2011 Prius Head Gasket Failure

Yes it does. Clogged external EGR raises engine temps. An internal EGR cannot clog.

Pixel XL ?

 

Good to know. Thank you!

 

Wow, super clean engine Critic! I can't believe these are the "before" pictures. I hope my engine looks half as good as yours after I'm done with the repair. I removed the cylinder head cover and there is milkshake-like sludge everywhere.

 

The Critic,
did you see this HG failure analysis below?
2010-2012 Head Gasket failure analysis | PriusChat

 

didn't he say corollas fail too? i guess not as often?

 

i do not know, maybe one should use this for prophylaxis? Amazon.com: Customer reviews: Bar's Leak HG-1 HEAD SEAL Blown Head Gasket Repair
i used to have 2000 subaru that had a recall for potential HG problems and the dealerships basically put stop leak in every car.

 

You should see what he does when he details:

EGR Evangelist’s car receives a light clean-up and Optimum Gloss-Coat

A bit OCD, but looks fantastic .

 

Rainy yesterday .

The Prime had some beading but the 2010 was garaged so nothing there.

I’ve booted it out for now and the Prime is in its new spot in the garage.

 

Now I'm curious how we can explain @The Critic 's head gasket failure given his meticulous preventative maintenance, including the EGR circuit service well before the problem surfaced. It seems there was no way he could've avoided such.

 

Bad head gasket design?

 

Preemptive headgasket replacement? At least that way you won't have to machine the block...

 

As I recall, Critic's EGR cooler was first cleaned at 180k miles.

Unfortunately we can't weed out percentages of HG failures cause by EGR cooler vs poor headgasket design vs poor water pump design without a real ($$$) scientific study...

 

Maybe a good interval for EGR cleaning would be the same as engine coolant change: 100K miles and 50K miles thereafter. Or if you want to be really safe, just every 50K miles.

It's often mentioned that it's a good idea to sync EGR cleaning with engine coolant change, since coolant lines need to be disconnected in the course of EGR cooler cleaning.

I've found though, just draining a couple of quarts from the radiator (into clean container) drops the coolant level below the whole EGR system. When everything is back together pour the coolant back into the reservoir.

Bottom line, don't think you have to stall till coolant change time.

 

good point. i wonder if the subaru's juice is compatible with Toyota's pink coolant.

i mentioned that link to a specific product because a 2010 prius owner used that (it came up on google search).

edit, just found it on BITOG:
"You would be lucky if anything will work.
Go to a Subaru dealer, and buy the Subaru coolant conditioner. Last bottle I bought cost about $4. It's made by Holts. Not sure which Holts formulation it is though.
Subaru SOA635071 OEM Coolant System Conditioner
Its a Ginger root formula, the same thing as GM or Bars Leak tabs. Holts/Subaru just added the water and mixed it up for you."
Toyota 1GR-FE V6 head gasket stop leak additive - Bob Is The Oil Guy

 

update: i did searches on Bar's Leaks tabs and reviews are great with no problems. some people swear that GM puts 2 of them in the factories in every new car.

here is my plan: when i do my 100,000 miles coolant/spark plug/EGR/brake fluid change, those tablets go in to prevent small HG leaks. who knows, maybe Toyota will follow Subaru on those?