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Excessive Oil Consumption on 2010 Prius

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by Mark8007, Aug 10, 2016.

  1. Mark8007

    Mark8007 Junior Member

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    BAD RINGS in the motor. My dealer said he is seeing a lot of Prius's like this. He thinks Toyota will have a recall on the Prius soon. Camry and Rav-4 has already been recalled for this reason. My Prius just started using a lot of Oil @130,000. (1qt per 1200 miles) Has anyone else heard about this??
     
  2. edward24

    edward24 Junior Member

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    Oh yes alot of us do know.

    SM-N910V ?
     
  3. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    yes, very popular with the 2010's. i hope your dealer has some inside info, that would be an amazing 180 for toyota on oil consumption.
     
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  4. av8ter

    av8ter Junior Member

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    Just got done putting a new engine in my 2011 after a long history of oil consumption turned into more of a total failure(low compression). "New" engine being one from a 2010 with very low miles. I'll be monitoring consumption closely but am optimistic overall.
     
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  5. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    toyota wouldn't help?
     
  6. av8ter

    av8ter Junior Member

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    Oil consumption issue arose with the previous owner. I bought the car under complete disclosure. Didn't wan't to berate the previous owner regarding the history but it was my findings that Toyota did not offer repair(vehicle out of powertrain warranty at the time by mileage).

    Unfortunately my car will most certainly be exempt from any potential warranty extension regarding the oil consumption due to the vehicle no longer having the original engine. I am fine with this given what I have in the vehicle even after the cost of the replacement engine. I am technician myself at a Toyota dealer, paid for the parts only. Swapped in a new EGR valve and the updated intake manifold during the swap as well as a new rear engine mount.
     
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  7. clickerman

    clickerman Junior Member

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    2016 prius with 5000 miles. No rattles yet. Knock on wood?

    SM-N910T ?
     
  8. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    or plastic?
     
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  9. Raytheeagle

    Raytheeagle Senior Member

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    Or metallic slapping going over road turtles?
     
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  10. dorunron

    dorunron Senior Member

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    Not wanting to derail the train here, but I think a recall should be in order. Between the excessive oil usage that many are seeing and reporting here on PC as well as the EGR system clogging up it seems that Toyota really messed up on the engine for the Gen III Prius. I am the type to keep vehicles for a LONG time. I have a feeling the one I have now will be the exception to the rule. I hate to say that because I had planned for this to be the last car I would buy due to my health.

    Anyway, just wanted to say that. Sorry for rocking the boat on this thread.
     
  11. Raytheeagle

    Raytheeagle Senior Member

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    How long is a long time? I got a 98 4Runner with 255 and counting. Had it as the wife's car since 2001. My 2010 Prius II has 137k and just turned 7 yesterday! Plan to continue racking up the miles and years:).

    I have cleaned the egr system from front to back and am dealing with slight oil consumption. I thought mine would be one of the ones that doesn't drink oil, but at 120 k it began. Only a quart every 6,500 miles though, so manageable.

    I wish you well on your rule breaker, but if it doesn't what will you do? Trade it in?
     
  12. dorunron

    dorunron Senior Member

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    I have been known to keep a new car for at least 10 years, and as long as 15 years. I have also been known to drive them 250K. I bought used for a LONG time when I was younger. Usually bought a car that was 5 years old or older with anywhere from 75K to 100K and would usually hang on to them until 250K unless I had repairs that cost more than what buying something again would be worth. Kept one Mercury Sable wagon that cost me over 3K @ year just in repairs for over eight years. Bought it used with 60K on the clock. Had almost 200K on it when sold. When I sold it, a guy from work bought it for his daughter. He paid 1K cash for it and dropped 3K into it the following year and another 3K the year after that.

    What will I do? Hope to die before I buy again. If not, will trade in and probably try to find a used EV if I can get something with decent range (200 miles or more) without having to spend 40K or more (No Tesla, thinking used Leaf - Second Gen of course). Who knows what will ve available by then. We are talking at least seven more years from now... (2023 or so) But who knows what will happen to this economy between then and now. Another depression maybe, maybe not. Inflation is running rampant and wages are NOT keeping up.

    I have one good thing to look forward to. The last payment is coming up quick. Should be in April of next year, then this Prius is bought and paid for. So far only have 25K on the clock.
     
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  13. BZzap!

    BZzap! Senior Member

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    IMHO I don't think that Toyota's dinky little oil filter and it's extended oil change intervals aren't helping matters any. In addition, 0w20 oil? I guess it's what the price of 50+ MPG costs in the long run. Call it what you will but I smell a little planed obsolescence... For the sake of that elusive 50+ MPG.
     
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  14. dorunron

    dorunron Senior Member

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    I agree with this 100% I too think the oil is TOO thin, and the OCI is TOO LONG. Sure it is synthetic and all that, but come on guys. With all these reports of oil consumption jumping up before 100K on the clock? Something smells bad to me, and it is not burn't oil...
     
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  15. orenji

    orenji Senior Member

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    Is anyone using 5W-30 oil, any issues?
     
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  16. Raytheeagle

    Raytheeagle Senior Member

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    Thanks for the response. That is a long time and a lot of miles on cars:). $3k a year into a Mercury? You're a better man than me. I thought that brand would live on so that the FORD acronym jokes would at least have an alternate outlet ;).

    25 k on the clock is real low. Probably easy miles too? If so, you probably will have less likelihood of oil consumption as I have higher consumption with high speed for long periods of time. If you are not driving like that, risk reduced IMO. The only thing you may have to do is an egr system cleanse. But it sounds like past experience in the Fix Or Repair Daily line of automobiles has conditioned you to some monetary investment in the car:).

    Congrats on getting the car to the point of being paid off. We have had ours paid off for 3 years. The savings keep rolling in.
     
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  17. Raytheeagle

    Raytheeagle Senior Member

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    Yes (one data point for your question). Mobil One every 10 k. Reduced consumption from a quart every 4,500 miles to a quart every 6,500 miles. I read a different thread on here where someone was using 0W-40 and consumption went away. I have an oil change coming up in 3k miles but probably sticking with 5W-30.

    At the oil change after that (150k) I am probably going to do a couple of things:
    1) switch to high mileage for some assistance in swelling some components
    2) Use BG Products EPR (PN 109) treatment. When I cleaned my egr system from front to back, it had significant carbon deposits (not as bad as some pics on here but enough to block air flow) and I imagine there will be the same in the ICE. I have guys who swear by this treatment and have used it for years. If you are curious about it, there are YouTube videos of what it can do with a little heat and agitation. I figure at 150 k, it's worth a shot:).
     
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  18. Siward

    Siward Active Member

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    I bought my Prius two years ago. I had a lot of left over 5w20 and 5w30 motor oil from my previous car, so I dumped them in the Prius. I change my own oil. So far, I have used 5w30 for two oil changes at 5,000 miles each. I use 5w20/30 in the summer and 0w20 in the winter.

    No issues found. The fuel economy differences are hardly noticable. The higher viscosity oil should prevent oil consumption.
     
  19. Robert Holt

    Robert Holt Senior Member

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    The Toyota 0w-20 oil specs seem to me to be designed specifically for a car that runs through far more stop-start cycles than any conventional vehicle. Since in the Bad Old Days the majority of engine wear was associated with engine starts, my opinion FWIW is that using ordinary oil in a Prius could accelerate wear due to the start-stop cycles. Good luck!
     
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  20. BZzap!

    BZzap! Senior Member

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    IMHO, it seems that the use of 0w20 oil is all for the sake of tweeking fuel mileage figures for marketing purposes. Many people are unaware that 850 HP NASCAR engines use 0w5 oils to increase HP, RPM and of coarse, better fuel mileage. The trade-off is limited longevity. 1000 miles and those engine are totally worn out. Further more, there are a lot of car manufaturers that are using these light weight oils in conventional gas engines. Why? Well, IMHO (again) it come down to the holy grail of EPA fuel mileage ratings. They have it figured down to a fine point... the fine point of expected engine life vs bragging rights.
     
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