A recent modification I made to my daughter’s 2011 engine is this handy crankcase access port. As you can see, it is well above the oil pan, so I still have some potential lubrication. I have eliminated that pesky crankcase pressure, leading to oil in the intake manifold. If you are still reading, here’s how I did it. 1) watch YouTube, and think, “I’m going to clean my intake.” 2) get to the part where he says clamp off throttle body coolant lines 3) ignore video. 4) remove hoses, blowing coolant everywhere. 5) calmly wonder how so much pressure is on a cool engine. Complete intake and full EGR cleaning. Throw in some spark plugs and injectors for fun. 6) RUN THE ENGINE LOW ON COOLANT. It helps if you drive past the dealer on your way to Walmart to get the cheap stuff. You’re going to flush it soon, anyhow. If you followed every step, you can have a blown head gasket. Now for the access port: 1) Flush the coolant, and run the most expensive head gasket goo you can find. It is guaranteed to work. 2) If it works, you may have to wait awhile. I was lucky. It only took 50 miles, about a week, before I threw a rod. For all my efforts, my daughter prefers her car without modification. I once surprised her with tinted glass, and she thought it looked like a drug dealer. So I have ordered a 2015, 56,000 mile engine. By the way, it hasn’t used any oil (or gas) for a week. One question: Should I replace the radiator, or just flush the BlueDevil out?
I think I see a way to optimize this procedure for next time. If you get to step 5, and while the spark plugs are out, just pour some coolant (Walmart or SLLC) directly into a cylinder through the spark plug hole, you may be able to create the access port immediately in step 6.
Sad thing is: there's no need to remove the throttle body coolant lines. You can lift off the throttle body with coolant lines still attached, shift it out of the way. Somewhat similarly with the EGR cooler/valve removal: if you first drain about 2 quarts of coolant from the radiator, the coolant level will drop below the EGR system, and when hoses are disconnected there will be no spillage. After everything is reinstalled, pour the drained coolant into the reservoir, and within a day or two driving the level o will be back where it was. It might help leaving the bleed bolt open (available on 2010~2011) as you pour, or leaving a top hose loose (2012 onward, with the bleed bolt nixed).
But then To make a long story longer, I had cleaned the intake 2 years ago, with only a teaspoon of coolant loss. If I hadn’t run out of Netflix, I would have left it alone. I still don’t know why there was so much pressure in a cool engine. My daddy used to say, “if you keep picking at it, it will never heal.” I still need to do the EGR, etc on her sister’s 2010.
Guys of a certain age, run out of Netflix, are a menace, lol. Have you watched Behzat C? That'll keep you going for a while.
She had a blown/leaking head gasket that had been pumping combustion gases into a closed system. Next, this also allows too much coolant, that won't compress, to seep back into a cylinder=con rod has left the building. I'd pull and take the radiator to a repair shop; they'll know how to clean it properly. Plus that will give you more room for motor pull/install. I've never done it but my limited understanding is that it's MUCH easier to pull the engine+transaxle together than trying to separate them in the bay and remove the ICE alone. Plus, it's summer and Texas. I don't envy you! GOOD LUCK!
Thanks for the offer to pull the radiator & take to a shop. I was not looking forward to it. I ordered the water pump, which has a 2-week delivery. That should give you plenty of time. As for the engine, I’m paying a mechanic $900. I flushed the radiator and heater core 2x before throwing the rod. Today, I flushed them again, recovering all the coolant and water. I poured them into a pan to see what came out. The first jug, with just coolant, had a little goo and tiny sparkles. Pretty. There were 4 more jugs with clean water. The radiator shop said I should be fine. When I was surprised by the throttle body coolant pressure it was before blowing the head gasket. It didn’t blow until after I ran it low on coolant. BUT when I pulled the EGR cooler, it was clogged beyond description. I used oven cleaner overnight, even then, a stiff wire would only penetrate 1/8” at a time with pliers. It took hours to clean. That didn’t help the head gasket.
Yeah, that's the smoking gun. What was the miles on it, when you did the EGR cleaning? Any warning lights came on? Excerpt from Toyota Canada's notification on EGR clogging: ...While the majority of vehicles will not experience this condition... And yes, they're so proud of that, they underline it.
That would be a waste of money. Just a little water in one cylinder would do. Of course, I should have noted on the op: YOUR RESULTS MAY VARY.
Not really a light so much as smoke signals. I stopped at Walmart for coolant, and gas. After a fill up, It shook & smoked, died. You know, like they sometimes do. A guy brought over his OB-whatsit tester, and said it had a misfire code. Being in East Texas, I knew such witchcraft could get us both into trouble. Hell, my daughter's car has both Bernie & Beto stickers. And it's a Prius. I see a lot of Priuses with protective Jesus Fish & flag stickers (both USA & Confederate & Texas) & gun racks & bull balls hanging on the bumper --these are cammo. Like tire-slashing deterrents. I loudly say, "Thanks, pardner. See y'all at church." Warning light? What this car needs is a klaxon that goes off whenever I open the hood.
Yeah I meant specifically a warning light for EGR clogging. You said yours was pretty much socked in with carbonized gunk, but still no warnings?
Denso #221-3143 - $68 on Rockauto.com They are made in china but work fine. I have used plenty of them. Just replace the radiator.
No specific warning lights. After I cleaned the EGR cooler, etc., it threw a CE code for EGR. I wonder if the pipe from the exhaust manifold that leads to the cooler could be just as clogged. Of course, I’ll check on my newish engine. But it might be a factor for others. Another thing I noticed before throwing a rod: the new hotter spark plugs would ping, so I changed back to the previously spec plugs. They didn’t ping. Then POW!
I couldn’t disagree more. Having pulled a Gen 3 engine it is much simpler to extract the ICE itself out the top then drop the subframe with ICE/transaxle and such out the bottom. With competent help and an engine hoist, the ICE can be removed in a couple of hours. None of the cables on the inverter even interfere. The exhaust manifold will clear the bottom of the windshield, but I chose to remove mine.
