My Gas Pips Have Been Falling Fast

Did they reduce the tp? Did they leave the car on while they changed the oil?

 

Make sure you check the engine oil level via dipstick! Many places overfill the prius engine by 1/2 qt or more, and this is done even at the dealers. If over the full mark, drain some out until it's about 1/8 inch under full mark. BTW this condition can also cause MAF sensor to get fouled and requires throttle body cleaning once this happens.

 

Yes, your car is now dead. Your only recourse is to sell it for me, for a salvage value of $200.

Expect my check in the mail.

 

it used to be that overfilling the oil would put more pressure on the valve seals. i can't believe it's a huge deal on the pri. what does the manual say?

 

nothing to think about, push it in all the way. the 'mechanics' i.e. grease monkeys, don't check it, they just pour in the oil and shove it out the door. you're lucky they put any oil in at all!

 

Ok push it down all the way until it clicks, then pull out and read. Overfilling the prius ice with oil will cause #1>reduced gas mileage #2>oil vapor getting into intake/throttle body via vacuum lines especially when cold starting, but this is also has cumulative effect over time. If you have no warning lights like check eng. etc. Just drain some oil out of ice until it reads abt 1/8inch below full dot. Until you get it below full don't over rev the engine either, like highway at 80mph etc etc. Don't feel bad, even the toyota dealer overfills these. Go figure. Anyway you can drain some oil out by 2 ways #1 use a 3/8 tube like fishtank air hose and stick it down the dipstick tube and literally siphon some out into a jar, or #2 have drain pan under engine and remove the drain nut from oil pan and let some come out into the pan. Be careful! you only need to drain a little, and keep reading the dipstick to see when it's correct.

 

Yes they should be able to do that for you no problem. And as long as you don't have any errors or warning lights, you're ok. Just take it easy with ice rpm until you get it drained and you'll be fine. BTW I learned all this the hard way..and from the dealer doing it!

 

No just have them drain a little out so it reads correctly on dip stick. It is new oil so don't waste it. And no I would not think anything else is wrong. Your mileage should come back up after oil level is correct within a few miles. BTW the sweet spot is somewhere between 3/4 full and full. Good luck

 

Idea* You could bring a clean jar and have them drain it into that, then you have oil for the lawn mower too.

 

Always, always, always, check the oil level yourself before driving away from every oil change. Anyone can make a mistake; checking it yourself can prevent an annoyance from becoming expensive.

Foolproof method of preventing overfills: buy three quart bottles of 5W-30 oil. Hand them to the oil change person. Tell them to use only that. Tell them that you will check the level yourself before you leave, and then do it. Halfway between the lower ("ADD") and upper ("FULL") marks is fine. (The upper mark really does mean "FULL", as in, "DON'T ADD ANY MORE". It does not mean "PERFECT".)

And check the tire pressures. Some shops love to let air out.

And finally: never mind how fast the pips are falling, because that could be a function of how stiff or folded-up the bladder was the last time you bought gas. What does the MPG meter say?

 

This is also where one finds an oil cap not replaced, and any tools left on the engine.

Had I discovered things in that order, I probably would have kept the tools. It wasn't like I was ever going use that shop again.

 

Yeah they probably will think you are being a bit over pedantic or a nuisance. (No offence intended, that's just what I expect the service guys will think). Anyway I'd be interested to hear what their reaction is so make sure you let us all know.

BTW. It's really common to have them overfill by about 1/4". It's happened to me and lots of others here. I've literally seen dozens of people posting about this exact same thing here.

Anyway it is true that overfilling is bad and that if you go too much (overfull) then it can start to block the engines breathing (crankcase ventilation) which can cause the negative effects mentioned above by others. But 1/4" overfill is apparently only about an extra cup of oil and is not really very likely to cause any trouble. Last time I got a service they overfilled mine by 1/4" and I didn’t even bother draining it. I’ve put 8000 km on that oil since then and it's still 1/8" over, but no problems have arisen. Next time however I'll be doing my own oil change and I certainly won't be overfilling it.