Is oil consumption ok?

So what is your rate of consumption, 2 quarts per say 5000 miles? Or?

That's getting up there: it's maybe messing up the catalytic converter? Other'n that not sure.

For me anywhere between a cup and three per 8000 kms is the norm, over the years with various Hondas.

 

No not forever......but it might seem like it as other things start going wrong.

Try "high mileage" oil of a slightly higher weight than originally recommended.
Don't top it off until it gets below the "half" mark on the stick.
It might actually use less if you let it run in the lower half of OK.

And no, burning a little oil won't hurt anything except the CAT and maybe not even that.
Do look for tell-tale oil spots where you park though.
All oil loss is not due to engine wear......sometimes.

 

welcome!

toyota says up to 1 qt./600 miles is okay. but they don't mention the cat, which is only an issue in cali, or maybe carb states?

 

I think when either the battery or catalytic converter fails, you should sell the car and get another lower mileage prius. Because you would be fully committed once you repair one item for $1000+. Then it'll just become a money pit that you won't be able to let go of

 

2 quarts every 5000 miles is still very minor.

 

That does not qualify as oil consumption, as ALL internal combustion engines allow some oil past the rings on every revolution. If they did not, the engines would not last as long as they do.

The catalytic converter is typically the first part killed by EXCESSIVE oil consumption, but that rate would be like a 1qt/100 miles or so.

 

That's ridiculously BAD advice.

When an engine spends most of it's life using maybe two OUNCES of oil in 10,000 miles, then a quart in 2500 miles certainly IS oil consumption.

 

You would think an engine that is consuming oil, has oil consumption.

 

Better re-read my post and stop taking them completely out-of-context. Allow me to make it easy for you........ i'll even highlight the important parts

 

Sorry, I am sniping.

All our Hondas ate a little oil, from the get go. I figured that was normal. So far with our Prius, only 70K kms, the oil on the dipstick never budges from the full mark. OTOH, my oil change interval is 6 monthly (governs), and at most around 5000 kms these days.

It almost seems weird.

 

Right Mendel, I have never owned or operated a vehicle where the engine did not use *some* oil, which is completely normal and in fact necessary for life.

Oil level may not fall perceptively, due to the addition of other contaminates, but it is being burned in some small amount in every engine. The issue really becomes what is the definition of "consumption". Under the most strict definition, even a drop "lost" to the combustion process over some mileage interval (typically between oil changes) could be considered consumption. However, the industry defines it more generally, such that if oil does not need to be added more than about once every 1000 miles, the engine is not considered to be consuming oil; completely despite the fact that based on the Webster's definition, it would be

The reason for this difference is the implicit perception that an engine that is "consuming oil" is in need of repair and this is not factual. Admittedly, engineers have improved the internal combustion engine from losing quarts per 1000 to a fraction of a quart per 5000 miles over the past 100 odd years, which has influenced the owner's expectations, engines will never achieve "zero loss".

 

@David Beale was alluding to this in another thread, that you can burning a bit of oil and accumulating some unburnt gas, it's balancing out. It's plausible, but I'm a little skeptical, just that it's such a perfect balancing act, if that's what's happening.

And I can see that, that achieving zero oil loss may be too tight. Which keeps me wondering if our zero loss Prius is a time bomb, lol.

 

Lubes accumulate trace water, fuel, debris, coolant etc, which increases the sump level. In *most* vehicles, this is more than off-set by lube loss due to leaks and burning during the combustion process, but that is not universally true.

 

I honestly don't know what practical use that information IS to anybody.
On many modern engines, the amount is SO TINY that it adds up to almost nothing over a really LOT of miles.
If later on it starts to actually be noticeable, then that is consumption.

You can argue with someone else about whether or not it is "significant" because I'm getting REALLY tired of pointless bickering like this.

 

To answer your original question, oil consumption at the rate of one quart per 2,500 miles is OK in the sense that this is not going to unduly damage the catalytic converter. However having logged 274K miles, the catalytic converter might fail tomorrow, after been in service so long. For that matter, any number of other systems might fail tomorrow for the same reason. The inverter, transaxle, air conditioning compressor, and suspension components are a few examples - you've already mentioned the traction battery and engine.

If you keep all engine compartment fluids full, and make sure the serpentine belt, engine coolant pump and inverter coolant pump are all in good condition, that will help to extend the life of the associated systems. The car has performed way beyond normal expectations for vehicle service life, and don't be surprised when a major component does fail.