Excessive Oil Consumption on 2010 Prius

aren't there lots of different vehicles using synthetic? maybe it's just the engine design.

 

Yeah, in fact they use synthetics more now than ever. They also use 0w20 oils. My son's 2015 Chevy Silverado 5.3L V-8 calls for it, although the change intervals are shorter than the Prius 10K recommendations. Carbon footprint reduction, I guess.

 

I recently bought my 2012 used, took it in for a check-up at 7k miles and I was down 3 1/2 quarts. I'm starting to think I just bought someone elses problems.

 

How many miles on her? Did it come with any maintenance history?

 

I have a 2010 with 61K on the clock and have had zero oil consumption issues. Roughly 4,000-4,500 miles between oil changes with Toyota or Mobil One 0W20 at the dealer. I check the oil level the morning of the oil change and it is always full.

 

I too, have zero oil consumption problems on my 2012 with just over 40k on the clock. I'm retired so my car is not a comuter for work. I only rack up 10k a year, at the most. However, I do change my oil every 5k, regardless what the recommended interval says. I consider my driving routine to be categorized as extreme. Under my driving conditions the car just has enough time to go into closed loop before it is shut down. Can you imagine what the oil would be going through, under these conditions after 1 year/10,000 miles? My point being, low mileage on a car doesn't necessarily mean that it's had an easy life... just good maintenance is the solution to longevity...be it from age or mileage.

 

Yes, I have all the maintenance history from the previous owner and never once was oil consumption mentioned.

 

How many miles? Was it maintenance by the owners manual or was anything else done, like pcv valve?

 

I can see how that happens: previous owner(s) never check the dipstick, bring it in for maintenance on shedule, dealership drains the depleted volume of oil without first checking the dipstick, puts in new. No problems noted.

 

I agree. I was planning on mine being my last car too. Was going to keep it as long as I can. I'm 66 and only have a couple payments left. Planning on retiring in 4 years. Not good to hear that I might have to get rid of it. Don't know what I would get. I love the Prius, maybe find a used one, not planning on having payments again. Have 91k miles on mine.

 

We also have a 2010 with oil consumption issues. However, I have not been keeping detailed records on how much is being used. The car has around 82K miles on it.

One interesting observation though. We just took a 4000 mile road trip from Minnesota to the Utah national parks and the car consumed about 2 quarts of oil. However, our route went through some very tough terrain. We went up many mountain passes ( the ICE was working VERY hard in PWR mode ), used braking mode during the descents, etc... Consequently, I did notice more consumption than I see at home.

Just for fun, here is the map of the trip :

2016 - SW USA

It would be great if Toyota issued a recall for this! However, take what the dealer said with a grain of salt. It is interesting that the dealer mentioned it though.

 

Hi all, just an update.

• I ran a can of BG products EPR 109 ( Engine Performance Restoration ) engine flush through the engine before changing the oil. I am usually very skeptical of products like this but after reading up on it I decided to give it a shot.
• Did the oil change using Mobil 1 5W30 High Mileage.

Some observations :

• After using BG109, the engine seems to run smoother, etc... This is obviously subjective so who knows...I don't have any data to back up my claims.
• Surprisingly, mileage does not seem to be affected (yet) by switching to the 5W30 oil. If anything, it seems easier to reach MPGs in the 50s now. Maybe this is due to the oil change plus the BG109. Again, a highly subjective observation.

I am monitoring to see if oil consumption is reduced. Nothing conclusive yet.

I also decided to change the PCV valve. I have the part but I didn't have the correct tools to change it while I was under the hood. As other threads say..it looks like it is going to be a major PITA to change.

 

When you used the BG EPR, what did the oil look like coming out? Was it dark black? What does the oil in there now look like? My 2010 has 139 k on the clock and I will be changing it this weekend.

I have a can of the EPR and am planning on using it. After the last oil change at 130 k I still noticed a dark color to the oil, so it tells me there is deposits in the system, which is why I considered EPR as it is supposed to help dissolve the deposits and I have heard good things about it. I consume about a quart of oil every 6500 miles.

I look forward to your reply as I will be embarking on the same path .

 

It looked very, very dark and was also noticeably thick. This is consistent with what others reported when I googled around about it..and is why I think the BG EFR "did something". I will also warn you to use it in a WELL ventilated area. The stuff is pretty potent.

The oil looks clear now. However, I have only driven about 300 miles so far on this oil change..so not really much to report yet.

Let us know how it goes when you use it!

 

How long did you let it recirculate at 1200 rpm? Did you use maintenance mode, or just PWR mode?

 

I just went into maintenance mode and let the car idle. The car was warmed up first though ( I had driven some on the highway beforehand ).

 

I usually take mine to the dealer. It's a 20 minute freeway ride. Plan was to put the EPR in once at the dealer and recirculate in maintenance mode for 10-12 minutes, then give it to them for the change. They charge $28 for the labor and filter, I supply the oil.

 

Another update. I was able to change the PCV valve over the weekend. So...here is the complete list of what I have done over the last month or so :

• Cleaned EGR pipe. There was quite a bit of crud in it but it was not plugged.
• Ran a can of BG products EPR 109 ( Engine Performance Restoration ) engine flush through the engine before changing the oil ( see discussion above ).
• Did the oil change using Mobil 1 5W30 High Mileage.
• Replaced the PCV valve. The old one did have quite a bit of deposits it in and needed to be replaced. However, it still did 'rattle when shaken'..but certainly not as well as the new one.

Continuing to monitor oil usage and will report back in a few weeks when we have more miles on this oil change.

 

I did that too over a month ago @ near 80,000 miles. Did you examine the oil filter?

 

Toyota know about oil consumption problem.All engines from Feb 2014 have me construction of oil rings and pistons.I have 2014 Prius 83000 mi.Zero consumption.Service bulletin unfortunately on Russian only.Cant find same on English.L ink here: http://prius-club.su/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=3032.0;attach=23851

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