new head gasket for 06 prius, coolant leak ??? Have U heard of this ??

Try another Toyota dealer?

Does it drive fine? Is it paid off?

 

Same thing as if I had a doctor giving me bad advice...new doctor.

First, If possible, list the codes detected. Second, it is an absolute requirement to go to a different dealer if you take it in again.

Is this under warranty? If not, why not?

 

1. Have you seen this coolant leak yourself? If yes, how about taking some photos and posting. (If not, I suggest you find the leak to satisfy yourself that the diagnosis is correct.)

2. What were the final DTC logged by your car? (This may be recorded on your repair invoice. It would be helpful to know what the diagnostic codes are, to shed light on whether your engine has more than one problem.)

3. It is a pretty big labor job to remove and replace the engine, so that will be much more expensive than replacing the head gasket. Therefore I would not recommend replacing the engine unless the damage to the existing engine is substantially greater than a head gasket.

4. Odometer reading? If < 60K miles, the powertrain warranty should be applicable.

 

Idiot lights are not going to "just go away". It is important to get the codes read to determine whether it is a BS problem or a $erious problem. Either get the codes read at an auto parts store that will do it free or buy a ScanGauge to do the job yourself.

If there is a problem with coolant circulating driving around for a week may cause additional serious damage. This could be classified as "abuse" and denied under warranty.

P0117 seems to be "high coolant temp". ~190F is normal. If you had a ScanGauge you'd be able to see the coolant temp & know whether or not you are cruising into a big problem.

P1150 seems to be an air/fuel sensor.

If the ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) runs too hot for too long you are looking at serious damage starting with a blown gasket then a warped head.

We need more details & the other code(s).

 

First of all, your powertrain warranty extends beyong the 3 year/36000 mile warranty. Secondly, they have charged you for unnecessary work because of their inability to diagnose the problem in the first place; they should credit any charges incurred already to the head gasket replacement. Finally, you should tell them that if they diagnose the problem incorrectly yet again (head gasket) and it is not resolved by their repairs, you don't pay for them. You need to have this discussion up front with them. Let them know how dissatisfied you are. And speak to the service manager now - this has gone beyond the service writers ability to authorise the work.

There is no need to sell the car but you do need a competent dealership. You have been jerked around and they need to step up and fix this once and for all.

 

A blown headgasket is a very obvious and easy thing to check for. There is nothing magical about the gas engine in the Prius that would make the diagnosis any different.

 

I agree with the above... The fact that the dealership worked on the car twice to no avail and now they "feel" that the headgasket might be the problem to the tune of $1,000+?! Did they say how they arrived at this conclusion, or are they just taking a shot in the dark because they don't know what is wrong? If the headgasket is bad, the engine will usually have low compression in one or two cylinders (depending on where the gasket is blown) and often times oil and coolant will mix together (resulting in a milky/frothy look to the oil).
My advice would be to either demand that you don't pay for the work if the problem is still present after repairs, or get a 2nd opinion from another mechanic.

 

Well, that is how you check for a bad headgasket.

 

Have the coolant system prsssure checked. They replace your radiator cap with one that has a tube in it. You pressurize the system up to the limit of the rad cap, say 16psi.

Watch gauge. If it stays at 16psi, then no leak. If it drops then you have a leak somewhere. Check hoses first, then after those are checked then look at head gaskets.

You can oil check the oil for antifreeze. They sell kits to check for this.

Are you losing fluid and have to refill often?

 

1) JimN, I think your code descriptions are wrong.

2) If there was a leak, you'd notice it in the fluid level in the reservoir.

3) According to my manual, those codes does not indicate a leak of ANY sort.

 

Bob, my generic descriptions & layman's interpretation may not be accurate & I defer to those with mechanical aptitude. Is there a free website with better Prius specific descriptions?

 

While I can't claim to have above-average mechanical aptitude... I do have to point out that the meaning of codes can be different for different model cars and that googling a code and picking the meaning for an unrelated car can cause more harm then good - even if your intentions are pure.
I do have a 3rd party (Haynes and Bentley) Prius-specific service manual that lists all the codes (which I have posted the descriptions for in the repost of this thread located here: http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-ii-...asket-06-prius-coolant-leak-have-u-heard.html).
I don't know of any prius-specific website with all the DTCs, except for the official Toyota one (requires subscription).

 

Again my question would be, are they going to do all of this work off of a "feeling" that your head gasket is bad... or have they actually done the needed mechanical checks to determine this?