2014 Prius Plug-In. Blown Head Gasket 165K Miles

iirc, there is a mobile head gasket guy out there that comes to your home. but if you plan to keep the car a long while, maybe a low mile engine would be better. i would try to find a private shop though, not a dealer if i could help it

 

They (Gasket Masters) are based in San Fransisco IIRC, about 150 miles distance. You might have to work out some drive-to-them thing?

@The Critic DIY'd his, has a thread on it too.

Carbon clogging of the EGR circuit and intake manifold (really part of the EGR) is the likely culprit: look into that if you don't want to be right back there.

 

@Gasket masters is a bit far from Yuba City, but not an unheard of drive.

But they might be interested in the work.

 

Any idea why it blew? Is this common?

 

Somewhat common issue with high mileage G3's.
"Seems" to occur more often in cars whose owners maintain a "closed hood" maintenance philosophy - although the EGR circuit in the G3's would have probably been covered by a TSB in some other car companies I could mention.

Then again?
Maybe not.
This problem seems to occur deep in the back nine, and not very many car companies have a 150,000 mile power-train warranty.

YMMV

 

long night in the pip forum?

 

My 2012 PIP currently has 230k+ miles, and it needed a new head gasket around 220k miles.... 12v battery was recently replaced, too. It otherwise is still running great and looks newer than it's 230k+ miles would otherwise suggest. The cost to replace the head gasket and other miscellaneous items at dealership was $3k.

 

My 2015 PIP has about 75k miles on it. I'll likely have the head gasket replaced at 200k miles should the original one make it to that point...

 

My 2012 Prius plug in needed a new head gasket at 248k miles. That was its’ first ever CEL... it had the shakes at start up and started developing “roughness” like a minor misfire at 236k miles. I cleaned the EGR cooler and air intake manifold myself, and took it to Hybrid PitStop in Buena Park, CA for the head gasket. With a brand new water pump it was $1700 out the door. I can’t recommend them highly enough, and it was well worth the 80 mile drive.

 

What is a closed hood maintenance philosophy?

 

$3k is cheap for a dealership. Which dealer was it?

Someone who takes their vehicle in for service when it is due, but does not check their fluid levels between services. Basically someone who does not take a proactive approach to maintenance.

 

That is the theory that drivers are responsible for 2010-14 head gaskets even though Toyota has no maintenance interval for piston rings or egr cooler cleaning.

 

Dead giveaway is a bunch of leaves just below the wipers.

 

I'm curious...
If say an owner decides to try and preemptively service the piston rings and egr cooler cleaning to avoid the blown head gasket, is this a possibility and if so, do you know the ala carte pricing for those two jobs?

 

Asked and answered......

 

Its an engine out rebuild. If you did it preemptively and did not have to buy a used engine. it might be $3k-$8k depending on who did it. Fyi, Toyota was replacing the 2010-2014 piston rings under warranty if the oil consumption was excessive. So its little surprise when engines have 150k-250k they may need a rebuild considering where they started. I feel for the used buyers who only hear about this when they have problems or the diy head gasket guy who is on his second or third try.

 

It’s not practical to “service” piston rings. And: those rings shouldn’t need service; it’s Toyota’s screw-up, they specd excessively low-friction rings, in their quest for mpg brownie points ($’s). Plus inadequate oil drainage in the pistons.

 

So... if I were shopping pre-owned 2013-2015, you are saying that somewhere around 150k the vehicle could end up needing an $8k rebuild of the engine? Am I understanding this right?

 

2010-2014. It could be if you were on the early end of miles at failure and went with a dealer rebuild. They will get a used engine and rebuild or a new short block and rebuild the rest. Remember this thread is about a guy with 165k and a failure. You asked "preemptively." DIY or just a headgasket repair might save money.