Engine Lights came out

I would call this guy before using Blue Devil:
PRIUS HEAD GASKET REPLACEMENT ON SITE. GUARANTEED - automotive services

He's local to you; he's the guy who made the DIY video on youtube.

 

I do not know about Blue Devil. I used Bar's leaks that helped the HG lasted 10K more, then blown again. I poured it into the coolant reservoir, make sure the coolant is clean to bring the chemicals to where it is broken.

 

When I used the Blue Devil on mine, since the tank was already empty, I pulled the hose off the bottom and poured it in there. Then I put it back on, refilled the system, and ran the car in maintenance mode for 45 minutes.

 

that's a great price, and well worth it for anyone who intends to hold on to their car awhile.

 

Well, with the quality of the repair shown in that video, I would consider it to be a semi-permanent repair.

 

never mind

 

It might be permanent. They replace JUST the head gasket, and reuse the head bolts. That's not completely foolhardy though. And they do check the head for flatness, valves for sealing.

More importantly: the video is very empowering. You can watch it, and realize you could DIY this. There is a lot of stuff they rush through in the video, that in fact is tough and time consuming, but if you read up , get the relevant Repair Manual sections, and are careful, pretty much anyone can do this, with basic tools.

And with a few concesions to caution: say replacing the head bolts, that's only an extra $70~80 dollars. The head gasket alone is around $45, but a kit with most of the gaskets and O-rings you'll encounter, is around $150~200. Still pretty cheap, all in. That could be the extent of $'s, if the head doesn't need machining and the valves are always sealing.

 

There’s not that much of a market here for Prius head gaskets, but I would do the head gasket for that labor. That’s roughly 56.50 an hour for a day of work. Just one a week would have me in more money then I make in a week.

 

I would use the lower, as it goes out to the engine. The upper ones come back in.

 

Your result may vary, but I got 90 days out of using Blue Devil. Now is the time to start putting back for another engine.

 

I suppose that asking these guys to perform the job to your specs is always an option. But if you allow them to do the job in the way shown in the video, well, you are almost guaranteed to develop oil seepage (or even leaks).

 

Understood. Take the tips, but supplement with a gasket kit.

And for chrisakes don't stand around jawing for 10 minutes while the form-in-place gasket on the valve cover hardens up, lol. That cover is supposed to be back on the block within 3 minutes of of FIP application commencement, and all bolts torqued within 15 minutes. That's maybe a tall order, but you don't want to dawdle.

 

And RTV should NEVER be spread with a finger; it should always be applied in a bead in the specified pattern.

 

About 1:00 in

Also, I think you see them doing the lateral beads at seams, just a few seconds in?

 

Yup, but if you look at 0:07, that is where they apply the “extra” RTV to the 6 seams on the timing cover.

Those seams are also where the timing cover likes to leak from.

 

Overly dimensioned diagram in the attached: