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Did the head gasket change now im facing problems

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by nicosprius, Dec 12, 2022.

  1. nicosprius

    nicosprius New Member

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    So I had my head gasket changed by my father and two friends they took their time on the job almost an entire month to be honest and made sure everything was leveled and nothing was bent. However now when I try to start the car it will go in ready mode and power up but the gas engine will try to start but shakes hard and cuts right off. My father thinks it’s not getting gas to the engine but I have no idea.. fuel pump is working we checked that.. any idea or suggestions would help I have no idea where to start at this point.
     
  2. nicosprius

    nicosprius New Member

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    I can start the car and upload a video to show what exactly it is doing if that would help
     
  3. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    any trouble lights?
     
  4. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk EGR Fanatic

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    What miles is it at? Were there shakes before the head gasket change, and if so for how long?

    Maybe damper (between engine and transaxle) is damaged? Or bent piston arm?
     
  5. rjparker

    rjparker Tu Humilde Sirviente

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    Did it run correctly after the head gasket job or are you still trying to get it to run right the first time after the work?
     
  6. Tombukt2

    Tombukt2 Senior Member

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    Sounds to me like when your head gasket was starting to go or going other things took some of the beating like the plate in between the engine and transmission that can lead to excessive strain on the small end of the connecting rod just my new flexing of that connecting rod in a open deck engine is a recipe for immediate disaster so you're saying when they did all this they looked at the back of the center girdle not the head not the oil pan but the center section it's three pieces for technically but we're not going there and you made sure that none of this center section is cracked right under the exhaust manifold across one two three and four you want to make sure that that whole girdle is intact I can send pictures of what it looks like broken out of the car while the engine is still basically assembled turned upside down so looking at it from the car you need to roll the car up on ramps or jack it up and slide from the radiator underneath the car till you can look at the back side of the engine facing the firewall your head will be the back of your head will be up against the firewall almost and you'll be looking at the back of the engine about midway up You're looking for literal cracks in the aluminum they will be noticeable with a flashlight seriously
     
  7. nicosprius

    nicosprius New Member

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    I have no trouble lights. They checked for bent rods and cracks. The car would start and drive fine before taking it down to change the gasket. It had a shake too it and was losing coolant check the cylinders and could see coolant/water so we ch aged the head gasket I went a head and changed the water pump spark plugs and coils we changed ever gasket that the kit sent. Now the car literally will not start the gas engine it powers on comes right into ready mode but as soon as the engine tries to switch on it shakes hard and turns off.
     
  8. nicosprius

    nicosprius New Member

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    this was the first time we tried to run it after the job
     
  9. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    did you use oem plugs and coils from a dealer?
     
  10. mjoo

    mjoo Senior Member

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    EGR valve stuck open? Leave EVAP hose disconnected?

    moto g power ?
     
  11. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk EGR Fanatic

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    Timing chain off a tooth? Or would that be total disaster?
     
    #11 Mendel Leisk, Dec 12, 2022
    Last edited: Dec 13, 2022
  12. Tombukt2

    Tombukt2 Senior Member

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    I'm thinking you should have some codes and some lights on It should be telling you that something's not firing that should be or vice versa. I when I did mine we had a bunch of nonsense going on on the head gasket change then the engine center girdle blew out from a bent rod and then upon changing the engine and transmission to a low mileage JDM spec setup we had a Christmas tree set of lights on the dash initially trying to start the car but that was all due to corrosion on battery terminals on the HV battery Not much else that wreaked havoc on the water pump and other things in the car trying to run to get the car running once the HV battery was replaced The car started up almost instantaneously with almost no undo hiccups
     
  13. Tombukt2

    Tombukt2 Senior Member

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    I'm not saying that you're in a similar boat here I was just saying that's what happened to us I hope this is not what's happening to you. But it's also very hard to detect bent rods and all this sort of thing when you just have the head off is really tricky I mean other than rotating the engine around and seeing where the pistons top out that's about all you've got and a slight bend will almost make the travel look correct and you won't see it A real trained person might but just the regular somebody probably not and I think that's where some of this gets folks in trouble it's difficult to see And then after you put the stuff all back together with that slight bend it's not long until the reciprocating mass takes that bent rod and makes it fail more than the center girdle breaks from the clanking of the center plate springs bottoming out and things like that happening.
     
  14. rjparker

    rjparker Tu Humilde Sirviente

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    Generally bad shaking is caused by misfires. Contaminated plugs are the most common reason for misfires.

    We have seen lots of people miss-align the timing chain. We have seen sensors not connected and hoses missed. We have seen plugs fouled with oil and coolant that eventually burns off.

    Obviously you check your coils and plugs. I would discount the egr system and damaged damper plates.
     
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  15. rjparker

    rjparker Tu Humilde Sirviente

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    Aftermarket plugs and coils can be defective. Hopefully oem parts were used. Sometimes switching to the old parts is diagnostic.
     
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  16. 2010moneypit?

    2010moneypit? Active Member

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    I would check timing chain marks as others have said.