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Leaking valve cover heads up!

Discussion in 'Generation 1 Prius Discussion' started by walkinghat, Nov 15, 2008.

  1. walkinghat

    walkinghat Junior Member

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    2001 Gen1 with 165K miles but probably applicable to high mile Gen2.

    Engine misfiring (bucking at low speed) with loss of performance. Very intermittent at first, increasing over time.
    Turns out that valve cover gasket gasket leaks oil into spark plug tube which shorts the spark to ground.

    Simple fix. I was pressed for time with my day job so let Toyota do it for $300.

    Regards
     
    #1 walkinghat, Nov 15, 2008
  2. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    Thanks for the info and heads-up; was the PCV valve replaced also?

    I think that the black rubber valve cover gasket is relatively high quality; the top of it has a molded ridge that fits into the valve cover to hold the gasket in place.
     
    #2 Patrick Wong, Nov 15, 2008
  3. galaxee

    galaxee mostly benevolent

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    time and use wins out over rubber every time. glad you got the issue taken care of.
     
    #3 galaxee, Nov 15, 2008
  4. N3FOL

    N3FOL Member

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    Oil in the plug wells will do that. I replace my SHO's gasket everytime I check and adjust shim clearance. At 160K, your gasket did its job. It was really time for it to be replaced. Glad you had that straightened out. Drive safe.
     
    #4 N3FOL, Nov 16, 2008
  5. Sue Fast

    Sue Fast Junior Member

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    What does "SHO" stand for when replacing the gasket? Thanks, sorry if it's a "not so obvious" question.....lol
     
    #5 Sue Fast, Oct 21, 2018
  6. mroberds

    mroberds Member

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    I think @N3FOL was talking about another car than a Prius... probably a Ford Taurus SHO. Basically, take a somewhat boring Ford sedan and stick an engine with about twice as much power in it, to make an interesting Ford sedan. :)
     
    #6 mroberds, Oct 23, 2018
    Sue Fast likes this.
  7. Sue Fast

    Sue Fast Junior Member

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    thank you! :)
     
    #7 Sue Fast, Oct 24, 2018
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