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Gen 3 Prius rough cold start plus slow coolant loss

SmoothWeekend20Community StarterJul 1, 20262013 Toyota Prius ThreePortland
2013 Toyota Prius Three, about 151,000 miles. Older Prius has developed a rough shake for a few seconds on some cold starts and the coolant level seems to be dropping slowly. I don't want to assume the worst. What test sequence would separate ignition, EGR/intake issues and an internal coolant leak? Trying to diagnose before I book a shop.
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NewCarWeekendCommunity StarterCommunity StarterJul 2, 2026permalink
I wouldn't throw parts yet. If a shop can't duplicate it on the 2013 Toyota Prius, bring a video plus freeze-frame data, not just a story. That's the branch I'd chase this week. That's the whole play. I'll update if anything new shows up.
RoadMiles27Community StarterCommunity StarterJul 2, 2026permalink
Not convinced that's the whole story. If a shop can't duplicate it on the 2013 Toyota Prius, bring a video plus freeze-frame data, not just a story. That's the branch I'd chase this week. This is from a 2013 Toyota Prius in Portland with 151,000 miles. Not gospel, but it saved me a headache. Wrote this up on my lunch break.
TorqueEnthusiast74Community StarterCommunity StarterJul 3, 2026permalink
Intermittent stuff lies if you only catch it once. Capture voltage while the 2013 Toyota Prius is actually failing — after it restarts you've lost the clue. Don't erase codes until someone who can help has seen them. On “gen 3 prius rough cold start plus,” that was the fork that mattered for me. Learned this the expensive way on a previous car. Climate here is different, so treat that as a local data point. That's my plan before I call anyone.
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