Cylinder Misfires

Discussion in 'Prius v Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Justin Henderson, Jul 12, 2023.

  1. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Witness Leader

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    Maybe you meant a centimeter?

    You're well shut of him; guy's an idiot.
     
  2. Justin Henderson

    Justin Henderson Junior Member

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  3. Justin Henderson

    Justin Henderson Junior Member

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    How is it holding up for you?


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  4. John March

    John March Junior Member

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    Well, the vehicle is used daily for delivery. Since the post on 8/26 there is an additional 1k miles. There are no issues with rattling/shaking after the BARS treatment as coolant is not getting in the combustion chamber or leaking. No plugged heater core or any other woes. I hoped to get 5-7k miles before I'd recommend it and get blacklisted here :)

    Some possible keys to success so far were to take the heat and stress off the engine and its head gasket. The EGR and new water pump and thermostat DIY have lowered operating temps significantly for me. I'm crazy but i also drive the car now in ECO mode as when I was testing engine temps the Power mode was too easy to over throttle the engine (more heat) with my lead foot. I USED to exclusively drive in Power Mode. The coolant with the BARS was drained and refilled after several days and heat cycles. It was important to follow all initial instructions properly. Unrelated to you, I also had a small leak at my heat exchanger bypass (you won't have this) after mistaking a curb for a driveway. My point to that is I may have had 1.5x coolant drain after BARS treatment.

    I am wondering how soon the BARS will fail. I will update you when that happens. (Car runs amazing).


    P.S. To do engine work I have seen nothing that indicates risk in the topics we have been discussing. However, if you mess with anything energized or orange cables. Disconnect the 12V and the Hybrid battery cutoff switch. I'm sorry the local mechanic is hybrid-averse. I need to re-read this thread to see if Toyota quoted you a price to do the HG.
     
  5. John March

    John March Junior Member

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    My initial HG leak was like this. Ironically, it stopped for a bit after the EGR, then it returned about twice as bad but still a small leak overall. Way more significant shaking as more coolant was getting in the cylinder.

    Did any of the cold start shaking return?

    How many miles per year do you anticipate driving?
     
  6. Justin Henderson

    Justin Henderson Junior Member

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    I haven’t had any return of symptoms.

    I have a round trip commute to work of about 100 miles I make 3 days/week. So that’s about 16k. Plus I figure another 4k for road trips and around town driving.


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  7. Justin Henderson

    Justin Henderson Junior Member

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    Here’s an interesting one. Does anyone know if coolant levels are significantly affected by ambient temperature?

    Since all of this nonsense started I had only lost about 1 mm of coolant. Then 2 weeks ago I noticed a larger drop in coolant level. Like 2-3mm below my mark on the reservoir. I thought oh Jeeze now the hg is really failing. I topped it back off to not run it down during my commute. Then a few days later I checked and it was well above my mark. I then realized that the day I noticed the drop was after two cold rainy days and the temp and dropped about 20 degrees. Then after it came back up it seemed to correlate with the weather getting hot again.


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  8. rjparker

    rjparker Tu Humilde Sirviente

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    Ambient? No. Ambient will change 30-50 degrees. The engine will change 110-150 degrees. So when you check matters.
     
  9. Justin Henderson

    Justin Henderson Junior Member

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    I only check in the morning after it’s sat overnight.

    Just trying to figure out how the coolant level went up several mm?? Temp change was the only thing I could think of.


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  10. rjparker

    rjparker Tu Humilde Sirviente

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    Entrained gas is possible
     
  11. John March

    John March Junior Member

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    Alright, so the official results are in. 2 Months and approx 5,000 miles before the stop leak failed. I was aiming for 10k miles but it just wasn't in the cards. Next up is the full head gasket replacement as a DIY, although I am checking with a trusted local shop, and a machine shop. Just wanted to update you in case someone considers HG sealer.
     
  12. Justin Henderson

    Justin Henderson Junior Member

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    Good to know.

    I have had any drop in coolant since the temperature dropped about 1.5 months ago. No rough start ups. Now I’m 5k miles since all of this unfolded. Car is running fine so I haven’t taken it back in for the HG. I’m tempted to buy one of those blue dye kits to test my coolant and actually see if there is signs of HG failure.. starting to wonder if the shop I went to originally goofed or something and I’ve been worried about HG for no reason.


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  13. rjparker

    rjparker Tu Humilde Sirviente

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    Your experience is often repeated but rarely documented as well as in this thread.

    Conventional engine logic often fails on Prius hg when they seal themselves after 1 minute of operation. New plugs burns it off fast for awhile.

    Getting bad when noticed at traffic lights. One sealer to go. Lots of guys say it works for years.

    Acceptance at last. Most likely coolant level is dropping and revs generates white smoke an average tech would recognize. Months after first symptoms.

    My experience is a head gasket at first sign might work but the long lasting repair is a professionally rebuilt engine which includes revised pistons, rings and head gasket.
     
    #72 rjparker, Oct 25, 2023
    Last edited: Oct 25, 2023
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  14. Justin Henderson

    Justin Henderson Junior Member

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    Whelp… had a good run. Not sure what changed. After months and months with no symptoms, the engine started to rock again on engine start.
    Coolant started to drop. And milky dip stick.

    Took it to Toyota today. They suspect EGr valve is bad in addition to the head. 4k to fix.




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  15. John March

    John March Junior Member

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    Yikes - I never got the coolant in the oil so if i were you i wouldn't drive it or change the oil and get it over to the repair shop quickly. If you decide to do DIY let me know.
     
  16. Justin Henderson

    Justin Henderson Junior Member

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    It’s been at the dealer for 2 weeks now…. Should be done in a few days


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  17. Air_Boss

    Air_Boss Senior Member

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    During a protracted cold snap, single digits, the Grand Caravan (V6) once exhibited a misfire and (impossible to service) rear bank external coolant leak that disappeared with ‘normal’ operating and ambient air temperatures. Never re-appeared. Good luck.