Do I have the wrong dipstick?

Discussion in 'Prime Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by PHEVisthefuture, May 1, 2026.

  1. Robert21PrimeLTD

    Joined:
    Jul 30, 2023
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    Location:
    Nashville
    Vehicle:
    2021 Prius Prime
    Model:
    Limited
    I turn on the cruse and let the computer accelerate. I notice that it is slow to get up to speed but that’s the point. Cars behind me always move to the other lane. Don’t know what ICE MPG I get, only that the dash reads around 176 mpg since I use the HV battery as much as I can. For oil changes I assume 55 ICE MPG.
     
  2. ColoradoBoo

    ColoradoBoo Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jul 19, 2019
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    Location:
    Monument, Colorado USA
    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    An easy check to see if you're burning oil is to go back to your exhaust, stick your finger in it, and rub it out on the metal. If your finger is very black, it's probably burning oil. (A little soot is normal but could indicate your Throttle Body butterfly flap needs some cleaning.) I just tested my 2021 Prius and finger came out clean...she's going on 70,000 miles.

    The best way to check the dipstick is never in the morning, when the car is cold....get the vehicle up to operating temperatures then turn off the engine and wait about 5 minutes before you check. (10-minutes if your have a turbocharged engine.) Checking oil level whenever you fill up is a good time to do it...I keep a rag in my cars for this reason.
     
  3. PHEVisthefuture

    PHEVisthefuture Junior Member

    Joined:
    Apr 26, 2026
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    Location:
    Illinois
    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius Prime
    Model:
    Prime Plus
    I have a little bit of grease in the exhaust, but nothing like my oil burners that had a coat of slime inside the tailpipe. So I think I'm good. My dipstick still reads "Full" after letting the car sit overnight, so not sure what happened here, but I think we've confirmed - check both sides of the dipstick and wait a while for the oil stuck in the dipstick tube to settle down or else the reading will be much higher (up to 1 quart more) than expected!