Stuck EGR Valve

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by John A, Jul 19, 2020.

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  1. ZBrink

    ZBrink Member

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    I use nothing but Top Tier and the pipe leading to my EGR Valve was 100% blocked.
     
    #21 ZBrink, Jul 21, 2020
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  2. John A

    John A Junior Member

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    Yeah, I used the cheap stuff for it’s full life. Got the verdict back, and the winner is A: miss fire due to coolant in cylinder 1 #blownheadgasket. The mechanic was nice enough not to charge me for the test due to the bad news

    one thing he said that’s questionable is, just keep topping off the coolant, I guess he’s seen cars run for years with this problem.

    seeing how I have never replaced the battery or anything else, if something else fails it could cost way more then it’s worth‍♂️
     
    #22 John A, Jul 21, 2020
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  3. Grit

    Grit Senior Member

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    Gah! Glad to hear no charge. At least you know for sure not to invest & throw anymore parts at it. Cars head gaskets in general will deteriorate as the miles are piled on. Mine has about 160,000 miles driven and hope to get as far as your odo.
     
    #23 Grit, Jul 21, 2020
  4. John A

    John A Junior Member

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    and that was with minimal maintenance, I can only imagine where it would be if I did the egr cleaning every 70k. I put about 20k every year on it. Plus did cross country 3 times
     
    #24 John A, Jul 21, 2020
  5. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk MMX GEN III

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    Considering the miles and moderate-to-heavy oil consumption, might be time to sell then?
     
    #25 Mendel Leisk, Jul 21, 2020
  6. John A

    John A Junior Member

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    i need it to last another 2 years for my Cyber truck to start production:p

    I think im going to give bars leaks head gasket repair. Apparently it is compatible with coolant. well see what happens
     
    #26 John A, Jul 21, 2020
  7. John A

    John A Junior Member

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    Mendel, what do you think would last longer, keep the coolant filled as is or use a head gasket temporary fix, or which one would do more damage? Say, trying to keep alive for another 2 years. Eventually i would like to try and do a head gasket job on my own, although it is pretty intimidating:ROFLMAO:
     
    #27 John A, Jul 21, 2020
  8. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk MMX GEN III

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    Topping up the coolant you continue to play Russian Roulette with hydrolock (when enough coolant is in the cylinder to stop the piston stroke, bend the piston arm, send out the sidewall of the block.

    By head gasket temporary fix you mean a gasket sealant product. That's the less of two evils, but leaves a mess, "seals" everything. Hopefully reversible with a vinegar/water flush.

    With your moderate oil consumptiion, and the miles, swapping in a used engine makes about as much sense? It wouldn't hurt to research both, see what it would cost to have pros do it.

    There are a few here that have swapped in a salvage 4th gen engine too. They have revised pistons/oil rings, and are more available, lower miles, cheaper. The easiest approach with the latter seems to be retaining the 3rd gen intake and exhaust manifolds, throttle body and EGR. Some mods to coolant lines are needed, but it's all doable.

    Swapping in a Gen 4 Prius' 2ZR Engine into the Prius v | PriusChat
     
    #28 Mendel Leisk, Jul 21, 2020
    Last edited: Jul 21, 2020
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  9. John A

    John A Junior Member

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    think i will take the risk of using the seal! Thx man
     
    #29 John A, Jul 21, 2020
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  10. John A

    John A Junior Member

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    Worst comes to worst, I saw a few Prius on Facebook for 2k:D probably have to do some egr cleabings:ROFLMAO:
     
    #30 John A, Jul 21, 2020
  11. jas8908

    jas8908 Member

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    I would repair the hg personally but I’ve seen posts indicating that loosening the coolant overflow reduces the pressure and stops the coolant from entering the cylinder. This will reduce the ability to cool the engine however.
     
    #31 jas8908, Jul 21, 2020
  12. mjoo

    mjoo Senior Member

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    IMHO this also promotes detonation =chunks flying off the head/block. Either way you're definitely on borrowed time.
     
    #32 mjoo, Jul 21, 2020
  13. John A

    John A Junior Member

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    @Mendel Leisk So is it weird to have some pink powdr on the EGR cooler connected to the exhast (back portion where the studs are), the tip of the metal gastket (i believe thats what its called), i always set the bolts to 7 LBs but it seems to appear.
     
    #33 John A, Jul 21, 2020
  14. John A

    John A Junior Member

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    I would do it if it werent my primary vehicle and have never done it before, ill do it once i have another ride (Cyber Truck), right now with COVID i cant go anywhere, im estimating 7k or less in driving. Ill create another post documenting the outcome, the sealer says it doesn't clog anything else and runs in the coolant to continually block any clogs that happen. Lets see how long i can make it :-D, like i said, fortunately i can purchase another vehicle for the same price of the work for a head gasket procedure
     
    #34 John A, Jul 21, 2020
  15. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk MMX GEN III

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    Maybe you've got a coolant leak in the EGR cooler fins? Pink powder could be dried up coolant.
     
    #35 Mendel Leisk, Jul 21, 2020
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  16. John A

    John A Junior Member

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    not sure what a cooler fins are? I was thinking it was coolant, any chance it is from the exhaust? Because of the cyl 1leak or should I tighten the bolts harder?
     
    #36 John A, Jul 21, 2020
  17. John A

    John A Junior Member

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    Also who’s making money off these ads manscaped just showed me a woman lol
     
    #37 John A, Jul 21, 2020
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  18. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk MMX GEN III

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    The cooler is the typical name for the EGR component bolting to the exhaust manifold. It has an internal radiator with fins. Maybe it's leaking? Did you use a wire when cleaning it. The coolant is pink, dries to pink crusty stuff.
     
    #38 Mendel Leisk, Jul 21, 2020
  19. John A

    John A Junior Member

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    I understand the fins now; you think the cooler is compromised internally?
     
    #39 John A, Jul 22, 2020
  20. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk MMX GEN III

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    A guess, based on your description of "pink powder".
     
    #40 Mendel Leisk, Jul 22, 2020
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