1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

Engine is Toast. Needs Replacement. HUGE$$$ repair bill.

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by dbaguru, Feb 2, 2014.

  1. dbaguru

    dbaguru New Member

    Joined:
    Feb 2, 2014
    3
    0
    0
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    II
    I am facing a huge repair bill and need urgent help from this forum.

    My car recently started showing engine light and intermittently the red warning triangle. When I took my car to the dealer, he said that the engined needs to be replaced because of overheating. When he did a compression test, he said that there was no leak. But the coolant temperature showed over 275 degrees, which was 35 degrees over maximum. Also somehow the engine oil was overfilled and that too seeped into the engine.

    I have option of putting in a re-manufactured engine or a used engine ( something with about 75,000 miles on it ).

    If I go in for a re-manufactured engine by Toyota, the repair bill will be about $7000.
    For a used engine, it will be about $5000.

    In case of used engine, the dealer will not provide any warranty on parts; labor only.

    So my questions are as follows :

    Details of car

    2008
    Generation II
    Miles : 140,000

    a. How many hours of labor is needed to put in an engine ?
    b. In case of installing a used engine - does labor warranty means anything ? The dealer can always say that the part was bad and I have to pay all-over again for both parts+labor.
    c. Where are these "used engines" sourced from and what is their reliability ?
    d. Does it makes sense to get this repair done - given that car already has 140,000 miles on it.
     
  2. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

    Joined:
    Mar 8, 2008
    18,198
    6,461
    0
    Location:
    Green Valley, AZ
    Vehicle:
    2015 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    a. My guess is ~12 hours.
    b. Yes, that is a risk that you take in installing a used part. The labor warranty means that if there is a problem because of something the tech did, that the dealer will fix that at no further charge. However you may need to be smart enough to figure out that the issue was due to a workmanship problem.
    c. From salvage yards, taken from totaled vehicles. Reliability is partially based upon odometer reading and partially upon the maintenance provided by the prior owner. You might know the former but will not know the latter.
    d. It might make sense to have this repair done but not for $5-7K. You should be able to purchase a decent used engine for ~$500 and find an independent repair shop that will provide the labor for $1,000 or so. However you bear the risk if the used engine has a problem.

    Finally, you need to figure out why the existing engine overheated. The normal coolant temperature is 180 degrees F. There may have been something wrong with your maintenance program which allowed that to happen. Clearly you do not want to see a recurrence of an engine failure, which is actually quite rare with Prius and is why you can buy a used engine with relatively low odometer miles for a three-digit price.
     
    Silver bullit, cwerdna and dbaguru like this.
  3. Britprius

    Britprius Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jun 14, 2010
    5,194
    1,910
    0
    Location:
    Herefordshire England
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    The Prius engine is generally very reliable. If you can find a low millage engine say 60 to 70,000 miles you should have no problems with it.
    If you give a location in your avatar we can be of more help, possibly cutting that cost you quoted down to nearer $1500/2000.
    If you live and bought the car in a CARB state you may still be under guarantee.

    John (Britprius)
     
  4. nh7o

    nh7o Off grid since 1980

    Joined:
    Dec 10, 2011
    1,686
    337
    0
    Location:
    Hawaii
    Vehicle:
    2009 Prius
    Model:
    II
    My first comment is that are you sure that your coolant system is completely purged of air, and filled completely, with a properly running pump? There are many posts here over the years of DIY's and dealerships alike that had difficulty purging all the air from the engine coolant loop.

    It is hard to imagine how your engine could become toast all of a sudden like that, but I suppose it happens. Also, where are you located? Second opinions are worth seeking out, as the dealer is often not the last word as far as diagnosis goes.

    Any mechanic worth the name, that can follow directions, can do an engine swap, if that is really the problem. The engines are plentiful, for instance on eBay, and fairly cheap. It is up to you if the cost is worth it or not.
     
  5. dbaguru

    dbaguru New Member

    Joined:
    Feb 2, 2014
    3
    0
    0
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    II
    I live in NJ. I have been quoted 20 - 24 hours for replacing the engine. Does that sounds right ?
     
  6. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
    May 11, 2005
    107,571
    48,862
    0
    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    no, unless they are talking about how long they need the car for.
     
    cwerdna likes this.
  7. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
    May 11, 2005
    107,571
    48,862
    0
    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    why not try to sell it and see what you can get? a shadetree mechanic can do this job fairly cheap and make some good money on a turn around. 2008 with a rebuilt ice will go for decent money.
     
  8. vskid3

    vskid3 Active Member

    Joined:
    Jun 23, 2013
    773
    228
    0
    Location:
    Texas
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    So does it run or not? From what you've said, it sounds like you're just getting warning lights and the dealer said the engine needed replaced. If it still runs, figure out what's wrong with the cooling system and put the right amount of oil in and go from there.
     
  9. miscrms

    miscrms Plug Envious Member

    Joined:
    Aug 21, 2007
    2,076
    523
    5
    Location:
    Phoenix, AZ
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    First I would definitely get a second opinion. Sounds a bit fishy to me. It may very well be running hot, but not sure how you get from there to "needs a new engine."

    I would also call Steve at autobeyours:
    Prius hybrids sales and service Scottsburg Indiana

    If its more or less drivable I'd even consider taking it out there to have the work done by a well respected Gen 2 expert, and I'd bet at a much cheaper price than the dealer.

    Good luck!
     
    stevemcelroy likes this.
  10. dbaguru

    dbaguru New Member

    Joined:
    Feb 2, 2014
    3
    0
    0
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    II
    The car runs but the warning light ( red triangle ) comes up off. I would then put in oil and the warning light would go away. But recently the engine light also came up and stayed on. That is when I took the car to dealer and he said that the engine needs to be replaced.
     
  11. fuzzy1

    fuzzy1 Senior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 26, 2009
    17,039
    10,013
    90
    Location:
    Western Washington
    Vehicle:
    Other Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    At 140k? HV battery and some emissions, yes. Engine, no.
     
  12. vskid3

    vskid3 Active Member

    Joined:
    Jun 23, 2013
    773
    228
    0
    Location:
    Texas
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    So you overfilled the oil? Do you have the codes? Just seems strange that the compression is good and it runs, but the engine needs replaced.
     
  13. El Dobro

    El Dobro A Member

    Joined:
    Jul 12, 2011
    6,972
    3,209
    1
    Location:
    NJ
    Vehicle:
    Other Electric Vehicle
    Model:
    N/A
  14. stevemcelroy

    stevemcelroy Active Member

    Joined:
    Jan 25, 2009
    873
    193
    0
    Location:
    Boulder, CO
    Vehicle:
    2009 Prius
    Model:
    II
    At this point it seems pretty simple, get a second opinion.

    If you are in South Jersey you can try Gibbons in Media, Pa. They are about 10 miles from the Commodore Barry Bridge and do good work on hybrids.
     
  15. dpeverhart

    dpeverhart Member

    Joined:
    Jul 24, 2012
    126
    23
    0
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    I
    I just had this repair done on a 2005 Prius. The quotes from independent hybrid specialists were around $2200 labor. I found a local trusted mechanic who has swapped many engines (never a Prius) and has some experience with hybrid battery repairs. He did the job in 10 hours and charged me just under $1000 labor. We got the engine from a local junk yard with 76k miles for $350.
     
    PriusGuy32 likes this.
  16. Mike500

    Mike500 Senior Member

    Joined:
    Mar 1, 2012
    2,593
    763
    0
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius v wagon
    Model:
    Two
    The other option is a certified used engine from Japan.

    As I recall, in the late 1980's a lot of car reaching their third year are taken off the road in Japan.

    I had a friend in California, who used to buy the engines all the time for his repair shop. He said that he never got a bad one.
     
  17. Lord Byron

    Lord Byron Member

    Joined:
    Jul 31, 2017
    93
    80
    0
    Location:
    Delaware
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    I know this is way late. How did the engine replacement go?

    Also... did you check the coolant valve? Mine was bad for a while before the check engine light came on.


     
  18. Skibob

    Skibob Senior Member

    Joined:
    Sep 14, 2018
    2,912
    1,494
    0
    Location:
    Northern California
    Vehicle:
    2006 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Post is from Feb 2014, OP hasn’t been on for 5 years, 4 weeks. I’m guessing he just walked away.
     
    Raytheeagle likes this.
  19. padroo

    padroo Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jan 11, 2008
    2,763
    2,250
    13
    Location:
    Chesterton, Indiana Another third world country.
    Vehicle:
    2016 Prius
    Model:
    Four
    I didn't catch that this is an old thread. The car wasn't as old as it would be now and that changes everything.