Head gasket issue due to leaking engine coolant to cylinder no.1 and no.2 ?

 

Keep a close eye on your engine coolant level. If it is going down, then unfortunately you probably have a head gasket issue. (That being said, 4 years ago when I ran counterfeit spark plugs I got the rattle and lost coolant, but haven't lost any since.)

What I hope is the issue is that you have clogged EGR ports in your intake manifold. It's a common issue, there are little holes in the intake that the EGR system runs exhaust through and they get clogged pretty easily and quickly, usually leading to misfire codes. The only problem is that most mechanics are just going to tell you to replace the intake manifold and EGR (or misdiagnose it completely) which is a complete waste since it just needs a quick cleaning. It's a pretty easy job and you can do it yourself if you have DIY skills. Most the info you will find on it is going to be for a 3rd gen Prius, but it's the exact same procedure. If you want to go even deeper you should also clean the EGR, EGR pipe, and EGR cooler, but I would check the intake first and if it IS clogged then you'll want to consider the rest.

You also need to make sure you got your spark plugs from an official dealer, like a parts store or dealership, not the internet. Otherwise just replace them, they can't be trusted.

 

I bought the spark plugs from the Lexus dealer. The coolant is halfway between the Full and Low marks. I had it at the Full mark about 2ish months ago. Looks like I'll be getting my hands dirty with the head gasket.

 

Yeah and unfortunately I think the most common HG failure mode is directly between the #1 and #2 cylinders, but don't quote me on that.

What I'd do probably is borescope those cylinders to confirm.

 

• Shudder/Shaking at start up. Following day consistent x2 (hours apart)
• Borescope confirmed #4. 1,2,3 were dry
• Some coolant loss
• No codes (on cluster at least)

Here’s to give you an idea of my maintenance

• Oil changes every 5K
• Oil catch can + PCV @ 95K
• EGR/Manifold system cleaning @ 95K
• Inverter/Coolant changed @ 95K
• Waterpump @ 113K
• Spark plugs @ 121K

I've ordered some parts to do my head gasket. Make sure you don't drive it too long (if it's a blown head gasket) as it can become worse to where you bend or blow a rod.

 

Good evening all, I have occasionally had my engine rattle at start. It began about 2 months ago. Yesterday it rattled pretty hard and then finally lit the check engine light. Have you guys had these codes? I changed out my spark plugs about 2k ago (106k). I swapped 1 with 4 and 2 with 3, along with the coil packs. Gonna see if the codes follow or not. When I turned on my car after swapping the check engine light wasn't there. I'll let you all know whenever it comes back but I was curious if you've had this come up and what was the larger issue at hand. Thank you!

I had the same error codes 301 and 302. It’s not the spark plugs it is the blown head gasket! I had mind replaced on my 2013 CT200h. Repair shop says the engine is prone to this head gasket problem since it is the same engine as the Prius. Repairs cost $2,500. Now my CT200h purrs like a cat!

 

Don't wait too long, connecting rod can get bent if too much fluid is in the cylinder

 

I am slowly making my way to the head gasket. Found a good machine shop in the area to take the head to once it's off.

 

Nice! Good luck with it. You might consider inspecting the water pump while you have super easy access. A lot of shops change them with a HG job since they've been known to actually be the cause in some cases. I'd also clean the intake and the EGR, pipe, and cooler while you have the car apart.

 

Finally got it off. I wish I had done a better job of tracking time but I think it took me about 10-12 hours. Had I had all the proper tools I may have shaved an hour off not needing to fight as hard. Time to take the head to a shop and some time next week put it all back together.

 

Last Friday I finally put the whole engine together! She is driving smoothly after an initial rough start. That engine shook like it was trying to earn some money. But I am getting an exhaust leak code, two actually. Need to dig into that. P0441 and P0455.

 

Good evening all, I have occasionally had my engine rattle at start. It began about 2 months ago. Yesterday it rattled pretty hard and then finally lit the check engine light. Have you guys had these codes? I changed out my spark plugs about 2k ago (106k). I swapped 1 with 4 and 2 with 3, along with the coil packs. Gonna see if the codes follow or not. When I turned on my car after swapping the check engine light wasn't there. I'll let you all know whenever it comes back but I was curious if you've had this come up and what was the larger issue at hand. Thank you!

This same thing happened to me. Any pointer before a spend a bunch of money on fixing a head gasket or something. I also have coolant levels that have dropped a lot.

 

If you are mechanically inclined you can do it. It is a 20 plus hour job. The dealer will charge you about 21 hours worth of labor. I am grateful to have a third vehicle so I could take 2 weeks to take it apart and then another week putting it back together. There is a video on YouTube by gasket masters that shows step by step how to do it. It is done on a Toyota Prius but all the mechanicals the same. The only thing that's a little different are the windshield wiper stuff at the beginning of the video.

 

Thank you for the reply. Currently I'm living in a new area and and haven't moved my tools. So I don't think I will be able to do that.

 

Did you find out what is going on my 2012 Lexus is acting up got spark plugs coils and still showing up the same code not running hot no leaks but rattling motor in town and driving rough unto I get it up in high speed ..Engine light back on