At what point get concerned about oil consumption?

That's a lot of oil! I'm sure it's okay for now, but eventually it will foul your catalytic converter.

 

i would be concerned. have you done the egr/ intake manifold thingy?

 

I would not be complacent, thats a lot of oil. The owner's manual edict was written for the bottom-feeding lawyers.

 

Have you gone to a thicker oil? You can use up to a 40 weight oil with no problems. Just use 0W-40.

 

^ yes switching to a thicker weight is a good idea. Hell I'd throw in some 5w40. At this point your pistons ringers are shot, so it's not like you've got a ton to lose. Or even put tractor oil in that puppy!

 

2nd gen oil spec is 5W30? From the get go.

 

Yes, I've been watching posts by people concerned, but there really is nothing you can do except use thicker oil. I'd go with 5W30. Toyota won't help until it exceeds, I think, a quart every 600 mi. IF you still have warranty.

 

Even more, a liter (aka 1.1 quart), every 600 miles. They really mix the units in this statement:



They should add one more paragraph to the above:

If the vehicle consumes slightly less than the above, go pound sand, we don't want to hear about it.

 

Your best be might be DIY, less grief. @NutzAboutBolts has done videos on both, in the maintenance sub-forum. If you're interest there's a fair number of members here have done this, myself included. No new parts needed, just some patience.

The intake manifold cleaning, maybe in conjunction with an OCC install, is the easier of the two, can be done without coolant line removal.

The EGR valve/cooler is more time consuming, a little tougher, best to remove the wipers and cowl. I also drained a couple of liters of engine coolant at the outset, made it so none got spilled. Then just poured it back into the reservoir after, and a couple of days later everything was back to normal.

For the (stainless steel) EGR cooler cleaning, I'd highly recommend a strong hot water solution of OxyClean, let it soak for an hour, repeat, 5~6 times. For everything else, brake cleaner spray is good enough. I'd actually avoid using Oxy on any aluminum parts.

 

But cleaning the EGR won't affect the oil burning. It's probably plugged from the burning oil, and the car would run better with it cleaned. But it's not a job for the mechanically miss-inclined. You could ask, as some have had warranty service done on the EGR, but I wouldn't hold my breath for a "yes" answer.

I'd stay away from 0Wanything. I still think the use of 0W20 is the cause of the oil burning. In Cal. and other hot places I wouldn't go thinner than 5W30. I doubt you would be able to see a fuel economy change just from the oil, in hot places.

Even here, in the white wonderland, I'm going to switch to 5W30 when I use up the last of the 0W20 I have. I suspect 0W20 is fine here, but I don't usually use Pearl S in the dead of winter, when 0W oil is "a good thing" (tm). It's still "warm" (for winterish weather) at -10C, and below "normal" with a cold late fall. I don't like snow when it's this "warm", too slippery and too prone to clumping, falling off the car, and rubbing under the car.

 

Mobil 1 0W-40 is the only true synthetic oil made by Mobil. This is what I am using now. MPG is actually higher for me.

 

I use 5w-30 and get 51 mpg driving mostly freeways .

Mix and match the viscosity all you want (as long as it is all synthetic).

I have done many things to minimize oil consumption in our 2010 Prius II with 167 k miles and going strong.

Consumption was as high as 1 quart every 4500 miles, but have gotten it down to ~20 ounces between 10 k like oil changes .

Frequency of oil change in the manual is 10 k miles. Some here do shorter. I stick with 10 k miles. As lon as you check the dip stick often, you’ll avoid issues.

Hope that helps.

 

I disagree. You should be doing 5K mile oil changes. This way you are certain you won't run out of oil. Toyota recommends much thicker oil for the Prius in other parts of the world. So if you have burning issues now you should go with thickest oil you can. 0 weight at start up is only going to help make sure oil is getting around the engine at the fastest speed possible. It will thicken up as the motor heats up. Also 0W-40 By Mobil 1 is there only true full synthetic oil. All there other oils start with Dino oil. My Freeway driving at 65 MPH is getting me in the 50's MPG.

 

If you lift the hood on some regular frequency and check the dip stick, how will you run out of oil?

I check our 2010 and 2017 RX450H every Saturday along with the 12v Battery.

A 5 minute regular health check that goes a long way.

 

That works great if you do it. But believe it or not some people don't due it because of laziness, lack of time or forgetfulness. So if you have a car that burns oil, shorter oil changes may be cheap insurance.