blew up my engine today

I've read here it nigh impossible to clean the EGR cooler, better to just replace.

Kinda same story as engine with blown head gasket.

 

I think you are confusing the EGR with the inverter cooler. The inverter cooler if neglected can clog up with deposits and can be virtually impossible to flush out. On the other hand the EGR system can be cleaned out to some extent. Toyota has just sent me an extended warranty on the intake manifold to cover the knock and rattle on cold start up. I can see where this condition could take it's toll on the head gasket due to pre ignition.

 

Egr cooler can be cleaned. The exhaust gas side is what plugs ( I would hope the coolant side would not, but this can be easily checked with a water flow test). When I addressed mine, I bought a spare cooler from the salvage yard ($65 for the cooler) at tlsrecycling.com. I live close, so I picked it up. I bought a spare so I would not have to rush the cleaning process. Salvaged one was dirty, but I could clean with compressed air easily. Just takes awhile, but if you have a spare, no need to rush . The original cooler I am using compressed air again. A lot of deposits come out and I am changing the direction of air flow in the cooler to catch all the surfaces of the fins and clean them off. There are a lot of fins in there. But when pulled after 120k miles, I could barely see light through the other end. With persistence, I can see a brighter light..... Also bought a spare egr valve and cleaned it prior to introduction. If you are going to mess with the egr valve, best to have an impact screwdriver, as the 2 screws will get rounded out otherwise.

 

I'm pretty sure there's an EGR valve, and directly behind is the EGR cooler, basically about a foot long block with coolant hoses and an internal radiator, who's purpose is to lower the temp of exhaust gases coming in. Nothing to do with inverter?

 

I stand corrected. Indeed the EGR does have a cooler. In a worst case scenario it could become plugged to the point of necessary replacement. I do believe that severe neglect would be the likely cause.

 

I thought gen2 have EGRV also, not sure but I think its on the Australian recall register for 2004-2009 prius, will double check.

My old gen2 (480,000km) pre-ignites really badly unless I run premium 98 octane fuel, 91 its totally shocking you would think the engines going to explode when you load it up on a hill, 95 is a little better, 95E10 not too bad but still annoys me, 98 perfect almost totally silent valve train

 

What prompted your changing of the egr cooler? Whatever your warning signs were it sounds like it got too close to the limit of within a week after the engine grenaded. Did you do any additional work at the same time?

 

Very interesting. How long had you noticed the rattle before looking into it? I'll make sure to stay on top of paying attention to the rattle or rough engine transition. I guess I did my egr system cleaning early enough to avoid an issue. Thanks for the info.

 

Had my engine and cvt replaced at 230k. Biggest cost will be labor unless you can do it yourself which I don't recommend.

 

Hard cost was $140 after gaskets and replacement egr valve and egr cooler and pcv valve. I planned the job out for a month or so as I knew I would need another pair of hands. My old man fit the bill as he was headed out from Pennsylvania to the Bay Area to visit . Symptoms I witnessed were rough engine transition, slight oil consumption and began seeing a dip in mpg. Reading on here, a lot were cleaning the egr pipe, but this is only one section. I figured there was more to it than that.

So after research, decided it was a good idea to go from exhaust manifold through intake manifold. The egr cooler location in the back made access difficult and required one person under and above the cooler for removal and replacement. The main bear was the 3 studs they employed in the design ( 2 on the connection to the exhaust manifold and 1 on the lower support for the cooler). We ended up "adjusting" the replacement cooler slightly as it would have been a lot of fiddling otherwise (cut the lower support open so it could be lowered in).

Put about 15 k on the Prius since this work ( did the pcv valve while the intake manifold was off but it was still checking) and have seen improvement in mpg and less oil consumption. Also noticed engine transition is not as rough, so a good result. Job took 8-10 hours between me and my old man, but admittedly we work slow and methodical . Next time I will do this at 200 k when I do the coolant drain as I drained the coolant to avoid coolant everywhere in the engine bay ( only ended up losing 1-2 ounces after refilling). Good DIY if you have patience, can contain your love for Toyota engineering and have some time.

Hope that helps. Look forward to seeing updates on your situation.


iPhone ?

 

tankyuong see my reply in another thread:

Possible Engine Issues | PriusChat
I did an engine and CVT swap at 230k on a 2010 Prius recently. Most likely a cracked block where coolant was flooding the engine. Bought the car this way for cheap. Rebuilding the engine was cost prohibitive due to the labor involved and because it already had 230k, went with a swap. Dealer quoted more than $5500 for engine with 80k and labor (engine only), any other parts and fluids, extra. Instead, I went with an independent. Took my time checking around to find a good one. Found a low mileage engine with attached CVT with 53k on the clock for about $970 including freight. Most parts from the old engine were reusable such as the engine harness, coils, etc. though the plugs, thermostat, and many of the hoses, and several other wear parts were replaced (optional depending on condition), as well as all fluids. Labor and parts ended up costing $2200. All told, total project cost: $3170.

Couple points to keep in mind...
There are two Prius engines, the 1.8L and the newer 1.5L. Your VIN will determine which engine will work.
Subframe needs to be dropped and engine drops from the bottom.
If you can find an engine with attached CVT, it might be the better option, as the attached CVT can go in with the engine without additional labor.

 

What's this talk of a CVT? The Prius doesn't have a CVT, but instead 2 motor generator units, referred to as MG1 and MG2. Is this what you are referring to?

 

C'mon, you're getting worse than me.

 

The Prius Transmission is actually designated as a eCVT.

 

I was being serious! I didn't know Toyota called it an eCVT (or rather I forgot they called it that). Just wondering if the mechanic is making things up, because it wouldn't surprise me if a woman took her Gen III Prius in to a shop for an oil change and was told her accessory belt is worn and needs replacement.

 

Class dipship, the CVT's have it.