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Something on dipstick after oil change.

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by deunan, Feb 17, 2012.

  1. deunan

    deunan Junior Member

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    i check oil and on the bottom of dipstick there is some brown substance. before and after oil change. It should be clear light brown color all the way. ***I'll take better picture*** Oil changed @ 48,000 and again at 55,000 yesterday. Put around 30 miles too.

    Any ideas?

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
     
  2. GrumpyCabbie

    GrumpyCabbie Senior Member

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    That looks like oil to me.

    Trust you used 0w20 synthetic oil.
     
  3. adamace1

    adamace1 Senior Member

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    I have seen this before.
    Maybe deposites the new oil cleaned off, or the sediment from the old oil that sits at the bottom of the dipstick.
     
  4. wjtracy

    wjtracy Senior Member

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    ...was it always there or new?
    What kind of oil are you using?
    Is it soft or hard like a dried varnish?
     
  5. adamace1

    adamace1 Senior Member

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    Looks like it's oil. Just a part thats dirty.
     
  6. deunan

    deunan Junior Member

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    Hi. Its some kind of deposit and/or sediment. Its there before
    And after oil change. I get oil change from dealer using 0w20.

    Just curious why now i see sediment/deposit.
    I'll take better pic. First pic you can see brownish sediment.

    Thanks.
     
  7. Paradox

    Paradox Prius Enthusiast / Moderator
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    Oil gets dirty and deposits may be left on the stick, if it wipes clean I wouldn't worry.
     
  8. k9frog

    k9frog New Member

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    i was a gm tech for years until my disablity, on the gm engines when i saw yellow crud on the dipstick it was coolant, most likely from the intakes or the head gasket, by looking at the pic to me it looks clear,you can see thru it, so i would probably rule out coolant
     
  9. spiderman

    spiderman wretched

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    Wipe it on a clean, white paper towel and take a picture of that too.
     
  10. edthefox5

    edthefox5 Senior Member

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    I suspect the dealer is using regular old dino vat oil.

    I was curious so I just checked mine after it sat all night and its the same color top to bottom with no darker color at the bottom tip.
    Uniform top to bottom.

    I use Mobil 1 0-20 Full Synthetic.
     
  11. GrumpyCabbie

    GrumpyCabbie Senior Member

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    It looks like they might not have allowed the old oil to completely empty before refilling with new. You sure they replaced the oil filter?

    Either way I doubt it'll cause any long term issues. You're more likely to do damage hammering the engine when cold.
     
  12. firecracker_rc

    firecracker_rc New Member

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    Duplicate entry.
     
  13. firecracker_rc

    firecracker_rc New Member

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    Ditto.

    If it were me, I'd go pick up some new oil and filter and re-change the oil myself. Then see if the ununiform color at the tip is still there. If they didn't fully drain out the old oil or omitted changing the filter, I wouldn't want to drive another 5/10k miles on until it got properly changed. It also helps in the process of elimination in the case something else is going on with your car.