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SyncUP Drive device says "Oil Pressure Low Alert"

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by Casper2010, Aug 23, 2020.

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  1. Casper2010

    Casper2010 Junior Member

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    I just got a SyncUP Drive device from T-mobile for my 2010. I have it plugged into the OBDII port with an extension cable -- in part so that thieves will be less likely to remove it, and in part because my OBDII port is at an odd angle (compared v.s. a 2011 Prius) and the plastic housing in front of the port wasn't quite lined up right to plug in the 2.5" long SyncUP device.

    I've been getting "Oil Pressure Low Alert" in the SyncUP app, but when I checked with an OBDII reader (ELM 327) everything looked fine. Oil was a little low when I first used the app, but I have it at the middle of the range on the stick now and I'm still getting alerts from the app. No warning lights or messages on the dash.

    The SyncUP Drive is mostly aimed at "hey dude where's my car" and having a wifi hotspot, with a bit of scold your teenager for driving too fast thrown in. After talking with a friend who has an older SyncUP, I believe the oil pressure alert feature is a newer addition to more recent models of the device. Of course despite having an entire phone screen to give information they could not be bothered to tell you the actual oil pressure but just say "low" :-/

    Anyone know if it might be simply an issue with how the SyncUP Drive device works? Or have any other insights here? I made an appointment to get it looked at by the dealer but not as soon as I was hoping.
     
    #1 Casper2010, Aug 23, 2020
  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    prius does not like things plugged into the obd constantly. computers are fussy, it's just a glitch
     
    #2 bisco, Aug 23, 2020
  3. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    Low oil level (where the dipstick doesn't show oil) and low oil pressure (where there's low pressure and the dipstick is showing oil present), are not the same thing.
     
    #3 JC91006, Aug 23, 2020
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  4. fuzzy1

    fuzzy1 Senior Member

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    Doesn't the car's official Low Oil Pressure warning get written out on a dashboard display, along with the master warning triangle? So if that is absent, I'd suspect there it is a problem with either the accessory device or in its communications with the car, not a true and correct oil warning.

    Drivers who got the car's real warning indicated that the oil level was very low, or even absent from the dipstick, not just a little low.
     
    #4 fuzzy1, Aug 23, 2020
  5. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    I don't understand all this new technology stuff where you get notifications of low oil. That's just something you have to check every few weeks and top up. Why would you need another notification in your life?
     
    #5 JC91006, Aug 23, 2020
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  6. fuzzy1

    fuzzy1 Senior Member

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    ... because too many people never check oil until they get a notification. Remember the thread about BMWs abolishing the dipstick because so few of their customers used it, or even ever opened the hood themselves between service intervals?

    It also helps people with rapid oil loss due to service shop error. A relative was saved by that a couple months ago, less than a half-tank of gas beyond the shop. Fortunately the Subaru warning was triggered much earlier than the Prius warning. I would have had a similar warning too, some years ago, if not for immediately noticing an oil slick on the ground.

    I also remember a couple pieces of farm equipment that had full oil levels, but failed oil pumps.
     
    #6 fuzzy1, Aug 23, 2020
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  7. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    They should label these new notifications as "prepare to get a new engine" warnings. Because by the time they get the warning, it's usually too late.
     
    #7 JC91006, Aug 24, 2020
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  8. Casper2010

    Casper2010 Junior Member

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    I don't need the notification that I took my seatbelt off before shutting off the ignition either... still finding out about the all the notifications and how to turn them off.

    What I DO need is notifications that my car has been messed with/broken into, being towed, where it is if it's stolen, etc. High crime rate here is why I got the device.
     
    #8 Casper2010, Aug 24, 2020
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