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engine oil quantity and color

Discussion in 'Gen 1 Prius Plug-in 2012-2015' started by bisco, Jul 10, 2013.

  1. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    thanks mm! this is exactly what i'm seeing. your judgement is better than mine, with all the streaking, it does seem that the heaviest is where you point out and is the actual level. that's how mine looks, i removed another 16 oz. last night for a total of 24, and it seems about 1/4" above now. i'll do a little more tonight. thank you for going to the trouble of taking the pictures, that was very helpful.(y)
     
  2. prius_in_pa

    prius_in_pa Junior Member

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    I probably should check my oil level later. Thanks for the post.

    Also, I read that over filling the oil by little doesn't hurt the engine but your MPG may go down. Not sure why that is. Maybe it's because the engine will have to burn more gas to warm up the oil.
     
  3. mmmodem

    mmmodem Senior Taste Tester

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    You are very welcome, it's the least I can do for the pleasure of reading your witty remarks on PC.

    That we both read high concerns me a bit. My dealer is 1 mile from my home. I am just too lazy to go to the next dealer 9 miles away which might overfill as well.

    Judging from what I've read on PC, seems Prius engines tend to consume oil as they age. I used to overfill my Corolla because it has a ridiculous 3.7 or 3.8 quart oil capacity. I'm not going to leave a near empty bottle of oil lying around to leak. Knowing the engine consumes a bit of oil anyway, I just dump 4 quarts in. You can tell I am not a stickler for precision so don't do what I say, follow the owner's manual.

    I think the lower fuel economy is due to the engine having to work harder to move more mass to spin. That's why today's oil is much thinner than the industry standard 5w30 back in the 1990's.
     
  4. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    when we sold our 04 with 95,000, the oil level never went down noticeably between changes. until now, due to the freebies from toyotacare, i had always taken my cars to the local mechanic. it was always 1/4" above and he said he put in what the specs call for. i didn't care because i was getting 65 mpg on the mfd day in and day out. i don't think all the oil comes out and the spec is probably total capacity. but when i saw what i thought was 3-4" i was concerned. it was probably close to an inch, so worthwhile to remove some. you may be right with the synthetic 0w20, it might not matter as much.
     
  5. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    i have heard that overfilling can force oil past the valves and rings, but i'm no expert. it's funny how the people who overfill always say it doesn't matter, and everyone else says it does.
     
  6. prius_in_pa

    prius_in_pa Junior Member

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    I said "by little" but yeah, I would agree that it could hurt the engine if you over filled by a lot.
     
  7. satija

    satija Junior Member

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    There is another thread on this forum ( I forget which one) where someone mentioned that their mpg went way down after oil change by the dealer. It turned out that the dealer had put in almost two quarts more oil than needed. Several people on in the discussion pointed out that two much oil can really damage the engine. After reading the discussion I went and checked the oil level on our pip and it was quite a bit above full level mark. Oil was changed by the dealer almost 5000 miles ago. I had to siphon out a quart to bring it to the adequate level. Of course, since the oil was changed 5000 miles ago, it was quite easy to see the level.

    Next time I take the car to the dealer for 15000 toyota care, I will be definitely checking the oil level MYSELF after the dealer oil change!
     
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  8. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    I've found the Prius dipstick very hard to read. It'll show a streak of oil, going an inch or more above the top mark, but on closer inspection there'll be a bare patch, right around the top mark (unless it actually IS overfilled). It's most difficult to read with brand new oil.

    Flip it over, sometimes it's easier to read one side or the other. And do several checks.
     
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  9. mmmodem

    mmmodem Senior Taste Tester

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    Sorry for the blurry pic, I have no patience trying to take a sharp steady picture with oil dripping. But anyway, here is the pic with brand new oil. I just had it changed at 20k miles. It's pretty clear compared to before and even tougher to discern the level but not impossible. I decided to go to the dealer near my work instead of near my home to compare. As you can see by the yellow dot on the full mark and obviously by my arrow, the other dealer yet again overfilled. But it was less than before. The trip to and from dealer was entirely on EV so the ICE had been off for 5 hours. I'm at a loss to why dealers would do this. It costs them money to give us more oil.
    West Contra Costa-20130717-00355.jpg
     
  10. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    the only thing i can think is that you can't put in what toyota lists as the spec capacity. of course, they should check the level after 3 qts or whatever, but i think time is worth more than oil to them. i wish toyota would list total capacity and oil change capacity. this has been an on going problem since the beginning of gen II. however, that doesnt account for one or two quarts extra.:eek:
     
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  11. mmmodem

    mmmodem Senior Taste Tester

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    You never get all the oil out when it gets changed and the quantity that comes out varies. So there is no oil change capacity to recommend. Standard operating procedure is to fill almost full and check with dipstick to top off. You have a point with the time thing. It's easier to just dump a stock quantity in and don't even bother to check.
     
  12. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    It's a bit hard to tell with the out-of-focus pic, but the level might be spot-on:

    Notice the lighter coloured patch, just below and to right of the full dimple? That might be the level. The dipstick tends to smear way up, along the edges, but if you look closer you'll see a bare patch lower down, the actual level.
     
  13. retired4999

    retired4999 Prius driver since 2005

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    I tell the dealer to put in 4 Qts of oil and I will top the oil off at home! I never add at home it's about 1/8 of inch below full so it's good.
     
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  14. Bonefish Blues

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    Lots of cars suffer from this, it seems, but as you indicate, take the top of the lowest level of bare patch as the one.
     
  15. mmmodem

    mmmodem Senior Taste Tester

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    I'm not a mechanic but I've seen my fair share of dipsticks. The level is as I stated with multiple checks. I'm definitely not a professional photographer, though.
     
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  16. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    i'm 90% convinced i can read the level on my dipstick.:confused:
     
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  17. rockerdan

    rockerdan PiP Rocks!

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    Oil change is 1 year or 10,000 miles whichever comes first correct? Im coming up on 1 yr august 1st. But only at around 7500 miles or so by aug 1st.

    Im gonna check mine before and after i take it for the free service.

    I know on all my other vehicles and toys, the manual will usually call for a warmed up engine. This usually raises the level some, but does the prius call for COLD motor readings? That could make a difference if everyone is doing a warm reading when it wants cold. Just a thought.


    Dan
     
  18. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    i've checked it cold and hot. i don't think there's much of a difference, but it's so hard to read, i could be wrong. don't recall what the manual says.
     
  19. MK500

    MK500 Member

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    I cannot believe it's 2013 and nobody has come up with a dipstick that is easier to read. Someone PLEASE invent one.
     
  20. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    i like the one's with the crosshatch between the marks. i think it helps a bit. maybe we need darker oil.:cool:
     
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