We the 98rs - For the 2 percenters

With all our Hondas (30 years or so) there was minor oil consumption, from the outset. Got maybe slightly worse as the vehicles aged. Typically need to add a pint at most, somewhere towards the next oil change. Never thought much about it.

Our Prius is the first car that strangely burns zero oil, so far. I've heard a few stories though: Prius uses no oil, then suddenly starts consuming, and gets quickly worse. What would that be: stuck piston rings??

 

Stuck rings are a regular occurrence in Toyota engines, usually after 100k miles.

JeffD

 

is that what the o/m says? i thought it was at every phillip? anyways, i never check mine, but have never owned over 50,000 miles.

 

I was taught to check your oil level every fuel up. That's once or twice a week for my high mileage usage. I don't check once a week but it's perfectly reasonable if people filled up every other week.

 

A simple 5 minute activity that I accompany with a multimeter and check the 12v. Pop the hood Friday night and ready for Saturday morning before weekend activities begin.

 

penny, they are asking for you in your other oil burning thread.

 

have you contacted them?

 

I'm adding a QT in 10k ... it was normal not many years ago for that to occur in 5k.

 

That's perfectly normal.

 

If an engine doesn't burn SOME oil, it's not lubricating the valve guides and piston rings. I've been blessed to have never had a burner, though. Never had to add between changes. Nevertheless, it's always good to check the oil every once in a while to make sure you haven't had some sudden change, especially on long trips when a leak might not be obvious.

 

Sure....
Switch brands.
Of course, this will have disadvantages as well.....since there are not that many vehicles out there that will be as efficient over the long term, and I'm aware of no manufacturer that will honor a warranty claim from a customer that neglects to properly maintain their car.
This means that the next car will also burn oil.....and also a lot more gasoline as well.

Of course......you could just buy a Tesla, Bolt, Leaf, etc...
They have owner's manuals and maintenance checks as well.....but you're pretty much guaranteed not to have one of them start burning oil.
.....just a thought.

Your car is burning less than 1 quart in 600 miles, so as far as Toyota is concerned.......it's not suffering from excessive oil consumption.....and even if you reach the point where you're having to fill up on oil more often than gasoline, the engine will likely still be operable and you'll probably even still be getting decent mileage.

You live in Texas.
My condolences......but there is one advantage.
Probably the only long term effect of having a car that drinks more than an east coast Senator.....besides killing lots of mosquitoes and irritating your fellow drivers, is that your catalytic converter will probably fail throwing a P0420 (or similar) code and illuminating the Check Engine Light.
Since you do not live where there is an oppressive totalitarian government, this means that you can have the cat replaced with an aftermarket unit - or - if you live in a place where VET = animal care instead of Vehicle Emissions Testing, you can just perform the Redneck Check Engine Light Reset, which involves placing a 2" piece of black electrical tape over the light.

Of course.....the environmentally responsible means of dealing with this is to keep the oil topped off, and when/if the cat goes out at about 150,000 miles-just replace it and continue to drive the car for another 50,000 miles or so.


Good Luck!

 

Geez, I kinda hope you're not completely right. Our Prius is the first car we've had that seems bulletproof: no oil consumption, so far, 66,000 km's to date. Maybe it's slightly lower by the time I get around to oil change; I'll try to watch that a bit closer this time. FWIW, doing 6 month or 8000 kms (whichever comes first), I'm lucky to have 3,500 km's between changes. It's pampered, lol.

 

why do so many who complain about oil burning, also complain that they didn't know that they had to check the oil level, and even so, why should they?

 

On our "New Owners Night", local dealership intro, the service manager proclaimed that their goal was to make it so you never need to pop the hood. I don't quite see how that makes sense, for either party. I should have said something, but by that time I was in prisoner-of-war mode.

 

I'm sure they pulled out all the stops. When we bought ours in August 2009, they did not have one of those events.

Sounds like a nice time, but could have been misleading in some aspects .

 

Theoretically, you could get by with it IF the customer brings the car in every 5K......and IF the dealership bothered to check the oil level every time that the car was in the maintenance bay and topped it off.
That would be 16 visits to the dealership before the G3 gets to the usual point where the owner might or might not notice that the car is "suddenly" using enough oil to illuminate the owner neglect light on the dash when the car is tossed into a turn.

It's been a while since I've read the manual, since my car is owned by my employer and a blown engine means that I would suddenly be driving another (probably newer) car......BUT.....I seem to remember reading in the manual where checking the oil level every now and again is a recommended activity.

They even show you how to do it:


With the hybrid system at operating temperature and turned off, check the oil level on the dipstick.

1. To get a correct reading, the vehicle should be on level ground. After turning off the hybrid system, wait a few minutes for the oil to drain back into the bottom of the engine.
2. Pull the dipstick out, hold the rag under the end and wipe it clean.
3. Reinsert the dipstick—push it in as far as it will go, or the reading will not be correct.
4. Pull the dipstick out and look at the oil level while holding a rag under the end.

CAUTION
Be careful not to touch the hot exhaust manifold. [really?!]

NOTICE
Be careful not to drop engine oil on the vehicle components.
If the oil level is below or only slightly above the low level, add engine oil oft the same type as already in the engine.
Remove the oil filler cap and add engine oil in small quantities at a time, checking the dipstick. We recommend that you use a funnel when adding oil.
The approximate quantity of oil needed to raise the level between low and full on the dipstick is indicated as follows:
1.5 L (1.6 qt., 1.3 Imp.qt.)
For the engine oil capacity, see “Service specifications” on page 431.
When the level reaches within the correct range, install the filler cap hand−tight.
NOTICE

• Be careful not to spill engine oil on the vehicle components.
• Avoid overfilling, or the hybrid system could be damaged.
• Check the oil level on the dipstick once again after adding the oil.

 

Page 34 of the 2010 Prius Warranty and Maintenance Guide..

IMPORTANT
MAINTENANCE
INFORMATION
It is especially important to both
routinely check your vehicle’s engine oil
level (once a month) and regularly
replace the engine oil and oil filter (see
the Maintenance Log section of this
booklet to determine how often you
should change your vehicle’s oil and
filter). Failure to do so can cause oil
starvation and or oil gelling, which can
result in severe damage to your vehicle
and require costly repairs that are not
covered by the New Vehicle Limited Warranty.


In case your Owners Manual and/or Maintenance guide get lost, even a company like Toyota is compelled to publish these books.....online.....free of charge.

2010 Toyota Prius Owners Manual and Warranty - Toyota Owners

 

sounds like the dealership hasn't reached their 'goal' yet.

 

One additional tip for checking oil. I don't always do this, usually find by just fllipping the dispstick over the level is a little clearer on the the reverse side, but:

Take out the dipstick, wipe it clean, then let it sit, maybe check tire pressures. Come back in 5 minutes to do the reinsert and check. By then the oil in the dipstick guide tube will have drained back down, and the dipstick will have a nice definitive level, easy to read.