Lucas oil additives 2 combat oil consumption?

[kammssss]

Hey Everyone,

Has anyone used this product to help decrease the oil consumption on their Prius? I have 203k on my 05. She is burning about half a qt. every 3k. I know that is not bad for a car with 200k. I just would prefer it to burn less/zero if possible. The guy on the 300k thread did use it with mix results. He mentioned that he will try it again for a little longer, but he just sold his car. Thanks everyone.

[seilerts]

Please do try it. We need more data. What oil are you running now? Have you ever sent off a sample for analysis?

[MrBillTulsa]

Originally Posted by kammssss

Hey Everyone,

Originally Posted by kammssss

Has anyone used this product to help decrease the oil consumption on their Prius? I have 203k on my 05. She is burning about half a qt. every 3k. I know that is not bad for a car with 200k. I just would prefer it to burn less/zero if possible. The guy on the 300k thread did use it with mix results. He mentioned that he will try it again for a little longer, but he just sold his car. Thanks everyone.

My comments may or may not be related to your issues, but I wanted to share.

Years ago in a Dodge Ram Pickup, 360cid V8, while attempting to cross the state of Illinois the long way, before dawn - I produced a hot engine by getting low on oil and boiling out some water. Being close to nowhere, surrounded by 10 foot corn, and employing deficient common sense, I drove on until I could locate the fluids that I needed. The engine got hot.

I finished my northbound trek, attended the weekend air show, and returned to Tulsa, only adding water and oil with every tank of gasoline (13 mpg!).

For a few years thereafter, I went through oil like crazy, belching out thick white smoke with nearly every startup (but not all startups!).

Compression check showed high & tight on all 8, both wet & dry. Swapped out all 16 valve seals - no help. Checked out EGR and crankcase ventilation - to no avail. Converted to cheap oil and drove on.

Longer story made short, I finally tried a retail product I read about in Popular Science and bought at Wal-Mart; RESTORE is the name. For the likes of me, I have no idea how it works, but it did. Having grown up with the likes of STP and SLICK oil additives, I kicked myself for even trying such a thing. Still, it worked.

I still have this 1998 beater truck, and I use it around town when I have to. It does still consume some oil, but I'd say its current use is about 1/4 of what it was before the RESTORE; and, there is no smoke, and no drips on the garage floor.

So there; that's my story and I'm stickin' to it. If any of you have ideas or comments about this scenario, please chime in and share your expertise. As for me, I have no idea what happened, but the RESTORE put me down the road after a stupid mistake.

BTW, I have no affiliation with any of the products mentioned.

MrBill

[jadziasman]

Don't worry too much about your oil consumption. Internal combustion engines are supposed to use some oil - it's normal.

I know this, because Tyler knows this.

That said I would advise against using any oil additives.

My 05 has 165K miles and uses about the same amount as your 05.

I drive at 70 mph about 80% of my daily commute. Oil consumption increases with rpm. The little 1.5L in the Prius is running at about 2500 rpm at a cruising speed of 70.

So, I check the oil level after every 500 miles or so. A little oil consumption is fine. Running the engine low on oil ain't.

[richard schumacher]

Ditto that. You will have to check the oil frequently in any case, so don't bother with additives. Just add more oil.

[uart]

I've just never seen anything to convince me that Lucas Oil Stabilizer (LOS) does anything other than to modify the grade of the oil. This might be useful if you were trying to extend the drain interval of a really cheap (not synthetic) multigrade oil that was thinning and not holding grade over an the oil change interval. But modern synthetic (and even semi synthetic) oils hold their grade so well that this just isn't an issue.

Now some people on the other hand like to use the LOS to just change the grade of their new oil, but why? Why not just use a heavier grade in the first place *if* that's what you really want to do, it achieves the same end.

Personally at one pint per 3000 miles I don't recommend doing anything, other than regularly checking the oil, and of course don't be afraid to top it off. You could also try a high mileage oil, like "Valvoline Maxlife" for example. That's especially formulated for older engines and it can reduce the consumption a bit.

[kammssss]

Thanks everyone. I've been using Mobil 1 (extended 15k version) since day one. My oil change intervals were 5k for 100k. 10k interval after that. I think I will try some Lucas and report back to you. I don't think much will happen if it doesn't work. I figure its worth a shot. I am going to put some in now for the Vegas return trip. A lot of hill climbing. This will be a good test. Wish me luck.

[wjtracy]

Originally Posted by kammssss

Thanks everyone. I've been using Mobil 1 (extended 15k version) since day one. My oil change intervals were 5k for 100k. 10k interval after that. I think I will try some Lucas and report back to you. I don't think much will happen if it doesn't work. I figure its worth a shot. I am going to put some in now for the Vegas return trip. A lot of hill climbing. This will be a good test. Wish me luck.

...you should perhaps try Mobil-1 High Mileage formula which has extra dose of leak preventative. Also make sure you are using 5W-30 and not lower visc.

[cyclopathic]

what are your long term plans?

if I were planning to keep it for a few years, I'd pay to replace valve seals.... but with the consumption you have it may be too late.

Check if there are no leaks and have compression checked.

If you are not planning to run car for another 100k any additive which promises softening seals should help to prolong agony good luck

[GrumpyCabbie]

Ensure you're using the correct grade of oil. Adding oil is cheaper than fixing the worn out engine. I'd just keep adding oil until the car starts to fail its emissions. I mean, at 200k+ miles it's pretty worthless other than to you.