Now what???

You might have better luck in the actual Prius forum, but Engine repairs can be a crapshoot for mechanics sometimes. The specialty shop is who I would trust, if it were me.

 

now what, indeed. for me, it would be time to trade in. these are issues that can crop up in high mileage cars. if you insist on process of elimination, can you get anyone to guarantee the work will fix the problem? all the best!

 

This one is actually pretty easy.
First of all...you need to ask one one the mods to kick this over to the G3 sub-forum.
They'll know what to do.
Personally, I think that the Priussys are real Priuses, but that's a different topic for a different time.

Secondly....you need to stop going to Toyota dealerships! You can't afford it.
If the motor is still out of your car, why don't they consider getting a motor out of a wrecked G3 and plunking it into your car?
Motor: $500-1,000.
Labor: Ask the 'specialty' shop, but I'll betcha it's cheaper than the $5600 or $4400 that they're going to charge you to repair (?) your used motor that already has 170,000 miles on it!

 

Wow.
The dealership charged you $1700 just to pull the engine and send it out to a specialty shop? That's a lot of investment, just for diagnosis.

In hindsight, (yes always 20/20) why couldn't you of driven it bucking and all, to the speciality shop yourself, or even had it towed? That seems like an expensive way to reach a diagnosis.

My experience is totally my own. So before hand I realize others probably have had better, different, or incredibly successful gambits in this area.

My Dad once had a rebuilt engine put in a small pick-up. He got about another year, year and 1/2 before that engine started behaving worse than the one he had replaced.

My brother believe it or not, loved a Toyota Tercel that he had put so many miles on, that he was talked into replacing the engine. Nearly the same story, he had it replaced but over the next year started having numerous problems.

Now maybe...almost assuredly, perhaps both my Dad and my Brother simply had bad luck, or unqualified people putting in (badly?) rebuilt engines. But that is my personal experience with the "engine" replacement route.

My only advice would be, you've already invested a lot of money. Whatever you decide, be confident in the specialty shop , or whomever you decide to make the next step. On the gut level it sure seems a shame that you have been forced to spend this much money, up to this point.

3 years, almost 4 model years old and 175,000 miles? Well, we'd all like to get more life out of our vehicles...and people do. But I have to admit that if I was in your shoes, and started to have the problems you are describing as well as the problems actually pinning down exactly what is going on, I'd probably be thinking a lot about my next "new" vehicle.

 

Don't waste money on used motors. It's a crap shoot and it's usually a looser deal. I would have traded the car in with that many miles and replaced it with a new one. Now, you should let the "expert" repair it and give you a warranty on the work done. Or slap it together with a new gasket set and trade it

 

It is time for a new car! Don't waste your money on a high mileage old car...

 

Not only plugs but coil paks need to be replaced well before 170k miles ! Coil paks are the replacement of the old ignition coil and are as troublesome as ever a part was intended for an engine. Most start going bad at 40k and almost all by 100k miles. That bucking, or misfiring, is almost always ca sure sign and 301 is certaiunly a key identification of an ignition problem in cylinder 1. If you had replaced both coil pak and plug you probably might get codes fior other cylinders. Those damn coil paks from a reputable supplier cost around a hundred bucks each but unfortunately all manufacurures have adoopted them so your 50k tuneup now costs $500. you can bet manufacturers don't pay a tenth that.
PS I have difficulty with all those 'studies' to determine the cause, sounds like ADP to me. Any Toyota dealer is going to be very familiar with ignition problems cured by nedw coil paks and plugs. And if you got 175k miles before needing new plugs and coils, count youself very lucky.
I suggest you check other forums and you will find coil paks and spark plug replacements cure 99% of any hesitation beginning at about 30k miles. Thats not the earliest mileage; we had a failure in less than a hundred miles on a new aftermarket coil pak.

 

So how will coil packs cause coolant to enter the cylinder ? Po301 is a misfire code.
The code is set based on CKP sensor input. Not ignition input Po301 can be set anytime
the CKP sensor see's a reduction of rpm for a given cylinder. Low compression or a lack of conbustion
will cause P0301. Could be a plug, a coil pack, an ECM, a spark plug, an injector, an H02s, or a vacuum leak too.

Coolant in the cylinder will cause a misfire and the severity depends on the cause of the leak and the amount it leaks

 

Right on, and ...
Misfire covers all the symptoms you mention. 301 indicates that the spark plug has not ignited the fuel=air charge in cylinder 1 and thus codes its a misfire. 99% of the time replacing plugs AND coil pak cures the problem.
Still its a misfire problem; plugs and coil paks are number 1 causes by a large margin. Until thay are addressed everything else is pure horse hockey. Worse, once you correct that cylinder, often the other cylinders will repeat the misfire code. By 100k miles all plugs and coil paks should have been replaced; the design life of those components are about 60 k miles. Ignition parts like plugs and coil paks are expected to be replaced, not last forever, regardless what advertisers say.
And yes a coolant leak may cause misdfire if severe enough but then you should easily detect loss in coolant at the cap. And a coolant pressure test quickly identifies that problem accurately. IF you do it with plugs removed you can identify which cylinder though replacing the head gasket doesn't matter. All those engine removals etc simnply aren't the sign of good mechanics. Even the ECU is suspect long before engine removal and teardowns are necessary. Nec essary, my foot.
PS we have had instances where one of the coolant leak remedy slurries have solved the leak. But not always. Still, its a good try at the least cost. I know one that has lasted over 50k miles so far.
PPS a misfire when consistent coud cause the head gasket to fail but its lasst on the list of causes of a bad head leak.

 

WOW! That's some convoluted stuff and none of it makes any sense at all

 

JC Whitney has set of 4 coil pack replacement kit for $151

2001-2008 Toyota Prius Ignition Coil - Replacement, Direct fit, OE comparable, Male - JCWhitney

 

Hold the presses...
Found best price on oem coil pack
Camelback Toyota Parts - Genuine OEM Parts - Free Shipping
Under $300
......

 

Thats why you aren't an engine designer or mechanic.

 

I think this it what's happening to me, noticed my coolant reserve tank was getting low. Now I'm running into misfire problems and the car is running like crap. It is reading a 301 code so I'm guessing that's where the coolant is going. Cylinder 1. Any thoughts on how much a head gasket is gunna run me? Got 180k on it.