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Will a Third Generation Prius Engine Swap Into a CT?

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Old Apr 18, 2019 | 01:44 PM
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Exclamation Will a Third Generation Prius Engine Swap Into a CT?

Unfortunately my engine literally blew a hole in the side of the engine block while I was driving on the freeway last week. I was having issues with the engine misfiring cylinders 1-3 on occasion for a few weeks however I found similar instances online in which it was just a clogged injector or worn out spark plugs. I was going to change the spark plugs, and if that didn't work, clean or replace the injectors. I didn't think much of it though and was not too worried about driving it. I realized that my coolant was pretty low while taking a closer look so I topped it up and I assumed the dealership overlooked this when I had it there for a service two weeks before. I am not sure if it was the misfire or the low coolant that was what did in the engine but my suspicion is that I had a coolant leak that was a lot worse than I thought. Anyway, none of this matters now as I need a new engine.


My main question is if I can put a Third Generation Prius engine in the car instead of an engine from the Ct200h because it is a lot easier and cheaper to fine a Prius engine than a ct200h engine and as far as I know they are the same.



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Old Apr 18, 2019 | 02:12 PM
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Sorry to hear that. Did you have a clogged EGR? That would lead to overheating of the head, headgasket, and cause coolant to get consumed and go low.

As far as 3G prius engine, it would fit. Hell there's even people doing 4G prius engine swaps into 3g priuses with minimal fuss. I read even 4G prius connections (literally ALL connections in the engine) are identical to 3G. So yes 3G prius would easily fit CT200h. The only things different may be the airbox and thats about it. Packaging stuff. Even then it would fit it just may sit funny. lol
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Old Apr 19, 2019 | 11:28 AM
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Sad to read such a story. How many miles on the car, is the cylinder head cracked or how can you tell that engine is toast?
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Old Apr 19, 2019 | 05:01 PM
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I’m Thanks so much for the information E46ct!




Originally Posted by nacke
Sad to read such a story. How many miles on the car, is the cylinder head cracked or how can you tell that engine is toast?
it had 216,000km on it. I will link to a video showing the damage.


Last edited by SteveMason; Apr 20, 2019 at 12:04 PM.
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Old Apr 20, 2019 | 02:12 PM
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Have you considered just using JB weld to put those pieces back on?????



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Old Apr 21, 2019 | 06:07 AM
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How long have you been running the Injen filter and is it one of their Nano-web dry filters? Did you notice any performance gains or just more noise? The performance gains are usually minimal on this type of vehicle (but some like the extra noise) and you would be better off just replacing your air filter every 10,000 miles to be sure it has maximum flow and protection. I ask because I wonder how much protection it actually provides compared to a regular air filter and if it may have let in more crap that lead to the death of your engine.
Were you changing the oil more often than 10,000 miles?
Good Luck on the engine swap and let us know if it drives any better with the new motor. You should replace all the motor mounts when you install the new used motor.

Last edited by Clutchless; Apr 21, 2019 at 06:17 AM.
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Old Apr 24, 2019 | 08:43 PM
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My CT200h threw a rod at 110,000 miles. It had a big hole in the engine. It is obvious to me that the engine cant take the constant start and stopping. It definitely is no where near as reliable as a corolla engine. The CT200h has a bad engine design.

I swamped a 60,000 miles engine in it for $4,500 total. Engine was like $3,600. The engine was from LKQ.
If you call a place like LKQ they will know what engines fit in your car. Maybe you can get them to tell you while you ask them for a quote to buy a replacement.
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Old Apr 25, 2019 | 07:51 AM
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You do know the Prius engine is a Corolla engine, right? It was developed straight from that car. Start-stop has nothing to do it. Could've been a defect or some other maintenance issue but calling it a bad engine design is incorrect. It's likely in the top 5 of the world's most durable engines, if not top 3, if not #1. you just had bad luck.
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Old May 18, 2019 | 03:25 PM
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Default “Check Hybrid System” message when air conditioning plugged in.


So I got a new engine! This is a picture of the back of the old engine, it blew right through both sides.

The engine I got is a 2017 Prius engine with about 75,000km (45,000 miles) on it.

everything works great except the air conditioning doesn’t work and the mechanic said there was no error message until he plugged in the air conditioning. He said I need to go to a dealership to figure out what’s wrong. The error message says “Check hybrid system.” Does anyone know what this could mean?

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Old May 19, 2019 | 08:52 AM
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Do you have a BT odb-II scan tool? That could help tell you what’s going on with the hybrid batt.

Really there isnt anything particularly special between the engine and the air, so maybe a connector got put in the wrong spot. I’m not far enough along on my rebuild to document all the connectors, but I gotta change the oil later today and I’ll poke my head around unless someone answers before that.
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Old May 20, 2019 | 07:44 AM
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When you say 2017 engine, did you mean 4th gen prius? I'm not sure what the years are like in Canada. 2017 here in the US would be 4th gen prius. can you post pics of the engine bay?

As far as your check hybrid system, doesn't sound like it has to do with the a/c... but then again i don't know 100%. as said, scan for codes.

does the blower fan not work? or it does but the air isn't cold?
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Old Jul 9, 2019 | 12:47 AM
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Better yet, swap in a Prius Prime drivetrain... or my dream is to swap a Model 3 drivetrain.
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Old Dec 27, 2025 | 05:55 PM
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Originally Posted by r81984
My CT200h threw a rod at 110,000 miles. It had a big hole in the engine. It is obvious to me that the engine cant take the constant start and stopping. It definitely is no where near as reliable as a corolla engine. The CT200h has a bad engine design.

I swamped a 60,000 miles engine in it for $4,500 total. Engine was like $3,600. The engine was from LKQ.
If you call a place like LKQ they will know what engines fit in your car. Maybe you can get them to tell you while you ask them for a quote to buy a replacement.
If that engine blew that low of mileage it is not an engine issue it is more than likely a maintenance issue. 223k no issues. Millions of those engines out there with 200k plus.
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