2014 Prius Plug-In. Blown Head Gasket 165K Miles

I don’t think 2015 are immune from Exhaust Gas Recirculation clogging, which (arguably) is the main head gasket failure cause.

Cleaning the Exhaust Gas Recirculation and intake periodically is the fix, my 2 cents.

 

Do you have a sense for the price tag to.clean the EGR and intake?

 

My dealer wanted $800 total. But they don't clean the mucky egr cooler, they replace it. The part alone is over $300.

$800 is parts and labor. So they were figuring about 4 hours.

(By the way, you can tell where we are from by our spelling of labor vs labour. Y'all...)

 

If you DIY it’ll cost you the price of a few cleaning supplies, possibly replacement intake manifold gaskets (I didn’t, with low miles, but over 100k maybe good idea), about a 1/2 day for intake, and a full day (at least, depending on how carbonned up it is) for the Exhaust Gas Recirculation.

Especially for the Exhaust Gas Recirculation cleaning you’ll need a fairly complete set of tools, floor jack and safety stands (or ramps). With a little foresight you don’t need to spill/add any coolant.

Convincing a dealership to do it is likely to be a frustrating, expensive and more’n likely futile exercise. It doesn’t seem to be in Toyota’s play book, at least not in a way that’s effective and not sand-pounding wasteful. They won’t want to clean, only replace with new, and for the intake manifold, Exhaust Gas Recirculation cooler, valve and pipe, parts only, you’d be looking at around $750 USD. Then there’s the labour...

 

This is really bumming me out. I sold my 2008 Gen 2 Prius on Monday and had my mind set to purchase a Gen 3 2013-2015. Finding out about the head gasket issues in the Gen 3, and I guess similar or related oil leak / blown head gasket issues with the Prius V, has me backing off from this idea. So disappointing. This is my 31st year as a Toyota owner and I was looking forward to securing my 6th Toyota since 1990. But if Prius isn't an option I've got to start looking at other options. It is exceptionally difficult after getting 43-50mpg to think about going back to <35 mpg.

 

Same here. I’m comfortable with DIY but still pissed. Toyota’s cavalier attitude, when sh!t happens, and it’s on their watch, isn’t gaining them any fans.

You don’t expect or deserve this cr@p, when you shell out for shiny/new. And they can’t even be bothered to fix it right.

 

2015-2017 v's are better. But they are hard to find because Toyota was emphasizing the Rav4 hybrid by late 2015.

In 2017 you could rarely find a v on the lot. I was looking at a 2017 v with low miles in Feb 2020 and they would not budge from $20k. Used cars have actually spiked since then with more and more budget conscious buyers.

I would buy a low mile (under 100k) 2015-17 v or just factor in a rebuilt engine with an earlier year. An $8k v and a $5k motor might work if the v was clean and loaded. Drive it as is until that fateful shake rattle and roll.

By the way check out my signature below. I had a flawless experience with my gen2. The gen3 v has advantages in ride, size, ac, fit and finish, etc. However traditional Toyota reliability took a vacation in the early 1.8L hybrid engines.

 

Due to pistons/rings?

 

I'm *starting* to get pissed. Our 2012 Prius v wagon ( the one in the picture on the left ) with 160K miles just started to develop the dreaded misfires on cold start. I have done a ton of maintenance on this vehicle as well...including EGR, intake manifold, etc... Luckily, we got an awesome deal on the car at the time but like I said....it required a ton of work ( see signature link for details ).

I'm still attempting to diagnose. I'm going to do the 'endoscope down the plug hole' trick as soon as I can but it is tough working on the car in the cold. Has anyone tried Bar's leak HG-1 as a stopgap? I usually hate to use products like that...but if it is the head gasket and it can buy me some time to get me to the spring, I might try it. This is a bummer...I was hoping the car would last without any major repairs until the 'next gen' Prius is released. Oh well it is what it is.

I'm also going to search for some non dealer Prius specialist shops around here...but southern MN is pretty slim pickings. Maybe there is something ion the Minneapolis area. A head gasket job just isn't something I want to tackle at this juncture.

 

i just bought a used gen3 with 346kmi. the intent was to do the repairs that Danlatu & theCritic did. basically change the rings, and the VVT intake timing valve (to prevent rattles on starts). PO had fake ignition coils that blew. along with HV battery that has a couple of weak blocks. This is my 2nd time to do this. I'm doing all the work myself. both engines had leaking head gaskets and completely blocked EGRs.

I observed on both engines, one at 172k and this one on 346k that the main and rod bearings are near new. cam bearings are near new. you can still see the hone on the cylinders. heads and block on both are very straight using my certified straight edge, no need to machine. just some valve lapping. everything is well within the original tolerances specified in the FSM. I spent more time cleaning than anything.

Seeing that, i dont think you need to get a used engine, just rebuild what you have. i understand that there are other considerations like having a garage and tools and such. but if you can, rebuild. if you just change the headgasket, its a guarantee that it will happen again as the root caused of the issue hasnt been addressed. which is oil burning which plugs the EGR which i think causes the HG issue. (my opinion, will see after i reach 50k or more after rebuild, i wonder how Danlatu's is doing.)

so far my wife who is using the first gen3 isnt losing oil now at 6k since rebuild.
my gen2 drinks a almost a quart every 1k in comparison. it will undergo the same soon.

 

@strawbrad or @ericbecky may know some shops around you that maybe of assistance.

No garage with a space heater option?

That's how my old man and I would work on stuff in the frozen months of Northeastern PA.

Good luck.

 

As a disabled person and medicaid recipient, I am only allowed up to $2k in savings at any time. It isn't realistic for me to plan for or budget aside for a $5k repair at a later date. But I want to be sure I am understanding you... 2015-2017 Prius V does NOT demonstrate the same head gasket/ leak that many earlier MY Prius Vs are known for? It is indeed safe to consider a 2015-2017 Prius V without worrying about this expensive repair down the road? I'm shopping now. Replies to this are not theoretical but real and practical and happening now. Please let me know your thoughts. Thank you!!

 

I've been looking at some head gasket replacement threads...and it certainly looks doable, but very time consuming. Heck, I did replace the entire front suspension and control arms on this vehicle ( see signature thread ). However, I haven't really taken on any engine work other than replacing the EGR, intake manifold, etc... In other words, I have never done any 'internal' engine work.

Time isn't really an issue either as we have an extra vehicle. I also have plenty of tools. However, I don't really like working on cars during the winter ( MN winters suck...even though this year has been really mild ). So I'd probably be willing to take the head gasket replacement on in the spring/summer with the help of some of you fine folks...but not now.

Anyway, I haven't even fully diagnosed that the knocking is the head gasket as I don't have any discernable coolant loss, contaminated oil, etc...However, that certainly doesn't necessarily mean much. I'm going to go ahead and replace the plugs/coils and go from there ( this is much easier to do in the cold...and relatively cheap ). And while I'm in there I'll run the endoscope down the plug holes to see if there are signs of leakage. Any other tips on what to look for? From what I've read, a telltale sign is to look for 'smooth, steam cleaned' piston tops on the misfiring cylinders.

Thanks all! Sorry to hijack the thread. I'll probably move any in depth discussion over to the thread in my signature at some point.

 

$77 apiece for the coils? Any misfire code? If so just swap coils around, see if code changes to another cylinder? It seems like 9 times out of 10 it's the gasket, not coils.

https://toyotaparts.mcgeorgetoyota.com/oem-parts/toyota-ignition-coil-9091902258?c=Zz1lbGVjdHJpY2FsJnM9aWduaXRpb24tc3lzdGVtJmw9MTEmbj1Bc3NlbWJsaWVzIFBhZ2UmYT10b3lvdGEmbz1wcml1cyZ5PTIwMTAmdD1iYXNlJmU9MS04bC1sNC1lbGVjdHJpYy1nYXM%3D

 

Haha...I'm not buying those ...there are plenty of aftermarket coils that are perfectly serviceable. I've used aftermarket ones a couple times previously and they worked great. My plan is to swap them out and then test the current ones...

 

In your case the answer is easy. Don't buy a hybrid unless it is new and you drive more than 20k miles a year. Forget head gaskets, a hybrid system is complex and expensive to fix even if you are finding great independent resources. Instead buy a Corolla, Camry, Civic or Accord, standard 4 cylinder, no V6s. Buy the lowest mileage you can easily afford and don't worry about a little reduced mpg. A decent Corolla or Civic will almost match a Prius v's highway mileage. And don't get fooled by a used car salesman into buying a lesser brand.

 

You do know that Prius are some of the most reliable vehicles out there...right? I have heard this from mechanics as well. Also, the statistics don't lie. I'm not sure some understand how simple and elegant the design of the Toyota HSD is. Also, if I recall, there have been many cases of EGR failures in non hybrid vehicles.

With that said, Toyota *does* have a design issue on it's hands here with the Gen3's...and they are not owning up to it.

As for reliability, our non hybrid Hyundai Sonata and Elantra GT have been incredibly reliable. So I think Hyundai can potentially be added to the list.

 

Toyota gen3 hybrids are generally reliable through 125k-150k.

Let me count the ways a gen3 causes stranding and wallet pain:

1. Inverter failure - frequent in 2010-2014
2. HV Battery Replacement - expected on high mileage
3. ABS Brake by Wire failures - downright dangerous
4. Excessive Oil Consumption - bad piston and rings 2010-14
5. EGR Cooler Clogging - A third gen specialty. $800 or more at the dealer
6. Oil Pooling in the Intake Manifold - shared by other family members
7. Head Gasket failures - a trend for years in over 150k mile engines
8. Special Hybrid Maintenance - Battery cooling fans, Inverter Coolant, Pumps

I am not saying that a gen3 can not be a good car to drive especially for high mileage users like taxis and delivery. Repairs are taken in stride for those cars. They were also great when gas cost twice as much as today. When you have sunk costs in an otherwise clean example, sometimes a replacement engine or new Toyota battery makes sense.

However I believe It is morally wrong to steer someone into a used gen3 with the car's known track record. Sellers can easily coverup a head gasket for a few monthes with K&W Block Seal for $10 and a coolant drain.

Especially when head gasket failures can lead to rods blown out of the engine. As a result, replacement engines are the dealer and quality mechanic recommendation after coolant has breached the sacred halls.

 

The thing is...there are tons of Gen3's with 100s of thousands of miles. Like you said...look at all the taxis, etc...out there. There are also tons of people with 'over 150K' on the clock. Just look up all the '300,000 mile club' threads, etc...around here. I also see a suprisingly large number of Gen2's still on the road ( although they don't have the EGR issue ).

And your list is pretty funny...the majority of the 'issues' you cite have a very, very, very low point of failure. Frankly, your list is kind of BS...for lack of a better word. Remember...we usually only hear the bad cases here on the forum. I assure you...there are tons of perfectly functioning Gen3's on the road with 150K+ miles on the clock.

I think one problem is that many think the Prius is infallible and needs zero maintenance other than changing the oil. I'm not talking about the group here...we are 'enthusiasts'. Clearly not the case...and that obviously leads to issues.

I do agree though that I would think twice on purchasing a high mileage Gen3. Although...I did.

 

I’d like to see Toyota acknowledge that 3rd gen Exhaust Gas Recirculation IS a maintenance item, say every 50k miles, issue a TSB that outlines a simple/practical cleaning procedure for the dealership service departments, and reimburse the dealerships for the service (no charge to owners).

This would require some admission of responsibility, for the Exhaust Gas Recirculation shortcomings, and some $'s, so I think they’re going to carry on as if there’s nothing happening.

Good to know who’s got your back when you’re shopping for a new-and-shiny car.