**HELP** - Oil fully drained and now this..

If it continues to hold the oil now, after having removed and reinstalled oil filter and drain bolt, I would put my money on the oil filter: misaligned O-ring? It's not clear where it's starting from?

 

Welcome to your first post on Prius Chat !

You said there was oil all over the place. Did you ever find the source? You said you cleaned everything up, but still a drip or so. I would ensure I found the source of the leak before taking it out and about in case it happens again.

 

4 quarts is a lot of oil to leak out. Can it all leak out of the oil filter without the drain plug? Oil pan? That's nearly all the oil in the car. You should do a full inspection of where the source of the leak is from

 

Is it throwing any codes? Do you have a code reader?

 

I think it'd all leak out at the oil filter only while the car's running, oil being pumped up to the filter.

 

Heavy clonking noise and vibration? Have you ever had an engine running on only 3 cylinders?

There have been several instances of a Prius engine throwing a connecting rod through the lower engine block. Look for one or more holes in the lower engine block, that's probably where all the oil is coming out of the engine.

Hope I'm wrong, but you said the filter and drain plug look ok.

 

In watching your video, I do not see the engine shaking and the idle doesn't sound that bad. I have seen a 2012 PIP idle on 3 cylinders before.

I would find the location of the leak as priority #1, then see what other collateral damage happened a priority #2.

 

How about this wild guess. PCV plugged up, the crankcase pressurized by blowback, and oil pushed through a main seal. You should be able to see some oil drips from the point of exit.

 

Could engine oil be getting pushed into the transaxle, if it turns out to be clogged PCV? Just a thought, not really sure how they connect.

 

4 quarts leaking out past seals in 2-3 miles of driving?

 

I had something similar happen. There was no sign of oil under the vehicle when the oil was full and with the engine running at up to say 1500 rpm. If the car was driven a few miles 4 quarts of oil would disappear in short order. It turned out to be a hairline crack in the spin on oil filter that only allowed leakage when the oil pressure was higher. I put it up on jack stands and got someone to sit in it and "drive it" at 30 mph indicated. Scary, but the oil started pumping out in short order. As previously mentioned it could well leak at the filter seal when the pressure is higher, also. Good luck trying to get it sorted out, very strange when this sort of stuff happens.

 

If you do something like the described, definitely put some timber blocking or heavy tree trunk section under the car, something thicker than you.

 

Your engine sounds like it is done. If you ran the car low on oil you may have done irreversible damage. A clogged pcv and upper crankcase vent would cause a huge main seal leak, a timing chain seal leak or even a dip stick popping out. When you said oil was everywhere?? Pics would be great. If you have any slow leaks from rubber parts and want to buy some time this stuff works great. Just read the reviews. Saved me from pulling a motor from a slow main seal leak on my truck.

 

Your first pic is very telling I think: looking up at exhaust manifold , EGR cooler and back face of engine. Oil seems to be coming from high up, judging from the droplets hanging.

Is oil pressure sensor around there? Or more to passenger side??

 

It definitely looks like it is coming from high up on the block or it is spraying upwards from something?