I just did my first oil/filter change on my used Prius that I bought a few months ago. The oil change went fine. I put back in a little over 3 1/2 courts. The dipstick has 2 sides of course. One side reads right at the full mark (second dot) and the other side reads more towards the middle. I am worried as I have read multiple warnings about running these cars with too much oil . Which side should I go of off? Would either side reading to the full mark (second dot) hurt the car? Thank you for any help
If the car is on level ground, there is only one true reading. The one that is lower is more likely to be accurate, and the one that is higher was just likely the result of picking up residual oil as you pulled the dipstick. To answer the question of how far to fill it, anywhere between the dots is fine. 3.7 quarts should get you to the top dot. 3.5, as you put in, sounds about right for 3/4 of the way to the top dot. Of course it depends slightly on how well the old oil was drained. You're fine either way. Going to the top dot is not a problem. being halfway between is not a problem. Being at the bottom is not a problem. The only time you've got an issue is when your oil level does not fall between those dots. Everything else, you're good.
Okay well that seems to answer it. I was just worried that we had overfilled. I wiped it several times and was careful checking but the oil still hits the top dot on one side.
If you constantly get the reading that the oil level is at full mark then oil level is at full mark. That’s where most of people fill it up to. That’s a good level. Drive for some time and then recheck it (like you should always do on any car).
Thank you. But again, the dipstick reads 2 different levels on each side of the stick. Not sure which is right.
Try removing the dipstick and wiping it, then waiting, say at least 5 minutes before the check. If it's similar to third gen, I've found the dipsitick is very prone to smearing, due to oil being pulled up the guide tube as you pull out the dipstick. I'll notice slight difference in level, one side vs the other, but never more than 1/8". If you're noticing a gross difference between the 2 sides, all I can think is you must be on some sort of incline?? That's a nono for checking level, btw. Also, if you've just recently put in the spec'd amount, add more ONLY as a last resort, if you're really sure it's low. It's easy to add oil, a pain to remove. FWIW, if you're only overfilled by say 1/4" or so, it should be no problem: nothing is that critical.
Check it in the morning before u start the car. All oil will have been drained back. Pull the dipstick out gently and it will read correctly on both sides. Lot of oil stays in the cyl head VVT vane and filter.
