Houston we have a Burner : a little upset !

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Main Forum' started by penny, Feb 10, 2017.

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  1. penny

    penny Junior Member

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    So my lovely little girl, Penny the Prius, is only at 75k and it looks like 1 quart per 2 k miles.

    2010 beauty, Houston TX.

    Ok ok so I wasnt exactly pulling out the dam dipstick every other week, but i maintained the car EXCTLY as instructed to.

    Questions:

    1. How bad is a burn of 1 quart per 2k miles?

    2. How should I proceed in your mind? Suggestions welcome!

    This forum is really amazing and I thank you all in advance for your time and responses!!

    Sincerely,

    Penny the Prius -,Trying still to be grooving in H town but stressed little Penny is KAPUT!!!!! Or soon to be ???????????
     
    #1 penny, Feb 10, 2017
  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    i think the toyota minimum is 1 quart every 600 miles. read some of the oil burning threads here, it may help to try a heavier weight oil.
     
    #2 bisco, Feb 10, 2017
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  3. penny

    penny Junior Member

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    Thanks - there are so many Threads its almost a little confusing. Many are years old and I just don't know what the up-to-date thinking is.
     
    #3 penny, Feb 10, 2017
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  4. penny

    penny Junior Member

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    My main concern is I have just started a new job with a 75 mile round trip commute I just don't know how Worried to be that Penny the Prius is going to fall apart and stop working in the next six months?

    I'd feel a lot better if someone said that is not going to happen but I just don't know...
     
    #4 penny, Feb 10, 2017
  5. penny

    penny Junior Member

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    ...and a quart of a loss every 2K sounds pretty damn bad to me on a 75K mile car????

    Again I'm not too sure, as there arevso many threads to read and it's tough to know what is OK / acceptable / bad / very bad : or catastrophic
     
    #5 penny, Feb 10, 2017
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  6. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    it's not going to happen, but you should keep a closer eye on it and top it off more frequently.

    you're right, it isn't great, but lot's of people have the problem. it is what it is.
     
    #6 bisco, Feb 10, 2017
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  7. penny

    penny Junior Member

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    Thanks for replies!! my other question is at what level of drop off should I fill up with oil??? Is it OK for the dipstick to get near minimum or should I fill it up before that? I don't exactly fancy filling up every week or 2 with oil but I may need to do that if I can't let it get near minimum....
     
    #7 penny, Feb 10, 2017
  8. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    yes, near minimum is fine. but i would check it every couple hundred miles. how many miles a week do you drive?
     
    #8 bisco, Feb 10, 2017
  9. penny

    penny Junior Member

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    About 450 miles a week on a typical week. I know that's a good amount but I just started doing that about a month ago
     
    #9 penny, Feb 10, 2017
  10. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    how did you determine 1 qt./2,000 miles?
     
    #10 bisco, Feb 10, 2017
  11. penny

    penny Junior Member

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    Great question- I filled her up and then after 800 miles I was one quarter down between the maximum and minimum level on the dipstick.

    I asked on the forum and was told the level between the maximum and minimum was 1.6 quarts.

    A little simple math so I worked out I was burning or would be burning 1 quart for 2000 miles.

    Is my logic flawed please advise ?
     
    #11 penny, Feb 10, 2017
  12. penny

    penny Junior Member

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    0.4 quarts ( one quarter down out of 1.6q). ----800 miles

    1 quart -----2000 miles
     
    #12 penny, Feb 10, 2017
  13. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    i'm not sure if is linear. best thing to do is watch it until it's near the minimum, and see how much oil to get close to the max.
    some careful monitoring and measuring may alleviate some concern.
     
    #13 bisco, Feb 10, 2017
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  14. penny

    penny Junior Member

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    At this stage - kind of worked myself into a stress ball - and I'm considering doing a panic trade in from my Prius to a freaking Honda Civic or something.

    Pissed at myself that I did not check the forum for a year or so and missed this whole issue but also pissed that this is an issue period!
     
    #14 penny, Feb 10, 2017
  15. Raytheeagle

    Raytheeagle Senior Member

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    I have a 2010 Prius II that has a small drinking problem. Our Prius had 148 k miles on it and going strong:).

    I found that ours was consuming about a quart every 4500 miles. I found this by dipstick monitoring and not by the dash light telling me. How did you find the issue: by the dash light or by an under hood inspection?

    I have done several things to help reduce oil consumption and have gotten ours down to a quart about every 7500 miles or so. Best thing you can do is reduce your highway traveling speed.

    I have a 80 miles round trip commute with the speed limit of 65 mph. I used to do the commute at 70-75 or higher mph, but after the consumption was found, I lowered my speed to 65-70 mph. Not a large difference, but helps ;).

    I would also switch oils to a thicker grade if you are running 0w-20, I would go to 5w-30 (that's what I run). I have seen no negatives by switching and has helped the consumption. MPG has still stayed around 50 on the commute;). There was an oil consumption poll in the Gen 3 forums where I posted some info on some experimenting I am doing to reduce oil consumption. Check it out:

    [POLL] Excessive Oil Usage


    Penny should be fine. Just keep an eye on her fluids(y).
     
    #15 Raytheeagle, Feb 10, 2017
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  16. Raytheeagle

    Raytheeagle Senior Member

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    No need to work yourself up, at least you are aware of it and knowledge is power;).

    Trading cars with put you in a quick negative equity hole. A quart of oil is economical and it takes a lot of quarts of oil to make a new car payment or replace an engine.

    Sleep it off tonight and make a decision with a clear thought and not an emotional one(y).
     
    #16 Raytheeagle, Feb 10, 2017
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  17. penny

    penny Junior Member

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    Sadly I found pennys problem by dash light flashing on very briefly on fast corners I know I know but honestly I just didn't think to check the freaking oil that much....i'm somewhat of a newbiev to owning a car so lesson learned.

    Thank you so much for all the varied , thoughtful , involved , interesting , insightful and informative replies this forum really is fantastic and a godsend!

    It's clear that Prius owners are a great bunch of people and willing to help each other out for nothing in return which is really fantastic.
     
    #17 penny, Feb 10, 2017
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  18. penny

    penny Junior Member

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    Please keep the replies coming I'm interested in all thoughts.

    My concern is that a 1 quart burn every 2K for a 75k miles 2010 Prius seems pretty darn poor..
     
    #18 penny, Feb 10, 2017
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  19. Raytheeagle

    Raytheeagle Senior Member

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    Poor but still within the owners manual guideline of oil consumption.

    If you look there, a quart every 600 miles is still within spec:confused:. All they will do is a consumption test and then if it is a quart every 2000 miles, there will be nothing they can do as it is within the "design limits":(.

    If you read the posts I had in the oil poll thread, the rep from BG Products has some great info about "modern engines". I am still working with him to determine other things to try. They are a preventative maintenance provider, and have worked with all different engines and manufacturers. You'll also see what I have tried and what I will be doing next;).

    Keep an eye on your oil loss and keep us posted(y).
     
    #19 Raytheeagle, Feb 10, 2017
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  20. Samprocat

    Samprocat Active Member

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    Keep it above minimum line....
    Have some shop do compression test and blow by.....to see where it happens rings or valve seals....
    Try to inspect breather valve

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
    #20 Samprocat, Feb 11, 2017
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