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My Synthetic oil still looks new after 10k miles of driving

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by ski.dive, Mar 29, 2020.

  1. nssdiver

    nssdiver Me digging' life

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    Visual inspection of an engine oil, new or used, means absolutely nothing without an oil analysis.

    After doing two on my previous car ('02 Honda Civic EX) at 15k and then 25kmi, I decided to do oil changes on my Prius yearly whether it needed it or not. Here are my recorded oil change intervals (in MILES):
    28,403
    27,693
    29,340
    35,986
    29,423
    35,006
    32,277
    28,339
    30,684
    25,843
    This '07 (TCUV Purchased @ 20kmi) has ~340,000 miles on it and has zero engine problems.
    For my first 250+ kmi I drove it like it was a WRX piloted by Mario Andretti.
    (Note to hypermilers: high performance tires DO affect your mpgs. Just sayin')
    My only issue is the dratted PCV valve which has been pretty well addressed by adding a cheap OCC (Oil Catch Can) off of eBay.
    Unfortunately, living deep in the rust belt, I will lose her soon to cancer (WELL before i expect my engine to wear out).
    It will still go well >100 mph up a slight incline with 2 passengers on board.

    A simple oil analysis could have cut this thread down to ~⅓...
     
  2. ski.dive

    ski.dive Active Member

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    quote
    This '07 (TCUV Purchased @ 20kmi) has ~340,000 miles on it and has zero engine problems.
    quote


    When did you replace the original HYBRID BATTERY, on this 2007 Prius?????
    ***What other 'repairs' have you done to it to keep it running?
     
  3. qmanqman

    qmanqman Active Member

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    Ya but that costs money.

    I wanna know how you were able to get your mileages to go up and down like that. Doesn't matter if I read it upward or downward, the mileages fluctuate up and down. The other way I read it is you did 10 oil changes between 25,843 miles and 35,986. That's like doing an oil change every thousand miles. Is this what two oil analysis' made you decide to do?
     
  4. nssdiver

    nssdiver Me digging' life

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    My HYBRID battery is OEM.

    My OEM 12V battery was replaced with a non-Prius Yellow Top Optima in 12/2011 and is still going fine.
    My repair list is lengthy at this mileage, but much of it is salt/corrosion related:
    Rear springs (& struts); front wheel bearings; Coolant Control Valve; TPMS sensors; muffler (& gasket); Emergency brake cable.

    I have an XL spreadsheet that has everything spent on my car in it.
     
  5. nssdiver

    nssdiver Me digging' life

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    I only did 3 oil analysis - enough to convince me that my oil was up to the extended drain intervals I was going to run.
    The last two analysis, on my Civic, were on the oil I use now.

    Odometer Δ miles Year changed
    29,149 unk 2009
    57,552 28,403 2010
    85,245 27,693 2011
    114,585 29,340 2012
    150,571 35,986 2013
    179,994 29,423 2014
    215,000 35,006 2015
    247,277 32,277 2016
    275,616 28,339 2017
    306,300 30,684 2018
    332,143 25,843 2019

    This edit may help you with my poor communication.
    upload_2020-4-3_15-46-33.jpeg
     
    #65 nssdiver, Apr 3, 2020
    Last edited: Apr 3, 2020
  6. qmanqman

    qmanqman Active Member

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    Got it, thanks bro.

    30,000 mile oil changes? HOLY FLIPPIN MOLY. Maybe an oil analysis is worth it. Hey @sam spade 2 , whaddya think if this? You thinking BeeEss Interweb lies?
     
  7. sam spade 2

    sam spade 2 Senior Member

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    No. But I can't imagine how the oil analysis can tell you EVERYTHING that is happening inside the engine.

    There will always be people who push the limits of simple good sense.
    Sometimes they get away with it unscathed.......and sometimes they don't.

    For the few pennies you save by doing WAY extended change intervals, I just don't think it makes any sense.
     
  8. 2Fats

    2Fats Member

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    I do the "extended" oil changes, but I've got a high mileage filter in place, and thanks to the engine's great oil changeout system, it's basically getting "fresh" oil all the time. I drive to Michigan and add a quart back in, drive home to Missouri, add a quart back in.

    It's self-cleaning I tell ya! Growing up we called it Hillbilly oil changes.

    (It's only on the 700 mile non-stop runs that it seems to burn 710. While in either place it's just fine. I don't know if it's the constant speed or that the engine is running more.. No clue. But it works.)
     
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  9. Stevewoods

    Stevewoods Senior Member

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    My conventional oil always looks nice and clean when I change it at the recommended interval.
     
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  10. 2Fats

    2Fats Member

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    I would like to get some samples and check things out, but in the end, I didn't pay enough for the car to be that worried about it. A replacement engine would cost me more than I paid for the car.
     
  11. Skibob

    Skibob Senior Member

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    Well good for you. I hope your car goes another 110,000 like that. For some reason I thought you were like 75 years old and had all the work on your car done by someone else.
     
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  12. Kaptainkid1

    Kaptainkid1 Active Member

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    I agree with your statement about using engine oil cleaning just before an oil change or in your case as part of an oil change.
    I started a thread here that Prii's can benefit greatly and slow down the sludge buildup on the oil return rings channels by implementing a engine oil cleaning treatment every 40k miles or for my case I did it for the whole last year of driving and did engine oil cleanings treatments in all my oil changes for over a year.
    After buying a used Prius with 150k I noticed the Prius was burning a little oil at 1/4-1/2 qt of oil for every 1000 miles. More highway driving above 70mph I saw greater oil consumption.
    So I started using seafoam as a engine oil cleaning treatment. I put it in the engine oil just before an oil change. I usually put on a 100 miles of driving and do then my oil change. I still uses 5-20wt Toyota recommend synthetic oil weight. I know thicker engine oil weight can slow down the oil burning and gives a false positive results.
    So after over year of oil changes and doing a seafoam cleaning every oil change I was able to slow down the oil burning to 1/2 quart every 5000 miles.
    I had recommended these practices and got ton of slack and arguements here with fellow forum contributors. Namely Sam Spade, but after year of long work and results.
    I find myself vindicated. So it's good to see fellows members with the same ideal and proof of similar results. Go clean engine oil!
    As for being a member for the last year and reading Sam Spade's other opinions on threads, I find myself agreeing with him 95% of opinions. That just means we're 95% either right or very wrong!
    I do find his wealth of knowledge credible and for the most part sound advice.

    SM-J737T1 ?
     
    #72 Kaptainkid1, May 14, 2020
    Last edited: May 14, 2020
  13. Kaptainkid1

    Kaptainkid1 Active Member

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    Some times it's not all about the oil in the engine for 30k. Its about keeping the oil filter up to par. Why risk possible damage to an engine to prove synthetic oil can last longer between changes. I know for a fact oil filter are not designed to last for 30k. Are you just changing oil filters every 10k and leaving old oil for 30k? I've torn apart engine with lack of oil changes and I see nothing but fudge build up. I'm sure if you open your valve cover you will surely see sludge buildup. 20200514_204813.jpg

    SM-J737T1 ?
     
  14. ski.dive

    ski.dive Active Member

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    That looks like an engine that 'never' changed it's oil;);););)
     
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  15. nssdiver

    nssdiver Me digging' life

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    Wth kind of oil are you using?
    No, mine looked like this just over the 300,000 mile mark:
    IMG_5714.jpg
    Adjustments.jpg
    Adjustments.jpg

    My friend, an ex Honda master mechanic, was quite impressed.

    Don’t compare garbage oil, or oil that’s never been changed, to the beat stuff in the market.


    iPhone ?
     
  16. qmanqman

    qmanqman Active Member

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    Don't know why he was impressed. There's sludge all over the inside of that engine. I've had 200,000+ mile vehicles that are far cleaner than that. You've convinced me to not even give 30,000 miles a try. The one thing I would never want built up in my vehicle's engine is sludge like that.
     
  17. Aaron Vitolins

    Aaron Vitolins Senior Member

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    That thing is filthy! I suppose not bad considering the 30k oil change interval.

    maybe I’m crazy, but I’d be very disappointed if my engine was that dirty and mucky inside :(
     
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