Brand new and need serious help. My red triangle w exclamation pt. and overheating lamp came on and lost power. I took it to the dealer and $90 later, they tell me I need a new engine! They found multiple misfire codes. The car still runs. Is there anything I can do besides replacing the motor???? Thanks in advance for your feedback.
welcome! how far did you drive it after the dash lit up? how many miles on her? if it does need an engine, you can have a salvage unit installed. get a second opinion, and ask the dealer what conditions and codes they found. you can ask around at local mechanics as well. all the best!
Thanks! I drove it another 40 miles on the freeway. The warning lights turned off after a few minutes. I drove it this morning to the dealer and the warning lights came on/off intermittently. It appears to be in "safe mode" with decrease power. No white smoke or any smoke for that matter. It has 147K miles. Does anyone know a reputable mechanic in San Diego?and according to the dealer 3 cylinders are misfiring / damaged...
Probably depends on how accurate the dealer's diagnosis is. I'm doing some homework on finding a reputable mechanic and a second opinion.
temp circuit and 3 cylinders misfiring. i wonder what damage they believe was done to the engine. maybe warped head? are the oil and coolant levels okay?
There was some coolant that leaked but levels are still ok. Doesn't appear to have any water in the oil.
hopefully, there is something they can do, less costly than engine replacement. looking on line, there are many hybrid repair shoppes in your area. hopefully, someone local will chime in with a recommendation.
Do you mean timing chain? if so it makes sense if the valves are bent or broken, driving another 40 miles did not help at all. Almost every insurance company offers free towing. The main reason for the miss-fires could be bent valves or hopefully just miss-timed: But you said "drive belt" are we talking about the aux/fan belt? Well, if water pump is not pumping that will certainly over heat the engine blow head gasket.
When the car was at the dealership for the initial diagnosis, was the water pump belt not replaced at that time? Subject of thread said "broken drive belt." Inferring your are the second, third, or even fourth owner, of this Prius, what was the maintenance history? Were the spark plugs ever changed? Was the belt ever replaced? If no, thus the failure. If replaced, likely replaced but too tight, or unfortunately replaced with a defective belt. Hmm, severe overheat, resulting in 3 cylinders misfiring and some coolant loss. Could OP go to a chain auto parts store (Autozone, O'Rileys, Pep Boys) and rent a cooling system pressure tester and a cylinder compression checker? Wouldn't the cooling pressure tester quickly reveal a busted head gasket by seeing coolant leak past the head gasket? A cylinder compression gauge would reveal any compression loss and further engine damage? If OP lacks tools and skills, maybe he has friends who can come assist?
No. From the title of your post, I assume that the serpentine drive belt broke, hence the engine coolant pump stopped working. 40 miles without engine coolant circulating - it is not a big surprise the engine was permanently damaged. The last three codes show that cylinders 1, 3 and 4 are misfiring. The second code just indicates a general engine misfiring condition. The first code - P0117 - means that the warning sensor has a short. Could it be that you abused the engine so much with the overheating condition, that the sensor failed as a result? You can get a second opinion from a competent mechanic who specializes in Toyota hybrids. Assuming that it is confirmed that the engine was damaged due to the overheating incident, then you can spend $7,000 or more at your local Toyota dealer to have a new engine installed, or maybe you can have a used engine installed by an independent for $2,500 or so. Or you can tow your car to the salvage yard. A used Prius engine only costs $500 or so because there is little demand for them - not many owners have had the problem you experienced. An engine compression check is reasonable if you use Mini VCI to spin the engine at the correct slow speed needed for such a check. If you do the check without that, the results will be meaningless.
Appreciate all the info and feedback. I'll take it to an indy Toyota shop and get a second opinion. A used engine is probably the way this will get resolved.....
