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I can not speak for certainty on the CT, but the Prius did get a Piston and Piston Ring update over the 2015-2016 years. That update helped a lot and im not seeing people reporting issues...but i would hold judgement a little longer as the mileage is less likely to be as high as the 11-14 models. I believe they also reconfigured the EGR system which helped. If your mileage is high 80k+, it wouldn't hurt to check and make sure your cooler is clean.
The engine got revised pistons for 2014 and revised piston rings for 2015. (edit post cause i got it backwards, too early in the morning)
(2016 was the intro of the Gen 4 prius so your post needs some editing... also i'm not aware of any egr "reconfiguring" other than for the Gen 4 model year update. as for our powerplant shared w/ the gen 3 prius, i don't believe there was any revision to the EGR. see my post history in this sub forum for a list of updates
Here are my threads if you want to add them to the list:
+1, thanks for making this thread OP
I'll add my thread, maybe it'll help someone out ... as far as what steps I did that were wasteful. There was ALOT of wasted time and money .... learn from me:
Man this problem has got me terrified. I only have 48K right now but damn...is this inevitable?
hi, mine issue was resolved under good will, by Lexus , they tested car and it failed emission leak test meaning either head gasket is gone or EGR cooler is leaking.
afrer 1 weeks they said bill of £2100 plus vat to change egr +cooler and head gasket if leaked.
managed to get its done all, head gasket, egr cooler and valve in £1100 parts and labour including Vat.
iwould day if you car has been maintained by Lexus then egr cooler is a known problem in Lexus where it leaks and give false head gasket alarm.
the hard shutter and start was due to egr cooler leaking. Car is doing all good and no complaints.
im glad read about issue here on the forum. so all toyota hybrids engines has this EGR/ headgasket, intake manifold, throttle body, gets so dirty that possibly ruin engine. they need to be clean? needs clean how often or think do this @90k. seems like a maintenance service, recommended at 100k-150k? I drive 2014 model. Im approaching 85k, i do a lot of city driving, i deliver various things for multiple businesses but mainly food, & groceries now but i figured get max cargo space available fold back seats now 2seater lol. its heavy usage. love driving ct the perfect car for type of work. im a DIY type person. have all manuals for owners and found the full body service & repair manual from here. so maintenance services is done mostly by me at recommended intervals. until 150k has long list , eventually gonna have get new brake pads/rotors, amazing that original pads have lasted this long 80k and more .100k? probably will change it even some pads, i watch the videos on how to remove and clean. its not easy but simple work. So the parts just cleaning them.
The quick answers: The somewhat accepted time to clean is between 75-100k miles, but really just personal preference.
The downside is that the EGR/Headgasket is hard to prove scientifically, so it is my belief that Toyota would never take full responsibility for it. Plus since they changed parts and configurations by 2016, it is only really happening to vehicles that are 4+ years past current models. Unfortunately, I haven't seen much reporting of people that have cleaned and gotten their engine up that to high milage without issue (yes, there are a couple here that have high high high milage, i am just not sure if they have done specific maintenance to get it that high). Plus, it seems like others have tried to mitigate the issue by installing an Oil Catch Can, which I haven't seen any reports of people that have installed this AND had HG failures. So it's all pretty anecdotal at this stage. The other question: Does stop and go traffic do better since it uses more traction engine? Does SnG traffic do worse because it involved starting and stopping the ICE? Does not paying attention to oil consumption play a role in HG failure? In my situation, I was not as diligent about monitoring oil levels. I think when we first got the CT I checked it a couple times and always seemed perfect, so I paid no mind to it after that. Lesson learned! I check it at every fill-up now and it's saved me once (oil was almost below the low dot @ 3.7k miles). Sometimes the oil stays steady for 3k miles, sometimes it starts falling after 2k miles. But I can never get through 5k miles without adding oil. I will say that when we did have HG failure, the EGR was completely blocked and took A LOT of cleaning to get it opened up. I am currently at 35k miles since the last EGR cleaning and plan on swapping my spare cooler at 50k. I cleaned mine with an Ultrasonic cleaner which did a fantastic job and required little effort on my part (just dropped it in vs. oven cleaner vs power washer, etc)
thanks for you input regarding my situation with my ct. i have periodically check my fluids, tires i watched the videos regarding cleaning process. i went just look at engine. starting checking fluids, notice engine coolant was pass the low level line. i did last check last oil service was in middle of H/L lines. The oil, inverter, brake was ok. i guess ct starting to have some rough engine start or when it kick on has been getting worse. currently living midwest, the weather varies from all extremes season to season. and since drive it a lot more last 2 years. just thought it was maybe wear & tear a little bit beyond normal. I only had to buy new set tires last winter. i DIY all recommened maintenance since first Lexus dealer services. oil& filters, tire ration change fob batteries, personally it been well maintain and taken care like a baby. but its getting up into high mileage, notice a few more major work or replacing parts. but knowledge and tips from this forum has so helpful. want it last, not breaking down, or having issue when my daughters starts driving, she15. probably let her have to drive. and that's when i upgrade to LS, or GS lol.
One important thing is if you do service/clean/replace the cooler, you'll have to do a coolant bleed after you fill the car back up with coolant--probably good to just replace ALL the coolant at this point anyway. How do we get our cars into service mode? Does the Prius pedal dance work? Of course if all this does is keep the ICE running, you can chock your wheels, set the foot brake, and put the car in "B" mode WHILE the engine is running. If you do that, the ICE won't turn off. For best safety, have a helper just keep their foot on the brake. Easiest way i can think of to keep the ICE running so the cooling system can bleed itself. The engine would need to get up to temp and you'd want to put the heater (highest temp setting) on full blast in fresh air mode until all bubbles are gone.
This is partly (the last part anyway) how we did it in BMWs.
I have been lurking on the forum for quite sometime reading and learning a lot. My car needs a head gasket and possible head confirmed by Lexus dealer. I want to swap in the 4th gen engine into my 3rd gen, but i can not find or (maybe i searched incorrectly), if it matters which 4th gen engine it needs to be, IE (FU,EU engine, or 5th digit B.n)? I apologize if this has been discussed all ready. Thanks for the help.
I appreciate all of the wisdom on this topic. I have a 2015 with 133,000 kilometers on it and I decided to do the cooler/EGR/Pipe/Intake/TB clean prematurely. I wasn't getting any CEL's or misfires, but thought I would be proactive. Got a used cooler from a wrecker, bought an Ultrasonic (Pre-Soak in GUNK Parts Cleaner for a few days...really the only way to clean it IMO). FWIW, I tend to drive mine hard (lots of engine acceleration) and I could still see daylight through my cooler when removed (coated, but nowhere near blocked).
One comment I'll add to the NutsandBolts video (they correctly state that removing the rear mounting stud, altogether, is the only way to do it) is to make a notch on the cooler bracket, itself. I found it near impossible to get the stud/nut back in with the cooler in the way, so I did this (below)...WAY EASIER!! This allowed me to install the stud first, then all I had to do was mess around with the mounting nut. Cleaned the intake out (be sure to clean all four EGR injection ports) with lacquer thinner/toothbrush and a steam nozzle, also cleaned the throttle body and new PCV. I just averaged 4.8L/100km on this tank.
There are quite a bit of threads relating to the infamous EGR/Intake Manifold clogging leading to Headgasket/Engine failure of the 2ZR Toyota Hybrid Engine. This includes 2010-2015 Prius (Gen3) and Lexus CT200h models. It was suggested to make a collection of all the main threads and links to the videos. I will do my darnedest to keep relevant information at the top as people respond with additional information. Most threads either have detailed repair information or decent discussions on replacement solutions.
Some peeps contributing a lot of their time include: DanLatu, Mendel Leisk, TheRob, The Critic, cnc97, Raidin, E46CT, and Raytheeagle. Thanks for all you have done and continue to do!
Additional thanks to NutzaboutBolts, GasketMasters, and Ragingfit (FixthatPrius) for your contribution with well thought-out detailed youtube vids!
Symptoms: Hard or shutter start (These symptoms will most likely, but not always, occur with cold starts and/or during takeoff from a stoplight), cylinder misfire (generally #1), sudden loss of coolant, dark exhaust. Additional causes to look for: Valve Gasket leaking (generally near cylinder #1) & oil pooling on in the throttle body. These symptoms may start appearing around 130k miles (though a few have happened earlier) with a larger population occurring at 180-220k miles. Since this is an Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) issue, the more the ICE is used, the greater the chance of earlier failure.
Causes: Clogged EGR "Cooler" Pipe, Clogged EGR Valve, Dirty EGR Tube (more of a sign than a cause), Dirty Intake Manifold, pooling of oil below throttle body. Another thing to note is the consumption of oil, so keep a close eye on your oil levels between services.
Results: If EGR/Intake is not checked and cleaned regularly, ongoing hard starts will most likely lead to a head gasket failure or engine failure (generally on cylinder #1). Be careful if you suspect HG failure, if coolant drops quickly you run the risk of bent rods. Low oil levels can lead to other engine failures.
Solutions: EGR/Intake cleaning yearly or 50k mile intervals, some just opt for replacement. If other symptoms are present: Head Gasket replacement, Gen3 Salvaged Engine Swap, or Gen4 Salvaged Engine upgrade (requires some modifications). If you have a good valve head, a NEW short block assembly may be a less expensive alternative. Replace valve gasket if it’s leaking. Oil Catch Can installation (highly debated topic, those that have done it ARE seeing a cleaner EGR system). Keep oil levels topped off between services. Some shops my opt for engine swap over HG replacement due to the time it takes to disassemble the head, the miles on the lower end, or other early signs of rod/bearing failure. Some are opting to upgrade to the Gen4 engine (some changes made by Toyota) to help alleviate future EGR problems. Prices for repair can range from $1000-$7000 due to the extent of damage, shop labor rates, etc. **DIY EGR cleaning options: Oxyclean soaking bath, EZ Off Oven Cleaner, 22 gauge wire on a drill to poke between the fins, Pressure Washer, and Ultrasonic Cleaner (had this done and did an absolutely fantastic job with very little effort)
Please note that even though there has been a TSB on this issue for quite a while, the replacement of parts will not generally warrantied by a dealer until the computer throws a code illuminating the Check Engine Light (CEL), and will mostly start with an intake manifold replacement first. However, I have not heard a case where an out of manufacturer warranty has covered damaged engines from this issue.
I hope this post will help you get some answers to your EGR/Head gasket issues!
-Spiral
Originally Posted by spiral
spacing...DONE!
I thought about parts and pricing. What I was struggling with is what to use. Use dealer pricing, find the lowest price, etc? Also, the back and forth between which parts to install i couldn't wrap my head around last night. Just EGR, do the HG, do an engine swap, do an engine upgrade, etc...
I'll see what i can do though to add all the components and maybe just go with dealer pricing so the cost can come down from there.
I have a 2012 CT that I have owned for just under two years. Has 168k on it currently. Let a friend drive as I awas out of town and was near an oil change and asked them to put in a quart to be safe.
They put in a quart of oil additive rather than oil, and a few rough starts plus a check engine light immediately followed. I've put toughly 22k on the vehicle since owning and have had zero issues, and just had the 3rd oil change. I have looked into the EGR threads and am debating if cleaning that entire system is a necessity.
There was maybe 3 rough starts and 40 miles put on the vehicle between the time the additive was put in and getting it to the shop for a system flush and oil change. Code came back cylinder 1 misfire and technician suggested it was probably due to increase in oil viscosity that the motor isn't used to handling and a bit of friction occurring because of that.
Haven't had any issues out of the car and have had zero rough starts prior to this and am wondering if it may truly be as simple as the mistake and increase in oil viscosity, or (after reading a few threads) if I am looking at more significant damage. Also, there is a slight rattle in low idle as if a plate or pan may be loose? Haven't heard that prior, but is also new.
Have started the vehicle and driven 50-60 miles since oil change and there hasn't been a hard start, engine noise (clanking or etc.), or any other noticeable symptom since. Checked the coolant level and it seemed a bit low. Topped it off and will monitor, but haven’t had any noticeable issues prior to this moment
So, on the topic of making this cleaning process easier...
I've got it in my head that if I can tap into the EGR exhaust stream somewhere and run coolant (weird I know, hang on) the entire cleaning process can be done fairly easily. I've got a 2011 with no issues but want to prematurely clean the system as I've done no major work on it.
Why coolant? I work as a technician and have replaced many many failed EGR coolers. On trucks they typically crack/ otherwise fail within the honeycomb part of the cooler and leak coolant into exhaust stream. How we know its leaking is because the coolant CLEANS the system really really well.
It looks as though the pipe coming off the head would be a good place to tap a small hole into, install something like a brake caliper nipple and add a tube to a coolant jug within the cabin. If you could command the egr valve open with a scan tool you could just rev the engine in your driveway for an hour and should expect a pretty clean EGR system. Otherwise without a highway run would do it as well.
I would just do it the right away. i'd rather buy a brand new EGR cooler than go through all that trouble of modifying your cooling system to experiment.
Oil level looks good since oil change. Coolant level has remained the same after filling. Pulled the plugs today and the only plug that looked considerably rough was Cylinder 1 and the rest looked as if they had age, but far better than the plug pulled from cylinder 1.
Drove maybe 5 miles today and felt the rough idle/shudder 3 times when pulling from low speeds after a stop. Drove straight home and parked it after and pulled the plugs, replaced them, and haven't had the nerve to move it since.
Could a single bad plug be the core of the issue? Either way I plan on having the entire EGR and Intake system pulled and cleaned beacuse I don't know if previous owner kept that maintained or not.
Head gasket failure at 159,000 km's. This is a scope of cylinder 1 after a 2 hour cool down period. No prior warning or coolant loss detected, until hard start
10-31-19, 10:20 AM
