Jump to content
Do Not Sell My Personal Information


Toyota Auris Hybrid 2010 pulsating on hard acceleration


TonyHSD
 Share

Recommended Posts

Hi everyone,

I have noticed for some time now that when cruising on motorway at speeds around 60-65mph and push the car hard to accelerate.,( pedal to the bottom) the car reacts as usual and accelerates as usual however there is some kind of pulsating while gaining the speed , similar to rpm limiter in conventional petrol manual car but at lower frequency., it has been like that for many miles perhaps 30k or more , I can’t remember if I noticed that before the car went for a ecu firmware update as per Toyota recall. Anyone else with same car by any chance been noticed the same? The car is up to date serviced as per the manual and it’s only 163k miles. I wonder if anything might needs attention or that can be a limiter or caused by the new firmware?! There are no faults and the car drives and behaves as usual, nothing strange to report here. Highly appreciate any comments. 
Thank you. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites


Hi Tony, that sounds like a misfire. I’d be considering the following:

- spark plugs

- fuel filter / pump 

- injectors (maybe try some BG44k in the fuel) 

- carbon buildup in EGR system / inlet mani(I recall you have cleaned this already?) 

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

11 hours ago, Gray86 said:

Hi Tony, that sounds like a misfire. I’d be considering the following:

- spark plugs

- fuel filter / pump 

- injectors (maybe try some BG44k in the fuel) 

- carbon buildup in EGR system / inlet mani(I recall you have cleaned this already?) 

Hi, thank you for your suggestions. I have done all above except the fuel filter, I know our cars fuel filters are not on the maintenance list however any filter will need change after some mileage, I think I might have reached its threshold. Will do some fuel additives first, to make sure is not from fuel or injectors. Upcoming weeks will clean the engine bay and will have closer look around. Thanks again 👍

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

This might be total rubbish, but could it be blocked vent in the fuel cap? Restricting flow at high consumption. I have to do a few faster journeys in a few days and I'll see if mine behaves the same, can you describe speed at which you are flooring the throttle and what speed the symptoms happen?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

42 minutes ago, Saxmaniac said:

This might be total rubbish, but could it be blocked vent in the fuel cap? Restricting flow at high consumption. I have to do a few faster journeys in a few days and I'll see if mine behaves the same, can you describe speed at which you are flooring the throttle and what speed the symptoms happen?

Hi, thanks for your input. Usually happens when I have already speeds of around 60mph and floor it to accelerate as fast as it can, the car responds as usual but starts immediately to surge like pulsating pretty much until I release the accelerator, 70-80mph, to me sounds like blocked fuel filter or something with the fuel supply., pump or pressure regulator, injectors, no fault codes though. Only happens on full throttle. , if you accelerate fast but not with full throttle doesn’t happen. Also if you start from 0mph does not happen. , more related to the rpm and engine load IMO. 
Thanks again. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites


Few hundred miles done and the surging still there, I noticed comes up at around 70mph and stays until I release accelerator, no fault codes or any other issues, the car drives really well for now and I am leaving it like that., I am not a fast driver anyway.  If anyone else noticed something similar and knows the cure I will appreciate any helpful information.
Thanks 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I tried today to reproduce what you are doing and mine just revved steadily and cleanly. If it's not a major problem you could just keep an eye on it for now but if it were mine I'd have a look at any fuel filters and see if the plugs show any clues. Is it worth getting techstream and seeing what live data it might show?

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

17 hours ago, Saxmaniac said:

I tried today to reproduce what you are doing and mine just revved steadily and cleanly. If it's not a major problem you could just keep an eye on it for now but if it were mine I'd have a look at any fuel filters and see if the plugs show any clues. Is it worth getting techstream and seeing what live data it might show?

Thanks, 

I will just leave it for now and keep an eye,wait for a warmer weather and meanwhile the car will clock few more thousands of miles and if it’s a filter or anything else will deteriorate more , perhaps will trigger a fault code and will be easier to find and repair. I am a few weeks away from my next service and will have a wider look then. One thing noticed that the exhaust it’s a bit black, might be a rich fuel mixture, air-fuel ratio sensor eventually or injectors at that mileage but mpg is still ok currently at 52mpg. I have no laptop and won’t be able to download and use a techtream . I have only Carista adapter, may play with it, it reads a lots of things surprisingly. 
Thanks again, I will report any changes in the future. 😊

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Some updates: 

I had changed the garage for petrol fill ups, now I had two full tanks from BP and the engine has become quieter and less prone to this surging, then I decided to use that thing : wynns catalytic converter and lambda sensor cleaner,

https://www.wynns.uk.com/product/catalytic-converter-lambda-cleaner/

added to 30ltrs of petrol and I drove the car for around 50 miles, I did a couple of hard accelerations with different starting speeds all the way up to 000mph and no surging at all, the car drives like new., I will drain almost completely the tank and refill at the same BP if possible to check if the problem has gone or return. Prior to that fuel I was regularly filing up at local Shell and Tesco and the car didn’t drive as nice as when I got fuel from BP. This wynns addictive could also be helpful as the label shows interesting ingredients.

https://www.wynns.uk.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2016/06/W24463-Cat-Lambda-Cleaner-E04.00-EN.pdf
 

 The car is old and has 165k miles, I think there is nothing particularly wrong except something on the fuel line, not filter, not pump, perhaps injectors or the fuel itself. When I was playing on the motorway I discovered the speeds of the typical Uk commuters and it’s sad, not even sure there is point of having a speed limits if no one keep within them., the car itself performs great but not my cup of tea to drive like that and even I have a super sport car I would not do it., sadly even the lorries and van drivers were rallying around., but that’s another story.  I also ordered some injectors cleaner from the same brand and will add that next week to see if it’s going to make any changes. 😊👌

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Another update: 

done few more tanks of petrol from BP and no surging or pulsating anymore after the use of wynns catalytic converter and lambda sensor cleaner, the car drives better and accelerates smooth with less need to push into halfway  power or to the max, definitely bad fuel and or something was clogged along the fuel lines and or exhaust. 👍

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have read that supermarket fuel is suspect and isn't the same brew as branded stuff. I pay the extra and avoid the supermarkets. And for food as well but that's another story!

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

17 minutes ago, Saxmaniac said:

I have read that supermarket fuel is suspect and isn't the same brew as branded stuff. I pay the extra and avoid the supermarkets. And for food as well but that's another story!

It's the same base fuel it's just the additive package they add to the blend, with the new E10 entering the market older car drivers are going to suffer

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

22 minutes ago, Saxmaniac said:

I have read that supermarket fuel is suspect and isn't the same brew as branded stuff. I pay the extra and avoid the supermarkets. And for food as well but that's another story!

Agreed, the strange thing is that Shell usually is top tier garage but the quality of my local one is worse than the supermarket fuels, it is ultra convenient for me to fill up there and this is the only reason I done it many times, but no more. BP is the best for me, esso works fine too, Tesco also not too bad. Sainsbury’s full stop too for me. The last few months during lockdown my car haven’t been used much but kept in ready mode twice weekly and 100 miles only motorway run, this perhaps had helped to get those poor results. No trouble so far after the treatment. 👌

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 9 months later...

The problem has returned last night , exactly the same thing., ice pulsating while accelerating and in general seems a bit sluggish. Fuel only used is Tesco momentum 99 E5 and has been great as efficiency and performance,  I can notice from time to time slight variations in performance after different fill ups but in general very good as seen by the spark plugs that I had recently changed. Strangely happens about a year after the issue has gone and me thinking can this be as a result of excessive idle, it’s cold and the car stays in ready mode for 2-3 hours sometimes, that was the case last year too with lockdown and ready mode for recharging the 12v Battery. I ordered again the magical stuff for cleaning the cat and let see what happens next., will use some redex while waiting delivery., maybe some 95 E10 from BP. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites


If a repeat treatment doesn’t sort it, maybe a physical clean of the injectors is in order? ‘The fuel injector clinic’ do a great job on both MPI & DI injectors. 

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think it might be worth having a look down the plug holes to check there's no evidence of carbon buildup, if you happen to have access to a cheap borescope. Am I correct in thinking these are port injected engines rather than direct?

Also worth considering the possibility of a weak coil, faltering under heavy load. That would need a bit of detective work - hook up a professional scanner to show live fuel trim and misfire counts etc., then go out on the road, reproduce the issue and look for any change in those parameters. Also, pull all the coils and look very carefully inside the boots for evidence of carbon tracks. I know you won't see anything on the plug insulators since they're a new set.

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

13 hours ago, Red_Corolla said:

I think it might be worth having a look down the plug holes to check there's no evidence of carbon buildup, if you happen to have access to a cheap borescope. Am I correct in thinking these are port injected engines rather than direct?

Also worth considering the possibility of a weak coil, faltering under heavy load. That would need a bit of detective work - hook up a professional scanner to show live fuel trim and misfire counts etc., then go out on the road, reproduce the issue and look for any change in those parameters. Also, pull all the coils and look very carefully inside the boots for evidence of carbon tracks. I know you won't see anything on the plug insulators since they're a new set.

Thanks for sharing tips 👌 

I had done the plugs last week and they looked good and  better than previous times on the same car, perhaps the 99 fuel and long motorway drives make a difference. The coils also looked very good with no signs of anything unusual, almost like new. Strangely last night after refill again same petrol, same garage and at the same pump I had no trouble after then and the car felt immediately more lively., I did added 125ml of redex but I believe it’s something with the fuel quality itself plus the fact that I kept idle excessively and generally drive very relaxed. For the carbon buildup is a good idea, however I looked previously and the valves and anything after them was clean metal like engine was just put together, the galleys where the injectors are located immediately after intake manifold and manifold itself were dirty, all cleaned nicely. I have two major suspects for the issue:

1. Fuel quality

2. Excessive idle that clogged something along exhaust lambda sensors,  egr, catalytic converter etc and eventually pre combustion, throttle body filled with oil ( gen 3 does that) egr restricted flow. 

Here I have some pictures of the plugs and coils from the last service. Egr cleaning procedure is scheduled for April or May , I had only done 60000 since been properly cleaned last time👌

C3FC87CE-633C-4CC3-8A8F-691806872A2C.jpeg

1EE53FCC-B207-474C-A48B-EAA7F2D9BCF8.jpeg

3401D5F3-9A6E-4AA6-BA8A-9993D9262C8C.jpeg

EC93A806-4FAB-4196-BBE5-436BF93048D3.jpeg

032E783D-4E3E-42F4-9531-715345B2D4F0.jpeg

D84A2754-B56E-4FDE-9372-66798B01A5FB.jpeg

798DE91D-E416-4943-9059-A9CF61FAB38B.jpeg

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Update:

after using some redex fuel additive the problem has gone. Very likely to be from excessive idle while keeping the car in ready mode for hours. Done 3 full tanks of fuel with additive  redex injector cleaner and no issues so far. The car drives superb fast or slow.   👍️ Ordered some extra redex from Aldi, good price currently they offer. https://www.aldi.co.uk/redex-petrol-4-pack/p/00000064432600

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 months later...

Owner of a 2007 Camry Hybrid w/240k miles in the US - same exact issue with the pulsing when flooring the accelerator. I’m going to attempt the injector cleaning to see if that clear the issue. Wondering if that will improve fuel efficiency, too.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't know, but with all this war in Ukraine stuff, I believe they're cheating on the fuel they're selling.

My car works fine, but since February, I notice the car more sluggish. On inclines, the difference is staggering. Usually, I didn't need to shift down, but since then, I have to put it in 4th gear to go up an incline that normally I could it in 5th gear no problem.

I've been also noticing other cars having the same problem. For instance, I use the bus a lot, my car is only used on the weekends.

The buses are very sluggish on inclines, much more so than normal. New buses, with modern engines, have to shift down a lot to get through inclines.

I notice this on buses and other cars.

I also thought it something with my car, but the shop tells me everything is OK, and it seems to be. On a flat road, seems absolutely fine and nice to drive. Only under heavy load you notice the difference (foot down, inclines).

I'm on diesel, you're on petrol, but you're not the only person complaining. I'm in Portugal, you're in the UK and it seems this is all connected.

Of course, I may be wrong.

Also, worth to note that I have always used BP Ultimate Diesel.

EDIT: In Spain they're also complaining about the fuel quality.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

32 minutes ago, Greg Moore Sandy said:

Owner of a 2007 Camry Hybrid w/240k miles in the US - same exact issue with the pulsing when flooring the accelerator. I’m going to attempt the injector cleaning to see if that clear the issue. Wondering if that will improve fuel efficiency, too.

Hi, 

fuel efficiency in my case was fine and remained unchanged before and after the cleaning using “wynns catalytic converter and lambda sensor cleaner”. The good thing is that the issue has disappeared after only one treatment.  When fuel injectors are dirty they tend to change their spray patterns and inject more fuel than necessary, the engine may also start knocking on cold starts in the first few seconds which is another indication of dirty injectors. 
Perhaps give it a try with additives first 👍

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share




×
×
  • Create New...




Forums


News


Membership