drained oil filter, not main oil tank

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by Pups, May 28, 2025.

  1. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    this is an entertaining thread :cool:
     
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  2. Eddie25

    Eddie25 Active Member

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    I think they've been pretty clear.

    1. If you already changed the oil and have the proper amount then I probably wouldn't worry about it at this point.

    2. I doubt it matters as long as you drained it properly and put new oil in. If anything I would go with an engine flush product that you run for just a few minutes before changing the oil (like BP EPR), but you'd probably just want to wait until your next oil change in this case.

    3. Assuming you don't, you should be checking the oil dipstick before, after, and in between oil changes (say every few gas fill ups, for a while) in order to determine if you are burning oil. Oil burning in these cars can quickly get to the point where engine damage could occur within a 5k interval. If that's not something you think you'll do then definitely go with 5k interval.
     
  3. Eddie25

    Eddie25 Active Member

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  4. rjparker

    rjparker Tu Humilde Sirviente

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    I did get it the first time but there was certainly room for uncertainty.

    One thing I tell people with english as the second language - if they don't understand you the first time don't just repeat the exact same words. What you do is reorganize your thought - generally by adding more detail. Most of us can then put the pieces together.

    The problem is it was 4 quarts over the first time and then 8 quarts over the second time. Then it happened again this week. So for 20,000 miles it was way too full.

    Some people around here go to a lot of trouble to remove a half of a quart overfill, often left high by dealers!
     
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  5. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    can a prius with an extra 4 quarts for 10,000 miles really not suffer any damage, or have symptoms during that time? (besides white smoke)
     
  6. rjparker

    rjparker Tu Humilde Sirviente

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    He will find out soon. The problem is it could have preexisting oil leaks, oil burning or head gasket leaks. So if one or more of those issues become clear it will be hard to pinpoint the origin.
     
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  7. Grit

    Grit Senior Member

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    Incorrect oil pressure level while driving and cold start up stress on engine, overheating and many more
     
  8. Grit

    Grit Senior Member

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    If pattern continues, it will 12 quarts over. OP must be an oil change dealer!!!
     
  9. BiomedO1

    BiomedO1 Senior Member

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    Sorry; I still don't get it. You've stated that you have been changing the oil on that Prius for 10+ years. Do you ever check the dip stick for proper oil fill???????? You obvious know where it is; so how did 11 quarts get into your engine???? Why are you just changing the oil filter and not replacing the engine oil with the filter? Isn't that like putting on clean clothes, but never taking a shower????
     
  10. rjparker

    rjparker Tu Humilde Sirviente

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    He said he had brain fog, possibly from covid. In other words, he screwed up.

    Which is why I said this story is hard to believe
    So was it covid brain fog, early stage dementia, or pretty damn good smoke in the California Bay area?

    Following the story has been a challenge for some in this thread. Maybe something is going around.
     
  11. BiomedO1

    BiomedO1 Senior Member

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    Brain-fog or No; I ALWAYS check fluid levels - before and after PM. It's very difficult screwing things up, if you follow defined procedures vs "just winging it"! As people get older, there are more distractions in life. Following a defined procedure makes things routine; and less likely to foobar the job at hand.

    I guess it's just me..........
     
  12. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    I've done my share, the first with our prus:

    1. ALMOST reinstalled the (3rd gen style) oil filter housing without putting the new filter in.
    2. Forgot to do final wheel lug nut torque. (they were well snugged, and remembered after car had had a short drive, whew!. I always lay the torque wrench in a can't miss location now)
    3. Forgot to put oil filler cap back on. (always set the cap atop the hood latch now.)
    4. Started pouring motor oil into automatic transmission. (did a triple drain and fill, kicking myself after that)
     
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  13. BiomedO1

    BiomedO1 Senior Member

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    This is what I mean; Adjust your procedures according - so you don't make the same mistake again!!!

    FWIW: I didn't torque down one of my tires on a rotation - got distracted. I now lay the torque wrench down @ the tire - Visual indicator to double check that tire. Found it on the around the block test drive; slight wobble.
     
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  14. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    When ill-fated Apollo 13 mission was in the home stretch, one of the astronauts noticed a scrap of paper taped over a switch in the command module controls, with the word "NO" (or something similar). He asked the command module pilot what that was for, and he explained (paraphrasing) "when you guys were still in the lunar lander, I thought I better put that there; it's the release switch"...
     
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  15. Danno5060

    Danno5060 Active Member

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    I did #3 the last time I changed the oil on my Gen 4, even placing the cap in the hood latch hole. Closing the hood shoved it down in front of the radiator. I now fit the cap into the latch to make sure it can't close.
     
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  16. rjparker

    rjparker Tu Humilde Sirviente

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    When I was 18 my younger brother and I bought a 58 Mercury Turnpike Cruiser with a bad V8 pushrod engine. We rebuilt it in our garage with no help other than a Sears $19.95 tool kit, a bumper jack and a couple of jack stands.

    We replaced the piston rings, rod bearings and lapped the valves after a major disassembly. When we tried to start it, the engine would not turnover even though it had a fresh battery and a good fusible link. When we tried to manually rotate the engine it was locked up. We were defeated.

    Days later we tore the engine down again only to find oversized rod bearings from the auto supply had clamped the crankshaft in place.

    Screwup #1. Don't used oversized bearings unless the crank has been machined.

    Did it turnover then? No.

    Screwup #2. Replace the engine to chassis ground strap.

    Did it crank and start two weeks later? Yes.

    Did we logically know about bearing sizes and ground straps? Yes but only from reading Popular Mechanics magazine and the Chilton guides down at the library.

    Did we repeat the mistakes two more times? No.
     
    #36 rjparker, Jun 1, 2025 at 7:39 PM
    Last edited: Jun 2, 2025 at 1:54 AM
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  17. Grit

    Grit Senior Member

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    I one time didn’t unplug the 12v lead from the battery before EGR circuit cleaning. I got the best tongue lashing on here, there were no video tutorials or Prius foeum write up said to do so.
     
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  18. Grit

    Grit Senior Member

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    He is tombuckt2 under another alias.