Hey, Looking for a non dealer prius savvy mechanic in Fort Worth, Texas. My Mom's 2001 prius has kicked the bucket. She had it towed to a nearby dealership who told her the engine was seized and told her that they couldn't fix it. Due to some other stuff they pulled, they didn't seem like a trustworthy bunch so we were hoping to get another opinion. If you guys have someone that you have used before and trust, please let me know. Thanks, Albert
The gas engine seized? That's interesting -- very unusual. Did the dealership give you any diagnostic codes?
The dealer didn't give us much of anything. My mom described her as rude and not very helpful. I tried reading over the receipt of service and it was pretty much garbedly gook as far as what they actually diagnosed. When the car starts up (i.e. attached to another car), the dash panel shows that there is something wrong with the hybrid system. The night before it died, my mom said the car was leaking water so she filled it up with the hose. She said it took a long time so I'm assuming there was some kind of leak. She was driving it down the interstate, heard a clanking sound (she assumed a belt snapped, we had this happen on an old voyager we used to own). She kept driving and eventually the battery drained and the car died. The dealership replaced the water pump (which makes sense due to the leak) and then they replaced the 12v battery, then they charged the main battery for 2-3 days and then told us that the engine is seized. So a few thousand in the hole, and we still have a brick. Even I would know to check whether the engine spins before I take the time to replace the water pump which is usually a really labor intensive task. If you have any suggestions or ways to get those codes, I would love to try to diagnose it. I do have the OBDII reader but I doubt that is what you are talking about. The only problem is that I live in Seattle so fixing this car myself isn't much of an option which is where my need for a mechanic comes in.
I think your mom's car has a seized motor. The Prius does not have a temperature gauge, so if the coolant was leaking out and/or the water pump broke and/or the cooling loop was airlocked, your mom would not have noticed a temperature gauge rising. The knocking sound was probably caused by a blown head gasket. These cars are known to blow head gaskets before the high temp light comes on. The blown head gasket probably has filled one or more cylinders with whatever coolant was left, leaving it hydraulically locked. Then, the car would set a P3190 or P3191, and then it would only go on electric power until that was depleted (about a mile). That is perhaps why the dealership charged the battery, thinking there was not enough juice left to even turn the crank.
If the gas engine seized, that's actually good news (compared with a blown tranny or even bad HV battery). Gas engines rarely fail on the Prius, that means no demand for used ones. They are cheap and easy to find from dissmantlers. They usually sell for $300-$600 depending on mileage/condition. A mechanic who can swap out a Corolla or Yaris engine should be able to do it for you without too much trouble, only real difference is they have to first remove the inverter and a few extra hoses/connectors. Start calling independent Toyota mechanics in your area....they really don't need to be hybrid experts to swap the engine out. And to test for seizure, remove the large dust cover under the engine on the right (passenger) side. You can normally turn the crankshaft pully by hand when the car is parked since the valve timing has practically no compression at rest.
