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Blown Engine?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Technical Discussion' started by Karah, Dec 30, 2018.

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  1. Karah

    Karah Junior Member

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    I hope I can get some replying readers on this....

    For half of 2018, I have have issues rendering my 2nd Gen Prius un-drivable. I frequently had to leave the car on its own without a person to come by & know how to turn her on while I was out traveling for a couple weeks at a time.

    She started to die in May, driving under 60mph & the fan coming on. I had the help of an EV specialist encourage me to get an ODB(?) diagnostics app. I sent him the codes & he was sure my hybrid battery pack was failing, so then he said to purchase a Prolong Battery Charger from hybridautomotive.com . I bought this device, hooked it up & charged the hybrid battery all the way. That seemed to have drained the last bit of life out of the 12v. So I replaced the 12v. I then continued charging up the hybrid pack & "balancing" the cells as it says to do. I had a mechanic switch out 10 of the dead cells for new under warranty ones. The light at the end of the tunnel seemed to be nearing. The car drove, weak at first, but stronger and stronger with each drive test. I monitored the diagnostics on the ODB app. The fan would come on only sometimes & the lights on the dash would come off. A new symptom was this chugging in the front (where the motor is). It only happened once before the engine seemed to have blown out on me.

    Then on Christmas Day of course, I was driving in-between houses & what I'm told looks like the Piston shot out of the car smoking! About 7 more pieces fell out of the car & a bunch of oil leaked all over the ground.

    Here is my massive dilemma. My dying father doesn't want me to sell the car unless he passes away. He currently is so ill, I can't even talk to him. I have a bipolar mechanic who has offered to pull out an engine & replace mine for $700. Unfortunately, he seems to have fallen ill & won't have time to work on my car after Jan 3rd. So no movement on the Prius.

    Can anyone enlighten me on what could have possibly broke my engine to pieces??
    Does anyone have advice whether I should just sell the car for parts now or try to keep her alive??

    Additional details: 2006 2nd gen, 170k miles, refurbished battery installation & a/c core replacement in 2016, oil changes kept regularly.
     
    #1 Karah, Dec 30, 2018
  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    it's usually low oil. i would part it out and move on, sorry about your father. all the best!
     
    #2 bisco, Dec 30, 2018
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  3. brdmb

    brdmb Junior Member

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    Following on to what bisco said: These engines start to eat oil like crazy (oil rings get seized), and when the oil runs out the engine perishes, sometimes dramatically. Given the age and mileage, you're likely going to start needing some suspension/bearing replacements, not to mention an inverter pump change. Then the brake actuator assembly (if not replaced during extended warranty) will start to go, which is an expensive replacement on parts alone. If you're not doing the work yourself it could easily add up to more than the value of the vehicle. If this has all already been done, the $700 might be worth it, provided another battery module doesn't go in the next 7 months. (Taking $100/mo as reasonable for a "car payment") Just some thoughts to ponder

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
    #3 brdmb, Dec 30, 2018
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  4. padroo

    padroo Senior Member

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    Unless you are a DIY type person like others have said it gets expensive driving an old car with high mileage.
    Old high mileage cars can just be money pits and not just a Prius.
     
    #4 padroo, Dec 31, 2018
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  5. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    I think the bipolar mechanic solution for $700 is your best option, you won't get much for your car if you sold it
     
    #5 JC91006, Dec 31, 2018
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  6. SFO

    SFO Senior Member

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    Been looking for a mechanic like this. He will supply and install a usable gen2 engine for 700?

    Where are you located? (no location offered in your profile)
     
    #6 SFO, Dec 31, 2018
  7. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    #7 Mendel Leisk, Dec 31, 2018
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  8. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    i can't find directions to this cloud...
     
    #8 bisco, Dec 31, 2018
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  9. edthefox5

    edthefox5 Senior Member

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    If the regular oil changes were done at the dealer that's why the engine exploded.
     
    #9 edthefox5, Dec 31, 2018
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  10. Skibob

    Skibob Senior Member

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    Do you mean because they never told her the car was super low on oil when she had it changed, so she never checked the oil and finally it burned so much that it went empty and threw a piston? :whistle:
     
    #10 Skibob, Jan 2, 2019
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  11. Skibob

    Skibob Senior Member

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    If you decide to part it out PM me. I would like to buy the prolong charger, cable and discharger iif you have one.
     
    #11 Skibob, Jan 2, 2019
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  12. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    A simple rule would be to check the oil yourself, especially just before going in for an oil change.

    When I DIY drain oil it's into a large funnel that feeds into a transparent no-spill container, with gradations down the side. I empty it after each oil change. Very handy for checking drain quantity.

    But the typical pro shop would be using a large drain oil container. Unless they check the dipstick beforehand they'd never catch a low oil condition.
     
    #12 Mendel Leisk, Jan 2, 2019
  13. edthefox5

    edthefox5 Senior Member

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    Pretty much exactly.
     
    #13 edthefox5, Jan 2, 2019
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  14. landspeed

    landspeed Active Member

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    Hi! I hope your father pulled through - sorry to hear about this :(

    From your description, your car needs a whole new engine. The engines themselves are usually tough (but they need oil checked regularly as they use a lot, even when there are no faults).

    What condition is the car in, besides the engine (EDIT - just read - the answer to what happened to your engine, is that one of the bearings on the crankshaft wore out; I am guessing the chugging was a noise similar to hitting two rocks together. Anyway, the end result is that the rod connecting the piston to the crankshaft rips off, and usually the piston, rod, and other bits leave the engine making a hole in the side. The end result is fragments of metal, a hole in the engine block, and usually a fair amount of oil pouring out through that hole. Even if well maintained, any car could have an oil pump failure - that would cause this to happen.

    If the car was to have sentimental value, I would get the engine swap, keep oil topped up, and then get in touch with members on here about the hybrid battery to make sure it is OK. It all depends on the value of the car (emotionally + financially) and the costs to get her up and running again. The Gen 2 is a good car and I've done many miles in mine!
     
    #14 landspeed, Jan 12, 2019
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