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What is this thing?

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Main Forum' started by agrigento, Sep 4, 2023.

  1. agrigento

    agrigento Junior Member

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    Valparaiso, IN
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    2013 Prius
    Model:
    III
    I was hoping some of you knowledgeable members could help me identify this hard gummy/gunky material apparently coming out of the engine of my 2013 Prius with 133K miles. Have you seen anything like this? Is it a melting seal or something? Nothing wrong with the car as far as I can tell, except for an occasional, very subtle chirpy noise under soft acceleration. I've owned it for less than 3 months and I am learning a lot on this forum. Thank you for your contributions.
     

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    #1 agrigento, Sep 4, 2023
  2. sam spade 2

    sam spade 2 Senior Member

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    Not sure I would say that is coming "out of the engine".

    A slightly wider shot to identify the surrounding area a little better might be
    helpful.
     
    #2 sam spade 2, Sep 4, 2023
  3. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Greater Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
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    2010 Prius
    Model:
    Touring
    There's little dabs of sealant spec'd to be applied there:

    upload_2023-9-4_10-54-10.png
    Basically because there's a 3-way junction there, between the head (on the right), the timing chain cover (on the left), and the valve cover (aka "cylinder head cover sub-assembly") (over). The little triangular "dart" is the valve cover gasket I believe.

    A pic of ours:

    IMG_2071.jpeg
     
    #3 Mendel Leisk, Sep 4, 2023
    Last edited: Sep 4, 2023
  4. agrigento

    agrigento Junior Member

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    Location:
    Valparaiso, IN
    Vehicle:
    2013 Prius
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    III
    Sure, here's a wider shot.
     

    Attached Files:

    #4 agrigento, Sep 4, 2023
  5. agrigento

    agrigento Junior Member

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    Location:
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    Vehicle:
    2013 Prius
    Model:
    III
    Sam and Mendel, thank you for your replies. Wow, Mendel, that area looks super clean compared to mine. I'm slightly embarrassed :) Would you say the seal in my car looks OK though? I'm just concerned it looks like it has melted a bit.
     
    #5 agrigento, Sep 4, 2023
  6. AzusaPrius

    AzusaPrius Senior Member

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    The chirping sound is your water pump.

    I would get ready to swap that out soon.
     
    #6 AzusaPrius, Sep 4, 2023
  7. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Greater Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    Touring
    We're low miles, garage-stored, and I'm a little OCD about these things: hit the engine bay with a leaf blower (or wet/dry on blow) occasionally, in conjunction with a little brushing. Never sprayed water on it, can be a recipe for disaster.

    That's one thing I noticed, the blob on yours looks more generous. Could depend on the factory worker's attention/mood.

    If you've just acquired a 3rd gen it's good to be aware of issues, that unscrupulous sellers would not disclose. Head gasket failure is the main one (which "might" be the other reason for the more generous blob). Coolant loss would be one clue. Aforementioned water pump might be struggling due to head gasket sealant added to the coolant. On the other hand, those water pumps do have a high failure rate, best to replace before 150K.

    So maybe the sky is not falling, but keep your eyes open.
     
    #7 Mendel Leisk, Sep 4, 2023
    Last edited: Sep 4, 2023
  8. agrigento

    agrigento Junior Member

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    Location:
    Valparaiso, IN
    Vehicle:
    2013 Prius
    Model:
    III
    Thank you so much for your replies and suggestions! I am keeping an eye on coolant level as I did have to add some right after I got the car. No noticeable drop so far. And I will be replacing the water pump before 150k for sure.
     
    #8 agrigento, Sep 4, 2023
    Mendel Leisk likes this.
  9. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Location:
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    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    Touring
    EGR and intake manifold cleaning would be very timely, see my signature (on phone turn it landscape to see signature).
     
    #9 Mendel Leisk, Sep 4, 2023
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