Engine replacement imminent - help?

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by fos4110, Jan 22, 2015.

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  1. fos4110

    fos4110 Junior Member

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    Hello, I've posted on here before, but not for quite a long time. I still have my 2010 Prius II, now at 260K miles. I'm using this vehicle as a courier, and am at a point I need to make a decision.

    At about 158K, my car started consuming oil - not leaking oil, just going through about 1 QT every 750 miles. My Toyota dealer and I did a oil consumption test. After determining how often the car was going through oil, they did a bore test (checked my records on-line and couldn't find results in regards to that). Basically at this point they told me they could take the engine apart and see what was wrong for big money, or we could switch to a heavy non-synthetic 5-20 oil and go from there.

    Well, over 100K later and still really at the same situation, though the consumption now is at about 550/qt. In the meantime I've had a remanufactured hybrid battery installed, and had some exhaust problems occur about 231K due to the engine situation. At this point I need to decide do I want to put a new/used engine into this car, or run it till it dies. Mind you I still owe about 12K on it.

    The question is, do I purchase a used engine on-line and have a non-Toyota shop install it? I certainly can't afford to have a dealer do it. In addition - I am really not car-smart. So any help out there on how to proceed would be appreciated!
     
    #1 fos4110, Jan 22, 2015
  2. vskid3

    vskid3 Active Member

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    I would definitely see if there's a shop that has Prius experience near you. Any decent shop should be able to install the engine, but I'm sure they would be more comfortable with it if they had prior experience. A used, low-miles engine shouldn't be too hard to find.

    Have you switched to the heavier weight oil? With as much as you owe on the car, I would try to be proactive in getting the engine replaced, just so it doesn't end up taking any other parts down with it, costing even more to fix. I would also try to pay it off or at least drastically reduce the amount owed ASAP. $12k is a lot to owe on a car with that many miles.
     
    #2 vskid3, Jan 22, 2015
  3. mrbigh

    mrbigh Prius Absolutum Dominium

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    Get the engine replaced, one from a local dismantler and get over the problem.
    You still owe to much $$ on the loan.
     
    #3 mrbigh, Jan 22, 2015
  4. ny_rob

    ny_rob Senior Member

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    Getting a used engine online/shipped in is really risky- it instantly puts you in the "well- the installer must have done something wrong" situation when something goes wrong.
    Go with mrbigh's plan- have a local shop procure the engine and let them instal it so to bypass finger-pointing later on.
     
    #4 ny_rob, Jan 22, 2015
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  5. fos4110

    fos4110 Junior Member

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    That's true - I rolled another loan into hence I still owe that much money, unfortunately (financial wiz I am not). Unfortunately, because I'm self-employed and the car is the means to make the money, finding money fast is difficult. I guess I'm trying to determine the best method of finding a good shop, getting the part and getting the process rolling at the lowest cost.

    Also, the dealer switched me from the original synthetic 0W-20 to a 5W-20, which I've been using for awhile.

    That's true - I guess what's I'm trying to determine is this: Do I purchase the engine used myself and then find a good Prius mechanic, or have the shop that will be working on the engine do the searching and have them take care of both tasks at the same time. I know a lot of shops will be hesitant to take a part (that they didn't check out themselves) and install it. They want a part (engine in this case) that they choose themselves that they have some confidence in.

    In addition, should I take the additional step and have a shop truly diagnose the engine's health? That seems to be a right way to go, but I know that the cost may be steep.
     
    #5 fos4110, Jan 22, 2015
    Last edited by a moderator: Jan 22, 2015
  6. Aaron Vitolins

    Aaron Vitolins Senior Member

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    If you end up buying a used engine, use car-part.com they have tons of used prius engines for very cheep (like $300 cheep)
     
    #6 Aaron Vitolins, Jan 22, 2015
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  7. Mike500

    Mike500 Senior Member

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    If it was me, I'd have a local installer who specializes in JDM engines imported from Japan.

    They might cost a little more and be harder to find, but you are more likely to get a better outcome.

    In Japan, older cars are sold complete to dealer's in other countries either complete or the cars are dismantled and exported to those countries where the complete car does NOT meet safety standards or other regulations.

    Older cars are taxed at a much higher rate to spur sales of new cars in the Japan Domestic Market.

    Complete cars are often exported to the UK and other countries that have a right hand drive specification.

    The engines, however, will fit in both right and left hand drive cars.

    In getting the engine and install from the same party, neither can blame the other, if trouble occurs.
     
    #7 Mike500, Jan 22, 2015
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  8. exstudent

    exstudent Senior Member

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    Washington to SanFran is a trek. But if you have a delivery to that area, hit up Luscious or Art's Automotive for the engine swap. Both have excellent reputations and very knowledgeable about Prius.

    Insane amount of miles; ~37K miles/year.
     
    #8 exstudent, Jan 22, 2015
  9. kc410

    kc410 Active Member

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    fos4110 - I remember reading about another fellow PCer having to replace his engine & thought he was from your area also.
    It took a while but I found the info - & he is only ~25 miles from you!
    Opening engine after knocking!! | PriusChat
    Post #58 he says:

    "Yes it is 198k with 25k engine now.

    Dealer quoted me at $7800 + tax for the same engine.

    All you need is patience 10mm, 12mm and a 14mm socket :)

    Btw. Did it all by myself. I can do it again for less than two work day"

    You might PM him & see if he could be of assistance, or at least give you some ideas, since he just went through the same situation.
     
    #9 kc410, Jan 22, 2015
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  10. kc410

    kc410 Active Member

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    I just did a quick search at car-part.com looking for a 2010 Prius engine in the Pacific NW.
    What I see is $1500-$1900 range for ~50K engines. Still not bad if the engine has been removed & stored properly.
     
    #10 kc410, Jan 22, 2015
  11. Aaron Vitolins

    Aaron Vitolins Senior Member

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    Dang, wish they were as cheep as the gen II engines. Still I guses that's not too bad
     
    #11 Aaron Vitolins, Jan 22, 2015
  12. edthefox5

    edthefox5 Senior Member

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    Switching from 0-20 to 5-20 is meaningless....your still running extremely thin 20 weight. Try running Mobil 1 High Mileage 5-30 for a while with one quart 40 weight.

    2 1/2 quarts M1 5-30 and one quart 10-40 weight. You have nothing to lose.
    Drive it till it dies.
     
    #12 edthefox5, Jan 23, 2015
  13. fos4110

    fos4110 Junior Member

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    Interesting - may be a possibility because family isn't too far away from the Bay Area.
     
    #13 fos4110, Jan 23, 2015
  14. fos4110

    fos4110 Junior Member

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    I'll check it out - thanks.
     
    #14 fos4110, Jan 23, 2015
  15. fos4110

    fos4110 Junior Member

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    Unfortunately it seems like his issue was different than mine - no knocking, smoke, etc. I could PM him, however, I really know nothing about cars and really don't have the time, nor patience, to get under the hood and work on my car.

    The basic issue is the car is burning through oil.
     
    #15 fos4110, Jan 23, 2015
  16. fos4110

    fos4110 Junior Member

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    I do appreciate your efforts, though.
     
    #16 fos4110, Jan 23, 2015
  17. KennewickMan

    KennewickMan Junior Member

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    The bigest problem with the Prius using oil is that the PVC valve is more than likely dirty or cloged. That will cause the car to use a over abundance of oil. The PVC valve in the Prius is very hard to get to and hard to replace BUT it worth looking into ......... George
     
    #17 KennewickMan, Jan 23, 2015
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  18. Former Member 68813

    Former Member 68813 Senior Member

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    If this was my car, I would pay the loan back, switch to inexpensive (but major brand) 5W30 oil, and stop changing it, just top it up with every fueling. Oil filter still needs to be changed every 10,000 miles or so. It wouldn't hurt to check for leaks and replace PCV. It's probably too late for piston soak with kreen or other engine flush fluids.
     
    #18 Former Member 68813, Jan 23, 2015
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  19. GregP507

    GregP507 Senior Member

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    Non-detergent oil allows a varnish to build up on the piston rings and cylinder walls, which can slow oil consumption a bit.
     
    #19 GregP507, Jan 23, 2015
  20. A617

    A617 Member

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    Go with
    Non synthetic 1/2 of 10w-30 and 1/2 of 10w-40 high mileage blend for summer.
    Synthetic 5w-30 high mileage blend for winter

    It should curb the oil consumption.
     
    #20 A617, Jan 23, 2015
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