Toyota Yaris badly overheated - any hope?

Dumb guess, but didn't Toyota sell a bunch of Yaris over the years? Pretty sure they all used the same engine--if not all years, then at least a decent spread. Probably fastest and cheapest to find a junkyard motor and drop in. Junk the car if it's rotted or somesuch, or if a freebie car is available. Otherwise it's likely the cheapest option.

If you really want to get involved (not sure I would), you could try pulling the head and looking. I suspect that a HG replacement might be more work than engine swap, but if your labor is free it might be the cheap option. But I'm not so sure about the bottom end--might get lucky, I guess it depends on what can be seen once the head comes off. If the rings did go bad, well, could always do a ring and bearing job (and HG a second time). Lotta work--hope he has a garage.

Yes Toyota used the 1.5 1NZ engine in several models....Echo, Yaris, xA, xB and the 1st 2 Prius gens. Very robust little engines.

My 18 year old daughter drives a '10 Yaris LB with about 150k on it. The drivetrain is rock solid.

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Engines for those are dirt dirt DIRT cheap around me. I'd put another engine in it if any of you can DIY it.

To add: engine from a Prius won't work. Ignore any 1NZ-FXE engines that show up in a cross reference if you decide to replace the engine. You need a 1NZ-FE.
 
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I agree with everyone who said it is most likely junk. If I was going to fix that car I would get a cheap used engine to replace the cooked one, those engines are cheap and readily available. Where I live Pull A Part sells 4 cylinder engines with all accessories for $170 and I am sure a cheap used engine would be readily available where you are too if they need to fix it as cheaply as possible.
 
Too bad it wasn’t turned off when the belt broke and the engine would be ok. The belt was prob original, had cracks or making noises. So likely a few errors led to its demise. Agree a used engine can be put in for not too much.
OT: It amazes me that so many drivers are so clueless about how cars work...an Uber ride home would have been a lot cheaper than destroying an engine.
 
How bad is the rust? The thing about rust on unibody cars is that it compromises structural integrity. Are we talking surface rust any car would have in the north or flaking off subframes and rotted out body panels? If rust is bad part the car out or sell it to a junkyard.

If a used engine can be had and installed for under $1000 and the car can go on for another 2 years it would be worth it. If you can DIY a used engine for around $500 I’d say definitely worth the repair.

Do research on what a comparable car would cost in similar condition. That could sway the repair one way or the other. Why junk it if a similar car with good engine is $2500 and you can put in a used engine for under that?
 
That SIL isn't very bright. He killed that car and he needs to walk or catch a ride to work for awhile so he will have time to ponder what he did. This is what I would tell one of my kids if they did that. If the parents buy him another car or fix the Yaris, he will never fully understand the consequences of what he did. Some people will call me a mean dad, but I call it teaching personal responsibility, something that too few of us do with our kids now days, instead many parents just bail their kids out every time they get into a jam. You need to distance yourself from this situation Number_35.
 
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Like many have already said, cut and run. Get yourself out of this situation as soon as you can. Why? You may be helping them short term, but this kind of thing WILL happen again with them. And you’re back in it all over.

Or even if you help them out and somehow get that going again, it’s going to fail very soon after, and you will be blamed for it. And a friend and neighbor becomes “that guy next door”... 😐
 
Disheartening narrative to read. Some people were never taught that when an idiot light comes on, or steam starts shooting out of the engine compartment, you stop as soon as you're able to get clear of traffic. If that means taking the median, you take it. Idiot lights aren't a gentle reminder that you need to check things out when you get home. I wish I had something positive to say about that engine, but like everyone else said, it's gone. Rings, warped head, and lord knows what else was ruined when it seized. But if money is tight, he may have to go the route many people don't find worth it, which would be to invest in a wrecking yard engine. It may cost more than the car is technically worth, but it'll be cheaper than a new car that's worth buying.
 
the cars are disposable items so this one is no exception; time to move on to another wheels
 
How bad is the rust? The thing about rust on unibody cars is that it compromises structural integrity. Are we talking surface rust any car would have in the north or flaking off subframes and rotted out body panels? If rust is bad part the car out or sell it to a junkyard.

If a used engine can be had and installed for under $1000 and the car can go on for another 2 years it would be worth it. If you can DIY a used engine for around $500 I’d say definitely worth the repair.

Do research on what a comparable car would cost in similar condition. That could sway the repair one way or the other. Why junk it if a similar car with good engine is $2500 and you can put in a used engine for under that?
The rust is not too bad - just beginning on the rear wheel wells where they meet the plastic bumper.

A comparable replacement car would be at least C$3K here.

I did send my friend (father of the couple who own the car) a link to a list of 1NZ-FE engines. He was going to run that past them. In the meantime, they're using his Chevy Sonic. He (my friend) and his wife are empty nesters, and are fine with one vehicle for now.

I am reluctant to get too involved - if I did the engine swap, they would have to get the car towed into town to my house, rent me a hoist, and pay for the consumables.

Or even if you help them out and somehow get that going again, it’s going to fail very soon after, and you will be blamed for it. And a friend and neighbor becomes “that guy next door”... 😐
Yup, been there many years ago. A once very good friend blamed me for a timing chain failure shortly after I'd tuned his car. That was more or less the end of the friendship. I'm now very reluctant to help out people who don't understand that I can't guarantee the used engine or the tranny or anything else that might fail. They have a local garage they trust; if they want to proceed with a repair, I'd recommend they have the car towed the short distance there, and let the garage source the used engine.
 
I know someone who drove to work and back after the coolant was all gone in their Camry. This included freeway driving with absolutely no coolant. I fixed it with new heater hoses and it ran fine. One hose was blown open. When I was doing it in a parking lot someone was interested and I said it lost all its water. The person said they didn’t know cars took water. The engine ran on for years after that until the car got totaled. I know people won’t believe it but it happened. They drove it to work and back for three days without a drop of coolant. The engine still burned no oil or showed any signs of anything. Some of the engine plastic parts looked burned a bit.
 
That engine is warped to smithereens. Don't disassemble, it's not worth it. If the head's warped the cams won't spin smoothly, just a never ending nightmare. Shoot this horse.

About the only saving grace would be if it's not rusty, then you could get a low mileage rusted out one, drop the subframe and everything attached to it, and swap it all over.
 
Sounds like it's too far gone

That being said, pulling a plug or two and putting in a compression gauge is little work to get an answer

Pull the rad cap, top off with water and crank, if it sprays everywhere or out a plug hole, she's done ⚰️
 
Sounds like it's too far gone

That being said, pulling a plug or two and putting in a compression gauge is little work to get an answer

Pull the rad cap, top off with water and crank, if it sprays everywhere or out a plug hole, she's done ⚰️
Coolant did spray all over when the engine was cranked, so at minimum the head gasket was badly blown. Therefore, I'm sure that a compression test would show poor or no compression on at least one, and possibly all four, cylinders.

As others have said, there could be many problems beyond just the HG.

I don't think it's worth putting any time or money into this engine. The question is whether it's worth it to swap in a used engine.
 
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