2014 diagnosis apparently just in

Quick test. Put your hand in the smoke for 10 seconds(or a rag). Smell it. Smell coolant? Or just exhaust? That will tell a lot.

 

The knocking might be from the plugs getting fouled on cold starts

 

First, it's not cool to have three open threads on the same subject, even though they have different headlines.

Second, there's nothing you did or didn't do that caused a head gasket. It is just a flaky faulty sorry design. Many significant design changes in the block, cylinders, egr, pistons, rings, intake, you name it were put into gen4 to solve these issues.

If you did install a rebuilt engine, I would certainly do 5K oil changes and I would probably do intake and egr cleanings every 50k. But after you roll another 250,000 you'll have another head gasket or total block blow out with this engine.

 

No just a heads up. No rule problem just not the best use of time for the rest of us.

 

Everyone's just as aware of existing threads with new posts; new thread doesn't get anymore attention. Just causes frustration, dancing around.

 

You can still extend the life of your Prius by using a coolant additive called k-seal. Plenty of prius owners have used it without issues or any clogging of their coolant systems. It eliminated their rattles, misfires, low coolants, etc. I've seen some of them use it multiple times in different intervals. I know a guy who's put k-seal in his prius like 6-7 times already within the span of 120,000 miles without issues or clogging. He said he puts it at about every 20-30k miles and thats when his prius would start burning coolant, white-smoke exhaust, rattles, etc.

I don't know about you but if I could extend the life of my Prius for another 120k miles or more just for using a $13 bottle of additive. I think that is worth it. Specially if its not clogging or ruining other things.

 

Someone here just bought a new Corolla hybrid for msrp.
@McCarthy maybe?

he didn’t want to pay inflated price for 2023 Prius

 

Most folks here will discourage you from doing it. I've researched this particular additive thoroughly and found no failures on prius owners. Specially if they've already put it in their prius multiple times (at least 5+ times). Now, there might be a review here and there that it didn't work on someone's 91 impala or a 96 mercury or some old car like that but they probably have other more complex issues. On the prius side however, it's pretty positive if done right.

 

I would buy the hybrid Corolla for 28k all day long. If they give you $1500 trade it is essentially $500 for the car (auction) and a $1k discount.

A repaired Prius sold quickly would net you more than $1500 but its probably not worth the trouble.

Using sealer normally works for 5-10 weeks, never 120k miles. There are plenty of reports here of resulting overheating even after the hg repair was done. It is a scam flipper move that can keep you liable after the car is gone. Carfax takes just about the same time to update.

 

Not with k-seal. Other folks that reported issues here were using other products (harsher chemicals) like bar leaks and didn't follow instructions.

 

Yeah, that crap should be illegal.