4th gen head gaskets are starting to show up in large numbers...

Not all hybrids- Toyota's own 1.5L 1NZ-FXE engine is proof of that, before you even look at other brands.

But maybe all the 1.8L ones....

 

gen 2 seemed to hold up well, but are gen 4 like gen 3, or is it happening at higher miles?

 

tough to tell how many and the mileage from that short clip. there have been reports here, but a lot seem to be from overheating due to the coolant leak at the heat exchanger

 

There is a big difference in cold to warm in San Jose to somewhere like Edmonton in the winter too. I know what he is saying but so do the engine engineers. Like 100 years ago or more they knew about expansion and contraction in an engine. Engines with cast iron block and aluminum heads, all should be in the junk yard. But are they, no.
A guy says large numbers showing up, like what are those numbers and how many cars were made? This is how rumors get going. It’s so easy to fall into the rumor trap and think your car is next. I’ve been through it on several cars. Nothing bad ever happened that was supposed to on any.

 

it doesn't happen until it happens to you. hopefully never, but on my 12 with 30k on the engine, something's happening

 

is there an engine code or codes that go along with this?

 

Op has 300,000 miles, is that really a failure?

 

I'd call it "worn out" or "end of serviceable life,"

 

i would die before i reach 300k friving only 10k yr on avg

 

You’re not going to get a code before the head gasket blows, so either keep a close eye on the coolant, or make a preemptive strike by installing the repair loop

 

Too, Gasket Masters is not exactly Moses with tablets...

 

Just found this thread only because a friend's '17 Prius @ 205k miles has the infamous Head Gasket failure.
He was told by a local dealership that, "It's $4800. $5800 with pistons and rings."
He said he has had that dealer do all the scheduled maintenance since buying the car there used with 35k miles on it.
Still,, a few days ago his Prius started 'shaking and has a check engine light'....

I see no reason to call a perfectly fine car with 300k miles on it "at end of life".... Why?
Just because this particular engine has a pisspoor Head - Head Gasket - Block design? Which is repariable...

Another Prius friend has +200k miles on a repaired head gasket, on his Gen2, only that shop used the Felpro head gasket.

Both these guys are couriers and rack up crazy miles on their Prii.

We'll see if they got it better with the Gen5's... Someday in the future.

 

was he losing coolant?

did they check the exhaust manifold heat exchanger?

 

The failure of the head gasket comes on as the result of the failure of the rubber like lining on each surface of the metal core of the gasket.

The 100k miles 10 year Toyota projected service life of the Super Long Life HOAT coolant may be contributing to the degradation of the lining.

As a precaution, halving the coolant change interval to five years or 50k miles and three years or 30k miles for any succeeding coolant change, being inexpensive, may extend the life of the "rubber" in the head gasket.

 

First: I had a typo ^ above. 'Friend's Gen3 with a Felpro HG with +200k miles on the repair.'
(He's had many very high mileage Gen2's and never a HG failure.)

I was sitting next to the Gen4 guy when the call came in from the dealership. On speaker phone they said 'misfire cyl2'. They 'borescoped cyl 2 and saw it dripping coolant from the HG'. Nothing else was mentioned regarding coolant leaks.

This guy drives his Gen4 as a courier. M-F, +250 mile/day. I don't know if he pops the hood daily. (who does?)
I know it just started "Shaking with a check engine light" that morning and he took it directly to his dealership.

 

Didn't know about a 'Super Long Life' coolant.
I use parts store 'Asian' pink coolant listed for Toyotas and others.
My current routine is to drain about a half a gallon of coolant slowly enough to refill the reservoir as it flows out, not letting it go dry.
I have been doing this at each 5k mi. oil change. I have done this 3 times now. Eventually it should be all new coolant, right?

This routine give me HOPE!!
Hope that this pisspoor HG design doesn't bite me too soon.
But it looks like it's due someday, right? The good thing is Gasket Masters lists KC as one of their places!

 

I’m not sure I’d pick that crew.

Gasket Masters: Recommended or Not? | PriusChat

 

Coolant change is a 20 minute job when using a UView vacuum device or any of the low cost equivalents sold at Harbor Freight or on Amazon.

There is no complicated need to put the car into service mode or run, stop and rerun.

Drain the coolant, pull a vacuum, turn the valve to install the coolant, top off the reservoir. That's all folks!

 

Thanks for the info.
But I would imagine there is still old coolant remaining in the bowels of the engine and who knows what else doesn't drain completely.
My method is easy, and eventually I'll have close to 100% fresh coolant,,, I hope.

Also, I tried to find the 'low cost.. Harbor Freight version of this $1700 tool.