Agggh! My Prius burning oil, what to do now?

Yeah it would have to check just with engine off.

 

That's what the dip stick is for, check before start.

 

Wait, that just might work.

 

Generators that have cheap single-cylinder air-cooled engines can have low-oil cut-off switches, but cars ...

 

I have over 300,000 miles on my 2006 Prius. almost entirely freeway miles. The previous owner had a dealer installed hybrid battery replacement done a week before I purchased it. The work was done at 189,500 miles. It drinks 4 qts every 3,000 miles. 'bout 1/2 qt per fill up. The oil warning light comes on when you make a hard left if you just been adding gas. I would have fried the engine at 220k without the idiot light. It has saved me at least 10 times in the last year.
I been using the cheapest oil I can find. Thanks for all the wisdom here. I will use the recommended oil, change the PCV valve, spark plugs, and fluids. The car hasn't seen a mechanic for anything but an oil change for 110,000 miles. It is still quick of the line, reaches 85 without a problem and gets great gas mileage with cheap Kumho tires. Has original shocks and struts etc

This was taken while using Michelin 65k mile $110 tire the Kumho's cost just over 1/2 and have an 85k warranty
I got 70k out of the Michelins with one wheel rotation.

 

Even at 300K, if I had a vehicle burning that much oil, I'd get rid of it.

I know Subarus are bad for this, but Toyota should be much better. With modern engineering, oil consumption should be negligible on ALL vehicles absent abuse by the owner...even after several hundreds of thousands of miles.

 

yes, but generators don't drive and make turns. how would you like you car engine cut-off while going up hill or taking a turn?
common sense, please.

prius is optimized to reduce gasoline burning. oil burning after 100,000 miles is apparently the trade off. there is no free lunch.

 

I find this interesting as your oil consumption is 750 miles per quart and thus near the Toyota maximum allowable 600 miles per quart.
Since many of us "long-term" Prius owners will someday be where you are now, would you mind answering a couple questions?
1. Do you observe smoke from the tailpipe when accelerating full throttle above 50 mph? Do you observe tailpipe smoke if you completely let off the gas when traveling at 70 mph or more? (The smoke should be slightly bluish rather than black.) Is there any sign of oil seepage or dripping from underneath the engine that would indicate oil usage due to leakage rather than due to consumption inside the engine?
2. How does the tailpipe look? Specifically, is there significant carbon/coke accumulation or oily residue? If so, picture please?
3. When you change the PCV valve, could you report on any carbon accumulation in the valve and exhaust feed line to the valve?
4. Are the catalytic converter and muffler the originals or have they been replaced? If so, is there any sign of catalytic converter failure, oxygen sensor failure, or possibly a clogged muffler due to an overload of hydrocarbons?
5. If and when you change the spark plugs, could you report on the extent of dark brown and/or black carbon accumulation on the porcelain insulator tips of the plugs? Pictures please?
6. Would you consider changing to a thicker viscosity range oil as you appear to be in San Francisco and the winter weather is not that cold? If you do decide to make such a shift, could you post the effect on the rate of oil consumption, if any?
Well, jeez, that seems more like "quite a few" questions rather than "a couple", but I really would be interested in any information about how your Prius is handling that rate of oil consumption.
Thanks in advance.

 

you guy with big oil consumption should try to use rottela t6 5w40 would probably reduce a lot you oil consumption and wear, That Toyota oil is like water it may be better for gas millage but bad to protect engine wear and consumtion

 

Which I do not accept. You lose oil by burning it. You burn oil because TOO MUCH is slipping past the piston rings and is being consumed in the combustion process. The Prius pretty much demands full-synthetic oil which protects better than standard petroleum-based oils.

So, why is this happening? Since it's not universal, I'd say there's a reason for X% of Prius having the problem, and I think it's an issue when the engine is assembled at the plant. IIRC, these cars come "pre broken in" as far as the engines having some run time on it, and maybe someone isn't properly seating the piston rings at the factory.

The only other possibility is that the owners being affected have a driving style that negatively impacts the Prius. Piston rings are a tricky deal, and that the Prius shuts off the engine regularly, might be the issue. Someone doing a lot of in-town driving might not get enough run time on the ICE to properly seat the rings when the car is new, and that sets you up for future problems. Others do more "highway" driving...or at least keep the ICE running for a decent amount of time, so that the rings seat properly and never have a big issue with oil consumption.

It makes me go back to the original break in process for traditional cars. You weren't supposed to run them hard, but you needed to get a balance of highway speeds and around-town driving during the first 1,000 miles so the engine was properly "broken in" for the rest of its lifetime.

If this is a big enough problem maybe Toyota should put an hour or so of run time on every motor and measure the exhaust for unusual oil content...indicating a bad build...before they slip it into the vehicle.

We certainly are paying enough $$$ for the car, and CHEAPER Toyotas DO NOT have this issue.

 

If you wait until you get a dashboard warning before you decide to add oil, there is no wonder that the engine is consuming oil at a substantial rate. By your telling, this has happened at least 10 times in 2015. I'm really surprised the engine continues to provide acceptable performance and fuel economy.

The compression may not be poor. In some cases, engine oil consumption may be due to leaking valve stem seals. If you want to check engine compression, use Mini VCI to spin the engine at the correct speed, and a compression gauge that screws into the spark plug holes, one at a time.

 

Try using straight 30 weight oil, or 40, Etc.2011, is the engine still under warrantee if so meet the specs for repair/replace. How does the dealer know what the oil burn rate is, how would the dealer prove it? You told the dealer? Next step might be the engine burning up because of low oil. You have reported it to Toyota multiple times? I really don't think that Toyota expects you to check your oil every day, does that sem logical? Only to SOME dealers might that seem logical.

 

That, and oil can serve as a "seal" against blow by. If you compression test a cold motor, they often advise putting in a drop or two of oil first so you're getting an accurate read of what compression you have when oil is circulating in the motor. I'm sure at some point you have compression loss, but that's when it's bad enough.

I doubt this is the cause, but I know when installing piston rings, you stagger the gaps so that there's no linear flow of pressure through the rings. If someone building the ICE was sloppy and put all the rings on the same way, it'd be easier for oil to enter and exit the cylinder...contributing to how much is consumed in the combustion process.

 

Ok I'll get right on ir

 

Took it from 70 - 90 zip.let off the gas no smoke. Car still gets as fast from 0 - 50 as a Saab Turbo let off the gas no smoke. Here's a pic of the tail pipe. Original muffler and converter. Bet this car could

Bet the car can do 120. Took it from 70 - 90 zip 0 - 50 still could give my NSX a race. Let of the gas no smoke. Oil pan gasket leaking a little and I thank you guys for pointing out the other areas that I

 

Good point.

 

Your right, a simple oil level check involving a electronic sensor verifying safe oil quantity, and then the car goes into Ready, otherwise, no start.

 

Screw this...don't think I should have to drive it either...as much as I paid.

 

They could deal with those issues with software and suitable placement of the sensor(s). Would your prefer that your car engine shut off while going uphill because a sensor system has detected dangerously low oil level, OR that your engine self-destruct while going uphill because the oil pump is sucking air? You or I might never actually face such an issue because we know to check the old-fashioned dipstick occasionally, but not everyone does.