Mechanic has car; replace EGR Cooler along with EGR Valve?

First a dealer would probably replace the egr valve and cooler for closer to $1000. If not find an independent hybrid shop that will.

In most cases the egr cooler is the cause of the code and cleaning it can solve the problem. However cleaning it can take hours or days so a dealer replaces parts instead of adding many labor hours at $175 per hour.

Be aware the 2010-14 engines often burn excessive amounts of oil and clog the cooler and the intake manifold (which should also be replaced or cleaned).

Given they are in the middle of the job, ask for a better price.

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Include your location for better shop recommendations.

Find a good independent shop now, you will need them again.

 

I am surprised the egr fanatics here have not weighed in yet. They will but “it’s late in day” for your son’s car.

They are buying the cooler at a discount from the dealer for less than $400. No aftermarket parts exist but they can be cleaned.

Hopefully they are buying an oem egr valve as well for maybe $250. There are aftermarket egr valves for $100 but they fail almost immediately. Often the old part is better.

There is also a software update with the new oem egr valve. Odds are the local shop is not doing it unless they bought oem and are an excellent shop.

You are in a bad situation with them in the middle of the job. Better to ask here first but hindsight is 20/20.

 

What does that even mean?

Three guesses why it was for sale.

P0401 indicates insufficient EGR system flow, but that's likely the tip of the iceberg. Cleaning the EGR components is still very viable, expect for the EGR valve, which may have internal damage (a groove can develop in a small internal ramp). There's no reason to replace anything else. Well, except that dealerships typically will not do cleaning, just replacement.

That said, with the miles and the EGR code, you likely also have an about-to-fail head gasket.

Who's the seller of this can of worms?

 

No it just means they have it torn down. To tell them “stop” it’s late for that. They would spend time putting it together with a new valve (which is easy) just to have the code reappear a few days later. Then they or someone would do it again and removing the cooler is the hard part. Cleaning it can take hours or days.

In reality there was nothing pressing about this code. The egr system is closed by default for low speed driving and even for maximum power. Some here block it off permanently which is very easy. Without increased hg failures.

By the way, quotes over the phone with you specifying the work needed almost always results in higher prices. Many don’t want to do it for exactly the situation you now have, eg more work needed beyond the customer specified work. In fact, most would quickly discount the urgency if you expressed concern over the cost. Which is much easier in person. That said there are usually better Prius repair options for the budget conscious than a dealer’s service department.

If they have the latest, non hacked Techstream and are following the appropriate Toyota TSB, yes they can update the software. Otherwise it’s another hour labor at the dealer.

 

The cooler is clogged and was the problem.

Getting the new egr and software for 2010-2012 models is a good idea which I did preemptively just to get the latest ecu software.



There is some Toyota fueled speculation that the US ecu software specified for the revised egr valve (and revised intake) “may” improve hg failure rates based on statements in an European head gasket tsb from October 2014.

So the US egr / intake code is for 2010-2012 Prius ecus while the European Head Gasket TSB was implemented later in 2014. Which happens to be when Toyota revised pistons and rings.


Regardless of the timing, Priuschat speculation is the US ecu update may help since something was changed for European cars. Perhaps water pump rpm or timing logic.

 

You're misunderstanding me. It's analogous to the horses bolting from the barn scenario. If you belatedly close the barn door, would you expect the horses to "reappear"?

The EGR cleaning was long overdue. Cleaning it always worthwhile, considering the miles and the EGR condition, head gasket is likely on the way out, and assessing that is what I'd do first. And even if it is not leaking yet, it's likely going to soon.

Private seller, independent used car lot, dealership?

 

The “bolting horses” are failing head gasket. I would concentrate on diagnosing that first, verifying if it is in fact what’s happening.

EGR cleaning at your current miles is no longer preventative maintenance. Every 50k miles is what I advocate. I appreciate that sounds onerous, but that’s the only workaround I see working, considering the 3rd Gen EGR design, and Toyota’s silence.

The EGR components definitively should be cleaned, after the head gasket is sorted. Replacement of the EGR components (intake manifold and EGR pipe/valve/cooler, and all associated gaskets) will certainly be effective, if you don’t mind spending over a grand.

DIY cleaning everything and just replacing the pliable intake manifold gaskets (even they are likely viable, but it’s timely), will be about $50 USD (considering cleaning supply purchase as well), excluding extra tools you may need to acquire (see tool list, top link in my signature).

 

Mendel thinks every car has a blown head gasket, and while he might not actually be wrong I don't see the point of spending more money diagnosing a head gasket unless you are getting head gasket symptoms (like regular cold start shakes). You already just got ripped off on an EGR valve and cooler replacement. There's really not much you can do except mentally prepare for it to happen, it could be tomorrow or it could be years from now depending on how much you drive. Get the car back, drive it, then go from there.

 

Has or will soon enough.

 

You will be ok for now. Just find a good hybrid knowledgeable shop before you need it for a head gasket, engine, brake booster or another egr cooler clean.

 

Did you keep the old parts? You can clean the cooler and clean it. And also clean the
egr valve. And then use them next time.

 

I might have fueled that speculation—and, honestly, as nothing more than a hunch: if they believed that change to be important and put it in a European firmware update and said so, could they maybe have included the same change in some US firmware update near the same time even if they didn't say so?

I have no idea if my hunch holds any water. It was enough for me to go ask for the update, but I can't confirm it changed anything about the water-pump control strategy.

I don't think I've ever seen anything from Toyota that comes out and says there's a US firmware update with that change in it. So I think it's mostly me-fueled speculation. I have no connection to Toyota.