Bought a 2019 Prius LE w/ 190k miles!!

Agreed. And I'd really like to see the EGR circuit on it.

 

And the face of the intake that bolts against the head.

 

Bad news for that car. Not enough data to assume there is a problem with the Gen 4.

Respectfully,

Richard

 

True! But not a good sign

 

Another recommendation for Home - Tampa Hybrids Inc.. I don't think any Toyota shop know the Prius like Todd and his main mechanic, Thomas. I'm over there several times a year to snag a part or just to say hi. Usually, Thomas will had a Prius all ripped apart in the garage. I've bought six Prii from them.

 

Which came first, the chicken or the egg? If the car was low on coolant for some other reason to the point that it overheated, that would certainly blow the head gasket. The fact that the OP found the car with no coolant and a loose radiator cap indicates that the previous owner may not have been on top of all the required maintenance.

 

Good Point a loose radiator cap or a problem with the radiator could have caused the failed head gasket...at the same point though the car was 1-2 years old so doubtful an issue with a radiator hose or whatever would have failed so young in age despite the mileage. At the same token the previous owner might have punctured his radiator, repaired it and then the damage to the head gasket was done as well at that point.

 

It would be very revealing to know the true history of this car, I believe. Unfortunately, it appears that we can only guess. Why would the only record of the car ever having been serviced be one where the car was probably already broken? You haven't provided CarFax information, but I would guess that a 2nd person bought it before you got it, discovered the overheating problem and took it to the dealer for diagnosis. At that point they were looking to dump it. Possibly they returned it to whoever they bought it from and got their money back, after which the car was sent to auction. Hopefully you got it for a very low price, otherwise it serves as a reminder of the importance of knowing the maintenance history of a car before spending serious money.

 

3rd gen Prius that follow the Toyota proscribed maintenance to the letter, through dealership, are blowing head gaskets with dismal regularity, typically somewhere between 150~200K miles, and its cylinder one, sometimes two, that usually fails first.

 

Yes, very possible. My Dad, reasonably new car, about 1992, only 60,000km took it for routine service (a GM Holden with a Nissan 6cyl engine). Part of the service was coolant change.

5km down the Motorway, steam from under the bonnet, then red lights on dash. Blown cylinder head. Towed back - TowTruck mechanic said the hose had come off!!!! Dealer refused to repair - said it was out of warranty. Dad contacted GM Holden - who intervened fortunately.

The good news is - the Dealer is no longer in existence.

 

not sure if they bought it early 2019 or late 2019, but that is some major miles each month. At a minimum to follow toyota's recommended routine maintenance would be to do an oil change every 1.5 months. This car must have driven across the country multiple times.

 

I am dying to know what you've paid for this car!
I've just swapped over a Gen4 18' engine into a Gen3 10' myself, and would rather have done this on a 3 year old car with high miles such as yours.