Won't start, lots of issues

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by Broken 2014 Prius, Jan 26, 2025.

  1. Broken 2014 Prius

    Broken 2014 Prius New Member

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    I have a 2014 prius with about 140k miles. It has had excessive oil consumption for a while but good compression and no real issues other than some misfires (presumably related to the oil leaking into the cylinders) but I've just kept the oil topped off and there have been no issues.

    A few days ago, the alert the engine was overheating came on. I slowed down and it went off very quickly, and when I got home I noticed the engine coolant was very low. I filled it up.

    I was driving to work 2 days ago and I noticed the heat was not turning on so I figured I would check the coolant level again when I got there. The engine overheating light came on at one point again but then quickly went off. When I was about a block away from work the car started to make a high pitched noise whenever I accelerated and a lot of white steam/smoke starting coming from the car. I am not sure if it was steam or smoke because it was very white but smelled smoky. I couldn't tell exactly where it was coming from. The coolant was of course very low when I checked it. Maybe 2 inches from the bottom of the reservoir.

    All of that made me think water pump so I replaced the water pump before trying to drive home, but then my car wouldn't start. The engine will spin for a few seconds but then give an alert about the hybrid system warning me to pull over, and the power steering alert will come on too, and then it shuts down.

    I have no idea what to try or how all of this is related. Any insight would be appreciated. I'm sure I've made several mistakes so far so figured I would ask some folks who know more than I do.
     
  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    sounds like a blown head gasket, over heated engine and catastrophic failure
     
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  3. Brian1954

    Brian1954 Senior Member

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    #3 Brian1954, Jan 26, 2025
    Last edited: Jan 26, 2025
  4. Brian1954

    Brian1954 Senior Member

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    It sounds like a bad engine water pump to me.
     
  5. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Could be, at 140k it’d be very good idea to change, that’s about when they start failing.

    would that be causing coolant to drop though, and show up in exhaust?

    it is also a common time for head gaskets to fail.
     
    #5 Mendel Leisk, Jan 26, 2025
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  6. Broken 2014 Prius

    Broken 2014 Prius New Member

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    I replaced the water pump but then it still had those issues. Do you happen to have another guess?

    The smoke was not coming from the exhaust. When it started it looked like it might have been coming from the hood, and once I stopped and got out it looked like it was coming from under the back of the car. It was windy though so the only thing I can say for sure is it was not the exhaust.

    What would explain the issues I've had since changing the water pump?
     
    #6 Broken 2014 Prius, Jan 26, 2025
    Last edited by a moderator: Jan 26, 2025
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  7. Grit

    Grit Senior Member

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    Blown head at 140,000 mi? When was egr circuit clean?
     
  8. Broken 2014 Prius

    Broken 2014 Prius New Member

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    To be honest I have no idea what the EGR circuit is. I haven't cleaned it since I've had the car which has only been for
    40k miles or so
     
  9. MAX2

    MAX2 Member

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    You can guess for a long time and walk around the car, but without reading the problem codes and their full analysis, this is a waste of time. Buy a scanner as indicated above, read the error codes and report them here on the forum. Then we can objectively help you.
     
  10. Broken 2014 Prius

    Broken 2014 Prius New Member

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    I forgot to include this in the original message but my OBD reader just reads "Error"
     
  11. MAX2

    MAX2 Member

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    What error? The scanner should show the code. For example, P3190?
    If the scanner does not show the DTC error code, then this is not the right scanner.
     
  12. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    Get the autel200 scanner, or take it to a place that has Toyota service
     
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  13. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    To check for blown head gasket:

    On the morning after driving the car the day before, take off the wipers and cowl, pull the plugs, inspect combustion chambers with a boroscape. You're looking for exceptionally clean cylinder(s), pooling coolant atop pistons, coolant tears running down the cylinder wall from the head gasket seam. If you manage to pressurize the cooling system (remove reservoir cap, replace with a stopper with hole, apply and hold air pressure.

    Video #13 here, shows spark plug access (it's a pain). Note, torque value plugs is NOT per the video, it's 15 ft/lb, with clean/dry threads. A 14 mm or 9/16" spark plug socket is required.
     
  14. Brian1954

    Brian1954 Senior Member

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    Read post #3.