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2013 Prius sudden oil consumption, PCV valve ok

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Technical Discussion' started by romanlutsk, May 3, 2020.

  1. taxidriver50005

    taxidriver50005 Active Member

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    Lots of modern cars now use low tension rings and now also burn oil....think Audi are famous oil burners
    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
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  2. ASRDogman

    ASRDogman Senior Member

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    Only 1 person on Prius chat, that I have seen, has show any pistons, and those rings were not stuck
    and were clean.
    Worn and/or weak rings will cause oil leakage into the combustion chamber and get burned.
    But, valve guide seals DO get hard and brittle, and do allow oil to get sucked into the combustion
    chamber to get burned.
    Soaking the rings should cause any damage and hopefully will clean out any carbon build up
    between the rings and piston allowing them to function better.
    I'm still waiting to hear back from the ones that have replaced the valve guide seals on if the oil
    consumption has gone down.
    I know the valve guide seals I've replaced on various engines have reduced the oil consumption.
     
    #22 ASRDogman, May 26, 2020
    Last edited: May 26, 2020
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  3. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    @The Critic got his head rebuilt with head gasket replacement. Not sure if the seals were replaced. Maybe he will see this and comment.
     
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  4. Simonak

    Simonak Member

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    I was burning 1qt every 2k for past 50k miles. Im at 100k atm.
    I tried new PCV clean intake EGR installed oil catch switched 1y to 5W30 oil but nothing
    had any effect on the rate of burning oil.
    Last oil change I did try get high millage mobil1 0W20 and after the winter looks like the oil consumtion
    is low or hard to tell because the oil after 7k miles is still clear and hard to measure.
    Usually at this point the oil is pretty dark.
    I normally use mobil1 0W20 and change every year or 10k whatever come first.
     
  5. farmecologist

    farmecologist Senior Member

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    Uhh...so one person pulling the pistons is conclusive evidence? I think not. :whistle:

    At any rate, none of the theories we have discussed here have been conclusively proven as far as I am aware...so anyone could be 'correct'...the jury is still out.

    Personally, at this point I have given up trying to figure out the consumption on our 2010 and just monitor the usage closely and top off as needed.
     
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  6. ASRDogman

    ASRDogman Senior Member

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    I NEVER said that ONE person pulling the pistons was conclusive evidence, YOU just did.
    I only stated that someone did and he had no problems. The pistons did not show any sings of blow by.
    Which they would if the rings were stuck.

    Has anyone else pulled the pistons to check the rings??? The one person is the only one I've seen.
    If you know of others, please let us all know.

    A lot of people have replaced the head gasket but have not gone any further. That would be the time
    to replace the rings and hone the cylinders.

    But experience I have from engines I've worked on, the valve guide seals were all hard and brittle,
    and the rings were clean and free.

     
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  7. Tim Jones

    Tim Jones Senior Member

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    I usually run 10 w 40 and can't tell a difference but have Mobil 1 15 w 50 in now and purs like a kitten....
     
  8. farmecologist

    farmecologist Senior Member

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    Lol...you certainly implied it. Not worth arguing over...but I have to question misleading posts. :whistle:
     
  9. ASRDogman

    ASRDogman Senior Member

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    I certainly did NOT imply it.
    It is NOT a misleading post.

    Not my fault you miss read it.

     
  10. romanlutsk

    romanlutsk Junior Member

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    I just realized that I used high mileage oil (Valvoline 0w-20 full synthetic high mileage oil) on that car back in May of 2017 (@ 191748 miles) when I first got it from an auction. The second oil change was in August 2018 (@ 197742) with Penzoil full synthetic (not high mileage) and the last was in August of 2019 @ 201761 (castrol edge full synthetic).

    Is it possible that the high mileage oil used back in 2017 caused the valve guide seals to expand and temporarily stop/slow down the oil consumption?

    Should I try using high mileage oil again? (any problems using it for all the oil changes from now on?). I've just read that the high mileage oil (by design) has additives to swell seals, and if you subsequently go back to regular oil the seals will shrink and then some. In short: once you start with high mileage oil, best to stick with it. Is that really the case and maybe I shouldn't have used the high mileage oil in the first place?

    Thanks again!
     
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  11. Simonak

    Simonak Member

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    Not sure but in my case for the first time in 50k miles driven the oil is staying same level for the past 2k+ miles and I used to burn 1qt. per 2k.
     
  12. johnHRP

    johnHRP Active Member

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    Well, without replacing with new PCV valve you cannot rule out that it is PCV valve problem. I will start with $10 PCV valve replacement first. Check the blow by by opening oil filler cap and see if you feel excessive blow by from worn piston rings. Offcourse, you need other prius to compare it with.
     
  13. romanlutsk

    romanlutsk Junior Member

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    Thanks. Yes, after the PCV was replaced, the oil consumption has dropped in half, but it's still pretty high. Will check the EGR and try the high mileage oil.
     
  14. johnHRP

    johnHRP Active Member

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    Did you finally find the solution to reduce oil consumption? You have 200k miles now and some wear should be expected on the piston rings. I do not think high mileage oil does any good or bad to 2ZR-FXE engines. If it only consumes oil at a higher speed, it is most likely from the piston rings. 0.5L per 1000 miles is still considered to be low and will not harm the catalytic converter too much. Just make sure you use regular 0W-20 with low/medium ZDDP additives, not racing oil. I think Pennzoil is the best because it is fully synthetic from natural gas and has better consistency to clean up any deposit on oil control rings/holes.

    Be prepared to just live with it and the engine should last another 100k miles before you start to have catalytic converter issues from oil consumption.
     
  15. Tim Jones

    Tim Jones Senior Member

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    These cars are junk.... very poor toy quality
     
  16. johnHRP

    johnHRP Active Member

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    Do you mean Daimler, crysler, Renault, BMW, VW, GM, and Hyundai?
     
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  17. ColoradoBoo

    ColoradoBoo Senior Member

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    I've never talked to a mechanic who said using High Mileage motor oil made any difference. In fact, they suggest using the same oil throughout the life of the engine. So if you start off using Mobile One, continue using it...don't be switching around between Castrol and Pennzoil and Mobile One, etc.
    And I've never met one who said using a different oil viscosity then the one printed on the oil fill cap was a good idea, either...not once.
     
  18. An2TheTwan

    An2TheTwan Junior Member

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    Would a product like Lucas Oil stop leak help? Does this product help seal leaks on the valve seals?
     
  19. Tim Jones

    Tim Jones Senior Member

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    No.... I mean 3rd gen prius.
    Worst car toyota makes.
    I have toys now and in the past...all good except the Gen 3.
     
  20. johnHRP

    johnHRP Active Member

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    Well, for the first 150k miles, it is way better than those brands. We are just spoiled with 300k miles Toyota standard