Hello everyone! I am posting these questions about my husbands car that he bought used 3 weeks ago. He doesn’t believe I will find out anything useful on the internet. I however, know there are a lot of smart people on here that are willing to share their expertise and knowledge. The hubs purchased his 2013 Prius V with $154,000 miles on it from a small dealer. It came with a 12 month power train warranty where the dealer will cover 50% of the repair cost. Just recently on the home stretch of a 10 hour drive, the car began shuddering as he accelerated and he noticed the coolant was very low. The next day the check engine light came on and he took it into a local Toyota dealership. They indicated that it needed a new head gasket and possibly a new engine and a new catalytic converter. He called the small dealer he purchased the car from and they said that they had to look at it and be the ones to do any repairs. The car has been there for 2 days, but the mechanic hasn’t been able to look at it yet. the questions I have are 1) will the mechanic be able to tell if it needs a new catalytic converter before he repairs the head gasket or is this something that will fail later due to the coolant getting into it. 2) should we trust that they will not just replace the head gasket when in fact a rod is bent and it should have the entire engine replaced? We know we are talking about a chunk of change here, we just want to make sure it is worth doing or should we try and cut our losses? Thanks to anyone willing to offer advice.
I would wait until the head gasket was repaired before condemning the catalytic converter. Ask the Toyota dealer if the cat failed based on measured emissions, on board sensors or based on a clogged cat. The cylinder head should be inspected and possibly machined by a specialist. A good mechanic can check the engine block for warping, scored cylinders or bent rods. If any block issues are found, a replacement engine is recommended. It is possible that a head gasket alone may be enough but the engine could still burn oil as is common with these engines. Since you are paying 50%, I would price the job independent of your used car dealer. He could suggest the head gasket alone cost $3,000 but another independent shop might do the same work for $1500. Reasonably, $2,000 for a head gasket, machined head, Toyota fluids and gaskets would be a decent price. Most will clean the egr cooler and pcv valve while the engine is torn down. Your used car dealer will likely refuse that service.
Thanks so much for the helpful reply. My husband was able to talk to the dealership owner this evening and he has recommended a new engine. He said he found one at a reputable junk yard where the car had been rear ended. It what he estimated to be 56,000 to 66.000 miles on it. They will install it at a cost to us of $2,900. Thanks again for your advice.
Definitely clean the Exhaust Gas Recirculation system, AND the intake manifold, or there’s a VERY good chance your replacement engine will blow IT’S head gasket; clogged EGR is a strong contender for more main contributor to head gasket failure. more info: Bad Flywheel | PriusChat
IMHO a link to @Dan05979's previous thread about engine codes is needed to see the progression of engine trouble leading up to the bad head gasket. His engine was burning 1 quart / 2k miles and at 181k the EGR circuit had just been cleaned - too late. Engine Rattling link moto g power ?
WOW a lot of the "Right Questions," here post disaster. It seems like things would have gone better had Hubby, let you do the car shopping? Best of luck moving forward.
