Hybrid Pit Stop

most def replace those 3 mounts now while the engine is out.

 

i would also look at the other hoses as well as the pump for the inverter

 

Far as I know the engine free-spans between the top front-of-engine mount (at the timing chain cover) and the transaxle; there's no other support points.

Support points for the transaxle methinks.

Have you been seeing bent rods by those miles? Pretty pathetic...

 

Yes indeed! Very frustrating because a simple headgasket job may lead to an entire engine overhaul.

 

A simple head gasket job is usually due to a failed head gasket. A failed head gasket sometimes leads to coolant being introduced into a cylinder, which can puddle, especially after the car is parked. Coolant continues to seep into the cylinder while the coolant system is pressurized until it cools. Next time you crank it up? Hello Mr. Bent Connecting Rod. Can happen to any engine with failing head gaskets.

 

agreed with the above

 

Yikes!

 

How many miles on it? What did the the EGR components and intake manifold look like?

Top of cylinder one piston looks a lot "cleaner" than four. Cylinder two is "indisposed" lol.

 

This was a core that was returned to us from a rebuilt engine purchase. Unfortunately we do not have that information

 

Actually from what this customer told me, it had about 115k miles on it (Prius v). Likely never had the EGR done and the cause of the destruction was shortly after a shop he took it to in Mexico for an oil change likely put the wrong viscosity oil in it. So much for a rebuildable core.

 

Is there a way I could reach your shop. I did the gen 4 swap it was a little bumpy but I having an issue I was wondering how I could call your shop and get some advice. I don't want to start a thread here and get on anyone's nerves. I have plock situation. Took it to a shop and they won't touch it because it's a gen 4 engine.

 

We usually refer people to Prius Chat, we're usually pretty busy (and I tend to have too long of conversations with people, because that's just me) and the boss gets frustrated sometimes. BUT..what were you needing advice on...maybe I can figure it out?

 

I picked up my car yesterday with the new rebuilt engine and I can't recommend these guys enough. My 2010 drives super smooth and they informed me of some other small maintenance things that I needed to take care of, and the price of installing the new engine along with an EGR cleaning was completely reasonable (just under $4000). My dealership quoted me around $3500 just for a head gasket job. Years ago when I inquired about a used engine install they gave me a ballpark around $7000, I think. They also cleaned the engine bay to make it look like new under the hood and I even got an upgraded oil filter.

As for my old EGR cooler, I had cleaned it myself at 145K miles and the entire circuit was clear of carbon when I put it all back. When they showed me what it looked like yesterday my jaw dropped; the cooler and valve were completely clogged again. Like bricked, similiar to how it was when I pulled it all out. So 35K miles of oil burning, and some of that burning around one quart every 500 miles, really made a muck of things. I also noticed that the intakes were mucked again as well, whereas one or two summers ago they had looked pretty clean. This may have happened when I stopped using BG 44K at every oil change.

Well, if anyone in SoCal needs a new engine or work done to their prius I recommend these guys. They treated me like a good friend when I walked through the door and every part of the transaction was smooth. And of course top notch work!


P.S. I may take the car for another EGR cleaning at the next 50K miles to see if the upgraded pistons and rings make a difference. Will likely be irrelevent to the forum that point but at least then we'll have a better idea.

 

Clean the EGR every 50k.

 

Thanks Mike, appreciate the review. Glad you are enjoying the car again. That EGR was surprising after that short of mileage..

 

Just finished 4 Engine rebuilds in one day! It took about 10 hours to put together the head and block using all torque specs from the Toyota Manual

 

Performed an EGR job on a 130k mile Prius and noticed a hard to turn water pump. Since we had to take off the intake manifold we decided to take a look at that pump to make sure she was in good shape

If we did not Inspect that water pump at that time, bad things were going to happen

 

Shops can't give free advice on the phone. First, diagnostics are often the hardest part of the job, a diy attempt can mean multiple problems complicating the diagnostic and most important, diy phone calls take time away from the paying customers who have waited just to get their car in the shop.

Unlike some Priuschat pundits, real mechanics are not clairvoyant or able to diagnose without scanners, senses or tools.

 

Thank you everyone who has shared in this thread. I just ordered my gold package rebuild, and reading this gave me reassurance that this will be a good purchase. As there aren't many shops in the area that will work on hybrids, and the ones that will refused to put someone else's motor in, it seems I'll be doing this from the comfort of my 13x20 carport over Thanksgiving.
Question:
What can I use for the EGR cooler. I had it off when diagnosing and tried mechanics wire and carb cleaner. I don't feel that was an effective use of my time. I don't have access to any ultrasonics.

 

A lot here have used pressure washer (around 1700~2000 psi IIRC, not insane), and/or oven cleaner. I went with 4~5 soaks with concentrated solution made with hot tap water and powdered Oxi-Clean Versatile Stain Remover. Cork one end, pour it in, wait about an hour, watching it bubble. If really clogged you may need to start with pressure washer, and or work some passages open with a copper wire. Be careful with the latter, don't force it.

More info in first two links in my signature, in particular the second one for the Oxi.