Hey There Prius Chat, Long time lurker! First time poster. I have 2013 Plug in with 179k miles on it and I have loved every minute of driving it and almost all those miles were going faster than a Prius is supposed to go. So all in all if it's done, still best car I have ever driven. So here is the dilemma. About 6 months ago my oil pressure light started coming on in between oil changes and I was having to top it off. I brought it in for service 3 times during this and was told there was no leak and everything was fine, I though they just didn't tighten everything and it was dripping from the pan while driving. \ So 3 weeks ago I was about 30 miles from home and I started the car and the engine shuttered and then the check engine light came on but I was on the freeway and didn't look till I got home and then I put in oil and the next day it seemed a little better. So I drove about 7 miles and then all of a sudden the "Hybrid error park in a safe place" warning popped on the screen so I towed it to nearest dealer. He didn't even hook it up to the diagnostic computer and told me 6k to rebuild the engine and that it was the head gasket. So I used my AAA premier membership and got it towed 150 miles to a different dealer who had serviced it a bunch of times and told me the first guy was full of it because he didn't hook it to computer. I tow it to him and he says it's even worse and I have a leaky cylinder and a blown gasket but that the hybrid system is fine but now it will be 6-8k to rebuild/replace engine. The car was worth 4k at Carmax 20k miles and 8 months ago. Same engine from Pick A Part or similar is like 2k and according to my tow truck driver and this board I just need an engine hoist and a wrench to replace the engine. Is this true? I know about cars but never worked on an engine and considering how I plan on going full electric after this it seems silly to learn how to fix and ICE now? What would you do, oh wise PriusChat folks? Also does anyone sell a battery pack or a way to hack this thing so I can just pull the engine and throw in a battery from Big Battery and just have an electric car for city driving and keep my prius.. Is that even possible now? Thanks - Brandon
You ran out of oil multiple times? Car ownership 101: check oil level at every fill up (yes, that is more than necessary) Gen3 Prius ownership 101: check oil level at every fill up (yes, with known burn rate!) So no, it is not just a hoist and wrench. It is going to require some time and best with an extra set or two of hands. (with more experience) Wow, is it in rough shape? $4k offer before any of these problems, sound low. Maybe if finances are in order, you can switch to EV now. At least you wont have to check oil
Is there anyone or any custom garage who replaces hybrid or plugin Prius engine with all electric (would be amazing if someone had actually figured this out and reverse engineered the whole setup to add battery capacity and then simply never send the engine into Hybrid mode.)
You know it is people like you that make people afraid to ask questions. Why would I check the oil on every fill-up on a car that was fine for the first 170k? And that the dealer checked and couldn't find any problem with and was purring like a dream? It's not a 1975 Jeep! How am I supposed to know this is a common issue? If I knew that I wouldn't be asking because I would have know and my engine wouldn't be cooked right now you jerk. When I'm driving down the street people aren't reminding me at lights about the known "burn issue".. I didn't run out of oil multiple times you nice person, the pressure light came on because it was low and I checked and checked and checked and could not find a leak, and I asked 3 different toyota dealers service departments to check and they told me there was no leak and whatever was going on was slow until I threw a rod and it all drained out during one drive and then fried my engine. Did I come here for your smartass comments or for help? Didn't anyone every tell you to keep your mouth shut unless you have something useful to say? If you have a 30kw Battery pack lying around and tips for wiring it, now that would be helpful. But right now you are just as useless as the mechanics I've been calling who won't touch my car because they are idiots and think they will get shocked fixing an engine.
Thank you Mendel, seems like the best solution and then get a used Bolt on Carmax and never pay for dinosuar juice that ruins the air again. See that was helpful.
The head gasket can be replaced. You can sell the car to someone willing to do that, but you might get $2,000 or so. Replacing the head gasket is a project but not too big. The problem is that if the head gasket failed, it is possible that it lead to damage such as a bent connecting rod or a warped head. And you probably cannot tell until the cylinder head is removed. So you or a mechanic pulls the head and takes the measurements. You either replace the gasket and put it together, or you pull the engine and replace it, which has its own risks. It's something I could do myself, but if you don't have much experience as a mechanic, I'd say it's time to move on. I don't think there are very good options for an all-electric conversion. On the other hand, I test drove the all-electric Mini Cooper and it was hellishly fun! $29K before a $7,500 Federal tax credit, and California gives you another $2,000 off... it only has about 110 miles of range but it's an awfully fun, all-electric car.
Thanks, yeah seems like both dealer shops though I needed at least a new upper part of the engine because they said the pistons are bad or something. Seems like a giant pain in the nice person to learn 150 year old tech that is irrelevant when I can take some scooter batteries and a rasberry pi and build a vehicle in an emergency. Always thought I would need to learn for when Skynet wakes up, but turns out I can now harvest electricity from the sun and brushless motors are like zero maintenance and cheap and prevalent. I live in CA too, you said you can fix it, do you want it? LOL I am towing it back to my place in palm springs to sit in a garage and collect dust until I list on craigslist. I was thinking more like 4k still person to person since it has had zero problems and if someone like you bought it you can fix it for nothing and sell it for like 8k if autotrader is to be believed and I am in no rush to move it. That Mini has way too little range for me here in the desert where it is like 100+ miles in most directions to any city besides LA. Looking at a Bolt I guess. sub $199 leases right now. Anyone wanna buy a prius?
I moved North so I can't help onsite. Sorry. There is a shop in So Cal who does head gasket jobs at pretty low cost. Maybe ask in the Gen III Maintenance and Troubleshooting section and @Mendel Leisk or someone can tell you.
Brandon I just replaced the head gasket watching and your tube video. I had a bent rod which cost $65 for a new one at the dealer. Longo Toyota. I had my original head rebuilt for $200, gasket kit for another $150, replaced two engine mounts since I had everything apart $210 , oil change $35 synthetic , radiator fluid $40. I’m a mortgage banker so this was my first attempt. The car runs awesome now. I have 285k miles before the gasket blew. Good luck.
