 5 days and it started up and drove fine. I went to the store got back in my car and now if feels like the car is working harder to move and the initial electric motion feels impeded.
Tires at 29-33psi. Oil was at low line. Filled it up....test drove and it feels the same sluggishness
The gas engine even sounds like it is working harder to move.
My car has over 200,000 miles.
I think I need a new cat converter....but I have been trying to find one...
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I normally drive my 2010 Prius. But I have been driving my wife's 2012 Camry XLE the last couple of days. (My Prius was clean and hers was not.
Well twice in the last two days I started her car and put it in drive to find it was accelerating uncontrollably! The harder I pushed on the brake the harder it accelerated.
After taking my foot off of the brake I discovered that my size 13 EEE shoe was on both the brake AND the accelerator.
Now knowing this, the same thing happened the second day! Luckily They both happened in parking lots and NO damage was incurred!
This has never happened in my 10 Prius or my 08 Prius. maybe the pedals are not as close or the Prius's low end power was not noticeable.
It would be ironic if all the BS over the floor mats came down to big feet or improperly placed pedals. My feet have been the same size for 50 years and many cars and NEVER had this occur before.
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I have a 1999 Buick Regal GS and it feels like I'm continuously riding the brakes at random times and engine sounds like its working harder than usual to get the car to move. I thought I had this problem solved by replacing the master cylinder but I seems to be happening again. The reason I replaced the master cylinder was because I came out one morning about 2 months ago and started down my driveway to get the mail (I live on a steep hill) and I thought I had a broken line or something because I had almost no pedal and it was sinking to the floor. What confused me the brakes seemed good the day before when I drove about 40 miles round trip to town and then parked it overnight. (except for the brakes sticking feeling) I had the car put on a rack and found nothing more than a slow leak at the proportioning valve but I noticed on the way to the shop the car was no longer hard to move and was smoother rolling than it had been in a long long time.
The brake fluid was a little low but when I filled it to the max level the pedal still felt soft and would sink unit I had the master cylinder replaced, With the sinking pedal and all I was thinking its probably a bad/sticking master cylinder that maybe could have been applying slight pressure to all the brakes at once and now it was released. I purchased a reman master cylinder from advance and had it put on and it seemed to work great and my car was still rolling freely. The proportional valve is still leaking (small drip when pressed) but I didn't think it could cause all these problems. I usually have to pump the brake before I leave of a morning or my pedal will be soft and sink but not all the time.
Recently I noticed my car is starting to feel like it is sticking again and my last mpg estimate was 17mpg, I might be a little hard on the throttle at times but not all the time. The rims feel equally warm after driving but not real hot. I have replaced a lot of parts over the last 2 years so most of the braking parts are near new. All the brake lines have been replaced along with the hydraulic hoses. Front calipers are new Rear caliper I rebuilt myself Master cylinder was replaced over a month ago. Could it be the abs unit or the brake booster? A week ago the car rolled freely but the pedal was starting to feel hard like the symptoms of a bad brake booster.
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I took my 1998 Infiniti I30 to my mechanic for routine maintenance, and I noticed the engine was working a tiny bit harder to startup and to accelerate on highway in the last 2 weeks. They discovered the air filter and housing were completely burnt out! We're scratching our heads. Internet search and check with other mechanics- no clues. It's been a dream for years with routine maintenance, has only 125k, last service May 2013 since I only drove it 5K since then. I'm the only driver and it sleeps in my garage (secure, no rodents). What the heck?
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So Im going to post a series of graphs of boost compared to rpms. I also did fueling and wastegate. Im having an issue with alot of boost flutter and sluggishness
Idle lambda is at -1.3
Partial lambda is at 13.5
Graph one showing specified and actual boost compared to rpm
Got rid of the crappy autozone special sunpro boost gauge and installed the newsouth that bill shipped me.
Only getting -10 vac at idle
Spiking and holding around 24-25 psi and then it barely drops at all but it holds at 24psi for a while which is kind of scary....
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Previously, I would sometimes experience sluggishness and hesitation when attempting to accelerate. Now, the problem has become worse. Also, previously the issue occurred when I suddenly needed to accelerate to pass another vehicle. Now, I can feel it from take off, you really hear the engine struggling(the kind of sound you hear on an old 4 cylinder vehicle trying to go uphill). Sometimes, I feel the engine is struggling to keep the vehicle at a constant speed on a level road. Tried fuel injector cleaners like BG44K. While these injector cleaners are in the gas tank, the car runs smooth and has decent acceleration. Later, I return back to square one.
It is not that I have high expectations and am a power freak. I used to own a 2004 RX330 with 150K miles and that car ran better at 150K without any tune up then my GX460 with 60K miles. So, you can imagine my frustrations.
One more thing I noticed, it runs better when I just gas it up. One theory, could be the fuel filter is clogged. When I am suppose to change the fuel filter on the GX460?
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I'm noticing some odd behavior from my Brand New (50 miles) Chevy Sonic. When I get to about 40-45 mph steady, the car seems to apply a small amount of braking every few seconds. The effect is strong enough that my head bobs forward somewhat.
On a long drive, I could see it getting VERY annoying. It really "feels' like braking and not like engine sluggishness, but I"m not 100% sure. I was thinking traction control. I'm going to the shop next week but would be nice to be pre-loaded with some ideas, maybe even some things I could look into myself.
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My 2004 Treg has 24,000 miles on it and though I still LOVE it, it has been in and out of the dealer for inconsistent power issues. Off and on there is a noticeable delayed response from when you engage the gas and when the vehicle responds. Not to mention the transmission feels very jerky and rough as well. I have heard numerous reasons for this, but this week I got a new reason! The VW dealership says that now it could be that my air filter is dirty and needs to be replaced! They said if the new air filter does not fix the problems that I will need a whole new computer system!! Does this make any sense?
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I've had my 2010 for about 17months and 16k miles. Early on, I remember that I was able to easily close the rear hatch by just lightly yanking down on the handle, and gravity would do its thing. However, these days, I need to pull down much harder to get it to close in one try. Should I try to lube the hatch shocks and hinge? Or do I need to clean them first somehow?
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2004 Explorer XLT, 4wd, 60k on the odometer, brake pads and rotors replaced about a year ago. When coming to a stop, usually a harder stop, Im getting a resounding "thump" in the floor. I can also definitely feel it in the brake pedal. Its like something is binding up and then letting go. Seems to be coming from mid-vehicle. What this could be?
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I like to efficiently use my regenerative braking. Proof of that is that I have 107K miles on my 2008 and haven't had a brake job yet. Referring to my 2012, on the Hybrid System Indicator Screen, there is a CHG bar. The harder you brake, the more the bar fills from right to left. When the bar is full (when braking harder) do the brake shoes offer the balance of braking power needed.
Does the CHG display indicate that much accuracy?
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I bought my 2006 Prius a little over a year ago from a Toyota dealer in the area, and within the first month I had a strange occurrence. I got into my car, pressed the power button to start the car and everything on the dashboard lit up, the power button flashed amber, the clock's numbers were just barely visible, and the car wouldn't start. Frantic that no matter what I did (shut it off, took the keys out, and tried again several times with the same results), I called the dealer who sold me the car and just as he was about to send out a tow truck to get me, I tried it one last time and it started. I took it directly to the dealership, they inspected it, and came back with the response of 'there's nothing wrong with it, I don't know why it did that. If it happens again, come back again.' No charge and supposedly no problem, I let it go.
Well, exactly 1 year later (to the day) and suddenly it happens again. So I take it to the dealer again. They checked the battery in the back and now they're telling me it's a bad battery cell. They insist the two incidents are completely unrelated. I left to go to class that night and had no more issues that day. But now I have a car that's been getting harder and harder to start. The power button doesn't even light up green anymore. I've noticed that I have issues when I open my door and the alarm goes off like I've left the key in the ignition, but I haven't. I knew when I opened the door yesterday and the alarm sounded that I was going to have issues. Sure enough, the car wouldn't turn on, and after two tries, it became completely unresponsive.
Which battery has the bad cell? They tested in the back, where the hybrid battery is. Also, it seems like there's something more serious than just the battery, considering I've read the manual a zillion and one times since I first had issues in hopes of trying to figure out what's been going on. The power button, like I said, flashes amber when it turns on, then disappears once it's on, but there is no green light instead.
Also, I've been getting repeatedly worse and worse gas mileage since the fall, the last fill only lasting me 350 miles or so with an mpg average of 34.6. I know it's winter and that the Prius typically gets worse gas mileage in the winter due to the heater being on. But the funny thing is, I don't drive with the heater on, even through the winter. I only use the heater when I need to defrost a window or I have company in my car because I like the cold. However, I got stuck on the I-90 for about 9 hours in the beginning of December and I noticed then that the heaters for the feet was varying how much air was blowing out of them after a few hours, and ever since then it's had the same problem. I figured it might have been a need to change the cabin air filters, but now I'm wondering if it points to something else...
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Can't get a solution to this nagging odor in my car. the dealership (that I do trust) claims they cannot find a gasoline leak or an exhaust system leak. The check engine light is NOT 'on' and the car runs well for a car w/ 139K on it. I notice it briefly gets worse w/ harder acceleration. I'm driving w/ the windows partially open, which is way 'too' cool to suit me. Could this be an emissions system problem not tripping a sensor for the computer?
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Truck was starting good, then slowly got harder to start. Now it will not start. I do not know what to check next.
HPOP 3700
ipr 46
FICM 48V
rpm sounds good.
Injector pulse 0. not sure if I have torque app set up correctly for that one.
No smoke and I pulled the top fuel filter and drained the fuel. took about 3 seconds to fill the housing with fuel.
Air filter gauge says it is good.
Still checking where to go.
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I have a 2004 4x4, 5.4l auto. the truck sits a lot during the summer due to me riding the motorcycle instead. After sitting for nearly 3 weeks, I fired it up and went to pull out of the driveway. I notice right away that the steering wheel was a lot harder to turn than usual. I've jacked the truck up and took the weight off the front tires, it turns back and forth like normal. when the weight is back on it, it's hard to turn again. I've checked the power steering fluid and its at the full level. I hear no noises coming from the pump. Am I looking at needing to replace the rack and pinion or is there possibly another issue that can be causing this.
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Recently the brake pedal on my 2002 Prius has been a little harder to push for the first mm of travel it almost "sticks" requiring slightly more effort once it moves past that point it is normal no fading or extra effort required this problem has now progressed to the point where the pedal is kind of crunchy for the first 5mm of travel and occasionally will not return right away causing the brakes to drag a little but again pressure required to stop is exactly the same no fading etc
I am thinking since I live on 2 miles of dusty washboard dirt road and some grit has worked its way into the bushing .
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Prius 2004 with 86K miles. My brake led light on the driver side stopped working completely the other day. For some time now (6 months) i knew the top led of the brake light was not working, but yesterday I discovered that the whole led is failing. tail and parking light on the same assembly are working fine. I pulled off the plastic door inside the trunk and I checked connections for faulty ones but everything was tight in its place. Is there anything else I can do before preparing to go to the "butcher" dealer?
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I bought this 2004 Prius in 2010 with 104K miles. Now at 117K. When outside temp goes to 86 F or above, the a/c blows warm air. If I stop A/C for a while, and restart it, it will blow some "cold" air for 10 seconds, then back to "warm" again. at below 82F it seems work normally, although I never felt "cold" enough like my other car Lexus LS 400 1998.
My mechanics found (using his diagnostic device) that the thermometer temp measure indicate as 28F when outside was at 90F. He can not figure it out. Is it possible that temp sensor (thermometer) gone bad? Or it is just a loose connection which might cause the resistance value change? He added enough refrigerate fluid for the car.
I noticed in glove box there are evidence of glue used. I suspect that the car had some body damage on right side and being fixed.
Anyway, the a/c problem so far happens consistently at around this temp. I have no any other problem on this beautiful car.
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Driving home tonight...noticed SOC was PINK...2 to 1 bars. First thought was the HV FAN...!
I JUST did the HV fan maintenance the other day and I'm certain I buttoned everything back up correctly..... There are only 2 connections to the fan that I unhooked and then rehooked back up...... I'll re-open tomorrow to check for loose connections.
Is this symptomatic of the fan not working? and Is there any way I can test the fan?
I've driven the car for about 200 miles in the 4 days since the maintenance but I rarely keep eye on SOC so I'm not certain what it's been reporting thru that period...Just looked tonight for some reason. Maintenance light has been on for awhile before I performed this ....but I'm guessing that's just Oil change needing to be done.
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At the moment my remote will not lock or unlock the vehicle, although the indicator light on the remote lights up on key press. ( this vehicle is not equipped with sks ).
This is a brand new key Fob (under a month old) as I had the old one replaced under warranty. I can still start the vehicle by placing the remote in the dash as usual, only the buttons don't work. It worked perfectly fine this morning, so I am not sure what the deal is.
Recently replaced:
-Key Fob itself ( about a month ago )
-12 v battery ( about 4 months ago )
- combination meter ( about a month ago )
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Looking for the answer to this question. This could possibly save me some money.
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