Blown Head gasket rebuild....@297k

Could it be a spacer (x2) for mounting the fuel delivery pipe?

 

That’s exactly what it is. Thanks!

 

Soooooo while getting ready to put tension on the timing chain I unlocked the cams and noticed something was off. When I unlocked them, the chain appeared to get slack in the top and the piece that goes over the cam is broken.
I must have over tightened it. I have no idea what it is called I just know I need a replacement. Also not sure if I need to take the timing cover back off and adjust the chain? Or does it just need the tensioner put on?

 

Torque wrench. Well worth the money.

 

Well what happened was I mistakenly tightened it while using the method in that popular head gasket video. The one where they lock the cams with shop towels. I mistakenly tightened the spot with towels and something gave. lol

I just need to know what it is called to find a new one.

 

Cam Shaft cover I believe. That's what it looks like.

 

DM me I might have that part from a blown engine at the shop


iPhone ?

 

Just did another hg on a turd gen. This one at 185k, and the owner doesn't have a lead foot at all.

 

Don't know if you got your questions answered yet -
Broken part looks like Camshaft Bearing Cap. Also, make sure your Camshaft Bearing Cap oil hole gasket is in place rubber 3 "o-ring" gasket (missing in 2nd picture)
Timing looks like it is still on going by marks shown in 2nd picture.

 

Who is LKQ?

 

North America wide used auto parts retailer. Google will find it.

 

Thanks!

 

Okay, thanks for the answers! I found a bearing cap on eBay and got everything put back together.
Everything appears to be running correctly except the fuel rail seems to keep gushing fuel out and I have to race to shut it off. I have changed the o rings twice and was certain that I had them in correctly.

 

Had the egr system been cleaned before the head gasket blew?

 

Dry all the leaked fuel. Then have someone turn the car on and you watch the fuel rail.
I suggest eye protection, and see where it's coming from. Recheck ALL the connections.
Maybe a hose is split, or connection is loose?

 

Huh when loading the thread list, the "rebuild....@297k" in the title shows as "[email redacted]" for a moment

 

eBay gasket set?

 

Just wanted to add my recent experience. I just did a 2010 Prius head gasket job. I had the cylinder head machined With new valve stem seals installed. I found the EGR cooler completely clogged, like no air at all could move through it. I simmered it in Drano for two days on the barbecue grill outside, that worked pretty good but I still had to use an old dipstick to push the carbon through. This isn't just any carbon, it's practically asphalt. I thought this could be the cause of the blown head gasket, but once I had everything back together and was trying to bleed air out of the coolant system, it wasn't working correctly, and I determined that the water pump was bad. This water pump failed exactly like the one in Luscious Garage's video. Got a used one from a 2014 and a new thermostat. Immediately the system bled properly, Finally got heat coming out of the vents. When the vehicle was brought into me the hybrid battery had been run down really low, so I had to trickle balance charge that. I cleaned the entire intake manifold, throttlebody, EGR assembly, exhaust manifold, valve cover, maf sensor.

A few little tricks I learned. Before installing the timing cover, I wrapped a piece of brass chicken wire around the timing chain guide that the tensioner plunger pushes on. I didn't tie it in a knot, I just wrapped it around it once, and ran the wire up and out the top, and tied it off to the intake manifold. This keeps tension on the chain and keeps it in the correct place well you put the time and cover back on. The first time I put it back together, I followed Toyotas directions, and of course the timing chain jumped a tooth on the crank shaft sprocket. I was worried about that because they are directions didn't make much sense, it's no wonder why the dealerships can't fix these cars LOL. Anyways, once I have the cover on and the tensioner plunger installed, using a long flat screwdriver to release the hook on the tensioner plunger, then I could pull out the wire. That seem to do the trick, didn't jump any teeth.

After reading all about these issues on here and everywhere else I could find information, It seems there is a cascading series of failures that causes the head gasket to blow. The EGR cooler gets clogged, peak in cylinder temperatures rise under heavy load and go over spec, this could cause the thermostat to get Stuck closed, and then the water pump burns out. That seems like what happened on this one. Now it is running good, it's been quite a journey getting everything on this fixed.

This is a major issue for gen 3 Prius And all of the Toyota/Lexus hybrid's that use this EGR cooler, I think the Highlander hybrid also used one. Toyota should really put out a TSB for this but they won't. So if you are going to take on this job, I would plan on doing everything I listed. It is a big job, but now that I know how to do it on this car it's really not that bad. Just make sure you order all your parts before hand so you don't have to wait for them, or run back-and-forth to the part store. I am planning on buying GEN three cylinder head and EGR cooler assembly. I'll get the cylinder head machined, and clean out the EGR cooler, so next time I need to do one of these jobs I'll have both of those ready to go on the shelf, if I had all the other parts in hand I could do this in a day, it would be a long day though LOL.

This is a meticulous job, you must clean, scrape and remove all of the old gasket Material and clean off any oily residue with brake cleaner or something similar. This customer also had the great idea of dumping in two bottles of head gasket sealer, which just made a crazy mess of the entire ice coolant system, that could also be Why the thermostat got stuck closed. I took a hose and sprayed water through the radiator and all the different coolant passages with the hoses disconnected so it could just all drain out. Do not waste your time or money putting that sealant in there, you are just creating a ton more work for the Mechanic, which you will have to pay for. During reassembly of the camshaft, I put Hyperlube oil stabilizer all over everything as I assembled it. Once I had the timing cover on, I dumped in the rest of the quart of the Hyperlube.

I originally estimated at least 18 hours of labor (toyota's service guide says 17-18 hours for gen 3) and I do think that's possible, with all the right equipment, special service tools, parts and everything ready to go. But, I realistically spent at least 40 hours on this job because I had to readjust the timing, chasing down parts, cleaning out all the gunk. I told the customer I would try to keep the total under $2,000 so I will probably charge $1,800 + tax . Not exactly cheap, but compared to the dealership, much better. I will get a quote from my local dealer just to see what they would charge to do all of this work. If I had to guess, I'd say easily $5,000+ . The dealerships Can't hold on to good technicians, because of flat rate pay and other abuses, and now that I have a subscription to Toyota service information, this information is so terrible and incomplete, it's no wonder the dealerships can't fix these cars. They know that, but they don't want their customers to know that, they want to keep up the façade of the dealerships being the best place to have your vehicle serviced, which of course it is not, in actuality it's probably one of the worst places, of course this depends on the dealership but overall they suck. So to avoid being embarrassed, when somebody brings in a tough cookie like a GEN three with a blown head gasket, They do this little trick that some shops do when they don't want to do a particular job, you just way overprice the job. Like make the total such a crazy high price, that you know nobody in their right mind would ever do that, and then they offer them pennies on the dollar as a trade-in. If the dealerships don't wanna work on these old hybrids that's fine, let them just sell new cars because that's what they like doing, and let shops like mine (Voltek) and the nonprofit charity organization I started, Eva electric vehicles for all, take care of our old beloved, crusty hybrids. If anything the dealers should welcome this, so they don't have to do this tap dance anymore.

One final thought, when people say, why don't you just find a good used engine and put that in? On a GEN two Prius that would make sense because I can get a used engine and transmission for about $300 all day long. I just talked with one of my local junkyards yesterday that has one, they want $1500 for just the engine on a GEN three Prius, this one did have pretty low miles but I've looked at the prices and that falls right in line with the other ones I've seen. So it cost me $350 to have the cylinder head machine, I probably have about $400 in parts and fluids, $750 is not bad at all. And if we had just got a used engine, would still have to clean out the EGR cooler, and that engine could have the same problems.

 

There is a Warranty Extension Program up here in Canada, but my sense is if you wait for symptoms (shaking at start up) or warning light and code, it'll be too late. Better to jump in, DIY early.

Apparently running a 50/50 (distilled) water and white vinegar will dissolve the crap, very effectively.

Really appreciate your post, made a text copy!

 

Very good info...! Thanks!