I have a 2012 Prius four, had it since 2014 @35k miles and we love her. Admittedly due to my having several health issues during this time the car suffered, a lot. she received almost no maintenance during this time frame except for doing brakes as needed, and oil changes too. I did change the air filter once and I had the plugs and boots changed at 200k. I blew the head gasket about 30k miles ago, but being a cheap guy, I poured in a $15.00 bottle of k-seal and it solved the problem instantly, I was actually quite impressed with the product. That is the only maintenance she received and I got 251000 carefree miles out of her, thats when I blew the engine due to a lack of oil. My fault as I never check my oil, I only change it. I am actually very impressed to get that much life out of her, it is an awesome vehicle and has the lowest cost of ownership I have ever seen, of course not performing any maintenance significantly lowers the maintenance cost, until you blow the engine that is. I have bad credit, so even a used $12,000 used vehicle would cost me about 350 a month, or even a cheap beater would cost about 2500 bucks. My other option is to install a JDM engine imported from Japan. I love the Prius so much and if I get her fixed I promise to do regular maintenance, starting with the EGR. I don’t know a lot about these engines, aside from what a shop told me and what I have read online. All these engines have under 50k on them. My Prius, aside from the blown up engine is in nice condition and is loaded with all the options. Do you agree this is my best choice? Do you know anything that I should know prior to doing this? the engine would cost me $949.00 Labor is set at $1000 I live on social security, so yes 2k is a lot of money for me but the alternatives seem even more expensive. any feedback would be greatly appreciated.
If you knuckle down, clean the EGR circuit and intake manifold, maybe an oil catch can install too. otherwise another 15~20k miles and you’ll blow another head gasket.
I appreciate nobody “signs up for this”, but that’s how it is, when you’ve got Toyota’s “problem child” gen.
Or this thread if you want the details from the original source: Oil Catch Can, Eliminate that knock! Some light reading on the topic with plenty of examples.
Have you looked at junk yards for a used engine? Perferably a 2015 with lower mileage??? Should be a lot less expensive than a new one. Are you able to replace the motor yourself?
First, 250k miles is pretty good. These engines from 2010-2014 had bad pistons and rings from the factory. Toyota even fixed them free if they were burning a lot of oil while under powertrain warranty. $1949 installed is about as low as possible. I could list all the other things that might go wrong starting with the hv battery, inverter and master cylinder but I won't beyond suggesting quickly accumulating a few thousand in reserve after you do the engine. There are all sorts of maintenance things to spend more money on while you are at it but if you are on a tight budget go for it as is. This is a very bad time to buy a used car, the value you would receive for $2500 would be far worse than a rebuilt Prius v. The good news is you did not kill the engine with the head gasket sealer. Be sure to get the installation cost in writing. It could increase a x2 easier than you might think.
"I blew the head gasket about 30k miles ago, but being a cheap guy, I poured in a $15.00 bottle of k-seal and it..." "...got 251000 carefree miles out of her, thats when I blew the engine due to a lack of oil..." "The good news is you did not blow a head gasket" Head gasket good, cylinder walls............bad..... You'll be fine..........
If you're on your original hybrid battery, I'd think twice about paying for a ($1,900 installed) JDM engine, as opposed to a cheaper alternative. You need to have a plan of action of what you'll do when, not if, you need a new hybrid battery. Because new ones might cost you around $3,000+ installed. I'd consider getting 250k miles a win.
