1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

Burning 3.9qts every 1000 miles

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by Fatmatt86, Dec 5, 2018.

  1. PriusCamper

    PriusCamper Senior Member

    Joined:
    Mar 3, 2012
    11,330
    4,614
    0
    Location:
    Pacific Northwest, USA
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    I'd love to know how many quarts of motor oil you buy per year? I bet you're far and away the greatest of all time in annual oil consumption for one vehicle after all these years.
     
  2. PriusCamper

    PriusCamper Senior Member

    Joined:
    Mar 3, 2012
    11,330
    4,614
    0
    Location:
    Pacific Northwest, USA
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    PS: Please post your photo over at a new thread I just started: Please Post Your Favorite Odometer Photos Here | PriusChat
     
    Fatmatt86 likes this.
  3. vvillovv

    vvillovv Senior Member

    Joined:
    Mar 19, 2013
    3,901
    1,338
    1
    Location:
    NY
    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius Prime
    Model:
    Prime Plus
    @Fatmatt86 I don't believe I've ever read a thread with a stranger subject and 12 pages of disbelievers of the Prius magic that you've had for over 100k miles.
    Where has all thta oil gone?
    gremlins need oil getting in there, keeping all the other systems in tip top shape.
     
    Paladain55, Fatmatt86 and PriusCamper like this.
  4. Fatmatt86

    Fatmatt86 Member

    Joined:
    Dec 5, 2018
    85
    93
    0
    Location:
    Fort Worth
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    Base
    Well I was getting oil by the case for free back at my old job where I traded empty 55gal poly drums that we used for cases of oil. I got a oil change back at 321,430 miles and have put 3 qts in since then, so roughly getting about 510miles on a qt of oil usage. So if I drive 10,000 miles a year, it’s about 20qts of oil total, 3 of those being cheap $15 oil changes for 3.9qts each time plus an additional 8qts in between changes. A single 18 wheeler rig uses way more than 20qts a year and it may even be more than that for 1 oil change in a rig.
     
    PriusCamper likes this.
  5. Goodcitizen

    Goodcitizen Junior Member

    Joined:
    Apr 22, 2023
    61
    22
    0
    Location:
    Cali
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    My old 285k'ish 2005 gen 2 will burn about 1 quart of 5-40 every 600 miles or so if strictly used on the freeway at 75-80mph Definitely needs new rings/engine

    My 2005 ~140k prius uses a very small amount of oil, maybe 1/2quart between changes. Hoping it won't become extreme with time. Oil changes done on time(5k) with full synthetic.
     
  6. kutcht1

    kutcht1 Member

    Joined:
    Nov 25, 2013
    305
    82
    0
    Location:
    Andover, Minnesota
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    you clicked that photo driving 66 mph?
    TomK
     
  7. Fatmatt86

    Fatmatt86 Member

    Joined:
    Dec 5, 2018
    85
    93
    0
    Location:
    Fort Worth
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    Base
    Made it to 330,000 miles and still running strong.
     
    oschn likes this.
  8. Fatmatt86

    Fatmatt86 Member

    Joined:
    Dec 5, 2018
    85
    93
    0
    Location:
    Fort Worth
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    Base
  9. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
    May 11, 2005
    110,132
    50,049
    0
    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
  10. PriusCamper

    PriusCamper Senior Member

    Joined:
    Mar 3, 2012
    11,330
    4,614
    0
    Location:
    Pacific Northwest, USA
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    I've been helping a person of modest means who was able to recently buy a 2007 Prius with 300K miles for $2K and told him about this thread you started almost 5 years ago.

    So far he's burning way less than a quart per thousand miles. So when I sent him your latest post he replied:

    "sounds like he's got a well disiplined practice of checking and adding!"
     
    Fatmatt86 likes this.
  11. PriusCamper

    PriusCamper Senior Member

    Joined:
    Mar 3, 2012
    11,330
    4,614
    0
    Location:
    Pacific Northwest, USA
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    Gen2 engines are amazing... Here we are five years later and he's still driving it at 330K miles...
     
    Fatmatt86 and jerrymildred like this.
  12. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 28, 2016
    11,518
    14,128
    0
    Location:
    Tampa, FL
    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    That car sure did exceed my expectations!! :)
     
    Fatmatt86 and PriusCamper like this.
  13. rjparker

    rjparker Tu Humilde Sirviente

    Joined:
    Jun 6, 2008
    8,490
    5,056
    7
    Location:
    Texas Hill Country
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius v wagon
    Model:
    Three
    Gen3s are pretty good at burning oil as well. Mine has 296,000 and the original cat. I guess it recirculates a bunch through the pcv and egr.
     
  14. PriusCamper

    PriusCamper Senior Member

    Joined:
    Mar 3, 2012
    11,330
    4,614
    0
    Location:
    Pacific Northwest, USA
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    Also adds more information to how much engine oil is lost with combustion, versus how much is engine oil is lost in crankcase ventilation. I've been interested in this in terms of calculating carbon emission footprint of a vehicle with a bad engine. And due to lack of the cat having to be replaced after 5 years and 100K miles of this it seems pretty clear that crankcase ventilation oil loss is likely greater than combustion oil loss.
     
  15. Paladain55

    Paladain55 Active Member

    Joined:
    Oct 20, 2021
    383
    147
    0
    Location:
    The South
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    Take your intake manifold off and look at the coating of oil in there. Look into Atkinson cycle combustion. I have no EGR or crankcase ventilation system connected to my intake manifold anymore. But its impressive how much oil the inside of the intake manifold and intake ports will be coated with. The rings are just low tension and this lets oil around them into the combustion chamber and the car blows it back into the intake manifold for the next available cylinder to consume. Not bad. But it more or less shows how important great oil changes are for these cars. At the age of gen 2/3's now I say use high mileage oil to tighten up various engine seals and valve guide seals, use spec oil, and change it every 5k. This will help keep the rings clean and reduce oil consumption.

    Its so easy to reverse it with a piston soak so its pretty apparent the rings on the 2004-2015 priuses are the majority cause of the oil consumption.
     
    #235 Paladain55, Nov 12, 2023
    Last edited: Nov 12, 2023
    Fatmatt86 likes this.
  16. PriusCamper

    PriusCamper Senior Member

    Joined:
    Mar 3, 2012
    11,330
    4,614
    0
    Location:
    Pacific Northwest, USA
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    I bet his intake manifold is so full he could use his engine oil dipstick to check it...
     
  17. TMR-JWAP

    TMR-JWAP Senior Member

    Joined:
    Aug 12, 2016
    6,404
    6,062
    0
    Location:
    Columbia, SC
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    Touring
    Is your crankcase just vented to atmosphere through a filter or OCC system? Old school method?
    Curious how well that works since a good PCV system will keep the crankcase at a slight vacuum and helps engine efficiency.
     
  18. PriusCamper

    PriusCamper Senior Member

    Joined:
    Mar 3, 2012
    11,330
    4,614
    0
    Location:
    Pacific Northwest, USA
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    Yeah... I'd be real curious to know how fast this dude's engine could fill up an oil catch can... And the fact that his Cat has not gotten clogged and blown out the flange gasket is a real head scratcher.
     
  19. Fatmatt86

    Fatmatt86 Member

    Joined:
    Dec 5, 2018
    85
    93
    0
    Location:
    Fort Worth
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    Base
    I have had to change the catalytic converter twice in the last 5 years, both costing about $180 each time
     
  20. Paladain55

    Paladain55 Active Member

    Joined:
    Oct 20, 2021
    383
    147
    0
    Location:
    The South
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    If you are referring to my comment: yup it is open air catch can. 5/8" lines ran as short as possible to a big vented catch can. Wildly i get zero oil accumulation. In the winter i get a lot of water vapor because the can isn't insulated so its better at condensing. Just dump it around every 2500 miles. Efficiency wise without pcv vacuum and without egr i still get the same gas mileage, there is no change. Still get 52-55mpg around town, 46-50mpg going 70 down the interstate.

    I more or less did the open air catch can to avoid the winter cold start knock that people have problems with here and there. I think the pcv system condenses too much water vapor in the winter which causes it. Now I have no cold start knocks, no oil consumption, no head gasket problems, no catalytic converter problems. Just from a piston soak, some high mileage 0w-20, no egr, and open air pcv. So $75 total over a weekend. lol
     
    Fatmatt86 likes this.