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Terrible engine knock, misfire codes and P0441 code after headgasket replacement.

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by JordanSmith, Jan 11, 2023.

  1. JordanSmith

    JordanSmith New Member

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    After doing a head gasket replacement on my 2012 Prius, I started the car and my engine is knocking pretty bad and im getting engine misfire codes and the P0441 code. I've cleaned the EGR components, I've checked my purge selanoid valve, MAP and MAF sensors, checked my hoses and wiring. None of my pistons were bent. I followed a Toyota manual the whole way through the repair. Maybe my crankshaft is trashed? Does anyone have any ideas?
     
  2. PriusCamper

    PriusCamper Senior Member

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    A bent rod is what most mechanics will suspect... But it's too early to make that conclusion... Still lots of things to double check...
     
  3. Bill Norton

    Bill Norton Senior Member

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    How did you determine this?
    How far did you tear down this engine while out of the car?
     
  4. JordanSmith

    JordanSmith New Member

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    I tore down the engine all the way down to the head gasket and I cranked the engine over to check if all my pistons came up to the correct height, and they all did, none of them sat any lower than the other. One problem I did see while inspecting the pistons, was that on the top of piston one, it had some tiny dings scattered over it. I should mention too, I drove this vehicle with a bad head gasket for a little while, so I'm not sure what kind of extra damage I might have caused.
     
  5. JordanSmith

    JordanSmith New Member

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    Well what would you check?
     
  6. tankyuong

    tankyuong Senior Member

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    usually takes a while for engine to smooth out after install
     
  7. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    What's the miles. If the head gasket and EGR cleaning was left too long, could be the damper between engine and transaxle: it's stressed whenever the engine's trying to compress coolant.
     
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  8. PriusCamper

    PriusCamper Senior Member

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    Some helpful folks have added some things to check on here... I'd add double checking to make sure everything is plugged back in / reconnected.

    It's really about how long these symptoms last after the work is done. If these are initial problems, there's plenty of posts on here about how similar symptoms quickly resolve after a few re-boots of the system via disconnecting the 12v.

    If the symptoms don't go away maybe a compression test would be a worthwhile next step...
     
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  9. MikeDee

    MikeDee Senior Member

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    Maybe you didn't set the timing gears right so the timing is off?


    iPhone ? Pro
     
  10. nicoj36

    nicoj36 Active Member

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    Try BG hybrid repair kit
     
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  11. 2010moneypit?

    2010moneypit? Active Member

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    Everyone above made really good points. P0441 is related to an evap leak (fuel vapor system).
    This code would not make your engine knock. What misfire code are you getting? This helps with diagnostics.
    If you were getting any misfire code P03** that will set the engine off Balance and the dampener will make a sound like an engine knock.

    What misfire code did you get?
    How long did you let it run for?
     
  12. JordanSmith

    JordanSmith New Member

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    A little over 200,000 miles, and that is some good insight, I never thought of that.
     
  13. JordanSmith

    JordanSmith New Member

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    I double checked my timing and when I cranked my engine over it eventually ended back up on top dead center with the timing marks in the right places and the camshaft lobes were at manual specifications. I was thinking there may be too much slack in the chain? But the tensioner is released.
     
  14. JordanSmith

    JordanSmith New Member

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    I am getting a misfire code for every cylinder and I'm getting a random/multiple cylinder misfire code. I started it up quite a few times after replacing and trying new things and the longest I let it go was for almost a minute but it sounded so horrible that I shut it down because I didn't want to mess anything else up. And I tried shifting into neutral and drive and gave it some gas, it sounded different but not better, almost like clattering metal in the engine and it sounded like it was loosing power at times.
     
  15. Melthias

    Melthias Junior Member

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    Was this ever resolved?