Hi Scotty, I found about about you through the user reviews on the Steel Seal website.
I have a 2011 Toyota Prius, Automatic Transmission, with 213,000 miles.
My engine codes are P301, P302 (misfiring on cylinders 1 and 2) My car shudders a little at startup and then smooths out after a matter of seconds. No loss of power during driving, no other symptoms. No milky oil, visual signs of leaks, or excessive white exhaust from the tailpipe.
I brought my car to two different shops. The first one told me I had a head gasket issue but after further investigation, I realized they didn't run any of the common tests to come to this conclusion, they just told me the engine had an exhaust smell to it. The second shop found combustion gases in the cooling system which is indicative of a blown/head gasket.
Both places I brought my car to can't do a head gasket repair. I called a shop close to my house and they can repair it for approximately $2000-$2500. They also told me they would like to do a compression check to solidify the problem. They feel I might just need new plugs/wires.
I drive a lot (40,000 miles a year) because I use my car for my job as a courier driver. I still owe $8500 on the car so my options to sell it or turn it in are not really realistic.
My questions are:
1. Am I a good candidate to try Steal Seal?
2. Should I just go forward with the repair?
3. Should I look into a replacement used engine?
Thanks in advance for any helpful suggestions!
~Tommy P
@Trail Benders Overland I have a Blue Devil update. I brought my car to Cloverdale Express Oil & Car Repair cloverdalexpress.com in Cloverdale California. The owner is Jennifer and wow was she knowledgeable and thorough. She and her mechanic Isreal first did a pressure test that showed good compression. They recognized the misfiring as a possible coil issue but found out it wasn't that by running a test on it. Then they used a mini-camera in cylinder 1 that showed her there was a tiny leak from the head gasket into the top of the piston causing the misfire by getting the spark plug wet and as soon as the car warmed up, the expansion of the metal made the leak go away which allowed the car to run like normal. A coolant flush and water replacement with Blue Devil was performed. The engine light has stayed off for 50 miles. I'm going to bring back in after 500 miles to follow up and add the radiator fluid back in if all goes well. I'll give you another update when I can. I hope this is helpful for some of your followers!
sounds like no one really diagnosed the problem you need to verify before fixing it to make sure it is a head gasket or electrical misfire
watch Scotty's video head gasket leak test
and if you are not mechanically inclined you have to find an honest mechanic sounds like the shop near you seem straight fwd as they were willing to test before they started
@hdbikedoc
Thanks, Hdbikedoc! The shop that determined the combustion gases in the cooling system did the radiator test to see if the fluid turns yellow which they said it did. As far as I know, it's the only test they did.