Engine is Toast. Needs Replacement. HUGE$$$ repair bill.

a. My guess is ~12 hours.
b. Yes, that is a risk that you take in installing a used part. The labor warranty means that if there is a problem because of something the tech did, that the dealer will fix that at no further charge. However you may need to be smart enough to figure out that the issue was due to a workmanship problem.
c. From salvage yards, taken from totaled vehicles. Reliability is partially based upon odometer reading and partially upon the maintenance provided by the prior owner. You might know the former but will not know the latter.
d. It might make sense to have this repair done but not for $5-7K. You should be able to purchase a decent used engine for ~$500 and find an independent repair shop that will provide the labor for $1,000 or so. However you bear the risk if the used engine has a problem.

Finally, you need to figure out why the existing engine overheated. The normal coolant temperature is 180 degrees F. There may have been something wrong with your maintenance program which allowed that to happen. Clearly you do not want to see a recurrence of an engine failure, which is actually quite rare with Prius and is why you can buy a used engine with relatively low odometer miles for a three-digit price.

 

The Prius engine is generally very reliable. If you can find a low millage engine say 60 to 70,000 miles you should have no problems with it.
If you give a location in your avatar we can be of more help, possibly cutting that cost you quoted down to nearer $1500/2000.
If you live and bought the car in a CARB state you may still be under guarantee.

John (Britprius)

 

My first comment is that are you sure that your coolant system is completely purged of air, and filled completely, with a properly running pump? There are many posts here over the years of DIY's and dealerships alike that had difficulty purging all the air from the engine coolant loop.

It is hard to imagine how your engine could become toast all of a sudden like that, but I suppose it happens. Also, where are you located? Second opinions are worth seeking out, as the dealer is often not the last word as far as diagnosis goes.

Any mechanic worth the name, that can follow directions, can do an engine swap, if that is really the problem. The engines are plentiful, for instance on eBay, and fairly cheap. It is up to you if the cost is worth it or not.

 

no, unless they are talking about how long they need the car for.

 

why not try to sell it and see what you can get? a shadetree mechanic can do this job fairly cheap and make some good money on a turn around. 2008 with a rebuilt ice will go for decent money.

 

So does it run or not? From what you've said, it sounds like you're just getting warning lights and the dealer said the engine needed replaced. If it still runs, figure out what's wrong with the cooling system and put the right amount of oil in and go from there.

 

First I would definitely get a second opinion. Sounds a bit fishy to me. It may very well be running hot, but not sure how you get from there to "needs a new engine."

I would also call Steve at autobeyours:
Prius hybrids sales and service Scottsburg Indiana

If its more or less drivable I'd even consider taking it out there to have the work done by a well respected Gen 2 expert, and I'd bet at a much cheaper price than the dealer.

Good luck!

 

At 140k? HV battery and some emissions, yes. Engine, no.

 

So you overfilled the oil? Do you have the codes? Just seems strange that the compression is good and it runs, but the engine needs replaced.

 

See if these guys can help you, they're in North Jersey.
M and M Auto Cycle - TDI Specialist#!

 

At this point it seems pretty simple, get a second opinion.

If you are in South Jersey you can try Gibbons in Media, Pa. They are about 10 miles from the Commodore Barry Bridge and do good work on hybrids.

 

I just had this repair done on a 2005 Prius. The quotes from independent hybrid specialists were around $2200 labor. I found a local trusted mechanic who has swapped many engines (never a Prius) and has some experience with hybrid battery repairs. He did the job in 10 hours and charged me just under $1000 labor. We got the engine from a local junk yard with 76k miles for $350.

 

The other option is a certified used engine from Japan.

As I recall, in the late 1980's a lot of car reaching their third year are taken off the road in Japan.

I had a friend in California, who used to buy the engines all the time for his repair shop. He said that he never got a bad one.

 

I know this is way late. How did the engine replacement go?

Also... did you check the coolant valve? Mine was bad for a while before the check engine light came on.

 

Post is from Feb 2014, OP hasn’t been on for 5 years, 4 weeks. I’m guessing he just walked away.

 

I didn't catch that this is an old thread. The car wasn't as old as it would be now and that changes everything.