1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

Official (OEM) Toyota Prius 2016 (Gen 4) oil-change instructions

Discussion in 'Gen 4 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Gokhan, Mar 4, 2016.

  1. Gokhan

    Gokhan Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 5, 2008
    4,613
    1,853
    0
    Location:
    Paramount CA
    Vehicle:
    2021 Prius Prime
    Model:
    Limited
    The OEM oil filter lasts the same interval as the full-synthetic oil—10,000 miles/1 year with regular driving, 5,000 miles/6 months with severe driving.
     
    Doug McC likes this.
  2. Doug McC

    Doug McC Active Member

    Joined:
    Feb 15, 2022
    997
    374
    0
    Location:
    Midwest
    Vehicle:
    2022 Prius
    Model:
    XLE
    If you think about it, leaving the old filter in place is like only draining some of the old oil out. As soon as you start the car after you change the oil you’ve contaminated the new oil with the old oil in the filter. Additionally, the contaminants that the filter removed are still present. For the $5 or so, not changing the filter really doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.
     
    Gokhan likes this.
  3. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 17, 2010
    55,407
    38,643
    80
    Location:
    Greater Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    Touring
    Honda's on record, advocating (with their Maintenance Minder system) to change the oil filter at alternate oil changes. The MM counts down to next maintenance, and displays a code, either A or B for oil change.Dealership (in my experience) ignore the difference, change the filter every time. And of course grossly overfill.

    upload_2023-10-14_8-56-50.png

    I ended up doing a compromise (with our previous Honda Civic Hybrid), at service A I removed, drained and reinstalled the filter.
     
    Gokhan likes this.
  4. Gokhan

    Gokhan Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 5, 2008
    4,613
    1,853
    0
    Location:
    Paramount CA
    Vehicle:
    2021 Prius Prime
    Model:
    Limited
    But that is probably a 5,000-mile OCI, as opposed to the 10,000-mile OCI on Toyota, isn't it? In any case, I would change it every time.
     
    Mendel Leisk likes this.
  5. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 17, 2010
    55,407
    38,643
    80
    Location:
    Greater Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    Touring
    Roughly, in our experience: there’s no set interval; the Maintenance Minder is a “smart” maintenance reminder, seems to be monitoring several things on the car. I suspect with more highway miles the interval will be somewhat longer.
     
    Gokhan likes this.
  6. Michael Wood

    Michael Wood Active Member

    Joined:
    Jun 19, 2016
    179
    118
    3
    Location:
    Boston, MA
    Vehicle:
    2020 Prius Prime
    Model:
    LE
    I usually let my filters go 8k-10k or a little longer, when I change my oil every 4k-5k. New filter ever other oil change. You get a little bit better filtration with a filter that's broken-in.
     
  7. Doug McC

    Doug McC Active Member

    Joined:
    Feb 15, 2022
    997
    374
    0
    Location:
    Midwest
    Vehicle:
    2022 Prius
    Model:
    XLE
    Never heard THAT ONE before! . Following that reasoning, how long does it take for the filter to get “broken-in”? Of course a dirty filter will effectively have a “finer mesh” than a clean one, so I suppose you COULD look at that as “better filtration”.
     
  8. ColoradoBoo

    ColoradoBoo Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jul 19, 2019
    952
    626
    4
    Location:
    Monument, Colorado USA
    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    Maintenance reminder can get people in trouble. On the YouTube channel "Just Rolled In" they had a 2022 Chevy Trailblazer and the dash displayed "Remining Oil Life 1%" so they added 99% of the engine oil capacity which was almost 5 quarts. Technician drained almost 10-qts our and the engine wouldn't start, was in vaper lock! (A 2022!!!)
     
    Doug McC likes this.
  9. Gokhan

    Gokhan Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 5, 2008
    4,613
    1,853
    0
    Location:
    Paramount CA
    Vehicle:
    2021 Prius Prime
    Model:
    Limited
    Yes, he is claiming that the filter efficiency is higher for a dirty filter, but I wouldn't count on that, as you also get the unloading effect with a dirty filter, as the dirt in the filter is rereleased into the oil.
     
    Doug McC likes this.
  10. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 17, 2010
    55,407
    38,643
    80
    Location:
    Greater Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    Touring
    Still, it's not that calamitous: Toyota USA and Canada now spec 10K mile oil and filter changes. If you do just an oil change halfway through, not so bad?
     
  11. Doug McC

    Doug McC Active Member

    Joined:
    Feb 15, 2022
    997
    374
    0
    Location:
    Midwest
    Vehicle:
    2022 Prius
    Model:
    XLE
    WHY? You claim you remove the filter and drain it and then reinstall it. My understanding is that the filter is there to remove contaminants, so you filter your new oil through the contaminants to save slightly more than $5 US?
    Additionally, that 10K mile OCI is based on certain factors that the footnotes and other conditions reduce to 5k.
    I am amazed that so many PC “engineers” apparently ignore the multiple ICE cycles a hybrid goes through even in a relatively short trip. One of the very limiting factors for oil life is ICE cycles. Every time that ICE shuts down gasoline remains in the cylinders which then drains past the rings into the oil sump contaminating the oil. At least that’s what I was taught. Perhaps I am ignorant of something that Toyota has come up with to prevent this from happening.
     
  12. Doug McC

    Doug McC Active Member

    Joined:
    Feb 15, 2022
    997
    374
    0
    Location:
    Midwest
    Vehicle:
    2022 Prius
    Model:
    XLE
    :giggle:
     
    #192 Doug McC, Oct 16, 2023
    Last edited: Oct 16, 2023
  13. Doug McC

    Doug McC Active Member

    Joined:
    Feb 15, 2022
    997
    374
    0
    Location:
    Midwest
    Vehicle:
    2022 Prius
    Model:
    XLE
    Back in the 1950’s my dad had a bullet nose Studebaker that required the filter change every other oil change, but by the time I was buying my own cars in the late ‘60s oil filters had advanced enough in design to the point where it was required to change them every OCI. With the functions the oil performs in today’s engines (which is way more than just lubrication) and the tiny passageways it passes through, not filtering it as much as possible (ESPECIALLY to save $5 or $6 dollars) is, well not necessarily the best thing to do. Now if an automobile manufacturer could come up with a way to monitor oil conditions (INCLUDING additive conditions), then I would accept that. As far as I know, not even Honda has reached that level of engineering expertise.
     
  14. Doug McC

    Doug McC Active Member

    Joined:
    Feb 15, 2022
    997
    374
    0
    Location:
    Midwest
    Vehicle:
    2022 Prius
    Model:
    XLE
    Maybe the bypass valve needs “breaking in”???;)
     
  15. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 17, 2010
    55,407
    38,643
    80
    Location:
    Greater Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    Touring
    Well this was on a previous car, where the the manufacturer recommended to do this. Don’t burst a vein over it lol.
     
    Doug McC likes this.
  16. Michael Wood

    Michael Wood Active Member

    Joined:
    Jun 19, 2016
    179
    118
    3
    Location:
    Boston, MA
    Vehicle:
    2020 Prius Prime
    Model:
    LE
    Filter manufacturers have always struggled with the balance between optimum filtration and restricted flow. As a filter traps particles, it DOES provide better filtration, but only up to a point. For people doing 5k oil changes, a 10k filter change would rarely, if ever, exceed that point.
     
  17. Doug McC

    Doug McC Active Member

    Joined:
    Feb 15, 2022
    997
    374
    0
    Location:
    Midwest
    Vehicle:
    2022 Prius
    Model:
    XLE
    I never cease to be amazed at what I can “learn” on Prius Chat! :rolleyes: Following that reasoning, I fully expect some PC “engineer” to start claiming “you should fill new oil filters with old oil so it can be more efficient” :sneaky: Or better yet, just sprinkle some dirt in there! :LOL:
     
  18. Gokhan

    Gokhan Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 5, 2008
    4,613
    1,853
    0
    Location:
    Paramount CA
    Vehicle:
    2021 Prius Prime
    Model:
    Limited
    That increased efficiency with a dirty filter claim is arguable, as dirty filters can unload old dirt, negating the effects of increased efficiency.

    Moreover, you don't need increased efficiency to begin with.
     
    Doug McC likes this.
  19. ColoradoBoo

    ColoradoBoo Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jul 19, 2019
    952
    626
    4
    Location:
    Monument, Colorado USA
    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    Oh no, we're giving away too many secrets.....they're getting onto us!!!

    FWIW, I've never filled new oil filters with oil even though some recommend it...the thing fills up super-fast when the engine starts so I don't see how that could be harmful to anything.
     
    Doug McC likes this.
  20. ColoradoBoo

    ColoradoBoo Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jul 19, 2019
    952
    626
    4
    Location:
    Monument, Colorado USA
    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    .
     
    #200 ColoradoBoo, Oct 26, 2023
    Last edited: Oct 27, 2023
    Doug McC likes this.