Oil change

All metal particles in the oil are not bad.

bimmerfest - BMW Forums - View Single Post - My break-in oil change has been scheduled

 

Good point. To me, it's a bit counter-intuitive to change the oil on a cold motor. Most likely, a high quality oil will keep the trash in suspension even when cold

Just a few more questions:

Is the canister cap on your HiHy a plastic one, or metal?

Is the bypass spring in the cap?

Does the cap have little slots in it, so if you partially loosen it, any oil within will drain out through the slits, not gushing out all at once making one hell of a mess?

 

Yeah, me too. I wish I had done that with my '04 Prius, as I ran it to the 8,000 km interval. Oil seemed ok, that is, it wasn't black

With my '07 FJ, I noticed the dealership slapped an oil change reminder on the windshield recommending a 3,500 km initial service, which was complimentary.

I asked them what was up with that, as they had been pretty adament about leaving the factory oil in the Prius until the first scheduled change. They still do recommend leaving the Prius oil in longer

But with the FJ, they appeared concerned about something. So at 3,000 km, I noticed the oil was already getting black. Sent a sample off and it flunked: almost 0 TBN, bad shear, very nigh nitration, etc

So it does appear YMMV. Some motors just appear hard on oil, like my FJ motor. It shears oil badly, not sure if that has anything to do with VVT on that motor, or something else going on. With a high quality synthetic, no issues

 

Hi Jay,

The HiHy has the 3.3L V6 which uses the traditional style oil filter enclosed in sheet steel. When I remove the oil filter with the engine cold after letting the car rest overnight, zero oil drips out.

Since the old oil had all night to drip into the crankcase, when you drain the old, cold oil all you have to worry about is the oil residue that coats the crankcase interior.

Compare to the normal practice of working with a hot, recently run engine. The old oil has fully coated all engine components. Seems to me there's potentially more old oil (and associated impurities) left in the engine after the oil is drained.

 

Oh, I was under the impression the HiHy also used a cartridge oil filter

I'm sure there is an easy and mess-free way to change the oil using a cartridge system. That link I posted from Toyota Nation appears to indicate the mess factor, and AFAIK the 2009 Corolla doesn't have a shield to be removed first

Owners of new Tundra and Sequoia with the 5.7 V8 don't appear that thrilled by the cartridge system

I've noticed some good deals popping up on new 2009 Prius. I had better pick one up soon, so I won't have to deal with a messy cartridge

 

cool~ that's a good idea, I will love to try that

cool~ that's a good idea, I will love to try that

 

You would like to try what?

 

Are we about 50/50 on the necessity of changing oil at 1000 miles? I have done it on all of my new cars because I have been taught to do so by my Father who is a mechanic. I know that modern engines are different, but the Lexus buyers get a complimentary oil change at 1000 miles.

I too think of it as cheap insurance, but is it necessary on a 2010 Prius?

 

You would think if it were necessary, the dealer (and manufacturer) would recommend it.

 

The oil change requirements are listed in the owners manual and they are already very frequent with 5K oil changes despite the use of synthetic oil (which normally allows very extended oil change intervals).

Toyota doesn't recommend changing the oil at durations different than what they printed in the owners manual for the car.

 

+1

Very, very few cars on the road today received an early first oil change. Yet, engine problems due to excessive wear are extremely uncommon.

There are some vehicles where an early oil change is necessary. Take the BMW M-series as an example. At 1200 miles, the CBS will tell you to take the car in for an oil change and a different fluid replacement. The other BMW models do not require this.

 

Thanks everyone. It's gonna be tough, but I will do my best to go 5K or 6 months before changing oil.

 

The mechanic at my dealership put a 2500 mile oil change sticker on my car window during the PDI. Not sure if he is just doing that on all cars or if he was trying to find a compromise between the recommended 5000 from Toyota or his mechanical tradition of changing new cars at 1000.

 

When small aircraft engines are rebuilt, the initial oil used is a mineral break-in oil. Why, because the mediocre lubricating qualities allow for controlled break-in. The piston rings "seat" more quickly and the "rough" un-even bearing surfaces are worn-in. After 25 hours of operation, the oil (and filter) are changed for normal semi-synthetic aircraft oil.

Why are aircraft owners generally so careful about engine break-in procedures? The cost of rebuilding a simple 6 cylinder aircraft engine cost as much as a new Prius.

It's probably not a bad idea to run a new Prius for several thousand miles on regular oil before switching to synthetic.

Keith

 

Keith

The Lycomming or Continental motor will also spend most of its life in a carefully controlled and narrow operating RPM

Air cooled aviation motors need an ashless oil to prevent deposit buildup on valves, which can result in recession and early valve failure. Typically, a straight mineral oil is not only used for break-in, but for full time use in some motors

http://www.imperialoil.ca/Canada-English/Files/Products_Lubes/IOCAENAVIESAviation.pdf

Once broken in, an oil with dispersants can be used to keep internal deposits down, especially the lead from the avgas. Even "low lead" avgas has higher lead content than automotive leaded gas ever did

http://www.imperialoil.ca/Canada-English/Files/Products_Lubes/IOCAENAVIESAviation_Oil_EE.pdf

This is an example of a semi-synthetic air cooled aviation oil

http://www.imperialoil.ca/Canada-English/Files/Products_Lubes/IOCAENAVIESAviation_Oil_Elite.pdf

jay

 

I am changing my oil at 500 miles and a 1000. I build high performace Harley engines. The first 500 miles produce two things,

1. Extra heat because the parts have more friction because they are not broke in so watch driving excessive heat at the beginning until the position rings are broken in. Excessive heat causes the rings to lose there tension and the scoring of the cylinder walls

2. Because the engine is breaking in the parts sometimes there are metal shavings that end up in the oil at the beginning of break in.

I have about 18 miles on my Prius and I am going to put a magnet oil plug in it to see what shavings are in the oil at 500 miles and then report back to Prius chat.

I am sure you can break it in like the manual but I have developed a way I think works on all engines and want to keep that going

 

I don't think the Prius ICE ever works as hard as a Harley engine, especially since the electric motor provides the torque from a standing start.

Certainly no harm in doing it your way. I will look forward to your results.

 

Please don't forget to post your results. Initially I was planning to change at 1000 and then go every 5k/6 months myself. Seems the consensus is to go with the Toyota recommended interval, but I would really like to see how your test goes. Congrat's on the new Prius!

 

You might also change the oil filter and take the oil filter apart to inspect for debris (like bits of metal). (Going back to the airplane analogy mentioned above, it is common practice to dissect the oil filter at every oil change and look for bits of metal. It is very common to see some metal, but if there is a substantial increase in the amount of particles, then further inspection is advisable. )

Anyway, it will be interesting to hear about your findings.

Thanks,

Keith