Don't Buy a 3rd Gen Prius! - Blown headgasket at 233k

I wanted to mention that the water pump does involve a bit of labor to replace as I understand it. My mechanic recommended I replace it because we were already opening up the engine for the head gasket replacement, and they are also suspected to fail intermittently. He also knows I plan to keep the car as long as possible so it made sense for me anyway.

 

The engine water pump is normally a one hour job.

 

That’s probably after removal of the lower splash shield and the coolant I bet.

Probably also excludes the coolant recharge too.

But you work a lot faster than I do so that’s probably the case.

 

I’m glad to hear Marine One proactively maintains their fleet that way!
But in normal civilian world the quality of each proactive replacement is not as reliable as in military. At EAA conference in Oshkosh (2015?), I listened to an aviation safety analyst argue (with some supporting data), that the complete engine dissassembly and overhaul at the designated Time Before Overhaul engine hours was NOT always the safest choice for civilians owning private aircraft. The basic finding he cited was that any repair work, specifically including a major overhaul, induced a likelihood of a repair error that would then cause an incident or accident in the relatively near future when the engine was put back into normal service. The take home message seemed to be to do detailed “watchful waiting “ in such cases and definitely repair at the first sign of any abnormal wear or possiblity of failure, but not to tear apart an engine that was operating steadily within specifications and having no signs of failure.
Given the frequency of after-repair-errors mentioned here on PC, I think we may certainly have repair-incuced errors. But the decision whether to do proactive replacement is complicated by (1) not having clearly specified service lives for each major part and component, (2) not having absolutely consistent, guaranteed repair quality, and (3) not having sufficiently dense run-time performance information to do “watchful waiting”, altho Techstream could help with the latter. Hmmm.

 

Sometimes we replace parts on our cars with dubious qualities creating some of the problem and the ability of the mechanic.
You can't compare military aircraft maintenance and car maintenance, they are on a totally different level.

 

Just finished my headgasket replacement, more details here:
2011 Prius Headgasket Failure | Page 2 | PriusChat

Overall, I am in agreement with the OP - not a bad job at all. Just a lot of work.

 

Looks good, I like the way you cleaned everything up. Most would not have taken the head to the machine shop which is a good move.
What is your mechanical background?

 

Thanks. I have some experience with light vehicle maintenance, but that is about it.

 

That's how we learn a lot of things by jumping in over our head and see if we can swim. One thing though is if you really screw up and you know what your mistake was you learn and never forget. Some people after getting burnt never return to the fire.

 

Agreed. I have a lot of experience with doing light to moderate level auto repair work, but major engine repair (or overhaul) is not an area that I have experience in.

 

I had, prior to July, never done any major disassembly of an engine with the intention of repair. I had swapped an engine as an assembly in the past. The internal workings of the Prius engine are very different from what I was used to or expecting. However, it’s doing well as reassembled. Take your time, read the manual, and ask for assistance of a qualified technician if needed.

Or jump into the deep end with no life preserver if you want. The choice is yours. LoL

 

But you got the tools and garage to support a very healthy DIY habit.

Puts most of us to shame.

Or envious.

 

@abshalom i totally agree with erything you say.
Why would a car buyer pay a premium of at least 30% on any comparable model if its as good .
we pay more for that signature brand. Seriously wheres the benefit here.

 

My Prius Plug-in has over 140,000 miles.

A $23 plastic diverter valve for the windshield wipers failed.

That’s it. Nothing else broke. It’s still on original brake pads. I did have to replace the oil filter housing after the oil filter got stuck on, but it was not a big deal.

This has been the most reliable car I’ve ever owned by far.

 

@Rebound IIRC you did the conversion to disposable, spin-on style oil filter? That worked out?

It's probably one of things I'll entertain but never get into, but who knows.

 

It's doable, but we don't have to any more. As of MY 2018, Toyota has actually gone back to spin on disposable filters. Not sure if this has been discussed here yet or not (was on another board on which I moderate). When I got my 2018, I actually tried to get a couple cartridges for it (I do my own OCs). The parts guy set me straight -- spin-on it is now!!!

Anyway, I offer this not to put a figurative "finger in the eye" of those of you still saddled with the cartridges, but to emphasize the point that spin-ons really are worth it. It isn't just our engine either, Toyota is switching pretty much across the board. It's especially telling that they're doing this "on the fly" and not just with new engines or at major change points. People really don't like the cartridges. Apparently, Toyota does listen to us, at least sometimes.

 

I must be the only person who likes cartridge filters. They take up less space in my used filter bin and slightly less space on my shelf (for new filters). And since I have repeat customers, removal and reinstall of the assembly is a non-issue. Plus, the best part is that you can inspect the filter element every time without having to cut the filter apart!

 

I'll begrudgingly admit those benefits of the cartridges. I just find the spin-ons so much easier and quicker. Certain things, such as design and location, can go a long way to making the differences less of an issue, but as I've said before, I find the one on our Avalon to offer zero advantage, while offering hassle, and an extra possible leak source (that silly pre-drain cover). I recognize, of course, that these are my opinions, not carved-in-rock objective fact.

 

The used cartridges make great fire starters. No, I don't live in CARB's neighborhood.


Pixel XL ?

 

My 1947 flathead Ford had a cartridge oil filter located under the hood, just open the hood up and remove one bolt to gain access. Look at where Toyota put the oil filter, on the back side of the moon and under a cover. Sometimes I think we are moving backward.