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oil leak after 10k service

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by ntender, Jan 13, 2007.

  1. ntender

    ntender Junior Member

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    I took my 2006 Prius for its 10k mile service yesterday and drove the car home last night (~15 miles) with no problems.

    This morning, I discovered oil on the street where I had parked overnight coming from underneath the car!

    I checked the oil level and noticed that the level was just over the top marker. The engine was cold, however, and the manual says to check the level with the engine at running temperature.

    Could this be an overfill or is it some other problem? I've seen lots of posts about the Prius oil overfill problem, but I've never seen any mention of excess oil spilling out because if it.

    I'm planning to take the car back to the dealer Monday, but I don't know whether I should have them drain the excess oil or do a complete drain and refill. And I've read that oil overfill can clog the intake manifold, so should I demand that the dealer do anything to correct any such problems?
     

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  2. sbradyny

    sbradyny New Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(ntender @ Jan 13 2007, 02:33 PM) [snapback]375202[/snapback]</div>
    I noticed oil dripping from underneath after an oil change with 38,000 miles. They told me to bring it in, it turned out to be some excess oil in the area of the oil filter. They cleaned it up, and no more dripping. Maybe that is what happened? I would still have it looked at for sure. Good Luck. :)
     
  3. jayman

    jayman Senior Member

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    Ironic how a car model that purports to be so environmentally friendly and you have an Exxon Valdez slick under the car.

    More than likely they splashed some oil onto the lower plastic panel when they took the oil filter off. I've done that a couple of times, a bit of a PITA to clean up.
     
  4. galaxee

    galaxee mostly benevolent

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    they either didn't tighten the filter enough or they left the drain plug gasket out. take it in ASAP.
     
  5. ntender

    ntender Junior Member

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    Thanks for everyone's replies!

    I took it back to the dealer yesterday. They told me that the drain plug was not completely tight, so oil was leaking (very slowly). Apparently the gasket can get caught when the plug is tightened which prevents a good seal. Anyway, they corrected the problem. I'm glad it was nothing more serious than that, just a hassle to have to go back.

    They told me they added a bit more oil to top it off. I checked the oil level after I drove home last night and the level was almost 1/4 inch beyond the full mark. I wish they hadn't topped it off because now it is a bit overfilled! You'd think they would have changed the oil in hundreds of Prii by now and could get it right on the first or at least the second try. Anyway, I've spent enough time on this already and don't want to go back a third time, so I'll leave it as is.
     
  6. DaveinOlyWA

    DaveinOlyWA 3rd Time was Solariffic!!

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    ya know, after hearing about so many overfills 3 years ago, i invested in a dollar store turkey baster and 2 feet of tubing which i use to extract extra oil in case of an overfill. other than testing it once, i have never had to use it, but for about $2 you might want to look into that.

    overfills are no excuse, but is it worth your time to take it in again?? my dealer is less than a mile from me and only about 6 blocks if walking. so its easy for me to stop in (i dont at least i wouldnt for this) but that is up to you.
     
  7. jayman

    jayman Senior Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(ntender @ Jan 16 2007, 10:03 AM) [snapback]376227[/snapback]</div>
    "Apparently." Two words on their excuse: bull and s***. Avoid that dealer from now on. The oil is quite easy to change yourself, and there is no need to jack up the car in the process.

    The only hitch is trying to find a pan to fit under the Prius. I made one myself, but I've looked around at Wally World and those wide shallow Tupperware plastic pans would work just fine. Just remember to wipe out the oil before putting chicken drumsticks in it.

    As far as slurping out the excess, most auto parts stores carry oil extractor kits for under $10. They have different adaptors that either fit over the dipstick tube, or have provisions for tiny plastic tubes you insert down the dipstick tube.
     
  8. ntender

    ntender Junior Member

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    Thanks DaveinOlyWA and Jayman for the suggestions about how to extract the extra oil myself. I will definitely look into that. Although I'm a do-it-yourselfer about many things, I prefer to take my car into the shop to get the oil changed. Plus I can get them to rotate the tires and do the inspections that I am either unable to do or unqualified to do.
    But for the occasions where there is an overfill, either small or large, I'd like to be able to rectify it myself, since in that case it's more of a hassle to bring it back in. Of course, I'll go to another dealer if the overfill is a cronic problem.
     
  9. LongRun

    LongRun New Member

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    Your dealer is a sloppy pig that cares nothing about quality work. If you want pigs working on your car, keep going back. How stupid can the be, screwing up an oil change. Imagine what they'll do if you have them do something more difficult.
     
  10. V8Cobrakid

    V8Cobrakid Green Handyman

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    this is why i use a copper washer.. it seals.. and doesn't "bind" under excess force. That, and you never have to replace it.