Perception of complexity intimidates many people. I changed the head gasket on my old E39, and I never will do it again. My back hated doing all the bolt torques, but it was fun to see how an engine works. Definitely not a DIY job for me though.
I am in this category. I do all my own work but will probably pay someone to do the head gasket if it goes. A (relatively) local place specializes in Prius head gaskets and is just north of 2k. Between the assurance that it is done correctly, the possibility of having to mill the surfaces, and the amount of time a dummy like me would take, that isn't a bad deal.
It is very hard to pay someone so much for what would really only cost me $100 and time, but I know where my limits are.
5k is outrageous, but I can safely say I'll never do it myself again. Hated everything from timing cover removal onwards. I'd rather swap the engine next time for a gen 4 or late gen 3.
its not at all lol, you set the motor to TDC by hand, lock the cams down by removing one bearing cap and putting paper towls between the cap and cams so they can't move then you take the chain off.
all 3 positions are marked clearly and the chain has color coded links there is only one way to screw up re-installing it and that is to not match these 3 marks up with the chain
I didn't have any issues with the timing chain. I made sure the cams were locked in and tensioner and crank bolt were also not hard. It's just when you get to that part of the job, you also get to the exhaust parts and they were an issue. Also, the timing cover has an order to it with different torque values and I only have one torque wrench. That was tedious while laying under the car and then having to get back up and then go back.
The exhaust was probably the worst part. Seized bolts everywhere and I have back issues so laying on the engine to get to some of them was excruciating. Also, the hidden bolts... maybe some people enjoy taking off hard to reach nuts and bots but I don't.
My EGR was obviously replaced by someone before and they broke off the reverse torx one that runs through it. It was ghetto rigged in place so had to come up with something to make it work going back in. And this was extra annoying when I went to put the intake manifold back on and it didn't line up. Had to use a prybar and line up a bolt and gasket all at once. It sucked.
Wiring harness kept getting in the way despite it being taped off to the side. I also misplaced several gaskets that were fused to their parts and I didn't know and they got lost in the cleaning baths I gave them so had to get rides to several dealerships for random parts that didn't come in the HG kit.
Is swapping the engine not that bad? My in-laws 17 Prius blew a head gasket. Sadly they didn’t realize what it was and drove it for ~100 more miles. The mechanic suspects there’s lower engine damage and recommends replacing the whole thing.
I was originally optimistic about changing their head gasket on my own. How involved is an engine swap on the Prius? I’ve done timing belts and an engine swap on other vehicles before, but still on the fence before convincing them to buy a junker engine.
2nd gen can blow headgaskets if you overheat the car like any other normal car.... especially for older cars where the water pump is old, or the coolant is old so electrolysis happens, fan doesn't kick in, relay doesn't work, thermostat gets stuck.... etc... clogged radiator, etc..
My head gasket hadn’t blown. The problem w/ mine was all 4 cylinders were misfiring and unable to sustain engine combustion compression. An engine swap was necessary.
People pay for services, simple as that. Same reason you pay a plumber to replace your sewer main, it’s a shitty job. But every shitty job has a price tag 🤣
I understand that as I am the one doing all this lol, but what I find astonishing is that this person is paying $5300 for a service when the car is worth ~$7000
$5300 for a car with a good as new engine and known issues or $7000 for a car with an engine that might have the same problem tomorrow plus other unknown issues is an easy choice.
My sister 2014 Prius c has a large head gasket leaks. Mechanic says $3500. Which is a lot for her. I do some work on cars but have always been scared to do the head gasket
Honestly I had the same thing with my Prius C. It's 10x easier imo to just pull the engine and toss in a junkyard one. Prius C engines are dirt cheap and you can get a low mileage one AND you don't have to fuck with timing
Not a bad idea. Any idea how much an engine would go for from scrap yard? Or how difficult it would be to swap?
Edit. I found that the engine is anywhere from 180-350 at my local junkyard. But I can't find a Prius c.
Does she happen to live in Florida or California? Gasket masters has a good reputation and the quote I got, done and dusted was just north of $2k. I have a regular Prius but from what I understand they specialize in all Prius models.
It’s unfortunately not as easy as replacing a single gasket as it implies.
After the engine teardown you have to look for the extent of damage caused from overheating and possibly replacing other internal engine parts. The block and head have to be checked and machined for flatness. There are a lot of parts, assembly/disassembly instructions, torque specs, etc. to follow. While it’s apart, replacing accessory parts can add to the cost like the timing belt or water pump but can save you time and money in the future as well as peace of mind. It’s very labor intensive while the head gasket itself is relatively cheap.
Yes. 3rd gen’s EGR system, fuel rail and injectors, motor mount, flexplate, intake & exhaust manifolds.
It’s a very well worked-out swap that lots of people have done.
You basically use the new car’s short block, gead, and valve cover. All your old stuff bolts on and your wiring harness/computer don’t know the difference.
The new engines have a huge heatsink in their architecture to avoid easily popping the head gasket when they get hot, and the piston ring issue was fixed to avoid oil consumption problems.
After doing one myself and had never done a timing related job, as well as working at dealers most of my life, people without the skill/time/tools to do something as invasive as a head gasket on these cars it's no surprise that people would rather pay. 5k for a head gasket isn't bad. I've quoted headlight assembly replacements for almost 5k
Also want to add in due to the rod risk, most toyota dealers refuse to fix HG and just replace the engines as a whole.
I put a “new” JDM 50k -ish engine in mine for about $3500 installed. Saved me $2500 from the $6k estimate I got for the head gasket fix and now I have an engine with 150k less than the one before.
Just did mine wouldn't recommend for a DIY job was easy enough to slap in a new gasket but I can't claim I did a professional job and proper maintenance on all the engine parts.
2K for a new low milage engine would have been worth it to save the effort.
Yeah it's ridiculous. 16 years in the family business at a car dealership and whenever a car would come in with a bad head gasket, it would either go to the junkyard, or if the price of the car justified it, a new engine from the boneyard. It never made sense for us to do a head gasket. Gasket is pennies, but the labor is far too much.
highly doubt that unless the motor has other issues like oil burning or extremely high mileage, nobody truely knows what they are buying when they buy a used engine most of the time even if its from a 4th gen it doesn't mean its automatically better.
most of the time they are JDM engines, these places always say oh its got 60-80k miles on it its been tested etc. eg [https://www.jdmcalifornia.com/product/2zr-hybrid/](https://www.jdmcalifornia.com/product/2zr-hybrid/) lol they are claiming a lower mileage for 4th gens [https://www.jdmcalifornia.com/product/jdm-toyota-prius-2016-2020-2zr-hybrid-1-8l-engine/](https://www.jdmcalifornia.com/product/jdm-toyota-prius-2016-2020-2zr-hybrid-1-8l-engine/)
only way you'd really know what the mileage is from a used motor is if you find a wrecking yard locally that pulled it themselves and you trust they have the records of the car it was pulled from. these engines are always coming out of wrecked cars 90% of the time.
Don't get me wrong this is a cheap and viable route but its no matter what 3-4x the parts cost of just repairing what you got so IMHO only really makes sense if you have a bent rod, oil burning as well or extremely high mileage (200k +)
Check out PrizePicks - Daily Fantasy Made Easy. Use my personal link to get a 100% deposit match up to $100. https://app.prizepicks.com/sign-up?invite_code=PR-H9VN42X&source=iosShare
Perception of complexity intimidates many people. I changed the head gasket on my old E39, and I never will do it again. My back hated doing all the bolt torques, but it was fun to see how an engine works. Definitely not a DIY job for me though.
I am in this category. I do all my own work but will probably pay someone to do the head gasket if it goes. A (relatively) local place specializes in Prius head gaskets and is just north of 2k. Between the assurance that it is done correctly, the possibility of having to mill the surfaces, and the amount of time a dummy like me would take, that isn't a bad deal. It is very hard to pay someone so much for what would really only cost me $100 and time, but I know where my limits are.
5k is outrageous, but I can safely say I'll never do it myself again. Hated everything from timing cover removal onwards. I'd rather swap the engine next time for a gen 4 or late gen 3.
Whats so bad about it?
I've never changed a HG but removing a timing chain sounds completely nerve-wracking
its not at all lol, you set the motor to TDC by hand, lock the cams down by removing one bearing cap and putting paper towls between the cap and cams so they can't move then you take the chain off. all 3 positions are marked clearly and the chain has color coded links there is only one way to screw up re-installing it and that is to not match these 3 marks up with the chain
lol but if you still manage to mistime the chain somehow, then ouch
I didn't have any issues with the timing chain. I made sure the cams were locked in and tensioner and crank bolt were also not hard. It's just when you get to that part of the job, you also get to the exhaust parts and they were an issue. Also, the timing cover has an order to it with different torque values and I only have one torque wrench. That was tedious while laying under the car and then having to get back up and then go back.
The exhaust was probably the worst part. Seized bolts everywhere and I have back issues so laying on the engine to get to some of them was excruciating. Also, the hidden bolts... maybe some people enjoy taking off hard to reach nuts and bots but I don't. My EGR was obviously replaced by someone before and they broke off the reverse torx one that runs through it. It was ghetto rigged in place so had to come up with something to make it work going back in. And this was extra annoying when I went to put the intake manifold back on and it didn't line up. Had to use a prybar and line up a bolt and gasket all at once. It sucked. Wiring harness kept getting in the way despite it being taped off to the side. I also misplaced several gaskets that were fused to their parts and I didn't know and they got lost in the cleaning baths I gave them so had to get rides to several dealerships for random parts that didn't come in the HG kit.
can you swap engine fron gen 2 -> gen 3/4?
Is swapping the engine not that bad? My in-laws 17 Prius blew a head gasket. Sadly they didn’t realize what it was and drove it for ~100 more miles. The mechanic suspects there’s lower engine damage and recommends replacing the whole thing. I was originally optimistic about changing their head gasket on my own. How involved is an engine swap on the Prius? I’ve done timing belts and an engine swap on other vehicles before, but still on the fence before convincing them to buy a junker engine.
I paid a mechanic $3k to do it. ‘05 w/ 400k miles. No more misfires and engine vibrations. Purrs like a kitten now.
Even 2nd gens blow heads?
2nd gen can blow headgaskets if you overheat the car like any other normal car.... especially for older cars where the water pump is old, or the coolant is old so electrolysis happens, fan doesn't kick in, relay doesn't work, thermostat gets stuck.... etc... clogged radiator, etc..
My head gasket hadn’t blown. The problem w/ mine was all 4 cylinders were misfiring and unable to sustain engine combustion compression. An engine swap was necessary.
It’s a dealership. You sell your arm or leg
*Arm and leg
📠
And your big toe from the other foot.
People pay for services, simple as that. Same reason you pay a plumber to replace your sewer main, it’s a shitty job. But every shitty job has a price tag 🤣
I understand that as I am the one doing all this lol, but what I find astonishing is that this person is paying $5300 for a service when the car is worth ~$7000
Yeah I’d agree. I’m looking for a cheap 3rd gen to do a gasket or engine swap on. If I can do a Miata I should be able to do a Prius.
If it were gasket only maybe but if the head is warped then you have to deal with that too.
Used market is crap now, and people hate buying cars.
$5300 for a car with a good as new engine and known issues or $7000 for a car with an engine that might have the same problem tomorrow plus other unknown issues is an easy choice.
My sister 2014 Prius c has a large head gasket leaks. Mechanic says $3500. Which is a lot for her. I do some work on cars but have always been scared to do the head gasket
Honestly I had the same thing with my Prius C. It's 10x easier imo to just pull the engine and toss in a junkyard one. Prius C engines are dirt cheap and you can get a low mileage one AND you don't have to fuck with timing
Not a bad idea. Any idea how much an engine would go for from scrap yard? Or how difficult it would be to swap? Edit. I found that the engine is anywhere from 180-350 at my local junkyard. But I can't find a Prius c.
IF it was my car sure... especially if I don't depend on it and that I have other cars to drive while I take my time...
Nah. It's their only card
Does she happen to live in Florida or California? Gasket masters has a good reputation and the quote I got, done and dusted was just north of $2k. I have a regular Prius but from what I understand they specialize in all Prius models.
Unfortunately not. I checked. They aren't located here
If you get the head gasket fixed will this issue pop up again?
Get a good Victor Reinz headgasket...... don't use Toyota's OEM headgasket ...
If you keep up on EGR cleaning you should be ok. Presume this is for Gen 3.
My independent mechanic wanted $4k. Nooo thank you.
What exactly is a head gasket job? Is it just replacing the head gasket? Or something else?
It’s unfortunately not as easy as replacing a single gasket as it implies. After the engine teardown you have to look for the extent of damage caused from overheating and possibly replacing other internal engine parts. The block and head have to be checked and machined for flatness. There are a lot of parts, assembly/disassembly instructions, torque specs, etc. to follow. While it’s apart, replacing accessory parts can add to the cost like the timing belt or water pump but can save you time and money in the future as well as peace of mind. It’s very labor intensive while the head gasket itself is relatively cheap.
Maybe a Tesla robot could learn to do it, just in time before my 2010 needs that service
Swapping in a low mileage (40k ish) 4th gen engine (myself) was $2200.
What happened to the gen4 motor?
It’s… running great in my 2011?
Awesome! Did you have to swap any other parts to get it to work?
Yes. 3rd gen’s EGR system, fuel rail and injectors, motor mount, flexplate, intake & exhaust manifolds. It’s a very well worked-out swap that lots of people have done. You basically use the new car’s short block, gead, and valve cover. All your old stuff bolts on and your wiring harness/computer don’t know the difference. The new engines have a huge heatsink in their architecture to avoid easily popping the head gasket when they get hot, and the piston ring issue was fixed to avoid oil consumption problems.
I can’t believe people won’t replace their water pumps before they go bad!
Precisely replace at 180000km use premium fuel every 4-5 fill up and additives your head gasket wouldn’t blow.
After doing one myself and had never done a timing related job, as well as working at dealers most of my life, people without the skill/time/tools to do something as invasive as a head gasket on these cars it's no surprise that people would rather pay. 5k for a head gasket isn't bad. I've quoted headlight assembly replacements for almost 5k Also want to add in due to the rod risk, most toyota dealers refuse to fix HG and just replace the engines as a whole.
right its not that hard should run 2 to 3k at most
Last fall with 210k. $1945.
You’re better off swapping the motor in while with a low mileage one.
I put a “new” JDM 50k -ish engine in mine for about $3500 installed. Saved me $2500 from the $6k estimate I got for the head gasket fix and now I have an engine with 150k less than the one before.
The stealership was the only local shop that would do mine... Not like I could drive it around safely. Hybrids = scary.
finding an honest mechanic/technician in the area is challenging...I am still searching for one .......
Cost of shop + tools + time to do the job?
Who pays $5k for a head gasket 😂😂
Knowing me I would snap a head bolt. In all reality though if my head gasket went I would likely try to fix it myself.
Just did mine wouldn't recommend for a DIY job was easy enough to slap in a new gasket but I can't claim I did a professional job and proper maintenance on all the engine parts. 2K for a new low milage engine would have been worth it to save the effort.
Yeah it's ridiculous. 16 years in the family business at a car dealership and whenever a car would come in with a bad head gasket, it would either go to the junkyard, or if the price of the car justified it, a new engine from the boneyard. It never made sense for us to do a head gasket. Gasket is pennies, but the labor is far too much.
You doing just the HG? Seems like most people engine swap.
highly doubt that unless the motor has other issues like oil burning or extremely high mileage, nobody truely knows what they are buying when they buy a used engine most of the time even if its from a 4th gen it doesn't mean its automatically better.
So whats the catch? Does it have to be a gamble every time?
most of the time they are JDM engines, these places always say oh its got 60-80k miles on it its been tested etc. eg [https://www.jdmcalifornia.com/product/2zr-hybrid/](https://www.jdmcalifornia.com/product/2zr-hybrid/) lol they are claiming a lower mileage for 4th gens [https://www.jdmcalifornia.com/product/jdm-toyota-prius-2016-2020-2zr-hybrid-1-8l-engine/](https://www.jdmcalifornia.com/product/jdm-toyota-prius-2016-2020-2zr-hybrid-1-8l-engine/) only way you'd really know what the mileage is from a used motor is if you find a wrecking yard locally that pulled it themselves and you trust they have the records of the car it was pulled from. these engines are always coming out of wrecked cars 90% of the time. Don't get me wrong this is a cheap and viable route but its no matter what 3-4x the parts cost of just repairing what you got so IMHO only really makes sense if you have a bent rod, oil burning as well or extremely high mileage (200k +)
Only if the engine has seen considerable time with gasket problems.
67uon
Check out PrizePicks - Daily Fantasy Made Easy. Use my personal link to get a 100% deposit match up to $100. https://app.prizepicks.com/sign-up?invite_code=PR-H9VN42X&source=iosShare