New member in San Antonio, TX - 2012 Prius v Three

welcome!
sorry to hear about your troubles.
if it were me, i'd get prices on getting the car up and running. salvage replacement engine, egr cleaning, hv battery health check and replacement if necessary.

then compare to the cost of a better used car.

all the best

 

The number one problem is the coolant burning. Common on this year, 95% Head gasket. Sams will recommend an engine. Likely $4k with guarantee but he will also take care of the egr. He has a box of cleaned egr coolers ready to go. They could do a borescope inspection to verify. You may have severe rattling on some cold starts for a few seconds.

The number two problem is the hv battery. The fan is running on high because the hv battery is too hot. Clean the fan blower wheel and verify there is an clean path under and behind the passenger rear seat. You can see the fan's air inlet strainer under the seat partially covered with carpet. It is very possible you will need a new or reconditioned hv battery. Maybe $1k used to $2.5k new. Some new options are available at $1.6k and $1.9k for diy. If you want 100,000 more miles I might go new. Either way, wait for codes and then repair/replace.

The brake booster is a common failure as well that could be in your near future. $2.5k unless it fails by Dec 31 when Toyota's free replacement on expires on a high mileage 2012 v. Requires specific codes. It might be worth asking a dealer to check the vin to see if this repair was previously done.

Is all of this worth it on a 190k mile Prius? Maybe but if there was an option to return the car I would.


EGR = cleaning/inspection
Yes

Burning coolant = Head gasket or radiator?
Head gasket 95% odds

Struts worn out = replacement
Low on the list

Low-beam headlights are dangerously dim = Need LED replacements for both low/high.
The headlights are oxidized, clean with Sylvania or 3M kit or use Walmart auto

Headlight lenses oxidized = needs cleaning
See above

Gas tank vent inoperative = hard to fill gas tank = repair/replacement
Fix

Traction battery fan can be heard within the cabin = fan needs cleaning
Most likely hv battery getting hot, clean fan, ensure no blockage under or behind rear passenger seat

Stereo touchscreen inoperative / stereo cuts out/reboots? = replacement
Ebay $150

Main gauge screen very dim = replacement
Normal, lower on list

 

The "Stereo Unit" is usually called a "MultiFunctional Display" or MFD. There is a number on the faceplate in the lower right corner:

57010 - If your Trim level is "two", no Nav or XM
57011 - If your Trim level is "three" or "five" (non-JBL) Nav and XM
57012 - If your Trim level is "five" with JBL unit. (I don't know much about these)​

I suspect your prius is a "two" or "three" because you mention upgrading to LED (the five has LED standard + 17 inch wheels)

The 57011 and probably the 57012 as well have an "extension" (AKA "expansion") box bolted on the bottom (you need to remove the MFD to see the extension box). They were made by Harmon and they tend to go bad. I think they have a Hard drive in them. There are hidden diagnostic menus that allow you to factory reset the Expansion Box. There are also software updates that might help you. I can help you navigate through those.

I have both a 57010, and a 57011 that are fully functional that I could sell to you. You can downgrade / upgrade the 57010 or 57011, depending on your budget, or needs.

It seems you have other issues (EGR CEL, and probable head gasket issues) that take priority over the MFD.

Find the brightness control. I assume you did not get an owners manual. The Brightness Control should be a thumb wheel low on the Dash, to the left of the steering wheel. I doubt that you have a bad Instrument Cluster. I could believe a bad dimmer circuit. There is a light sensor on the dash right up against the windshield. It controls the brightness based on ambient light. If that sensor is covered, you would get dim lights. IIRC If you turn the brightness all the way up, and you feel a click, it should stay bright. I recall I hated the auto dim, and I disabled it on my 2013 V two. However, I don't remember how I did the disable.

 

Was that compression test done at "Sams?". @rjparker is probably local to you, and his opinion matters in this forum. If he recommends "Sams", I would believe him.

IIRC, I have seen posts in priuschat that claim that as a HG is going, it can hold when cold, but leak when hot. Remove the plastic under engine cover, and park the fully warmed up car over cardboard to watch leaks. You need to know where the coolant is going. Hopefully, you find a leak.

My advice is to get the Intake manifold EGR passages of the Intake Manifold cleaned out as soon as possible. I don't know if you are a DIYer, but the Intake manifold cleaning is not that difficult, compared to getting to the EGR cooler.

The IM EGR passages plug up unevenly in pre 2015 Prius Vs, with the cylinder furthest from the EGR plugging up first (at least on my 2013). The EGR test that throws the P0401 code is a test of the average EGR flow to all four cylinders. The cylinder receiving the least amount of EGR gas will be the furthest from the EGR input to the Intake Manifold (is that furthest Cylinder #1?). That Cylinder will burn hotter than the others. If just that one EGR passage is plugged, It might be possible to burn a hole in that piston, before the P0401 code is detected. Cleaning the IM can be done in one day, if you study all the videos first. Doing that first will buy you time. If you are lucky, this will reduce the loss of coolant.

PCV valve is great to do at the same time as the IM, as the part is cheap even from the dealer. It is readily accessible with the IM removed. Consider installing an oil catch can to the PCV hose at some point, to reduce the oil sucked into the IM.

Cleaning out the EGR and the Cooler are important to be done, but that requires removal of the entire tray holding the windshield wipers. It requires an E8 "External Torx" bit to remove the EGR and cooler. You need to remove the windshield wiper tray to change the plugs, so do them at the same time. Buy your spark plugs from the dealer. The dealer plugs don't cost that much more than equivalent aftermarket 100k mile plugs. Since since it is a royal PITA to get to them, why take a risk with aftermarket plugs? This job cannot easily be done in a single day.

You have not mentioned oil consumption. I am hoping that you are lucky, and this is not an issue. If the previous owners changed the oil at 5k miles, and not the Toyota recommended 10k miles, you might be so lucky. Toyota put a bad design of the oil control rings. Updated rings were added in the middle of the 2014 year. Toyota has a program to replace the engine if the oil consumption is excessive, but I suspect that you don't qualify due to high mileage.

 

Some EGR cleaning tips and links in my signature. Always a good first step, and for sure do it before head gasket replacement (or engine swap), or you'll be looking at another head gasket replacement in short order. 190K is overdue, the EGR (and EGR intake passages) are likely pretty carbon-choked.

Still, it does sound too late to catch, the head gasket already into it's swan song. A head gasket replacement thread here:

2011 Prius Head Gasket Failure | PriusChat

 

I was thinking about this issue while Ubering this weekend. I experimented with the brightness knob. If you turn it up to the maximum brightness, but don't push it past the "click" , the instrument panel will still be rather dim (IMHO too dim for anything but the darkest of roads at night). Push it past the click, and the instrument panel should get significantly brighter. My theory is that there is something wrong with your brightness control, where it won't go full on bright.

I don't think your panel being too dim is "normal for its age", as my 2013 has not lost any brightness. It is possible that it is normal for your age, if you have cataracts. I had eye surgery back in June just in time for my 60th birthday. I got new lenses put in, and that made a huge difference in the ability to see the instrument panel on a very bright day.

 

My display has lost maximum brightness as well. This makes it easy to wash out with direct sun angles and is generally dim when shaded by the dash during bright Central Texas summer days. Especially when wearing polarized sun glasses, a must down here. Generally I can read the speed but the time display in the right corner may require removing the glasses for a moment. No issues on the climate control or the mfd. Overall its not as bad as a failed gen2 display. Nighttime its fine and needs to be dimmed. Sometimes I will also blackout the mfd on dark country roads.

 

Fortunately, my 2012 v has resided under a car cover or under a shaded carport for most of its 10 year life. The display as nearly as bright as the day I purchased the car new in February 2012.

You could always buy a used 2012-13 display cluster with low mileage that had been removed and stored since 2013 or 2014. They are still available on the market.

 

Maybe Texas sun makes a difference.

That is exactly what I experienced before I had my Cataract surgery. After my Cataract surgery, I could see the time fine, as if I had a new display put in. 60 is a bit young to need cataract surgery, but I am glad to have had it done.

 

Hmmm... I wonder if I could replace the cluster in my 2017 four. I much preferred the 2012-14 cluster with the unique Hybrid Status Indicator to the left of the speedometer. Also the instantaneous MPG next to the odometer.

I am guessing the answer is no, since the 2015-17 has the LCD panel as part of the cluster (like regular Prius).

 

The display on the 2017 Prius v is unique to that year. I have a friend with a 2017 who has been looking for a spare from a wrecking yard. They didn't make many 2017 Prius v's, so very few wrecked ones are likely available. He went to the Toyota dealer and found out the numbers. Toyota will not sell replacements without the user returning the old defective units.

 

I knew that the 2012-2014 Prius Vs (Pre-Facelift) were different than 2015 and later Prius Vs. Are you saying that the 2015-16 are different from the 2017? That would make it even more complicated.

 

Congratulations on the EGR work. You are now part of the club. Maybe we should get jackets (an obscure reference to one of the Shrek movies)

I split mine into two separate jobs.

1) Plugs + EGR Cooler + EGR + Coolant
2) Intake manifold Cleaning + PCV​

Car ran fine after the first part. Made a horrible death rattle after 2nd part. It went away after I started it up the 3rd time, and has not come back. Did not need Maintenance mode to get rid of the rattle.

Good news on the Instrument Cluster. I found one for you on eBay for $112 (20% off sale).
12 13 14 TOYOTA PRIUS V 86K VIN EU INSTRUMENT CLUSTER GAUGE SPEEDOMETER OEM | eBay

I would be interested in your old one, just to tinker with.

 

2012 and 2013 are the same, 2014-2015-2016's have different part numbers. 2017's are unique.