PRIUS 2ZR COLD START MISFIRE BLOWN HEAD GASKET 2010-2015

Wow. Judging from the number of engine blocks they have there, it's a common problem. Is it?

 

Yes. I think we are on the leading edge of this problem as the miles add up for owners. I feel for buyers who are still paying $10k or more for some of these and then start having problems. That is when they show up here.

 

Strange, that Gasket Masters took down two very informative videos, step/by-step gasket replacement. This latest seems a bit of an infomercial.

If @NutzAboutBolts ever has an opportunity to do a head gasket replacement (hopefully not his), I hope he does a video.

 

yes, it's a major problem deserving of tsb and extended warranty

 

I’m just new on the forum. Need some help. I just bought my 2010 this June second owner. Now has 118,000 miles. Everything work fine, but end of November. When I start the engine every morning it makes a noise and shake a lot for few second.Then few more days, check engine came out. Then check it with obd2 scanner tells po300 & po3002. So I just replace all the spark plugs with denso then reset it. Everything work fine again drove around 400 miles, then suddenly one cold morning. When I start the engine the grinding noise and shake came back again and the check engine po300,302 code.Now Im gonna replace ignition coil i hope its gonna work. I hope it not a blown head gasket. because I noticed now a little drop on my coolant.

 

I think the Gasketmasters videos are interesting from a speed and organizational basis. But not enough detail to diy. Which someone like nutzaboutbolts could provide with narration and a properly framed and edited video.

However, Gasketmasters is performing a good service at a good price, especially considering their California marketplace. They have a machined head ready to go if the car needs it and carry all the maintenance parts and pumps as required.

Which is exactly what a good dealer's mechanic can do in terms of speed and efficiency, but the dealer will charge twice as much using book hours. If they will do it at all. Dealers often suggest a lower mileage replacement engine that has been rebuilt and use your accessories for $5k-$7k. That solution provides reliability over the long haul and they are willing to back it up. However their pricing is often higher than the resale value of a high mileage Prius.

Meanwhile recent Gasketmasters head gasket replacements have been reported to be in the $1,500 - $2,000 range with a guarantee. Often done as mobile service from San Fransico to Southern California. They need to open more shops around the country.

 

Yes interesting. Still, this is fly-on-the-wall style, real time, single point of view, no explanations. The videos they took down show and explain the process.

I've downloaded them, but copyright...

 

Do you happen to have the video IDs of the removed videos? (not the videos themselves)

 

would i buy a new car if i knew the head gasket might blow after 125k?

 

Not sure what that is, and again, I don't want to transgress on copyright. I would suggest you add Gasket Masters to your subscriptions, and ask them if they could upload those videos again. The second one is at a Cab Company parking lot. The first is similar in format. In both there's lots of explanations/tips. The first is 37:51 min's in length, and the second is 38:28; that might help for ID.

If it's any consolation, 4th gen seems to have made enough improvements to EGR, that clogging is not as much a problem. @Raytheeagle may have opinion on that too.

 

Classic head gasket symptoms. Basically coolant leaks into a cylinder typically when the engine is cold, fouls a spark plug causing those codes, burns off and the engine runs smooth. Depending on the position of the cylinder and carbon plugging it may not leak enough to cause issues next time. A mechanic can do a cylinder Leak Down Test or a coolant based Combustion Leak Test. Either test is reliable but losing coolant with no obvious coolant leaks is usually enough.

 

What is the best decision? Should I do swap engine or have it repaired. Does anyone knows a good mechanic in sf bay area. Some one post on Facebook, saying that he can do the swap engine and labor for $2600.

 

The video ID is what is highlighted in this picture. I'll try to ask him.

 

I'm currently at 30k miles, so a bit early on in the life cycle.

But I'm putting more miles on our Prius than you will though, so I'll get there.

Oil change this weekend and cat shield install is on the docket.

 

Can't view pic.