Intake Manifold and EGR Cleaning/Replacement - How hard is it really?

Sorry in advance for the long post.

TLDR: how hard *really* is the intake manifold/EGR replacement/cleaning? How long will it take to swap parts out, assuming I am a beginner who has done car repairs in the past, but has also messed up and needed a professional to "save the day". It seems simple but very involved, and I don't want to end up halfway through tearing it apart or putting it together and end up with a non-drivable vehicle.

Now, for the long version:

I have a 2013 Prius V with about 165k miles I just purchased used.

It has a slight shudder on cold startup but nothing constant.

I am reading online that it should have the EGR system and intake manifold cleaned as preventative maintenance, and the previous owner said he has no record of that being done.

I have been researching how to do the job and it seems simple enough for someone with basic skills but just very involved, and I am worried to get into the project and muck something up or run into a snag and end up without my daily driver vehicle. Lots of bolts, connectors, tubing, etc, just seems like opportunities for something to go wrong when you're tackling this as a beginner and on a time crunch over a weekend, haha.

If I were to do It, I would purchase replacement parts (intake manifold, gaskets, EGR cooler) to swap in, and clean the originals at a later time to be able to get my car back up and running sooner. (RockAuto aftermarket? vs eBay vs new OEM from a dealer?).

However for the sake of my sanity, I am going to try and see if any shops around me will do the EGR valve and pipe cleaning, and then swap the intake manifold, EGR cooler, and PCV valve with customer supplied parts, but I am not hopeful given what I've read about other mechanics saying they either aren't familiar, or it's not worth it. Also, if it's outrageously expensive, I wouldn't be able to do it.

I've done other mechanical work this summer on another vehicle, but I am very much a beginner. While I have successfully done various repairs (motor mounts, CV axles, front lower control arms, serpentine belt tensioner, etc), I have also made mistakes that have caused me to have to pay a professional to fix, or other issues pop up that cause me to question whether I messed something up in the process.

Given the lack of history on the vehicle, and the involvement of this kind of maintenance, what should I do? I am finding a plethora of posts online saying anything from "it's so easy I did it in 30 minutes" to "take your time, it's an annoying job but simple to do DIY" all the way to "it took me days and I'll never do it again". Lots of supportive people online encouraging others to tackle the project themselves, but I don't want to get a false sense of security and end up in a mess without a car.

Thanks in advance for any thoughts or suggestions. Part of me wants to just ignore it until it throws a code, just drive the car. But I do want to maintain the vehicle the best I can to make it last, just feels like a daunting task.

Thanks!

 

Thanks for the replies!

That helps me feel better about doing it for sure. You're right about renting a car, might be worth doing that and just coming back to it. Hadn't thought about that honestly, so I appreciate that!

That linked thread is helpful to breakdown the steps, thank you!
My thought is I could possibly start Friday evening, get it taken out, start it soaking overnight, then Saturday, finish cleaning it, and work on getting it put back together, and that leaves Sunday in case things go south? 5pm-9pm or 10pm gives me 4-5 hours to get it taken apart. Does that sound doable? Or would it really be best just to start on a sat?

I like the idea of getting that nut off beforehand if I'm able to get to it without taking off all the other stuff first. That would lower my hassle when it comes time to do the rest for sure!

Re: draining coolant: if I already planned on doing a coolant drain and fill, should I just drain it all and then refill when it's all back together? Unless there's something I'm missing, that seems like the perfect opportunity to do that.

As far as the dubious nature of it, thankfully I don't see signs of the head gasket having failed. I plan to do a quick test using those combustion leak testers just to be sure, but no obvious signs. Coolant looks great, engine oil has no gunk in it, no smoke, etc.

Of course, I guess it could possibly be partially damaged and not fully failed yet, but I figure anything I can do to keep it in good shape for as long as possible is worthy of doing. If I do the cleaning now and then the head gasket fails, then at least I tried I suppose. Having just purchased the vehicle, I want to do my best to make it run well for a long time.

Thanks again for your advice and guides! I'm sure I will be posting again to ask questions as they come up.

 

Not sure about buying parts after looking at prices and doing some more research. Might just clean what I’ve got and hope for the best, even though it would be easier to have new parts to swap out.

I’m hopeful the head gasket is fine. Theres no crud or obvious signs of failure, and my mechanic gave it a thumbs up during the PPI (or else I wouldn't have bought it, haha). The shudder I mentioned is just a single jolt or shake when the engine starts up cold that kinda moves the car. I don’t think it’s the typical “death rattle” people talk about because it’s just the single thump and jolt and then it’s fine. This is my third car this year so I pray it lasts me many miles without a catastrophic failure like that. It makes me sick thinking about having a head gasket or engine failure lol.

I read on another thread that the single jolt may be normal and part of the way the drivetrain and engine are made, it ends up having some inertia that causes some movement. Im hoping thats the case and it’s just a normal quirk of the car.

 

Is the updated design worth the $600-800 price tag for OEM parts? Or is it fine to just take off the current parts, clean and reinstall? I really do like the idea of having clean parts to just swap in, but idk if i can justify spending almost 1k on them on top of everything else (at least from Toyota parts website).

 

I ended up doing the following:

I found a reputable ebay seller based in Japan who sells brand new OEM EGR Cooler, and another reputable seller who I got the EGR valve kit that comes with the gaskets. Both shipped for about $400.
I figured that’s a decent middle ground where I can clean the intake manifold & pipe, and then swap the other two parts and clean later.

Trying to clean everything in one weekend felt too daunting.

I know there’s a risk buying from eBay, however these are sellers with very high ratings and lots of sales which makes me more confident in the quality. Not as confident as straight from Toyota, but at half the cost, I’ll take that risk.

I also ordered a brand new Aisin water pump, after reading on the forum that they’re identical to the OEM. $140 off amazon.

Here’s the breakdown of my expenses so far. Please let me know if there’s anything I’m missing. I don’t want to go overboard on putting money into it that it doesn’t need, but it sounds like the EGR, intake, water pump, etc are basically essential preventative maintenance. I’m still scared about future engine failure or gasket failure given what I’ve read, so I really hope this money isn't being spent for nothing.




Things I’ve already done:

• 2013 Prius V Three - $5000.00
• State Sales Tax - $300.00
• Title Transfer - $20.00
• Plate Transfer - $10.00
• Registration - $5.00
• PPI - $132.00
• Brakes and Rotors (including $17 shipping) - $180.75
• Oil filler cap (had some seepage) - $8.85
• Oil Filter - $10.09
• Oil - $31.77

Things I have yet to do:

• Struts and Sway bar links, and alignment (quote from local trusted mechanic) - $1240.00
• Windshield replacement - $430.00

Parts I’ve purchased but haven’t installed yet:

• Transmission fluid and coolant - $108.00
• Cabin Air Filter - $14.32
• Engine Air Filter - $18.39
• Spark Plugs - $33.08
• Water pump - $149.46
• EGR Cooler to swap - $211.99
• EGR Valve kit to swap - $195.63

Total: $8113.62

I still need an PCV valve (OEM or aftermarket?)

Is there anything I’m missing? Have I already put too much into the car? With 165k on it, I’d love to drive it for another 160k or more, but don’t want to get in over my head on something that will just need a new engine in a little while.

thanks for your advice and insight!

 

Aside from whats in carfax (not much detail) and the paperwork from a body shop that did some work last year, nothing really.

The original owner had it from 2013-2024 and the most recent owner had it for about a year, and he didn’t do much aside from regular oil changes and an alignment.

I will be checking the hybrid battery fan this week to see what condition it’s in. Fingers crossed it’s pretty clean

 

Oh nice! Thanks for that!

heres what they have:

seems like they really went through rear brakes, especially with the condition they were just in when I did them. They were down to 1mm on the back.

 

Yeah, I’m curious what’ll happen. The sellers description stated that they handle all tariff and import costs, and even at checkout eBay said the final total is including any tariff/fees and is the total I should expect to pay.

time will tell what actually happens I suppose haha

 

Should I just wait on everything until the spring?

Do the brakes and windshield since those are more urgent, but just drive it for the winter before throwing parts at it? I can always sell/return the parts later that I’ve bought.

I just don’t want to not do it and then find out that in the spring I’ve blown a head gasket and wonder “what if”.

I feel like I’ve made another mistake getting this car now lol. During my research it seemed like if it wasn’t a 2010 or 2011 I’d be fine.

After the Chevy traverse nightmare earlier this summer dumping hours and hours, and thousands into it before it got totaled, and now this. I just want a reliable car, ugh.