Just find out my oil is over filled!!

Hi ScottY...

I think you are "right on" in providing 3 qts. At the 10,000 mile change, I had my independent shop fill with 3½ qts and found that was very slightly over the full mark... next time I will go for 3 qts. I, too, use Mobil-1 5W30.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Charles Suitt\";p=\"108569)</div>

I put in Mobil 1 at 5000 miles myself, and 3 qts. put it exactly halfway between the marks on the dipstick. I decided a week or so later to top it off, and 1/2 qt. more put it right on the full mark. That's consistent with other posters' findings... however, we DIY'ers probably let it sit and drain longer than do the shops.

rob

 

Rob you hit the target dead on, that is why most shops overfill - they generally fail to allow enough time for all the old oil to drain out.

 

I am debating on going with Mobil-1 when my car hits the 5,000 mile mark, or wait till 10,000 miles. I am also debating to let the dealer do it the first time around, or should I just do it? Maybe they check other things I don't know about?

 

I have been following the MANY threads on overfilling the oil and frankly have found that there are as many opinions out there as there are individuals posting, which I think is great.

The only thing that I am convinced of is that I have to trust that the Toyota engineers designed the car with the low and high marks on the dipstick in very specific locations for very specific reasons. I'm not sure that it would hurt anything if it were very slightly overfull, but I'm convinced that it would not prove beneficial.

I don't yet own my Prius, it is currently on order (I feel like an eight year old ten weeks before Christmas)! I think that SDiego hit on some of the specific oil-related topics that I have been pondering the last few days. When should I switch from conventional to synthetic (Mobil 1) oil? Is 5,000 miles too soon- is 10k too long to wait? Does anyone know if Toyota or Mobil has a reccomendation regarding this issue?

Secondly, he mentions that the Toyota dealer's shop might check some things out that he doesn't know about. What are the thoughts of those of you who have owned and worked on your vehicles for a while? I plan on doing as much of the work as I can on my own vehicle. I am resigned to the obvious fact that I won't be able to do everything, the technology simply surpasses my abilities and equipment. I am a competent weekend home mechanic, however. How much can I do on my own and what should I only trust to the trained service personnel at my dealer?

Thanks.

 

The Toyota techs have docs that says to fill to 3.9qts. They literally threw this at me last time I asked for 3.5qts at Rancho Santa Margarita. This includes filling up the filter can.

3.9 qts happens to fill to the top dot, so 3.5 qts should be in the middle.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(TNPrius1\";p=\"108941)</div>

Sadly, this is yet another area in which the number of opinions is almost as great as the number of "advisors." Mobil's official word on this is that it doesn't matter: you can switch and switch back any time you want without any ill-effects (aside from the "ill effects" of _not_ using their Mobil 1 product, of course). Some (mostly mechanics over 50 years old) are convinced you have to let the engine parts "wear in" before slipping them the very slippery Mobil 1. Several car manufacturers (Porsche and Mercedes among them, I seem to recall) ship their cars with Mobil 1, so their engineers don't seem overly worried about "wearing in" the engine parts.

And then there is the school of thought (to which I belong) which says since Mobil 1 is designed to protect engines under very high stress conditions and since the Prius's engine will never see such conditions, it's rather silly to waste money on Mobil 1. Having said that, however, I should disclose that my irrational side won out on this issue, and I just couldn't resist giving my baby Mobil 1--it's a bit like buying your kid expensive shoes before they can walk.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(TNPrius1\";p=\"108941)</div>

I, on the other hand, am an incompetent weekend non-mechanic. I do, however, manage to change the oil and rotate the tires without breaking anything.

 

When I took my Prius for the first oil change, the service ticket clearly stated 3.9 qts. of oil having been used and the oil level was right on the top mark. I had the dealer write "do not overfill crankcase" on the order so I would have been justified to make them drain some if need be.

I'm old fashioned when it comes to oil. I think synthetic is not required unless there are special circumstances such as very cold or very hot weather. You are going to have to change it at 5,000 miles intervals regardless of what type/brand oil you use. IMHO, the Prius engine is in a very moderate service category and doesn't even have 5,000 miles on it when you take it in for the 5k oil change.

Most of the routine maintenance is straightforward. Oil, filters, waxing, rotating tires, etc. I think common sense would tell you pretty quickly what would be beyond your capabilities. Take a look at the maintenance book when you get the car and you will see that it pretty much reads like any other vehicle's maintenance requirement. Toyota dealers usually offer a 19 point safety inspection with the warranty service. Again, nothing special. I really wonder if all of them really do it.

Good luck with your new car!

 

You could quickly check your CV joint boots, check for wheel play, check your other fluid levels, etc.
Just to note, when it comes to the ATF, it has no dipstick. It gets checked similar to a manual transmission; you check through the fill hole that has a plug bolt in it.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(NuShrike\";p=\"108953)</div>

Only if they clean all of the old oil out first. The owner's manual states and experience confirms that the capacity of the system plus filter is 3.9 US quarts. But we have to call the "3.9" figure in the service manual an error *in practice*, because no shop tech is going to wait a half hour for the last drop of old oil to drain to the sump so it can be vacuumed out.

Using 3.5 quarts is much more likely to avoid overfilling. 3 quarts definitely, with the added benefit of not leaving a half-full bottle to fool with. If your shop squeals like a pig about it, make 'em use 3 quarts once and then check the oil level yourself before leaving the shop and show them. It will almost certainly be about halfway between the ADD and FULL marks, which is fine.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(richard schumacher\";p=\"110341)</div>

Richard:

That was my experience too. I took a long weekend and went out to the hobby farm, and changed the oil in my Prius myself for the first time.

I was down to the Twin Cities about a month ago and picked up Mobil 1 0W-30 on sale in the 6 U.S. quart carton. So I brought along the entire 6 pack to play with the oil level.

I changed the oil in my detached garage without ramps or jacking, it was a piece of cake. The only vehicle I've had with easier oil changes was my former 2000 GMC Sierra.

I very slowly added 3 U.S. quarts, then got cleaned up and powered on. I floored the gas pedal to force the ICE to start, then checked for leaks - no leaks. I let it run until it naturally shut off. Powered down.

I went in for lunch and checked the oil level an hour later. It was slightly more than halfway between the two dots. I would imagine 3 litres would put the level closer to the upper dot. In most equipment that is a perfectly acceptable operating range.

I think the key here is to *slowly* add the fresh oil, I took my time and spent almost 5 mins doing this. Frank Hudon posted awhile back that perhaps one cause of oil in the intake was adding oil too quickly, which was a problem on some Toyota forklift motors he has experience with.

The drainback channels may be a bit on the small size, and if you look carefully at the motor on our Prius the PCV system doesn't look like it will tolerate oil anywhere near it. So the oil will flow into the intake just below the throttle body.

In most motors, especially V8's, it really doesn't matter if you force the fresh oil in. With my old 1984 Ford F-150 302 motor, I can use a 4 qt jug and dump it in with no ill effects.

BTW: it's a good habit to frequently - say every weekend - check around the CV boots for fresh grease spatter. That's a sign the CV boot is torn. If you catch it quickly there will be no damage and it's easy to replace the boot.

If you depend on the dealer to check this every 6 months or 5,000 miles, the CV joint will probably be destroyed by then.

Jay

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(jayman\";p=\"110396)</div>

I can attest to that! I had a bad boot, soon it started clunking. Went to Mancini, told them I needed new CV joint. He was skeptical and asked me why I thought so.

"Well, its like this. I have a torn boot. Car got stuck in a puddle, and the front end was soaking for about 45 minutes. Ever since then the car has a clunking noise when making turns"
"Yep, that's a CV joint"

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(DanMan32\";p=\"110415)</div>

Dan:

:lol:

Trust me on this: good humor is wasted on most people. But geez, that's funny.

"Yeah the car was submerged for 3 days due to the hurricane and now it doesn't run right. Think that might have anything to do with it?"

"Nah."

Jay

 

CV Joint: Constant Velocity joint.

The Prius is a front wheel drive car. If you crawl around under the front air dam you should be able to see a shaft going from inboard of each front wheel into the CVT.

At both ends of the shaft is a rubber collar or "boot" with ribs on it. The "boot" keeps dust, dirt, and moisture out of the CV joint and - more importantly - keeps the grease in.

If the boot gets torn the centrifugal force resulting from the halfshaft rotating will force the grease out of the tear in the boot. At the same time, dust, dirt, and moisture can enter.

Deprived of lubricant and subjected to dust/dirt, the CV joint will destroy itself rather quickly.

If you hear a fwd car making a clunk-clunk sound in a very low speed sharp turn, like turning at a light, that means the boot was torn long ago and the CV joint is destroyed. Very expensive.

Here are some URL's that will explain this much better than I can. I do disagree with the "routine" maintenance of the VW guy, as modern CV joints use synthetic greases that are considered "lubed for life."

http://volksweb.relitech.com/cvjoints.htm

http://www.cartoday.com/content/car_magazi...t/cv_joints.asp

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(richard schumacher\";p=\"110341)</div>

I actually did this at Tustin Toyota by saying specifically 3qts only of my Mobil-1 to make it idiot-proof. I was mistaken as they read that as put in 3qts of Mobil-1, and then top it off with another qt to make it an even 4qts. The last two Toyota shops I've been to bill for 4.

Of course, this oil change took 3 hours, they billed me for the oil I brought, and I had to make them drain 1/2 qt out afterwards.

It's all fixed now afterwards (what a wasted day), but makes me really miss my Norm Reeves Autocare Center which always did everything right for me, or at least bothered to ask, over the last 7 years.

Anybody know of a decent Prius servicing shop near the Irvine area?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(NuShrike\";p=\"110678)</div>

"I prefer rogues to imbeciles because they sometimes take a rest."
Alexandre Dumas Fils
(courtesy http://www.born-today.com/Today/07-27.htm )