2008 Oil Consumption?

There is something amiss here. I'll see at most 1/8" diff, when flipping it over. There's no way there would be an actual 1/2" plus difference between one side and the other.

 

Correct. For the best possible reading, check your oil when cold before the car is driven. That way the fluids are completely settled.

 

With 3rd gen, this helps to get a clear reading: pull the dipstick and wipe it, wait 5 minutes minimum (oil pulled up the tube drains down), then reinsert, pull out and read level.

 

Always go by the lowest reading on the dipstick.

 

There's no immediate danger of low oil as it looks you are half way down on the dipstick marks. That's a little over half quart

 

FYI - The single most common cause of "oil consumption" complaints on modern gasoline engines is a failed PCV valve.

The job of the PCV valve is to control the crankcase pressure, trap those gasses and route them into the intake for combustion. When the valve sticks CLOSED, crankcase pressure can increase to the point that an external oil leak is developed, over time this will cause oil level to fall and a mess under your car. When the PCV valve fails open or has a weakened spring, this will cause excessive crankcase gasses and oil mist/vapor to be pulled from the engine, also reducing oil level over time.

For most vehicles, spark plugs and the PCV valve should both be replaced between 90k and 120k.

 

Thanks for the info; I've been trying to get my head around the pcv system.

I wish they made the damn things easier to get to: the Prius is tough; on my son's civic step one is "remove intake manifold".

 

+1 on always checking it first thing in the morning. Gives an accurate reading, and helps eliminate variables like oil temperature, drain-back, etc.

 

I don't recall anyone replacing the pcv valve on a prius and it actually made a difference in oil consumption. This may be the cause for other engines, not in a prius

 

I've heard this a lot, but in practice see no difference.

The main thing is to check it regularly. I have lots of opportunity for that: when we're headed somewhere, I'll go out to garage, DW says she'll be "right out"... I could do an oil change while waiting, lol.

 

A quart in 6500 miles (about what it looks like, is 2nd gen also something like 1.5 qts between the marks?) is not bad though.

C'mon, what are you standing around for? Get some more oil in there; top it up, lol. (channeling Phil Silvers)

 

If you don't need to add oil between OEM change intervals, there is NO PROBLEM. For most OEMs, about 1 qt/1000 miles is the investigation threshold, but they do vary significantly.

 

My approach stems from my motorcycle habits. Check while in the garage before you ride. Then you alway get a consistent reading.
I've found that when the oil is cool, it reads more easily, and more consistently on the dipstick. Also, assuming you park in the same place each night, by checking it first thing in the morning, you eliminate the variable of the surface pitch on which the car sits.

 

5

Paraphrasing form the Official Toyota Prius OM applicable to a 2005 Prius, to avoid copyright concerns:
S 8.2 Pg 286
"With the vehicle parked on level ground and at operating temperature, check the engine oil with the HSD system powered off. Remove the dipstick, wipe it off and reinsert fully, oil level can now be checked by removing the dipstick. Acceptable oil level is between the two dots on the dipstick and approximately 1.5 qts will be required to bring it to "full" from "low"."

The process outlined by Toyota, is similar to that of many other OEMs.