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I Have a Drinking Problem

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Main Forum' started by Borninblue, Jun 21, 2019.

  1. Borninblue

    Borninblue Active Member

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    All was well for past 10,000 miles. I have been checking oil about once a month and after 3,000 miles looks like she drank about a 1/4 on me. About 127,000 miles on her so I expected the thirst sooner or later.

    No big deal to me, I bought a couple quarts to have on hand. Still averaging around 49/50 mixed driving. I’m contemplating thicker oil just not sure at this point. Going to monitor to see how thirsty she is for next 5,000.
     
    #1 Borninblue, Jun 21, 2019
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  2. sam spade 2

    sam spade 2 Senior Member

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    A pint in 3000 miles is NOTHING.
    I've had brand new engines that did worse than that.

    If anything, I suggest a very modest increase in viscosity at this point.
    WAY too early to be thinking about a "high mileage" variety.
    When you get up to using a whole quart between changes.......then maybe.
     
    #2 sam spade 2, Jun 21, 2019
  3. mikes951

    mikes951 Junior Member

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    change it to synthetic oil Mobil 1

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
    #3 mikes951, Jun 21, 2019
  4. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Not sure what "1/4 in 3000 miles" means. 1/4 of the total oil volume, a quart, or?

    Guessing you meant a quart, that's getting up there, not runaway territory. Try a seafoam soak?
     
    #4 Mendel Leisk, Jun 21, 2019
  5. Borninblue

    Borninblue Active Member

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    I meant to say 1/4 down on the dip stick.
     
    #5 Borninblue, Jun 21, 2019
  6. Burna J

    Burna J Knot Right Performance....

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    I hear there's meeting for that.... Cheers !! :)
     
    #6 Burna J, Jun 21, 2019
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  7. jb in NE

    jb in NE Senior Member

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    Is that 1/4 of the way from the full mark to the low mark? Or down to 1/4 of the distance between the two above the low mark? Or 1/4 of the way from the full mark to the bottom of the dipstick?

    If it went down 1/4 of the distance of between full and empty, that's about 1 cup of oil lost in 3,000 miles. That is not very high consumption for any engine with > 100K miles on it.
     
    #7 jb in NE, Jun 21, 2019
  8. Borninblue

    Borninblue Active Member

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    1/4 of a way down from the full mark. I understand not that much, she was holding steady without ANY loss.m before this. Maybe the start of something or just a little burning we will see.
     
    #8 Borninblue, Jun 21, 2019
  9. mjoo

    mjoo Senior Member

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    You caught it early. Just throw in a bottle of fuel system cleaner, clean your EGR system and PCV valve. Probably good as new.

    Pixel XL ?
     
    #9 mjoo, Jun 21, 2019
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  10. jb in NE

    jb in NE Senior Member

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    You are obviously staying on top of your oil level, which is a big plus. Some drivers don't ever check oil level and get the big surprise with either the low oil pressure light or the engine seizing. Time for a spreadsheet, with charts and projections.... :)
     
    #10 jb in NE, Jun 21, 2019
  11. frodoz737

    frodoz737 Top Wrench

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    Time to start checking the oil weekly or at fill-up...which ever comes first.
     
    #11 frodoz737, Jun 21, 2019
  12. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    The two marks on the dipstick represent 1.5 liters, or 1.6 quarts. They also happen to be roughly 1.5 inches apart, which works well with liters, pretty much the same with quarts.

    Did a quick ratio equation: if the oil's 1/4 of the way down from the top mark to the bottom, that represents 3/8 of a liter (or quart). 3/8 of a quart is 12 oz's.
     
    #12 Mendel Leisk, Jun 21, 2019
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  13. orenji

    orenji Senior Member

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    Move up to thicker oil. Stay with 0w-30 or 0W-40.
     
    #13 orenji, Jun 21, 2019
  14. CR94

    CR94 Senior Member

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    No, 1.6qt/4=0.4qt, if the dipstick is linear. It very likely is not, so probably that is at least half a quart.
     
    #14 CR94, Jun 21, 2019
  15. jb in NE

    jb in NE Senior Member

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    Got it. I neglected to check the manual and assumed (that's the problem right there) that the difference between full and low is 1 quart. The manual confirms that the difference is 1.6 quarts.

    Which seems odd, given that oil is normally sold in quart or liter units.
     
    #15 jb in NE, Jun 21, 2019
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  16. hill

    hill High Fiber Member

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    [​IMG]
     
    #16 hill, Jun 24, 2019
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