Gen 3 Head Gasket failure at 123k miles?

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by randygonce, Jan 9, 2025 at 3:22 PM.

  1. randygonce

    randygonce New Member

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    Location:
    Honolulu, HI
    Vehicle:
    2014 Prius
    Model:
    Four
    My 2014 Prius hybrid is showing what I think are symptoms of a leaking head gasket given what i have seen in the forums. Just 2 months ago my water pump was failing so I replaced that. Now occasionally my engine revvs high and then rattles when I turn it off. It it happens intermittently. Sometimes a week in between occasions.

    I just recently went on holiday and let the Prius sit for 3 days and when I started it up again it rattled on start up. Hasn't happened again upon start up but its not sitting longer than overnight.

    My coolant levels are very slowly dropping with no leak in sight. Monthly I have to add just enough to keep it at the minimum level.

    Also i think it's consuming oil. Not sure how much but I just got my oil change this week because after checking my levels, I realized my oil was dangerously low.

    All that being said, I drive it daily for work as a delivery driver. Is it common to see a head gasket failure at 123k miles? It seems so soon/early for it but from what I read these symptoms indicate head gasket. I also still owe the bank on it and am considering selling my second vehicle to pay for the Prius repair of the head gasket. Seems like the going rate is roughly $3k for head gasket job. Trying to plan ahead given I rely on my car for my work. Getting stressed/worried.

    I am located in Honolulu, Hawaii. There is a specialized hybrid shop that does Prius's here called Masaki Auto repair. When I needed my water pump done they quoted me at $1500. Which was crazy I thought. I bought a new water pump from Napa and had my friend mechanic replace it for under $300. For something like this Id assume I want to take it to Prius experts but then again I am worried about the price tag. What can I expect for a head gasket fix and EGR/intake manifold cleaning?

    Any advice, tips, insight is greatly appreciated
     
    #1 randygonce, Jan 9, 2025 at 3:22 PM
  2. Tombukt2

    Tombukt2 Senior Member

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    Yeah that water pump you know could have been an $80 repair with two wrenches and a socket in an hour and 20 minutes of your time or you probably could have just put an impeller in the existing pump and stuck it right back on again about an hour of your time those little $300 jobs add up quick this is really not a keeper car I have friends on the big island The car probably sits quite a bit and hence here you are on the mainland I've seen these cars get 350K But they have to be kept on the road like a taxi All that sitting around on the weekend and waiting for jobs to come up is bad sitting for a Prius is terrible It needs to be kept three sheets in the wind pretty much 24/7 maybe off on Sunday I wouldn't be looking at fixing this car personally You probably won't make it to your bank loan you'll be asking your bank for more loan not a good situation Do think about this quite a bit and do a lot of reading because you're heading into a big red hole
     
    #2 Tombukt2, Jan 10, 2025 at 7:40 AM
  3. ASRDogman

    ASRDogman Senior Member

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    It's likely the head gasket is failing.
    You do NOT need a Prius specialist to replace it. It an engine like any other.
    Or you can do it yourself. You'll just need a few special tools.

    Those who do mostly city driving seem to have this issue sooner than those who
    drive mostly highway driving.

    DO NOT PU ANY SO CALLED HEAD GASKET SEALER IN THE COOLANT!!!!
    It will only cost you more money and more headaches than it's worth.

     
    #3 ASRDogman, Jan 10, 2025 at 8:12 AM
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