They Put Too Much Oil In The Prius!

If this is going to be a recurring problem, you might consider this:

http://www.quickoildrainvalve.com/

Then you could drain a little out with no mess.

Better yet, it would help you if you decide to change the oil yourself.

 

Hi John,

I used a Siphon tube once. But I had some small metric sized pnuematic line (just happened to be laying around the house) that fit down into oil level tube. It took about an hour for the 1/2 quart with the collection jar on the ground.

 

I think I found the thread your thinking of - try this one:

http://priuschat.com/index.php?showtopic=2...hl=oil+overfill

 

I used a vacuum pump with a brake bleeder attachment. However, as Donee did, I used a small plastic tube (about 3mm dia or 1/8"OD) that I happened to have to allow the tube to get down to the level of the oil in the sump. I sucked out about 1/2 pint to get the level down to the max mark on the dipstick. Then I changed the oil myself after that.

When I changed the oil, I measured out the oil to refill (because I bought Mobil 1 in a 5qt container). 3.5 qts took the level up to about 3/4 of the distance between the low mark and the max mark; 3.7 would probably be about right to hit the max mark based on my measurement.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(John6012 @ Oct 8 2007, 10:03 AM) [snapback]522681[/snapback]</div>

Do you have any friends with inboard engine sailboats? They will have an electric oil change pump. There is no way to get below the oil pan on most sailboats so the only way to change the oil is to suck it out the dipstick tube.

You could borrow mine, but Oklahoma is a bit far

I second the Fumoto or other oil drain valve suggestion, I put one in last Friday. Next oil change will be much neater, won't even need a pan as I can drain it into an empty milk jug.

 

Siphon using 1/4" polyflow tubing down the dipstick tube while the engine is hot. Easy.

 

An auto parts store will have a cheap siphon hand pump. I saw one for less than $5.

 

When this happened to me, I spun off the oil filter and then poured out what was in the filter. Not really that messy. Good luck!

 

Re: They Put Too Much Oil In The Prius!

I bought one of these last week for fuel emergencies after getting snowed in and needed gas for the snow thrower. However, the tubing is too thick to fit down the dipstick line.

 

I overfilled it myself on the last change as the oil wasn't very hot and I drained only about 15 minutes. I am 1/8 over on the stick, and my mileage hasn't changed. I was at 58-60 mpg avg. on a highway trip tank, as usual. Four qts shouldn't kill mpg, but combined with cold oil and a short drain, maybe. Maybe they put 5 qts in. Wouldn't be surprising. Another high tech way to drain is just take the plug out and put it back fast. I used a glove when I have done that in the past.

 

Personally I don't see what the big deal is. I have put in 4 litres and found NO difference in mileage. I do use Mobil 1 however, 3 litres of 5W30 and one of 10W30 (using up oil that was purchased for the anti-Prius). These days I put in 2.5 litres of 5W30 and one of 10W30, but as I said, no difference in MPG noted between 3.5 and 4 litre fillups.
At any rate, 4 quarts won't cause any damage. So I don't see why so many panic and insist on removing oil. You are more likely to cause damage removing the oil than just leaving it alone.

Now, if the dealer was lazy and put in 10W30 instead of 5W30, non-synthetic oil, then "they" say you will note a drop in mileage. "They" being the government and Toyota.

The operative word here is of course, YMMV!

 

Re: They Put Too Much Oil In The Prius!

My best friend is a Prius mechanic and he tells me that this happens all the time. The real problem is after a while the oil will get splattered all in the air intake manifold and it will cause the engine not to run correctly. The cure is usually to remove the air-intake hose, spray some cleaner down in there and stick your hand in there with a rag and soak up all the oil, repeating as many times as neccessary. But, he said it is an accumulative effect. So it usually doesn't happen unless the car is driven with overfilled oil for several weeks.

 

As far as deposits in the intake manifold, TB, and MAF: both my Prius and my FJ experience this. I think it's just normal PCV operation. It's much worse in very cold climates, as you will expect a lot more engine vapor when the temps are close to arctic

Actually, my FJ is much worse for deposits than my Prius ever was. I'm now in the habit of cleaning my FJ MAF and TB every spring and fall

 

Re: They Put Too Much Oil In The Prius!

How much did you put in? If you put in 3.9 quarts like Toyota recommends, then you will be about 1/8-1/4" over on the stick typically.

I used 3 quarts for my last change, and that put the level right in the middle.

 

Re: They Put Too Much Oil In The Prius!

I didn't put in any oil, the dealership gave it an oil change before selling it to me. When I checked the dip stick, it was over the full by about half an inch.