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First Oil Change 2004 Prius

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by plusaf, Feb 15, 2004.

  1. plusaf

    plusaf plusaf

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    2004 Prius
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    Thanks for the comments! I was hoping to change to synthetic at the first change, [some time after i GET the doggone thing... :) ], and your feedback gives me the confidence to go ahead with that.

    several comments on break-in: back in the old days [60's+], my rule was: be nice to the engine for the first 500 miles, then drive it just like you're going to drive it the rest of its life. that's worked well for many engines i've owned. [including my '73 rotary RX-2, which i redlined on the way to work the first day i owned it, much in opposition to ALL owner's manual recommendations... it ran to 125k miles on the original apex seals after i learned that apex seal wear goes up as the nth power of rpm... :) ]

    and i'm installing a magnetic drain plug at the first change. got that on eBay already.

    one other thing: i've had magnetic drain plugs in almost all of my engines for a few decades and discovered ONE very interesting thing: on Quaker State oil, there was always a fur of metal shavings on the magnet when i changed the oil: from an '82 Diesel Isuzu to a '69 350/350 corvette. When i changed to Castrol GTX, there were NO visible shavings or fur on the magnet. whatever WAS there was much finer and less of it.

    i'm planning to put Castro synthetic into my Prius at the first oil change.

    cheers!
    +af
     
    #1 plusaf, Feb 15, 2004
  2. glscheil1

    glscheil1 New Member

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    I had the Dealer change my oil at about 1500 miles. My dealer uses Castrol and they put 10-30 in my car and they gave me the bottle with the unused oil. The bottle has about 1/2 quart in it. Technician changed the reminder to 6,000 miles and will change to every 5,000 after that. So far I haven't noticed any changes in MPG but have only driven about 300 miles since then.
     
    #2 glscheil1, Feb 15, 2004
  3. SpartanPrius

    SpartanPrius New Member

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    Not to be a spoil sport, but using my ever so humble personal opinion - no one is going to be able to "prove" a higher mileage result simply by switching to synthetic oil. Properly rated oils (dino or synthetic) are each going to have the "energy star" (remember when that came out?) fuel saving properties that is expected today. All oils have progressed over the years. About the only way changing oil is going to enhance MPGs is if you use lighter oil than the manufacturer's specified oil weight range. Of course, that fractional gain just may be offset by premature engine wear...
     
    #3 SpartanPrius, Feb 15, 2004
  4. plusaf

    plusaf plusaf

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    Just to clarify what i meant, if i didn't say it well....
    Castrol might lubricate better [less and/or finer metal particles scraped off engine parts and trapped by the magnetic oil pan drain plug] than Quaker State, but my recommendation was for better lubrication, not better mpg's!
    i agree with the other posting: thinner oil might lower the engine's internal drag a few percent, but when you look at the overall system, it won't add much to the mpg's and it's not worth the risk [imho] to the longevity of the engine.
    .... and it's just that i've been sucked in by some of the synthetic oil ads on tv... it looks like they just do a better job, and don't break down as fast, etc..... but viscosity is viscosity. they're not thinner or slipperier [sp?!] than petro-based, just different, right?
    :)
     
    #4 plusaf, Feb 15, 2004
  5. curt_gowan

    curt_gowan New Member

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    #5 curt_gowan, Feb 16, 2004
  6. jeffrey

    jeffrey New Member

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    A long time ago (perhaps a decade :)) I saw a comparison between two cars that were run, one with dino and one with synthetic. After a time they drained the oil from both engines and ran them until seizing :(

    The synthetic ran minutes longer than the dino did- probably (in my mind anyway) due to the higher lubricating stick-ability of the synthetic. It sold me for life.

    That said I changed my oil to Mobil1 at 1200 miles, and am going in for my 5k end of the week. Have no idea if it helps my mileage, but I do think it lubricates better.

    As an aside, forgive my ignorance, but could someone tell me what a magnetic plug is? Thanks :)

    Peace
     
    #6 jeffrey, Feb 16, 2004
  7. Frank Hudon

    Frank Hudon Senior Member

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    the drain plug has an internal magnet it the inside that has one end exposed to the oil so as to trap and hold any iron particles and prevent them from circulating in the oil. It's cleaned off at every oil change to remove the filings/particles.
     
    #7 Frank Hudon, Feb 16, 2004
  8. jsorger

    jsorger New Member

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    I changed my oil at 5000 this morning. Seemed dirty enough to warrant changing every 5000 if not sooner.
     
    #8 jsorger, Feb 18, 2004
  9. SpartanPrius

    SpartanPrius New Member

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    A. Advertising at work.

    B. The synthetic lasted longer due to its tolerance of extreme temperatures (in comparison to dino juice). Temperatures like these are not associated with routine operation. They are, however, readily available if you choose to run an engine without oil in the crankcase.

    C. Oil doesn't stick, bond or permeate. It serves as a thin film "tapered bearing" flowing between tightly machined metal to metal gaps.

    Strange. I'll look forward to an explanation for this observation.
     
    #9 SpartanPrius, Feb 18, 2004
  10. Joel

    Joel New Member

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    5000 miles. No less. The filter provided from the factory is designed for this break in period - let it do its job.
     
    #10 Joel, Feb 19, 2004
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