2011 prius burning oil at 82k miles at 1 qt per 3700 miles

Exactly the same. The list of concerns is long.

 

Assume nothing does

 

Partway through model year 2014 Toyota revised the piston rings (and the pistons, to accommodate the different rings), to rings that had more outward springiness, better able to prevent oil getting past. And judging from Fuelly stats (for model year 2015), gave up about 0.2 mpg.

The sand pounder: that 0.2 extra mpg, that maybe got Toyota some brownie points, left a lot of owners with runaway oil consumption, down the road.

 

How much does the dealer charge you for an oil change?

First I would get the EGR circuit cleaned real good use the search forums link and search it on a G3 forum lots of posts about it so you can see whats being done. Lots of youtube's on a G3 egr clean.

Then I would use some therapeutic oil much higher quality then you have been using and immediately move up to a thicker oil like 5-30 both will slow down the oil usage. Try Redline Motor oil 5-30 its an excellent oil and has been known to help oil usage.

You need to find a decent independent mechanic your car is getting older and taking it to the dealer all the time at a $175-200 an hour reaming is nuts.

Lastly its important to always keep the oil at the full line as lower oil at any point is hard on the engine. I would check it in the morning on a flat surface before starting the car every few days. keep it topped off.

 

Whole EGR system is done and enjoy doing my own work because doing my own work is a hobby. I’ve heard conflicting info regarding oil SAE.
I’ll try the RedLine oil.
Thanks for the idea!

I plan to sell it soon, and want to sell a decent car.

 

my local mech charges $90.

 

Oil prices have jumped.

 

I do Goodyear & get a tire rotation for $80

 

No free ring job for me.

 

It is a good normal price if they indeed use Toyota original 0w-20 or Mobil1 0w-20. You also can use high detergent mobil1 extended performance (20k miles rating) but change it every 5k miles/6 months for 2 years. It may dislodge the stuck piston rings and clean the return hole slowly and safely. Cheaper and safer than using harsh chemicals that can ruin seals and cylinder wall.
1 quart every 3k miles is probably still fixable with 5k miles OCI. Once it reach 1L per 1k miles, the cylinder wall may be FUBAR.

 

So no engine work from Gasketmasters?

 

Get BG hybrid repair kit

 

Get BG hybrid repair kit

 

No mention on this thread, you should replace the PCV valve. Cheap to replace, not hard.

 

Glad to hear you've got a handle on the problem.
I'm a diy for maintenance, when my 2012 Prius C did that - I switched to 5w20. That had the same effect. No change in driving habit.

Dealerships buy their oil in 55 gallon drums. As long as the drum states 0w20 full synthetic and is cheap (cost containment - higher profit margins) - they will put it in your car. Quality of oil does matter. Thirty years ago, I still did my own oil changes. Didn't care much about the brand name - oil is oil, and the label on the bottle states that it meets specifications. Whatever was on sale, when I needed an oil change. I did 5K mile oil changes and when I drained it - the oil came out like water. I won't mention the brand and haven't brought any of their product line again. I stick with Castrol or Mobil 1 oil. I've never had an issue like that again.

I'm not saying your dealer is bad, you just don't know what they are putting in your car - especially if your running 10K mile oil changes. I believe our local Walmart will do full synthetic oil changes for $65 and you get to pull the oil and filter off their shelves. Make sure they use either bring an OEM Toyota filter or high end 10K-20K miles oil filter - NOT one of those cheap, bottom rung filter.
You may also want to switch to 5K miles oil changes, as someone above suggested. That would ensure you don't run low on oil, If your not under the hood all the time, like me. It'll be cheaper than a rebuilt engine, if you accidentally let the oil level get too low.

Hope this helps...

 

1/2 quart (aka pint) in 5000 miles is not bad. May accelerate though; only at 89k now.

 

We used high mileage 5w-30 castrol for 20k mi and drove the hell out of it and oil use stopped. We drive these pri so hard we get 30mi/gal

 

That is a good figure. Lot of Prius out there that consume that much per 1000km and keep going including my Prius;-) I just started using 5W-30. Let’s see if it make any difference