Oil Overfill?

That is *complete* bunkum. No tech uses the presence/absence of the
oil pressure light to determine fill level. Well, that's not
entirely true -- it is for the Prius, which still has a dipstick,
but some new ... what were they, Mercedes? apparently has no
dipstick but relies on some electronic in-crankcase sensor to
determine oil level so the ECU can monitor it. Seems like an
absolutely horrendous idea since a dipstick is such a simple thing.
But your Prius still has one, with two marks near the bottom, to
quickly and simply determine the correct range of oil fill.
.
http://techno-fandom.org/~hobbit/cars/trai...800/muptilt.jpg
.
_H*

 

Yes, I'm adding nothing of use to this thread, but........


Hobbit, that cross section .JPG had me burst out laughing. It looks like some kind of happy, dancing robot to me!

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(AOV @ Aug 15 2007, 05:56 AM) [snapback]496048[/snapback]</div>

Depending on how much over the full mark the oil was filled, you could have problems. If you got an extra quart, you could find oil being ingested into the intake with corresponding fouling of the combustion path (new spark plugs, possible new catalytic converter, etc.).

If it were my car, I would check the oil level to see where it is on the dipstick. If you are no more than 1/8" over the top fill mark, then the tech that did the oil & filter service put in 4 quarts. More than 1/8" over, and you should give serious consideration to removing the excess. It is fairly easy to remove the excess - insert a thin plastic tube (like the air tubes for home aquariums) down the dipstick tube and use a vacuum source to suck the oil out.

Going forward, you might want to think about switching dealers, if possible. The story that you related about the service writer's explanation had an Alice in Wonderland quality to it.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(hobbit @ Aug 15 2007, 07:25 AM) [snapback]496088[/snapback]</div>

A number of high end manufacturers are ditching the dip stick. BMW is one of them. My concern about losing the dipstick is that you have no way to check for an overfill, much less remedy an overfill. Seems like penny-wise, pound-foolish; but only time will tell.

 

That cross-section is what I refer to as "Torquey the Muppet", and
in that shot he's REALLY GOTTA GO...
.
_H*

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(hobbit @ Aug 15 2007, 01:03 PM) [snapback]496219[/snapback]</div>

Dh just busted out laughing reading that :lol:

so, he has some thoughts on this that i don't know whether they've been addressed or not. when oil pressure is created in the engine, that the oil level in the pan will drop to send oil to the head. the pickup is way down low for that reason. so while the engine is actually running, the level in the pan won't be that high. just a thought.

 

Just show them this TSB.

[attachmentid=10689]

Wayne

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(AOV @ Aug 15 2007, 05:56 AM) [snapback]496048[/snapback]</div>

That service adviser obviously doesn't know anything about the car and thought she could just make up something to pacify you. In a situation like that, I would report her to management and tell them you cannot have faith in a dealership whos technical staff makes up answers if they don't know the right answer. If I got a resonalble response, I might give them another chance, but would completely ditch them if a similar crock of horse manure was presented to me again.

If the Oil Pressure Light is ever on, the engine should be shut off imediately, without dinking around with oil levels. If other new cars have an oil level light instead of a dip stick, it is not the same thing as the Oil Pressure light witch indicates your engine is not getting adequate oil pressure and should be turned off until the problem is fixed.

 

Has anyone seen a cover up? I'm sure I left it in this thread.
Oh my goodness.
If your Prius is filled to a level where the crankshaft is touched by oil in the sump it will cause foaming of the oil and increased fuel consumption.
Oil foaming can increase oil temperature while reducing lubrication in the most severe cases.
I doubt the service advisor has any idea or will compensate your for the increased running cost.

 

Just to continue with another example of dealer (tech) incompetence with oil change levels. Today I went in to my selling dealer for my 5000 mile check up which includes a filter and oil change. When I got home I checked the oil level and it was 7/8" above full. I immediately went back to the dealer and complained about it. The "tech" checked the level and said "Oh, that'll just burn off in a few miles" -- I told him "I don't think so!" He checked it again and repeated his statement. I told him that was totally unacceptable and I would not accept the car with this much oil in it. He backed down and ended up draining and refilling the oil to the proper level. I showed him the print out I made of the Toyota Service Bulletin acquired from this site that explained the problem of overfilling the oil. He was surprised -- but I think he was surprised I had a copy of the bulletin! Anyway -- be leary of those oil changes and I think we should all check the level before leaving the dealer after such service. Just my 2-cents for what it's worth!

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(FireEngineer @ Aug 15 2007, 11:04 PM) [snapback]496652[/snapback]</div>

Why? The part about P3191 is inaccurate.

This was a problem with the Gen 1 Prius. Revisions of the HV ECU fixed it. Experiment for yourself and see if you can set a P3191.

You don't need a TSB to tell you that the oil level should be at the mark specific by the manufacturer.

 

Another reason I do my own oil and filter changes.

My Prius runs just fine on Mobil 1 0W-30, and starting this fall I will run Mobil 1 0W-20 year round. Refilling with 3 litres puts the oil about 2/3 up past the Low dot, Adding another 300 ml or so puts it on the Full dot

My FJ is a bit different. First of all, the oil filter is mounted on top of the motor, makes getting the filter off a wee bit easier. Second, based on some weird initial used oil analysis reports, I'm running Mobil 1 0W-40. The V6 "rattle" is gone, I get the rated mileage out of it, and so far the oil analysis is very good with no more shear.

Toyota recommends 5.2 litres in the 4.0 V6. I refilled with 5 litres and the oil was about 4mm over the full dot. So the overfill issue isn't confined to the Prius