Do I have the wrong dipstick?

Discussion in 'Prime Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by PHEVisthefuture, May 1, 2026 at 10:00 PM.

  1. PHEVisthefuture

    PHEVisthefuture New Member

    Joined:
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    Location:
    Illinois
    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius Prime
    Model:
    Prime Plus
    New (to me) 2017 Prius Prime owner.

    I have put about 6,000 miles on the car, and during this time the dipstick never changed in level, whether hot or cold. It’s up to the dot where Toyota marks the “normal” Full level of the crankcase, so I thought that’s perfect.

    Recently I had some cold start rattling that was louder than what I felt comfortable with, so I checked the dipstick and it was still Full. Put a half quart of 0W-20 and checked after wiping off with a rag, no change. Put the rest of the quart in, still no change. The dipstick reads Full.

    Now you must be thinking, car isn’t level, hot or cold, nope. Car sits in a level garage (a stick shift wouldn’t even roll when out of gear and no parking brake) and I have checked it in 32F and 85F weather.

    But now my rattle noise is gone. So was I a quart low? Is there a chance someone put the wrong dipstick in my car, and if so, shouldn’t it be way over full if it truly was the wrong one? Or am I actually a quart over, and about to blow the seals on the engine?

    First used car of many that has decided to throw me for a loop on the oil level!
     
  2. PHEVisthefuture

    PHEVisthefuture New Member

    Joined:
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    Location:
    Illinois
    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius Prime
    Model:
    Prime Plus
    To add to this thread, I let the car sit overnight (neither on a charger or been running for 8+ hours) and checked the oil, still at the "Full" mark. After doing some searching, however, I noticed that the dipstick I should have doesn't seem to have a mark at the "Full" level, which I've marked up on the photo attached.

    This was just from a quick Google search showing the dipstick I should have (1530137010):

    https://parts.toyotaofnashua.com/oem-parts/toyota-2008-2024-toyota-engine-oil-dipstick-1530137010

    Can anyone confirm/deny that their 2017+ 4th Gen Prius Prime dipstick has the mark where the ? annotation is on the attached photo?

    I'm now wondering if I was very low on oil (3 quarts or less in crankcase) or if I am now way over full. If it weren't for a slight injury I'm recovering from, I'd jack up the car and drain out all the oil just to be sure.
     

    Attached Files:

  3. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk MMX GEN III

    Joined:
    Oct 17, 2010
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    Location:
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    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    Touring
    I checked on Amayama, my 3rd gen is the same part no for dipstick; pictures for comparison:

    IMG_3823.jpeg

    IMG_3824.jpeg

    oil at the full mark:

    IMG_3825.jpeg

    Regarding the relentless readings as “full”, something’s not adding up: if you (say) add a pint of oil, and the level doesn’t budge on the dipstick, you must be doing something wrong, or reading the dipstick wrong.

    Addendum: per the US 4th gen Owner's Manual (on page 593), distance between the two marks on the dipstick represents 1.6 US quarts.

    upload_2026-5-2_8-53-19.png
     
    #3 Mendel Leisk, May 2, 2026 at 10:33 AM
    Last edited: May 2, 2026 at 11:53 AM
    Brian1954 likes this.