Some Toyotas can live long enough to see hundreds of thousands of kilometers on their odometers before they finally give out. But have you ever wondered what the engine of a Toyota actually looks like after, say, half a million kilometers?
If you have, then get a load of this clip. It’s an engine-teardown video from YouTube channel speedkar99, and it features a 1NZ-FXE 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine from a 2004 Prius. The video shows that the vehicle already had 488,535km on the odo and is still in good running condition prior to the disassembly. Frankly, that in itself is already a testament to just how dependable Toyotas are.
But don’t focus on the figures—check out the insides of the engine as well. Despite having that many kilometers on the clock, the unit still is still in relatively good shape. Well, at least when you compare it with other old and neglected motors like this Dodge Viper V10.
Granted, the Prius engine here wasn’t left out in a garage to die, but it also wasn’t given proper TLC either. The mechanic here points out how several parts of the engine were already tarnished dark, and that there was significant sludge buildup on the oil pan.
There were a few possible causes for this. One is that the owner of the Prius may have missed some scheduled oil changes along the way. Another is that cheap engine oil was probably used, along with a budget-friendly oil filter, to save money.
Ultimately, the guy pulling the engine apart says there is no solid evidence that the mechanical wear was due to sheer mileage. “There isn’t really much mechanical wear on this thing [despite] having 500,000km. But then again, this is from a hybrid vehicle where the internal combustion engine isn’t used all the time, so you can’t expect that much wear,” he says.
This is what can happen when you skimp on car maintenance, guys. Anyway, you can check out the full video below.
