1. issjoe

    issjoe Junior Member

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    I own a 2015 Prius with 76k miles. I am the 2nd owner and bought it a 70k miles. The first owner had all maintenance done at the dealer. Last winter I had a 5 second "death rattle". I didn't know what it was and forgot about it. It's never happened again. I have since learned that the "death rattle" could be caused by a bad head gasket.
    The dealer told me not to worry about it unless it happens again. They said testing it would be a waste of money, because they probably wouldn't find anything.

    Could the "death rattle" have been caused by something else? No code was set. There are no stored codes.
     
  2. rjparker

    rjparker Tu Humilde Sirviente

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    Don't worry about it unless it happens again.
     
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  3. issjoe

    issjoe Junior Member

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    I own a 2015 Prius with 76k miles. I am the 2nd owner and bought it a 70k miles. The first owner had all maintenance done at the dealer. Last winter I had a 5 second "death rattle". I didn't know what it was and forgot about it. It's never happened again. I have since learned that the "death rattle" could be caused by a bad head gasket.
    The dealer told me not to worry about it unless it happens again. They said testing it would be a waste of money, because they probably wouldn't find anything.

    Could the "death rattle" have been caused by something else? No code was set. There are no stored codes.
     
  4. Tombukt2

    Tombukt2 Senior Member

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    EGR is starting to get plugged the passageways and the intake manifold the silver cooler and such search threads here you've got 35 days of reading . These are not the ones. But that's a personal discovery only you can make.
     
  5. ETC(SS)

    ETC(SS) The OTHER One Percenter.....

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    Which is to say that the car was not properly maintained......
    There's only TWO reasons that heart attacks "never happened again......"
    1. There is a change in behavior.
    2. OR? There isn't - ;)

    You have a ten year old car - which is the same thing as having a ten year old dog, quite frankly.
    You can get another 5-10 years out of it, but you're going to have to work at it a little bit more.

    EGR cleaning.
    FIRE your dealership and hire somebody that will not BENEFIT from you needing a new car!
    You "may" want to consider looking at your warranty and maintenance guide and determining which of the 0-120 month maintenance items have been done and which have not been done.

    Or?
    You could do what the previous owners did.
    Dump the car for a new one that will last around 100,000 with "dealer maintenance."


    Good Luck!
     
  6. Tombukt2

    Tombukt2 Senior Member

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    So this vehicle at this mileage has none of the fun stuff done yet
     
  7. Bill Norton

    Bill Norton Senior Member

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    It could be condensation that was in the throttle body / intake manifold that gathered from putzing around in very humid conditions on the previous drive. Sort of like old fashioned 'Carb Ice'. That's why the throttle body has coolant running in it, to keep it warm.
    But ice could form near the throttle plate where intake air temp drops in temp due to the rapid pressure drop. imo

    That 'ice/moisture' then settled into a pool on the bottom of the intake and it had to be digested at the next start up.
    This is just my SWAG....(scientific wild azz guess)
    It happened to me ONCE in a coastal city. I had been driving in fog the night before. That Prius never showed symptoms of the chronic head gasket failure before being sold a year or so later.

    Keep in mind, if the head gasket is failing, the coolant level will be dropping.
    Keep an eye on your coolant level if you have any suspicions.
    If the coolant isn't dropping there is no testing anyone can do to predict when the head gasket will fail. imo
     
    #7 Bill Norton, Jun 5, 2025 at 8:46 AM
    Last edited: Jun 5, 2025 at 8:54 AM
  8. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    With only 75k, it “might” just be moisture sucked in through the intake manifold. It can be due to a very short engine runtime (just a few seconds) the previous day.

    that said, I would NOT heed the dealership’s advice, get on EGR cleaning ASAP. More info in top two links in my signature (on a phone turn it landscape to see signatures).
     
  9. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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  10. issjoe

    issjoe Junior Member

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    Sorry I
    Sorry I posted twice. This thread is not showing any replies on my desktop.
    Ive done all the maintenance for 75k miles that are in the owners manual. I am considering just buying a new intake manifold and egr valve. Basically I follow the Car Care Nut Channel. He worked as Toyota master tech for years before opening up his own Toyota only shop in Chicago.
     
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  11. issjoe

    issjoe Junior Member

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    Sorry I posted twice. This thread is not showing any replies on my desktop. I have done all the maintenance for 75K in my owners manual.
    Ive been following TheCar Care Nut Channel. He is a 20 year Toyota Master Tech who opened up his own Toyota only shop in Chicago. I am considering getting a new intake manifold and egr valve. Do you reccomed that?
     
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  12. issjoe

    issjoe Junior Member

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    Sorry I posted twice. This thread is not showing any replies on my desktop.
     
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  13. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    With 75k miles, good gawd, no.
     
  14. issjoe

    issjoe Junior Member

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    Thats very good information thank you. I have done all the maitenance in the owners manual for 75k miles. I follow the Car Care Nut Channel. He is a 20 year Toyota Master Tech who opened this own Toyota only shop in Chicago.
     
  15. issjoe

    issjoe Junior Member

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    [Sorry I posted twice. This thread is not showing any replies on my desktop.QUOTE="Mendel Leisk, post: 3540512, member: 69191"]With 75k miles, good gawd, no.[/QUOTE]
     
  16. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    I watch The Car Care Nut too, but his stance on dealing with 3rd gen EGR seems coloured by his dealership years. They will never stoop to cleaning, just slam in fre$h part$.

    Again, have a look at top two links in my signature (on a phone turn it landscape to see signatures).
     
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  17. Tombukt2

    Tombukt2 Senior Member

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    Yes we're well aware you need to clean that silver cooler or have a replacement very
     
  18. issjoe

    issjoe Junior Member

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    [/QUOTE]
    Please elaborate on what you think caused my death rattle and what mainenance I should do to make sure I dont get the death rattle again.
     
  19. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Well, it could be (wait for it), early-onset head gasket failure. In which case the maintenance would be to replace the head gasket, fully clean the EGR system, and repeat the cleaning at least every 50k miles.

    Assigning symptoms vague names (death rattle) just keeps you in the dark. It's very likely liquid in the combustion chambers, which is difficult to compress. The pistons and crankshaft struggle, bearings are stretched, the damper between the crankshaft bears the brunt of it, can break springs.
     
  20. ETC(SS)

    ETC(SS) The OTHER One Percenter.....

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    You have a 2015, right?
    That means 10 years and 75,000 miles!

    This means that you're going to have to apply a little common sense to the tasks listed in the Warranty and Maintenance guide for 120 months.
    Clean the EGR loop (i.e. cooler) Consider not changing out the plugs as indicated BUT if you do beware or scam (fake) plugs and coils from Amazon and while you're inspecting the plugs stick a borescope down the holes and see if one of your pistons has been 'steam cleaned.'
    - stuff like that.

    Keep us posted.....