Cleaned intake manifold. Cylinder 1 port pics look bad. Advice?

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by CT dual Prii owner, May 13, 2017.

  1. CT dual Prii owner

    CT dual Prii owner Junior Member

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    I've had recent misfire codes, and inconsistent sputtering. Sometimes at start-up, other times when accelerating. I read a bunch of threads suggetsing a good cleaning of the EGR system, throttle body, and IM might help. I looked into the engine intake with the intake manifold off and three of my cylinders were very clean, but #1 looked wrong. My oil level is clean and steady, but I am losing coolant. Head gasket I guess, but would cylinder #1 look like this at the intake if coolant was slow leaking into #1 at the head gasket? 1st picture is cylinder 1 and the other clean picture could be any of the other 3. Head Gasket, or could coolant get here from the EGR circuit? Any help is appreciated. I couldn't find this exactly covered anywhere else and besides, everybody likes a "what's wrong with this picture" puzzle. Cylinder 1.jpg Cylinders 2, 3, 4,.png
     
    #1 CT dual Prii owner, May 13, 2017
  2. Former Member 68813

    Former Member 68813 Senior Member

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    how did you number the cylinders?
    did you clean the EGR ports in the intake manifold?
     
    #2 Former Member 68813, May 13, 2017
  3. CT dual Prii owner

    CT dual Prii owner Junior Member

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    the dirty looking intake port is nearest passenger side facing car. Pretty sure the #1 was toward passenger side from the front. Three right of that look clean like the other image. I didn't know to clean the small EGR ports on the intake manifold. The first posts/videos I saw on the subject only showed the EGR tube and main port. I'll clean those and see what happens. I don't understand the coolant loss if its a blocked EGR port. Can it be?
     
    #3 CT dual Prii owner, May 14, 2017
  4. danlatu

    danlatu Senior Member

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    IMG_0059.JPG IMG_0060.JPG The intake plenum needs to be cleaned as well. The x4 small holes were clogged with carbon. Walnut shell blasting will get that port 100% clean to the valves.
     
    #4 danlatu, May 14, 2017
  5. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Ok, so the dirty intake port was at the cylinder furthest to the left side, as you stand facing the front of the car? Or you can't remember?? (n)

    The EGR pipe feeds in at the drivers side of the intake manifold, fwiw.

    If your coolant level in reservoir is steadily dropping that's not good. How fast?

    Also: how many miles on it?
     
    #5 Mendel Leisk, May 14, 2017
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  6. danlatu

    danlatu Senior Member

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    If you are loosing coolant, I would pull all the spark plugs and look inside each cylinder for wetness. White smoke coming out of tailpipe?
    Blownhead gasket is what you might have. Be careful, coolant leaking into the cylinder is what bent my rod.
    If your egr cooler is leaking coolant internally, you would see coolant in the intake plenum and your engine would be eating it that way.
    Coolant around the engine or ground would be exterior leak of course.
     
    #6 danlatu, May 14, 2017
  7. CT dual Prii owner

    CT dual Prii owner Junior Member

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    Thanks. Its definitely the port closest to passenger side facing the car. 169K miles. It lost a half gallon of coolant over a month. I drive 150 miles a day. No white smoke at all and no puddles or external evidence of a leak that I've found. First time it happened I drove two hours with no issues at all and when I restarted the car 6 hours later it started rough and misfired since. I'll clean the small egr ports better and see if its different. Thanks
     
    #7 CT dual Prii owner, May 15, 2017
  8. Rebound

    Rebound Senior Member

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    It's the passenger side no matter which direction you face.

    If you're losing coolant like that, you better get it fixed. You're risking the same complete engine rebuild described in the other thread. Water in or on a spark plug is probably just a valve cover gasket; a far simpler job than head gasket.

    The carbon on the passenger side cylinder intake doesn't concern me much, but if you still have it open, you can remove most/all of it using throttle body cleaner that's soaked onto a rag. When you have the manifold off, you should have cotton rags stuffed into all of the engine intake ports. If a screw or any tiny bit of metal falls into one of those intake ports, you will need to use any means necessary to remove it, or the engine will likely be ruined. Hence, plug the openings with rags.
     
    #8 Rebound, May 15, 2017
  9. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Yes. OP of that thread found bent piston arm, likely due to cylinder filling with (uncompressible) coolant. I believe it's referred to as hydro-lock?

    Blown Head gasket rebuild....@297k | PriusChat
     
    #9 Mendel Leisk, May 15, 2017
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