2010- 125K, suddenly consuming 4 quarts oil in 6000 miles, next step?

The dealer won't do anything because it's normal oil usage from their point of view. They'll say it's a problem when it exceeds 1qt every 600 miles.

Maybe you can start looking for a newer engine, from a late model wreck?

 

1. Verify that you're really burning 4q/6000 miles.
This seems a bit excessive to me, but hey...defication occurs.
Oil is relatively cheap, so you have a little bit of time to noodle this out, but pretty soon you're going to start having other problems like cat failures and the new plugs that you should have put in by now.
If Maryland has a VET program then you'll either have to fix this soon or trade the car out so that it can be driven for another 75,000 miles in a state that does not have a VET.

2. Find a competent and trustworthy independent shop and discuss this with them.
If they ARE both, they'll also want to verify what is causing your oil burning. Since it's not a 'hybrid problem' then they probably do not have to be a 'hybrid specialist' to fix it.
You're probably looking at new (used) motor.....say a thou each for the motor and install.
This is NOT going to be a dealer thing, since they'll hit you with a $4500-6,000 estimate hoping to scare you over to the sales department so that THEY can auction the car off to a state that doesn't have a VET.

Good Luck.

 

Some ideas:

• Has your driving style changed with a location change?
• Try a thicker oil (I use 5w-30).
• Did a dash light tell you of the issue, or have you found this by checking under the hood every so often?
• Ever had the PCV valve or intake manifold and egr system checked or cleaned?
• Are you a DIY type?

Keep us posted .

 

Oooooo.
That's a bummer.

Accelerate your visit to the trusted local mechanic.
If you're capable of some basic DIY or you DO have a trusted local mechanic then you can certainly clean the EGR and the throttle body, and replace the PCV. Those are easy, sub $200 items.
DO NOT go to a Toyota dealership and mention throttle body cleaning otherwise you'll wind up paying $150 for a $4 can of throttle body cleaner.
Clubbing up to a 5w30 flavor of oil won't really hurt either.

The problem you're going to have now isn't the rings in your engine, but rather your catalytic converter.

You see.....in 45-1/2 states, a bad catalytic converter is about a $300 fix.
It's a little different in SoCal, and you're going to have to get a handle on the drinking problem before your cat gets fodded out and have to deal with that as a main issue.

 

I have to assume that during the last 6k miles when the oil usage was noticed, a good portion of that was from a cross country trip from Maryland to Cali. On a high miles engine, high constant speeds can burn more oil than normal.

 

How do the rings go from ok to that bad in such a short period of time? I've never seen such a "sudden" failure in any other type of car.

 

In order of probability:

1, Customer Neglect.
2. Dealer Neglect
3. 1 & 2
4. Insufficient oil sump.
5. OCI

We have several (lots) of G3s on our company fleet.
Mine (2010) has 125,000 miles on the clock and has no measurable oil use, despite the fact that my beloved company is tighter than bark on a tree and doesn't even do the recommended maintenance items as set forth on the schedule of maintenance as set forth by the manufacturer.
They DO HOWEVER do one thing, ASSIDUOUSLY.....and only because it's a lot more expensive to come and get a car that's broken down in BFE.
My company changes the oil out every 5,000 miles.....in every vehicle that has an ICE.
Period.

Also, for some bizarre reason, our techs actually seem to be the type that actually check their oil semi-occasionally.

Our fleet maintenance lady tells me that they have had just about zero instances of G3s burning oil, and I suspect that since Priuses are regularly used in fleet ops for other companies other than Big Phone, including taxi companies......that they probably have similar reliability with their G3s.

So....I will have to be convinced that "Sudden Oil Use" comes from the same manufacturer's defect as "Sudden Unintended Acceleration."

YMMV

 

Thanks for answering the questions and circling back. I thought it had made a cross country trip given MD is listed for your location. Something worth updating when you have time.

IMO you have a Prius with a drinking problem now that the oil has run low for a period of time. But oil is cheaper than a new or used engine, so keep an eye on it and add as necessary.

Our 2010 Prius II with 159 k miles on it has a small drinking problem. The best thing I have done to slow it is to drive 0-5 mph above the posted speed limit. I also switched to 5w-30 and that has also helped. I also add additives to help with oil basicity which helps keep the stability of the synthetic oil longer. Switching to high mileage oil will also help.

With sending more hydrocarbons through the exhaust system, you'll see an increase in carbon deposit formation. So I would look at egr and intake manifold cleaning, then make it regular preventive maintenance. When removing the intake manifold, the PCV valve is right there, so pool that job .

Hope that helps.