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Small crack on engine near PCV Valve

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by DevChatt, Aug 17, 2017.

  1. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    On a previous car I accidently/stupidly forgot to put the oil filler cap back on, and we drove that way for maybe a week. It survived, no harm done. But oil was venting, even sucking into the cabin air inlet a bit. :oops::oops::oops:
     
  2. DevChatt

    DevChatt Junior Member

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    aha we all make mistakes.
    as long as we learn and become better from them that is all that matters!


    I'm gonna replace the PCV at 120k now (just cant be damned to do it rn, figure i'd do it a few 20k ahead of service) but now use a ratchet
     
  3. Beachbummm

    Beachbummm Senior Member

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    go to the parts store and get a tube of j.b.weld... clean the grease off the part apply the epoxy and let it set overnight..... pray
     
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  4. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Regarding my recollection of the previous thread on this, it sounds like the same thing (IIRC): the guy used a wrench and it slipped or was just thick enough to lever against the casing, cracked it. As far as I know he used JB Weld.
     
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  5. DevChatt

    DevChatt Junior Member

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    Yup, all done. The original plate and toothbrush i used to cover it up is now stuck together tight.

    It started pouring here in the northeast...hoping this won't cause any issues (i'm more worried about the humidity), but i will have to be driving it in roughly another 3 and 1/2 to 4 hours.

    Mechanic at pep boys recommended similiar...to just put some on and everything should be ok. He even said it doesn't look like its anything to be worried about and its like a 200 dollar repair for really nothing.

    Lets see what happens...Will return back with pics when i can!
     
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  6. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

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    Have a good trip. Hope you don't have to re-do it. Time will tell.
     
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  7. DevChatt

    DevChatt Junior Member

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    Hey guys,

    Just reporting back. Things look Ok. Did my drive to new york and back and no issues with sounds/ oil leakage/ engine lights etc. Everything seems OK. Had a small drop in MPG but i don't think it was related to that but rather the fact that I just checked and i didn't tighten one of the bolts connecting the air filter box to the throttle body (derp).

    The JB weld has held well, i prodded it with a pen earlier and things seem fine. Looks like the pen prodding left a light mark, but otherwise it seems to be fine...

    Cheers guys!
     

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  8. DevChatt

    DevChatt Junior Member

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    On another Similiar note

    I figure it's a lazy Sunday I'm gonna go and try and tackle the pcv valve again...but this time being smart using a ratchet...

    Will try the 19mm deep socket...tried a regular socket and I had no avail.


    I couldn't find any information anywhere else on the net regarding using a ratchet and this size. Just want to confirm all of the data is correct.
     
  9. DevChatt

    DevChatt Junior Member

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    I finally got that bugger 19mm PCV valve.
    A deep socket is the way to go! Guys use it instead of a box wrench...much safer! There is definitely enough clearance for a ratchet to make it in and it definitely didnt take very long.

    Also when doing this i realized i actually missed the crack end, so another benefit of actually doing this is that it gave me the now clearance to make it and cover up everything. Picture attached with new PCV Valve in place whew!

    Test drive tomorrow in the am after the JB had a chance to stick. New PCV valve in the pic! upload_2017-8-20_20-40-27.png
     
  10. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    I'm pretty sure that's exactly what the earlier poster did (I'm I'm understanding): put a box wrench on, I'd assume the open end, and when it slipped or broke loose, it rotate down and crunched the thin metal of the valve cover.
     
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  11. Montgomery

    Montgomery Senior Member

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    I was going to say the same thing. JB weld has save me many a time in situations like this.
     
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  12. DevChatt

    DevChatt Junior Member

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    Checked this morning and everything looks good once again. Test drove and no lights or anything.


    My concern although I have now been noticing is a lack of good MPG. I'm pretty confident that i've hooked everythhing back up correctly but prior to doing all the work i've been getting 47-49 MPG.

    Now i'm sitting more along 42-45 sometimes dropping down to 37 when driving around the city (eek!)

    I'm a little concerned how this could of happened...Maybe did i use too much throttle cleaner? The leak cover up shouldn't have an effect right?

    Could it be possible I did something to the 12v Battery that may of caused it?

    I decided to test out the 12v using this:
    Weird stuff happening? MPGs dropping? Test The Battery | PriusChat

    At first (acc mode) i'm reading 12.1 volts
    all other tests passed (pressing the power button twice I was OK) and turning on the car it was like 14.2v)
     
  13. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

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    12.1V may be low. 14.2V simply tells you that the charging system is charging the battery. It doesn't tell you if the battery is good. Best test is with a load tester. Next best is with a multi meter after letting it rest overnight -- both with the car off.

    If it still reads under about 12.6V, put it on a charger over night and see if it takes the charge and then watch a few days to see if it holds the charge. How old is the 12V battery?
     
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  14. DevChatt

    DevChatt Junior Member

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    The battery is atleast a year old from when I baught it (just about). Unknown data prior to that....could indeed be much older.
    I retried testing once more earlier and this time in acc mode it read 12.5...but when I put the first load (no brake pedal down) I went under to 11.9...


    Unfortunately I won't have much of a chance to test it until the end of the week to confirm since I will be going on a business trip but I will be interested to see what happens with a few days of not running it.


    While on the note...do I run into any issues other than the mpg reduction of this is a battery issue in the long run?

    I am not yet fully confident it is just the battery or it is a battery issue...reason I say this is because prior to doing the throttle body cleaning. MAf cleaning and the spark plugs and pcv valve I had good mileage. Could it be related to any of those? Could I of screwed up the 12v by doing any of these things?
    I also put in a new engine air filter today just for the heck of it since it was 13 bucks but still no increase back in mpg.

    One other thing I am noticing which is possibly causing this is following the prius display screen for where energy is flowing through the car, I notice the battery is being charged very often and while although it doesn't seem like it's loosing or gaining charge very fast , it never seems to hit the green bars or loose a bar ...I know part of this is standard but it seems more common than prior . Also I notice more often that I loose charge a bit faster when I just have the car on and not driving ..Ie just have the ac on and the radio...
     
  15. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

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    OK. Now you're talking about two different batteries.

    First, the 12V. It's low and your car is burning lots of extra fuel trying and failing to charge it. Why haven't you taken it yet to a parts store and had it load tested? Get the low hanging fruit first. In this case, it's the 12v battery and that might be the only fruit on the tree. And yes, you will run into issues if you don't fix it. You car will start throwing all sorts of spurious trouble codes and soon it won't run.

    Now the hybrid battery. It's 12 years old. It's not going to perform the way it used to. But even a brand new battery will rarely get into the green. If it's in the green, it's too full to absorb energy when you brake or coast. It needs a buffer at both ends of the charge range. Like a spring, it needs to be partly compressed -- not fully compressed or fully expanded -- to help in both directions. If you get, install, and properly use a Prolong grid charger on the hybrid battery, you can extend its life by quite a bit. Best done before any cells actually fail. It gives a nice performance boost, too, if the battery is actually in need of a grid charge. And it is in need at that age. (See the countless threads here about the Prolong.)
     
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  16. DevChatt

    DevChatt Junior Member

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    Thanks Jerry! I am currently away from the car till the end of the week but first thing I will do when I get a moment is go to Advance Auto and have them test the 12v and see what they come back with..

    I'll need to do some research on prolong...this is the first i've heard of it. May be a worthwhile avenue to go down soon.... It looks a tad bit complicated for my knowledge at the moment but maybe after reading it is something that could be learned about.


    I'm also concerned i may of overtightened or applied too much anti-seize to my Denso SK16r11 spark plugs which may be causing a drop....

    agh

    Will return back with updates on the battery near the end of the week.
     
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  17. DevChatt

    DevChatt Junior Member

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    Hey @jerrymildred

    I just got back from travel a day ago and decided to test the battery at first start. Unfortunately some good and bad news.

    at test one (with just pressing the power button) i got a reading of 12.2 volts. Afterwords I turned on a few accessories, it did go down to 11.8.

    I'm guessing the battery is toast via the thread.

    I tried to go to advance auto parts to see if they could test it and they were scared to do so :(. I may need to see who else can test it out for me...do you know any shops in your area that does this kind of thing for free? Also call me somewhat lazy but I was also hoping AAP could install it for me if I buy the battery but it does not seem they would like too :(



    I am just curious if this was something I have done and if this is the only issue at this point. The reason I say this is because honestly prior to doing my four maintenence items (spark plugs, pcv, throttle body, MAF) I was getting 48-49. Could I have done something to fahootse the 12v battery?
     
  18. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    "Fahootse" sounds ominous... :ROFLMAO:

    If you can get your hands on a digital multimeter, check the 12 volt with the car off, when it's sat for a few hours. At the underhood jumpstart point is fine.
     
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  19. DevChatt

    DevChatt Junior Member

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    I never used one nor don't know if i can get one easily. Any shops do this kind of thing for free with a diagnostic?
     
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  20. Raytheeagle

    Raytheeagle Senior Member

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    Autozone or the like will scan codes for free.

    If looking for a multimeter, a cheap version can be had at Harbor Freight (sometimes free with a coupon ;)).

    A multimeter is a handy tool to have kicking around(y).
     
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