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OCC cappuccino?

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by oasmith, Dec 30, 2020.

  1. oasmith

    oasmith Junior Member

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    Vehicle:
    2014 Prius
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    Two
    See attached photo. I put in an OCC for the first time, two months ago, at the 325,000 mark. I just checked it today and there's a milky, foamy stuff on top. Coolant, right? I emptied it out, some darker, nuttier, rich brown oil at the bottom. Kinda chunky bits, too. I'm assuming this is a clear indication of a head gasket leak? I've used two bottles of K-Seal over the past couple years due to knocking. I have to refill the coolant every few weeks, and sometimes add in a quart of oil. Also, if I have the heater on and I come to a stop, I smell the coolant quite suddenly. Once I'm moving again, it's gone. This has been going on for a long time. Heater core? I know the car probably has a terminal condition, but it's been coasting along for a couple years or so. Any suggestions to fix the coolant smell, the leak, the foam? Not going to do a head gasket repair, that's beyond my level. Thanks for any help!
     

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  2. tankyuong

    tankyuong Senior Member

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    Put your heat on recirculate mode
     
  3. Raytheeagle

    Raytheeagle Senior Member

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    Vehicle:
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    Prime Plus
    Here's what the oil catch can spooge looks like on our 2019 Prius Prime after being installed for 9k miles at the 30k mile oil change interval:
    1B6DE0E8-0BE0-4F10-B2A5-071E2B0C000D.jpeg 59BD444E-1A3D-4B64-AAB3-64D859716377.jpeg

    Sort of like a cappuccino ;).

    No coolant smell thankfully(y).
     
  4. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Touring
    That’s a lot of miles. Replace the the engine with salvage? Or time to move on?
     
  5. oasmith

    oasmith Junior Member

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    I've noticed two different substances in the OCC. I've emptied it about 4 or 5 times now, about 20k miles later. There's a liquid that is more like Worcestershire sauce that usually settles to the bottom, and another substance that is like melted chocolate ice cream. Again, I have to add coolant and oil occasionally, indicative of a head gasket. But, nevertheless, it seems stable.
     
  6. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Touring
    For comparison, here’s what I drained about a month back, collected since last fall, and tends to have a lot more water than the fall drain. It’s 2 cans in series, first one on the left. Bottom layer water, top is oil.

    A8151AC5-7B77-420C-9547-7BADFB19B5E5.jpeg
    Addendum: this was about 2k kms worth.
     
    #6 Mendel Leisk, May 13, 2021
    Last edited: May 13, 2021
  7. mjoo

    mjoo Senior Member

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    Does it taste like chocolate ice cream? If so I should empty my OCC more often.

    moto g power ?

    [/I]
     
    Mendel Leisk likes this.