help. sludge.?

You don't need anyone's permission to do this. Since you are determined that the engine is not consuming oil, please post photos after you've removed the engine valve cover and engine oil pan so that we can see what amount of sludge remains in the engine.

 

This is crazy. The only large storage area is crankcase. I can't see how the engine can trap a few quarts even as sludge.

I'd love to see this.


iPhone ?

 

Yes, this is why I asked the OP to post photos of the engine with the valve cover and oil pan removed. That won't cause any more harm than continuing to run solvent through the engine, and we might learn something.

 

A little perspective:

Al, This thread is 2 years older than your car is....and your car is a G2.
The reason that people aren't buying the sludge theory is that it doesn't happen very often real world.....at least with G2 and G3's that are properly maintained.

My advice:
One: Start pricing motors but don't buy one just yet.
If you're not competent enough or have the time and space to do a heart transplant on a G2, then start getting that worked out as well.
Everybody always worries about engines and batteries for Priuses, but in very few cases engines and batteries are what actually kill Priuses.
Usually the change-owner light will come on when some other component (brakes, transaxle, suspension, A/C, electrical) causes a four-figure repair bill that exceeds the former owner's willingness to pay.
Batteries are going for about $1200, installed.
Long blocks can be had for less.

Two. Identify and quantify the problem.
My eyes are glazing over from all of the fish-slapping about what your car is doing and not dong, and what you've done and not done with it. What your car IS doing right now is running.
OK.....so top it off with oil and let's quantify your burn-through rate.
Anybody out there remember Toyota's definition of excessive oil use???
Anybody?
IIRC, it's some crazy-high value like 1Q/600 miles.
ETC(SS) values for excessive oil use are a little different, and so yours probably are as well.
It really doesn't matter where the oil is going or not going.
If you're burning it, leaking it, or a neighbor is stealing it it has to be replaced...and if your bleed rate gets too high, then you can consider a heart transplant for the car.
I've been in this forum since I started trying to figure out the Prius thing in 2010.
How many of the 100,000 registered people on PC have actually "blown" a motor???
How often does this actually happen.

Me?
I think it's a unicorn.
Everybody thinks they know what they look like, and you read about them but how many people in the real world have ever really seen one?
Maybe "UFO" might be a better analogy.


Three:
Consider changing jobs.
250 miles a day is over 90,000 miles a year.
That's all good if the money is right and you love your job, but that's not what it sounds like judging from your posts.

Good Luck!

 

^^^Yes this should be a new thread the old sludge thread is not what Al's problem is all about.

 

Don't and won't.

The point I'm trying to make is: You posted under a heading of "sludge" and I don't think that is the problem, or at least not the ONLY problem.

And just FYI, take it or leave it, there can be a significant amount of oil burning without any obvious indication because........it BURNS UP.

Please keep coming back here to let us know what the ultimate outcome IS.

 

ETC(SS)
Well said thread above^^^^^^^^^

 

on other engines I have seen the drain holes in the heads clog up and the oil stays trapped in the valve cover for a long time, which would result in the oil not draining out of the motor when you go to change it. if the motor is sludging up, it could also be so globbed in the oil pan that it won't drain out. I would look in the drain plug hole with a small led flashlight or better, a borescope to see if there is any sludge in there. if you can get your hands on a borescope, perhaps you could snake it into the fill hole to see if there is any sludge in the head. if there is sludge, or the oil is pooling in the head, then you will need to pull the oil pan and/or valve cover. if the oil is pooling in the head, you can use a coat hanger to push the crud out of the drain holes -- I've done it on other cars, mostly old v8's though.

obviously, if it was leaking, even if only when it was running, there would be oil on the bottom of the engine, so we can rule that out if its dry. as far as burning oil, you won't see any smoke or residue in the tailpipe unless it was burning a lot of oil.

if it was my car, I'd definitely find a tech with a borescope so I could see inside before I started ripping the motor apart.

 

exactly