Oil change

Buy 4 quarts, it'll nearly take 3.9 for the change. Save the remaining amount for use later

 

It is usually cheaper to buy a 5 litre container than 4 x 1 litre containers. Being in Europe, Benjamin will need 3.7 litres with filter.

The oil you need is fully synthetic ILSAC GF-5 or SAE 5W-30.

It is actually detailed in the owner's manual.

 

If you're missing the Owner's Manual you can download pdf (North American version) from Toyota.Tech Info, the "manuals" section:




I've attached a pdf, excerpt from the Repair Manual (aka Shop Manual) that details the 2nd gen oil change:

 

The Prius does not like to be filled to max so it's more like 3.7-3.8 qts to get it to 1/4 inch below the max fill point that would be 6.35mm in Europe. So more like 3.55-3.6l
My $.02
terramir

 

Mobil 1 advanced fuel economy 0w30
Warranty protection for 5w30 & 10w30
Very affordable at walmart. You can get a k&n or mobil 1 filter too while you're there all for about $30. Switched from 5w30 mobil 1 full synthetic annual oil. Got 11 more mpg. I use 3 qts and a thing of lucas pure synthetic because the 1.5 L I4 in the Prius will start to consume a great deal of oil if you don't use the extra added protection. Best wishes. -Cheers

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

Ehhh I tried posting with the Prius chat mobile app does not work for me keep getting error
terramir

 

A lot of priuschat nonsense on this thread.

Keep the motor filled to the full line. Do you think Toyota engineers put the full line on the dipstick and then say don’t keep the oil there Were just kidding about it?

Bring the exact amount oil to an oil change and use the factory filter.
The factory filter costs $4. Go the dealer and buy a few there on amazon too.
You can buy a jug of Mobil 1. 5-30 for $24.95. Take out 1.5 quarts out.theres a line on the side of the jug to check volume.
Bring that jug. Take he empty jug back home. After the oil change let the car sit for a few hours and then check again.

I check my oil every Saturday before starting my cars.

For most drivers that’s a once a year deal.

 

Ed, were you a Marines drill sergeant?

 

Definitely structured if nothing else.

Everything has a place and everything in its place.

 

1. Yeah they were not kidding that max line means in case of the 1nz engines the absolute maximum you overfill even a tiny little bit you f-up your engine.
2. In case of can filling your engine it can actually be tricky to read the stick with the oil so clean. I filled up what I thought was to 1/4" below max after two days I could actually read it better (oil a lil dirtier) I was right at the max line.
3. This was when I still paid a lot of attention to my fuel economy. Guess what three weeks later my mpg was about 2 mpg more and yes the oil level was approaching 1/4" under max by then.
4. Considering the carbon deposit issues the 1nz series has if you ever cleaned the throttle body you know! You don't want even chancing overfilling even a little bit if there was any room I believe an oil catch can would be good on the 2nd gen as well. I just do not know where we could stick to with out over prolonging the hose from pcv to air intake.
My $.02
terramir[/QUOTE]

 

Not sure what your talking about. i found just about every thing you posted is nonsense.

People by the hundreds no thousands over the last 12 years I have been on this site routinely overfill there g2's although not good rarely causing any issues unless severely overfilled. Just about every G2 coming off a dealer vat line is overfilled. period. If every overfill we see here resulted in damage this car would be doomed by the negative press. It would be a graveyard of G2 engines.
Instead its the toughest little engine every made. Only thing it will not tolerate is running the oil so low it sucks air. Please see the full line on the dipstick.

I have no problem reading the dipstick with new oil in the engine. Just let it sit for a few hours.

Running your car below the full oil line gained mpg's is more Priuschat nonsense. Toyota Engineers agonized over the emission's and the mpg capability of this car. Only here do you hear this nonsense. This car depends on its oil volume 2 fold one is lubrication the other is oil pressure enough to physically rotate the intake cam to control timing. The VVT timing system. With minimum oil pressure no timing advance= anemic poorly running engine. So your claim of better efficiency with lower oil level is ludicrous. I keep my oil at the full line and 11 years later routinely get 50 mpgs.

G2 motors do not suffer deposits. I have the pictures to prove it. Your thinking of the G3 motors. I posted pictures of my piston tops called "sparkplugs and borescopes" about 2 months ago. I took borescope pictures of my pictures. Pistons were very clean no deposits. My throttle body remains perfectly clean after a few throttle body cleans over the last 11 years. I've cleaned it maybe 3 times in the last 11 years. There is always a little puddle of oil in the bottom of the throttle body. Was there the day I bought the car new. Always there. It bothers nothing. Its part of the Atkinson weirdness of the motor.

Here's my 11 year old throttle body. There's some sludge in the pcv valve hose inlet.
Hadn't cleaned that in 5 years. I did that day. No sludge in the throttle body just that small inlet.
The car could care less.

 

You must be lucky when I got mine it was black took quite a bit of cleaning to look like that. And there are several warning about overfilling on this site alone but if you look at the 1nz wiki throttle body cleaning is one of the things mentioned. While I have not looked at mine the intake to engine is one of the things and all the pictures I have seen of the gen2 have carbon buildup on valves pistons the intake etc.
If I saw my old mustang I used to have in the state these engine look I'd be worried but there is a limit even these little engines that can have them adhere to. Overfilling oil is a good way to for you to stick your throttle body for one but there are other things the proverbial
Murphy will eat at one is your catalytic converter.
Those costs what 1900 bucks??
And btw if you have the oil level exactly halfway between min and Max then your exactly on spec that's how the engineers determine those lines on every car on the planet.
Min spec max spec half way point optimum spec, YMMV
But filling it all the way up is pep boys, jiffy lube, and whoever else changes oil, hope that they won't get sued when you engine freezes up because you didn't check your oil for 3k miles like an idiot. The max line is never a good idea unless you are burning half a qt. Every 200 miles like the cars in the 60-70 kinda got to doing as they got older.
At minimum oil level the oil sheeth inside the cylinders should still be thick enough to ensure normal operation with Joe blow conventional oil and well most of us run full synthetic. Personally I believe that my engine does run better a 1/4 inch below max it might be unscientific but it just feels like it runs better and considering I have been rebuilding my battery quite often due to lack of good module availability my engine performance is very important, I feel and hear when my battery is getting worse I also notice when the engine is not quite running right. As my battery degrades more and more the engine fluxuations between rebuilds and charges become even more noticeable.
my $.02
terramir