Will getting oil change make my check engine light go away?

WHAT??? drag myself away from my couch, chips, beer and reality shows just to do a lowly grease monkey task??? never!!! its not my fault if it blows up on the freeway, i'll just blame Toyota and society.

 

I think you misunderstand which part he disagreed to. It isn't the part about checking the dipstick.

 

Hey, I'm keying in on the phrases-The Hardest and MOST IMPORTANT test of my life" and " I was hoping to lock myself in, study hard, and not have to deal with any life-distractions."

I'm not against the rather rudimentary advice of anyone checking their Oil. But my original thought was IF the OP could put all this off until after the test....why not?

If the priority is to avoid distraction, why take the risk of discovering you've been driving with no oil? Or that you may indeed have a significant problem?

Since my post the OP has stated that he has to drive 20 miles a day round trip...

So OK check the Oil.

My advice was based on the idea that he could afford....and wanted to...avoid distraction in this manner. If he COULD lock himself in, NOT drive, then my advice would be the same...wait until after the test, then start dealing with the automobile.

Since evidently he must drive at least 20 miles a day? Sure...pull the dipstick out and check it. And hope it isn't low or near empty.

If someone say's "This is the most important test of my life"...my advice is going to be tailored to support that life reality-above checking the oil. In his original post, it seemed the OP really just didn't want to worry about his Prius right now...so my rudimentary advice was ....feel free to not worry about it. If you aren't driving it? It can sit.

And it's NOT checking the oil that would cause any potential drama...or anyone is saying is hard...it's the answer you might discover if you check it that could cause distraction and stress.

My advice was predicated on the idea that he wouldn't be driving very much, if at all the next 1.5 weeks.

 

Let me clarify: I have had Prii come to my shop without the check engine light on in order to have the 5000 mile service (oil change) done. When I drain oil, I measure the amount of oil I remove from the engine. Once in a while I only measure one quart of oil. In these cases I inform the owners that engine replacements help me pay the bills really well at expense of their wallet. To date, after working on hundreds of Prii, I cannot recall a time where low oil caused a check engine light. I have seen low oil pressure warnings come on, usually during hard braking and/or cornering, but without the check engine light being on. Furthermore, on the overheating claim, I have seen the temperate warning come on, but never along with the check engine light.

Based on my real life experience, my answer to the original question is NO, getting an oil change will not make a check engine light go away, at least not on a Prius.

Avi

 

gas cap, perfect. hit the books

 

OK let me clarify also. The point I was trying to make was that the oil was unlikely to be the problem. And that if the OP didn't want unnecessary distractions he should simply check his oil rather than booking an oil change.

Perhaps I could have worded it better, that the oil is very unlikely to be the problem unless it is critically low is what I indented to convey. Somehow it seems that we disagree so furiously that we're saying almost exactly the same thing.