Any Gen 4 Owners Out There With Blown Head Gasket ??

saw this ad:

2016 Toyota Prius w/1.8L I4 Hybrid engine(new H/GASKET)- ONE OWNER - $12,480 (san jose downtown)
2016 Toyota Prius w/1.8L I4 Hybrid engine(new H/GASKET)- ONE OWNER -...

 

Can a Prius engine oil change be looked at differently than a conventional car engine considering the Prius engine isn't running all the time? If a Prius engine is only running 2/3 of the time and it's on EV 1/3 of the time, this would put 3,350 engine miles on the Prius when you've driven 5,000 miles on the odometer. This would bump up the oil change interval on the Prius to roughly 7,500 miles which would roughly be 5,000 miles on the engine. Does this kind of logic make sense for a hybrid?

 

Not really. Running an engine steadily/continuously is actually better for its longevity (from the perspective of equal number of hours run). Lots of stops & starts means more temperature cycles, more start-up fuel dilution, and more hours operating at less than ideal operating temperature.

Now that would be different if it were a plug-in hybrid where you aren't warming up the engine every trip

 

Mine are mostly highway miles - the gasoline engine / generator doesn't shut down except at some traffic lights before/after the highways.

I bet only the Prius Primes get close to 1/3rd their miles on their batteries.

 

Yup! And mine is about 90% on battery in normal day to day driving. All together with vacation trips, it's over 3/4 EV.

 

That's probably true but since I do our oil changes, just every 6-months or 5,000 miles (whichever comes first) is what I try to stick by. To be honest, sometimes, the 6-months turns into 7 with my wife's car because she's retired and doesn't drive 5,000 in a year unless we make a long trip or two with it. I just changed hers and it was at the 7-month interval but only had 2,371 miles since last oil change. We've owned Toyota's since 2005 and, so far, have not lost an engine or a transmission or a head gasket or even a water pump...my only "major" expense was in my 2014 Tundra that had a leaking front axle which costed me $420 to have it replaced but I suspect it was self-inflicted because I used the truck the past winter to pull a stuck Honda out of 3-4 feet of snow for about a block.

 

My 2016 Prius IV Touring, at 68K miles, starting running rough last week. I got the Misfire code with a check engine light the next day. I've changed the spark plugs, and noted discoloration on the 1st cylinder (code was for a misfire on first cylinder). I cleared the codes, but they returned the following day. The engine is running more rough, and I noted a lighter color streaked through my oil when I took the cap off to inspect it since I suspected there might be a headgasket problem.

 

How the coolant level in the reservoir?

 

I started monitoring it, but it's still above low.

 

Just some thoughts....yes, check all coolant levels and I'd do an oil change and inspect what's coming out for any coolant. Bad gas can also cause a car to run rough suddenly, too. The BT-500 Block Tester works great to let you know if it, in fact, a head gasket malfunction.
Here's a good video...

 

Under ideal conditions, it might be possible for a regular Prius engine to be running during as little as two-thirds of the distance it travels, but the other third isn't "on EV" by any reasonable definition. Instead, that other third would be mostly coasting, using up stored kinetic and/or potential energy originally supplied by the engine.

 

My 2016 Prius Two has 51K.
My engine stopped.
Check Engine light gave these codes P00B111, P011511, P148F00 AND P319000
And Dealer is saying Engine & Water Pump has to be replaced.

Google is not helping me with this codes.

about 5K miles before another dealer did Exhaust pipe recall fix - 170171P - recall using TSB - T-SB-0135-19
Only symptom is disappearing coolant, temperature is coming high.
Diagnosis report they did not give any details except the codes & Engine replace advice as it is getting overheated.
Report doesn't say Head Gasket

apparently I can see P148F00 in TSB - T-SB-0135-19
1. above codes means engine has to be replaced.

 

It started with P148F at 43K- August 2022
Dealer ordered parts and replaced Exhaust using - T-SB-0135-19 at 45K (no cost to me)- September 2022
now at 51K. overheating Engine- requires New Engine March 2023 - with same code P148F (with few more)

 

My dealer followed this TSB T-SB-0135-19 at 46K.
and now it is over heating and they are saying blown off engine, needs replacement (at 51K)

 

Tech info.Toyota.com

 

I think I am having a similar issue on my 2017 Prius IV.

Empty coolant reservoir. Once filled, empty again the next morning

1. Engine temperature warning light flashing then stayed on, too.
2. The mechanic saw white smoke coming out of the exaust pipe
3. Car sucking up coolant. Refilled one evening, empty in the morning.

I had the car checked and the part that needs changing is 1741037D400, and it costs around 1600€.

My car has 170kkm and worked fine until then. I understand there's no other option than changing the part as it is no usual coolant leak.
My local mechanic won't be able to fix it like a "classic" leak by replacing a pipe or a gasket.
Warranty is expired, I am deeply disappointed.

 

Googling that number I get no results. Any more detail, what it is?

FWIW, with 4th gen it's rarely if ever the head gasket, typically the exhaust heat recovery system sprung a leak.

 

Pretty nearly eliminates the head gasket as the leak. Almost guaranteed it's the exhaust hear recovery system when you consider the smoke.

 

there's a thread or two here on a simple fix but it eliminates the coolant heating. that's the way most are going because of cost