Is my engine toast?

Welcome to Prius Chat .

Is the engine coolant level still stable? How do they know it is a head gasket failure? What does the oil look and smell like? Did they give you the codes the car displayed?

While you have a burner on your hands, the head gasket might not be compromised. What I would do would be to:

• Remove intake manifold and inspect and clean the egr inlet ports
• Remove egr valve and cooler and clean as they have not likely been done up to this point
• Clean throttle body and MAF sensor

Here's a good thread for you about engine removal:

Blown Head gasket rebuild....@297k

Hope that helps.

 

Just curious, would that be a brand-new engine? I'm thinking no, brand-new the engine alone is $7~8 grand?? Not sure.

 

Let us know how it comes out.

 

shop around heres a low mile motor for 1200 + 150 shipping on e bay.. Engine / Motor Assembly 2012 Prius V Sku#1897374 | eBay

 

I think it is time to throw in the towel and look for a different car.
Next it will be the HV battery. Then the transmission. Then the wheel bearings and brakes.
Get the picture ??

AND.....for future reference, when something strange like that first shows up.....like a sudden loss of a LOT of oil......you should have it checked out and NOT embark on a 14 hour trip. You are lucky it made it back home.

 

It's the same engine as the Gen 3 liftback, right, so @danlatu's thread should be on point.

What we don't know for sure is whether the engine can come out upward by itself in a v, as danlatu found it can in the liftback. The official method is downward and together with the transaxle, which might be faster in a shop, but sounds like more of a pain to DIY.

I don't know if I would want to tackle the head gasket with the engine in the car. Pretty sure you need the timing cover off to free the head. That will be tight work. And when you put it back on, that gasket is form-in-place, so you need to get both surfaces super clean, and you have a strict time limit between applying the FIPG and getting it all back together (in tight space, without contaminating it), or you have to clean it all off and start over. Or finish the whole job only to leave a little trail of oil from the timing cover wherever you go.

That's the kind of work that can be a lot less frustrating out of the car, on a stand, in good light.

-Chap

 

The 2nd gen Prius is pretty reliable, not so sure about the turd gen

 

Gen 3 dream recall. New head gasket, updated control rings and re-designed EGR for all!

 

im very happy with my gen 2 my 08, still getting 48 mpg and little oil consumption.at 160 k miles. the 1.8 motor seems to be crap a lot fail around 150k

 

Timing cover, engine mount, pulley, water pump, compressor, intake manifold, exhaust manifold, egr cooler has to come off for a new head gasket. Easier to pull motor and work on an engine stand. Head and block will have to be checked to see if straight, make sure all piston are level. New head gasket will also require new head bolts. Copper spray is not required but extra insurance. I would personally just get a used motor with 75k for 1200$, rent an engine hoist, buy one used on Craigslist for 100$. Do 5k oci and check oil every week of driving and put an oil catch can in. Driving the any motor on low oil will make an engine run hot and cause heads to warp. Repairing a head gasket can turn into a nightmare when a head bolt breaks/strips on the head. Anything that is missed or overlooked can cause major problems. Good luck.

 

+1
I personally would just snag a used G3 motor from eBay and just swap them out.
Probably about as much effort as the head gasket replacement.....AND the failed compression test already means that the bottom end is toast......or at least toasted enough.

NO WAY I would put a head gasket on this motor.
True....it's a low $$$ fix, but time and effort are worth something too.....

I'd spend about $800 for a <100,000 mile motor and read up on the swap.

Good Luck!

 

Where do you find turd gen motors for $800?

This head gasket problem is going to get worse, so it could repeat even with another used motor. Time will tell as more turd gen cars go over 150k miles

 

800$ usually gets a motor with 150k on it. Parts grade (A,B,C)in a junkyard is how the motors are classified for pricing. You might be able to haggle for a price if you offer to pick up. Most engines will not deliver to a residence because they need a loading dock to remove the skid and require a business address.

 

Here are your choices of engines in your area. Enter the year, make, model, select engine. For some reason the link is not showing the pic I just posted, stupid refresh rates. Use the link for junkyard in Greensboro, NC
I do not know exactly where you live, So i just chose this as an example.

 

I suggest that you watch this video to get a full understanding why these cars tend to burn oil faster than other cars. Do your homework when it comes to buying new or used because whether it is a prius, audi, subaru, bmw or anything that is boasting better mpg than the previous model. You can't have something for nothing. Weight, vvti(timing)/turbo and less engine friction are the 3 things that gain better mpg. Thanks Obama for these new cafe requirements. Newer owners manual's with show increased oil usage/burning than the previous models. That is why oil catch cans are becoming ever so popular. The looser the engine tolerance, the more efficient the motor will turn resulting in blow by/oil drinking/burning.

 

If sourcing a used engine, I think strong consideration needs to be given to mileage of said used engine. At what mileage the design-fail EGR starts setting up head gasket failure has no exact data point. It's become clear 150-175k and up miles is a likely time to expect failure, but there has been a disconcerting number of failures reported at less. Personally, I'd keep a sourced donor engine at under 75k and, even then, be hoping for the best. Then while the engine is out of the car, make sure the entire EGR circuit is cleaned to as close to as new as possible. Big dice roll on whether or not you end up with an oil swiller, too...

 

Turd gen!....