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Don't Buy a 3rd Gen Prius! - Blown headgasket at 233k

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by Absalom, Feb 13, 2019.

  1. Absalom

    Absalom Junior Member

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    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
     
  2. padroo

    padroo Senior Member

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    How much oil were you burning?
     
  3. Absalom

    Absalom Junior Member

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    About 48 miles per gallon ;)
     
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  4. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    upload_2019-2-21_7-57-44.png
    What's the liquids in 2 and 4, coolant, coolant/oil sludge?
     
  5. Absalom

    Absalom Junior Member

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    Just coolant. I spilled a ton of fluid taking everything apart. It'll all be cleaned up prior to reassembly. Not pictured is the veritable ocean of coolant underneath the car.

    I'm a clean freak once a job is finished, but I have no problem working messy while in the trenches.
     
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  6. The Critic

    The Critic Resident Critic

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    Be sure to replace the electric engine water pump as part of the job. Those pumps are known for intermittent failures which can cause the HG failure. You can buy an Aisin one off rockauto for $250; it is the same pump as the one from the dealer (you will see the Toyota stamping ground off) for half of the price.

    Toyota does not recommend resurfacing the head but I know some people have done it with success. What do you plan on doing with yours?
     
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  7. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Found the Repair Manual info on checking the head bolt length. Here's some screen grabs, and I'll attach full pdf, the cylinder head disassemble, inspection, reassemble.

    upload_2019-2-21_9-56-37.png
    upload_2019-2-21_9-57-17.png
    Dimensions b and c, and that second diagram, all seem a little poorly drafted. I think I get the gist of it
     

    Attached Files:

    #67 Mendel Leisk, Feb 21, 2019
    Last edited: Feb 21, 2019
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  8. Absalom

    Absalom Junior Member

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    If the WP failed, wouldn’t we expect to have seen it overheat?

    I’m just going to have it jet washed and checked for flatness.
     
  9. The Critic

    The Critic Resident Critic

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    Maybe. I guess it depends how you define overheating. This car trips an engine overheat light at a certain point, but we are not kept in tune with the actual coolant temp. I would replace the pump- it is cheap enough considering the amount of work you are doing.
     
  10. ekpolk

    ekpolk What could possibly...

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    Thanks for the pics! It's nice to see how the internals look. Pretty ironic that the #2 cylinder looks cleaner (at least re carbon) than either of its neighbors. I guess it's been getting a good "steam cleaning..." ;) As for #4, anyone care to hazard a guess.

    All that said, you're clearly a few steps beyond the average DIY Joe. I'm pretty sure you didn't just scrounge what tools you could find in the end drawer in the kitchen and then go to work. If you've gotten the head off, cleanly and without hurting the car (or yourself...), you obviously know what you're doing. ;):p:cool: Please fill us in! Absalom? I seem to remember a famous head of state with a problem child by that name. . . ;)
     
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  11. Absalom

    Absalom Junior Member

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    Trust me, if I can do it, you can do it.

    Re "Absalom". It's a handle back from my younger days. My dad was a pastor, and the story surrounding Absalom somehow bore some resemblance to mine -- at least back then.
     
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  12. Absalom

    Absalom Junior Member

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    Machine shop called. The head is warped ever so slightly, so they're going to mill it. Sounds like it definitely overheated. Even though it never threw a code for water pump, I guess we'll replace it anyways. I wish I just knew for certain what caused the HG to let go; that's the most frustrating part.
     
  13. The Critic

    The Critic Resident Critic

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    How much are they charging you for the head reconditioning?
     
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  14. Absalom

    Absalom Junior Member

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    $23 for jetwash, and $44 for milling. Will be ready for pickup tomorrow.
     
  15. ekpolk

    ekpolk What could possibly...

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    Well, at least you're still around to tell the story... ;)

    Have you considered running with a Scangauge attached? I use it while driving for the tach and temp, but it also reads codes of and when they appear. I'll post a pic later, I keep it on the top of the steering col. It's nice to see temp in real time...
     
  16. Absalom

    Absalom Junior Member

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    So, I've decided to forego a water pump for now. And here's my rationale:

    - My current pump "feels" just fine. I will check that it powers up smoothly with 12v tonight, just to be sure.
    - I still don't know exactly why the HG failed, and that's driving me nuts. I have two thoughts; either EGR cooler occlusion or water pump failure. However, if I clean the EGR cooler AND replace the water pump, I'll never know the true culprit - and that would be nearly as disappointing as a 2nd blown HG
    - If the HG blows again, I honestly don't mind redoing the job. It's a 4th vehicle for us, and it sharpens my mechanical skills. Which is valuable as a 3rd year mech engineering student

    That's a great thought. Do you think this would be safer than having my 17" laptop running TechStream permanently perched on my dash? I can almost see over it while driving though!
     
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  17. ekpolk

    ekpolk What could possibly...

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    Why yes, I do. This is a marginal picture of my Scangauge-II, sitting atop my steering column, just behind the wheel. It obstructs nothing, and is easily viewable through the steering wheel. I haven't gotten around to permanently mounting it yet. . . [​IMG]
    You can set it to display many other parameters, but these are the four I usually keep visible. I wonder, however, about your situation. If there was an overheat sufficient to damage the head, you should have gotten multiple codes. Maybe there's an issue with your engine's coolant temp sensor(s). If that's the case, you might have detected it indirectly be noticing erratic, unusual readings (as in believable enough NOT to trigger a warning, but NOT matching the situation, e.g. reads medium heat, maybe 100-ish when you know it's a lot hotter).
     
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  18. CR94

    CR94 Senior Member

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    I received a notice similar to that years ago. It expired before my first (and only, so far) instance of start-up shake.
     
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  19. Absalom

    Absalom Junior Member

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  20. Raytheeagle

    Raytheeagle Senior Member

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    Can definitely see #2 was your opportunity ;).

    Looking good though(y).