Engine oil pressure, Not even an idiot light in my 2012 Prius,

That's an odd request, especially for a first post.

Since Prius establishes oil pressure prior to ignition, a major benefit over traditional vehicles, I don't see how that information would be useful.

What's the underlining operational detail you'd like to know?

 

Typically if there is no pressure gauge in a car there in no pressure sender, only a pressure switch so all you would be able to read is switch open or closed.

This thread
oil pressure reading | PriusChat
confirms no pressure sender.

 

I guess I am not sure I understand the need, except that looking at oil pressure is common with gas vehicles. Have you read the manual? Ther may also be functional info in the gps/Bluetooth screen, but it's buried in the options and not readily available. Since you have me fascinated by the question I'd like to see more info about things like oil, coolant, etc. are all of these checked over during the button start phase and then the idiot light on the dash would show up to prompt contacting Toyota?

 

I don't know the details of how the car knows there is oil pressure before the engine starts, but the MG (Motor Generator) that starts the engine spins the engine much faster than a normal starter motor so it would be quick and easy to do so.

 

People would probably freak if the oil-pressure light was on (engine off) half the time in their commute, don't you think?

 

If something is wrong the car will let you know. Sometimes, less information is better. Drive the car, don't worry, and enjoy!

edit: *700th post, I love PRIUSChat!

 

The problem is that, as things stand, the car will let you know you will have a catastrophic failure while it is happening.

How do you know the inverter pump failed? When the dash lights up & most power is lost. If inverter temp were displayed one could see it getting hot & pick a place to stop.

If you want more instrumentation buy a ScanGauge. Oil pressure is probably the least of your worries.

 

Looking at a copy of the '10 Prius manual that someone pieced together into one PDF, there is a warning message LOW ENGINE OIL PRESSURE that can be displayed on the MID in section 5-2 "Steps to take in an emergency". I don't think an idiot light is needed. Check your manual.

FWIW, I had an oil pressure gauge on my 350z. It wasn't helpful at all. It was pretty high when the engine was cold, went up as you accelerated and was pretty low when idling w/a warm engine. There was a HUGE acceptable range and I recall there even being an acceptable/unacceptable range marked on the gauge itself (e.g. no red area). I'm looking at a PDF copy of the manual and even it doesn't say anything about what's good/bad in terms of needle position.

 

Loud grinding, thrashing noises followed by silence would be an indication of a catastrophic mechanical failure.

 

The Scanguage won't show oil pressure as there is no pressure sending unit. There IS a switch. It isn't connected to a light per se, as it would come on when the engine stopped at lights etc. It is connected to one of the computers and will trigger a warning message in the appropriate conditions. Be aware most engines running good quality oil will run for quite some time without damage at low oil pressure, at low loads. So a warning isn't as time critical as some think. If you're racing, that's another matter entirely. In that case the engine is at high load most of the time and oil pressure failure, even for a few seconds, can be a "bad thing". The Prius engine is at high load for very short periods and only rarely.

 

You could search this entire forum (all years) for a report of oil pressure loss and engine damage. I've never heard of this happening on a Prius.

 

I would really like more feedback from my car I don't average over 200k miles waiting for an idiot light in the extreme temps I drive in I have been forced to adjust how I drive to keep the engine in the safe range. The car gives great feedback on economy and I am using that but when it is 100+ ac running two kids grocerys slight grade I find my self hoping all is well. Does the scanguage ii give good feedback?
Sorry for the hyjack
Jen

 

You can monitor the engine coolant temp. and other critical items. It really isn't necessary. The Prius will warn you if something is amiss.

 

You could install an oil pressure gauge if it was absolutely necessary for your peace-of-mind, but you'd have to get used to seeing zero pressure frequently with the engine off, and having the oil pressure vary wildly with the engine on.

 

Yep, a buzzer goes off, the triangle of death pops up and a warning message in the instrument cluster says "LOW ENGINE OIL PRESSURE"

 

BTW, if anyone cares, the 2010 Prius manual is single PDF at 2010 Prius Owner's Manual Available on PDF | Page 6 | PriusChat. Toyota ought to put up a copy that's all joined together. Makes it a lot easier to search.

I think you're right. I don't think I've seen any of that. I can recall some posts where their high mileage Priuses now consume a lot of oil because they or someone else let the oil level run too low.

 

What does the above quote mean please?

 

I'm not speaking for Jenpen but I have been in situations in other cars where the engine was getting hotter than desirable so adjusted my driving to reduce heating long before an idiot light would come on. By doing that I avoided the need to stop.

I prefer to do that rather than have to respond to an idiot light that is saying act now to save your engine. By the time an idiot light comes on, your engine is already operating under highly undesirable conditions.