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2011 Prius Head Gasket Failure

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by The Critic, Feb 28, 2019.

  1. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    looks like new (y)
     
  2. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    It look practically new beforehand too, due to regular oil changes and vigilance I'd wager.
     
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  3. Raytheeagle

    Raytheeagle Senior Member

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    If you saw the tools and his shop, it takes vigilance for the DIYer to another level:).

    Makes me jealous anyway(y).
     
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  4. Apatel1101

    Apatel1101 Member

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    You can get 4th gen engine and modify few small things to make it work. And those engine can be found for less than thousand and less than 15k miles. I swapped mine. Works fine. But got abs and other issues now.
     
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  5. Avi's Advanced Automotive

    Avi's Advanced Automotive Independent hybrid repair shop

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    1) I hope you don't have that many miles on the water pump.

    2) because 2010 and 2011s have been out longer. A year from now you'll be adding 2012s to that list. I'm working on a 2014 with 121K at the moment.

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
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  6. DThrill

    DThrill Junior Member

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    My 2010 Prius (147k mikes) had identical issue. Hard knocking start but then it would go away.

    Codes registered misfires, had 4 ignition coils replaced & spark plugs & oil changed.

    Drove it 2 weeks, when i noticed a 2 inch antifreeze drop. Had never refill. I refilled it. Drove it another week, then overheat alarm came on. I coasted to work parking lot. Went to work.

    Came back, coolant all gone. Refilled it and drove it straight to a shop.

    They found a head gasket leaking into s[ark plugs/coils.

    Had cylinder 1 & 2 machined, head gasket replaced, new coolant. $1700 parts and labor. Took them 4 days.

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

    Before/after Resized_20180305_183020_9195.jpeg Resized_20180308_174441_938.jpeg

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
    #26 DThrill, Mar 3, 2019
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 3, 2019
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  7. The Critic

    The Critic Resident Critic

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    $1700 is an amazing deal for that job.
     
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  8. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Yeah that was the going rate for timing chain cover reseal, IIRC.

    The funny thing is: that's what it should cost. An experienced/efficient, non-larcenous shop could stay in business, make a bit of profit, at $1700.
     
  9. The Critic

    The Critic Resident Critic

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    $1700 is on the thin side. I would say $2500(ish) is a fair price for the job. Book time on the job is 18 hours with engine removal and parts plus machine shop costs are around $400.
     
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  10. Kuang

    Kuang Member

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    Last year, My 2010 Head gasket cost me $1050 that included the machine shop and now it has 100,000 miles more.
     
  11. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Overkill to pull the engine?
     
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  12. The Critic

    The Critic Resident Critic

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    Debatable. The timing cover would be a lot easier to reinstall if the engine was removed.
     
  13. douglasjre

    douglasjre Senior Member

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    I did my hg in 16.5hrs. 18 sounds right. You don't need valve seals. Sadly I destroyed the gasket between the manifold and header. I got a new donut gasket for about ten bucks. Gotta put that in now
     
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  14. The Critic

    The Critic Resident Critic

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    The job is all done. It clattered for the first 5 minutes, then quieted down. I think this may have been due to ISC learning. I drove the car for about 25 miles under a variety of conditions; no more misfires and no more knocking at start-up.

    Some notes:

    1) I did not keep track of time during reassembly but it was around 6 hours. So in total, I probably spent 11-12 hours.

    2) The timing cover is a lot easier to reinstall with the engine removed. If you are doing this job w/o engine removal, you need two people to guide the timing cover in place so that the bead of RTV does not get disturbed.

    3) Attach (and fully fasten) the exhaust manifold to the cylinder head on the bench, then install the entire assembly onto the engine block. Again, you will need a second person to assist with this so that you do not “drag” the cylinder head onto the new headgasket.

    4) Do not forget to apply RTV to the two specified areas of the headgasket. Prior to installing the headgasket, there are two spots on the engine block which will need RTV applied. They are about 15mm long and you need a 3-4mm wide bead. After the headgasket is installed, the same spots require RTV on top of the headgasket. Then you will need to wipe off any excess that squeezes out. Failure to do this may cause oil seepage from these locations.

    5) Be sure to get everything spotless (I used CRC gasket remover, plastic razor blades and a HF wire brush) and free of oil before re-applying RTV. A 3mm wide bead is sufficient, 4mm may be a bit too much. I recognize that Toyota specifies different diameter beads, but the height of the bead (not just the width) is a factor that they cannot control. Too much RTV will clog up oil passages.

    6) I recommend installing the latest revision of the intake cam gear (part #13050-0T050). Yes, it is a bit pricey, but the the latest intake cam gear will reduce (and practically eliminate) the brief rattle at start-up. This part is a common failure on all 2ZR-FE and the 2ZR-FXE engines up until 2014-ish.

    7) Purchase the Engine Overhaul Gasket Kit from Toyota. Not the valve grind kit, but the complete engine overhaul gasket kit. It includes every gasket you need. Most of the o-rings and gaskets were quite hard.

    8) Buy new head bolts. Regardless of what Toyota says, the old head bolts should not be reused. I have not had an opportunity to examine my old bolts in detail, but one of them appeared to be visually distorted.

    9) My total cost for this repair is as follows:

    Parts from Dealer:

    Thermostat $51.86

    Head Bolts $8.88/ea *10

    Head Gasket Kit (04111-37313) $258.64

    FIPG: $35.06 (2 tubes)

    Gear Assembly, Camshaft Timing - $294.65

    Total (w/tax and 20% discount): $634.31

    Parts and Tools from outside of the dealer:

    Gearwrench #85079 Angle Torque Wrench: $224.07

    Coolant (2 gals, GC/CCI Super Long Life 50/50 PINK): $26.17

    Engine Oil (5-qt, SuperTech 0w20 synthetic): $17.38

    Oil Filter (Genuine Toyota): $4.71

    Spark Plugs (Denso SC16HR11) $47.28

    Total: $319.61

    Sublet:

    Machine Shop (clean cylinder head, resurface head, check valves for proper sealing and install the new valve stem seals that I provided): $160

    Grand Total: $1,113.92

    IMG_4720.jpg
    IMG_4717.jpg IMG_4728.jpg
    IMG_4734.jpg
     

    Attached Files:

    #34 The Critic, Mar 6, 2019
    Last edited: Mar 6, 2019
  15. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Thanks for logging this process, and all the observations.

    The above two items are corobarated in the video (I posted earlier):

    They apply the FIP gasket to the cover (really the only practical way to do it with the engine in place), and one guy lowers it down into position, while the other watches through the wheel well, steers it. One thing: Toyota says to get the cover on within 3 minutes of FIP application, and everything torqued within 15 minutes. They do not seem to have gotten that memo: they stand talking over the cover, with the FIP applied, for a good 2~3 minutes, and who knows how much earlier they applied it, lol.

    They go over the technique for getting the head on, and up against the exhaust manifold, really cautioning not to drag it, as you said.
     
    #35 Mendel Leisk, Mar 6, 2019
    Last edited: Mar 6, 2019
  16. The Critic

    The Critic Resident Critic

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    I actually installed the exhaust manifold ONTO the cylinder head and installed the entire assembly into the car.

    View attachment 166855
     
    #36 The Critic, Mar 6, 2019
    Last edited: Mar 6, 2019
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  17. ASRDogman

    ASRDogman Senior Member

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  18. The Critic

    The Critic Resident Critic

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    Yes, start-up noise is the only reason.
     
  19. ASRDogman

    ASRDogman Senior Member

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    Okay, thanks. Too much money for me though! :)
     
  20. The Critic

    The Critic Resident Critic

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    But hey, it is now dead silent during the morning start-ups. I cannot remember the last time that it was this quiet! :D