Oil change at 1k miles?

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Swanny1172 @ May 21 2007, 08:54 AM) [snapback]446577[/snapback]</div>

I bought a Chevy Vega many years ago. With the first oil change, I noticed lots of metal shavings. The engine in that car was crap, and it used a quart of oil every 200 miles after 70K miles, despite having had very good care.

I changed the oil in my Prius at 4,500 miles. No shavings at all.

By the way, there are reasons I bought a Toyota rather than a GM product, and that Chevy Vega is basically the most important reason.

Harry

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Earthling @ May 21 2007, 11:10 AM) [snapback]446660[/snapback]</div>

OUCH....... my deepest sympathies..... to this day (except for maybe the Corvair?) the GM Chevy Vega was the WORSE VEHICLE GM EVER MADE........... it had an aluminum block with NO CYLINDER LINERS !! Moly rings scraping against soft aluminum......... now that took a GM Genious to design !!

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Earthling @ May 21 2007, 11:10 AM) [snapback]446660[/snapback]</div>

That is great news, but there ARE some "microscopic bits" that are not seen by even the best naked eye that "fall off, shave off" during initial break-in !!

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Earthling @ May 21 2007, 11:10 AM) [snapback]446660[/snapback]</div>

YOU MADE THE RIGHT CHOICE (THIS TIME!!)

 

Even though you didn't notice the presence of iron bits when you drained the oil, I wonder what the outcome would have been if the drain bolt were magnetic. I have been toying with the idea of getting a button magnet and affixing it to the drain bolt. Based on the oil analysis results, with a magnetic drain bolt, you would probably find a collection of particles attached to the drain bolt when the oil was drained.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(FloridaWen @ May 21 2007, 11:49 AM) [snapback]446644[/snapback]</div>

The oil analysis by Blackstone stated that this original "break-in oil" looked as if it had gone 6700 miles, based on the amount of contamination present. So it doesn't matter if the engine ran for only 100 miles or all 1000 miles, the oil looks like it had gone 6700 miles to Blackstone.

And yes, in fact I did change to Mobil1 at the first (actually 980 mile) oil change. Toyota doesn't state that it is a special "break-in oil," and doesn't specify to leave it in a certain amount of miles. I followed Toyota's recommendations exactly. Toyota (to my knowledge) also does not officially recommend nor discourage the use of synthetic oil, such as Mobil1. The Mobil1 is good enough for a Corvette Z06, it is good enough for my Honda Rebel 250, and it is good enough for the Prius. If you search the posts from Jayman, an expert on oil, you will see what he thinks about oil from the Toyota dealers.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(apriusfan @ May 21 2007, 12:29 PM) [snapback]446708[/snapback]</div>

BEFORE you try to "attach" a magnet to your exhisting drain plug, check the internet for any "aftermarket" MAGNETIC oil pan drain plugs with the SAME THREAD as the Toyota Prius !! You might find something..... if you do, PLEASE share it here with us (Thanks !!)

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(FloridaWen @ May 21 2007, 01:05 PM) [snapback]446734[/snapback]</div>

I agree. I mentioned this in a previous post. My Chevy Avalanche had a magnetic oil drain plug. I could see a gradual decline in shavings with each oil change, until at about 70,000 it had none. I see no reason for any new vehicle not to have this.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(GadgetMan2 @ May 21 2007, 08:48 PM) [snapback]447044[/snapback]</div>

I just did a quick Google search and FOUND a source of MAGNETIC DRAIN PLUGS, with applications that include TOYOTA PRIUS !! They are in Canada and take PayPal or Credit cards..............
http://www.cgenterprises.com/magneticdrain...pplications.htm

It seems that PRIUS uses a 12-1.25, Part Number 1040M with GASKET #2403 !!
$3.45 plus $5.00 shipping........... the 12mm gasket is made out of aluminum and cost an additional 19 cents ....
CHECK IT OUT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

I checked with my "gear-head" coworker on this issue... he agrees that any gas engine should have a 1000-mile oil change.
As this is the first new vehicle that either my Dear Hubby or I have owned, we didn't know that. I appreciate that this information is out there!
So, this Saturday, it's off to get our oil changed...

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Rae Vynn @ May 22 2007, 04:37 PM) [snapback]447532[/snapback]</div>

I am just curious........... are you taking your new Prius to a genuine Toyota Service Dealer or just one of the local "Jiffy Lubes" ?? When it come to OIL FILTERS there definitely is a vast different between the bottom-of-the-line and a top-rated oil filter. I would definitely suggest using a GENUINE TOYOTA Oil Filter (made by DENSO) and not some junk Fram !! These are only available from your Toyota Dealer Parts Department (or Service Dept.) or if you are a "Do-It-Yourselfer" like me, you can purchase these genuine Toyota Oil Filters from many places on the internet. I learned a lot about oil filters over the years.... some are real "junk" with very little filtering properties and a poorly made "by-pass" valve. Fram uses cardboard and cheap plastic whereas WIX (one of the best in MY opinion) uses real metal bypass and metal coil spring. There have been several discussions on the internet about the "best" and the "worse" oil filter made. Most of the "proof" can be seen by the naked eye when the oil filter is "cut open" and the parts disassembled. I will find a good "link" and post this on this forum in this thread, explaining what I am speaking of.
In my past I had many Acuras and a Hondas and Honda used to use Toko-Riki (JAPAN) to manufacture all their OEM Oil Filters..... they were GREAT !! These ended in a part number of "A01". Well after many years the "new contract" for OEM Oil Filters was awarded to FRAM and these "new" filters are complete junk, junk, junk !! Just holding one in your hand you can actually "feel" it is like half the weight of the original, Japanese made Toko-Riki Oil Filter. The "new" ones end in "A02" and most "smart" Acura/Honda owners are staying away from these junk Frams and buying WIX !! So just as important as the OIL you choose to put into the engine, the OIL FILTER is equally important, too !!

This is just one of the links I quickly found. I think it was from a Mopar (Chrysler Products) Forum ??

http://minimopar.knizefamily.net/oilfilter...html#conclusion

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(FloridaWen @ May 22 2007, 02:54 PM) [snapback]447586[/snapback]</div>

Our dealer (certified Toyota service) gave me a card for a free oil change, so I was going to use that for this first oil change. I have been discussing with aforementioned gearhead and my Dear Hubby the advisability of using a synthetic oil, which we'd want to start off with now. Gearhead uses and recommends a synthetic/petroleum blend that he likes, and Dear Hubby is fine with using a synthetic. I'd like to, at least, not use a "pure" petroleum oil.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Rae Vynn @ May 22 2007, 06:48 PM) [snapback]447623[/snapback]</div>

This is very nice, very good.... We too were given "two" (5K miles & 10K miles) "coupons" also for our Toyota Prius "free oil/filter change & tire rotation" but I WILL DO ALL OIL CHANGES MYSELF, same with tire rotation, all by "hand", NO impact wrench..........

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Rae Vynn @ May 22 2007, 06:48 PM) [snapback]447623[/snapback]</div>

Personally I have been ONLY using FULL SYNTHETIC (MOBIL1) since it first came out decades ago. Before that (in the 60's - 70's) I used Castrol GTX (full "fossil" oil). Our Toyota Dealer uses (although I will not be taking my Prius there for oil/filter changes) a 50/50 (synth./petro.) blend. Your Husband is wise to use full synthethic but I am sure there will be other replies after this (in this thread) from many people that will argue that a "regular" (fossil) oil is just as good and a lot cheaper !!

Good Luck to both YOU and your Husband on your new Prius B) !!

 

Here is an excellent comparison of some available aftermarket filters: http://www.ntpog.org/reviews/filters/old_filters.shtml

FWIW, I am currently running a Mobil 1 filter on my Prius. Other brands that I would consider are Wix and K&N.

 

This is so not true! Some manufactures still use break in oil. Also, sythetic oils can break in new engines as many new vehicles come from the factory with sythetic.

I had a 1987 Nissan V6 4x4 once that I changed the oil every 7,000 miles per the owners manual. I only used dino oil and not once did I ever have an oil related engine issue and it had 163,000 miles on it before I sold it. So 3,000 mile oil changes are not need and are a waste of good oil and money. Change the oil filter sooner if need be, but not the oil.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(clearview22 @ May 24 2007, 05:53 PM) [snapback]449385[/snapback]</div>

You mean us people living in Winnipeg MB? Not so sure about that, considering how a *lot* of folks around here were whining about the sky-high incidence of car theft, assault, long waiting lines in hospitals, etc, but still decided to vote Gary "do nothing" Doer back in as Premier for 4 more years.

Otherwise I agree with your points and appreciate your humor. Makes a long day at the office unwind so much faster!

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(jayman @ May 24 2007, 08:10 PM) [snapback]449448[/snapback]</div>

Up there or over there, you are foreign. So NOT changing your oil and filter at 1000mi. didn't solve your crime problem?
It does suprise me that Canada and the U.S. do not work more closely together. Have more common ground?

 

Hi Jayman, hope the copper and iron settle down in your FJ Cruiser. Those are not Prius numbers, for sure.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(tochatihu @ May 25 2007, 10:03 AM) [snapback]449741[/snapback]</div>

I'm not losing any sleep over it. Toromont Cat is of the opinion that it's normal break-in.

OTOH I did find it a bit odd that my local dealer still insists that brand new Prius cars keep the factory oil for the entire 6 month/8,000km normal interval, but with the 4.0 V6 in the FJ to change it at 3 months or a minimum of 2,000 km, max of 3,000 km. They put an oil change reminder on my windshield to do so.

I have around a week off and will be leaving for the hobby farm sometime today. If I do a few trips into Winnipeg in the meantime, I will probably have 2,000 km on the FJ by next week. I'll then take them up on their free oil change to a 5W-20.

I'm happy to see that they're starting to use 5W-20 in almost all their new vehicles: slightly better fuel economy and *much* better lubrication in extremely cold winter temps. Yesterday I had a chance to sit in a new Tundra with 5.7 V8 that was in the showroom. The oil filler cap is clearly labelled "5W-20 / 0W-20"

Other fluids though will clearly benefit from an early change. I realize this isn't an FJ Cruiser forum, but when my FJ had around 1,100 km on it, I changed all the gear oil. I had purchased a 20 litre pail of Mobil Delvac 75W-90, a synthetic heavy duty gear oil. On a per-litre basis it was around $6.50, and should last me for a couple of complete gear oil changes.

The front axle was a pain due to Toyota using hex-head bolts on the drain and fill, though it's much easier and cleaner if you spend the extra 5 minutes to remove that light "skidplate" under the oil pan. The gear oil was very dark brown. The drain plug magnet had normal "dust."

The transfer case oil looked new. With the Delvac the shift lever isn't as "buzzy" as it was.

The rear axle gear oil was absolutely BLACK, though the drain plug magnet appeared ok with normal metal dust. I had a case of no-name 80W-90 the previous farm owner left behind, so I used that to refill the front and rear axles, then drove a few times up and down the gravel road to circulate everything. The front axle came out clean, so I refilled with the Delvac

The rear axle was still pretty brown, so I drained and refilled again with the 80W-90 and drove up and down the 4.5 km gravel road to circulate things. It finally drained clean, so I refilled with the Delvac. Since doing that, I've consistently had 2-4 MPG better fuel economy, am now getting around 26 MPG cdn on the highway.

The dealer claims it's "normal" for the rear axle factory gear oil to quickly turn black, and they also suggest to their customers with rear axles to consider an early change at the first scheduled oil change.

I'm considering trading my 04 for an 07 Prius sometime late summer or early fall. I'll probably still run the motor oil the full 8,000 km, but this time I'll do sampling at 3,000 and 8,000 km. If you recall, I didn't start sampling my Prius until it had 16,000 km on it.

Another thing I'll do with the new Prius is change the PSD fluid at 8,000 km as well. I was really surprised at how dark it was at 12,000 km on my 04.

 

I like the idea of magnetic oil plugs... not only does it solve the 1000mile issue since oil viscosity doesn't break down that fast anyway, it takes care of any flakes that may come loose in the future so it can't cause any damage.

Every time I change my oil, I can see slight grey matter thats collected on the surface of the magnet. While the oil looks like oil, this stuff looks like grey paint.