Gen III Oil change @1400 miles

Thank you for posting your adventure. I too have no doubt that those who live in Canada or another cold place, could very well break off the plastic panel

 

At first I thought my 2010 Prius came with no oil washer or gasket for the drain plug, but as I looked closer I discovered mine was stuck to the oil pan. I had to remove my oil washer/gasket with a gasket scraper tool.

 

That never happened with my 2004 Prius. With my 2007 FJ, I always have to use the gasket scraper to pop the gasket off the drain pan

 

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I kind of thought so ( had to be a washer with that drain plug)

Your pics are really great. They show it the way it is. The good thing on the prius is that there is nothing in the way of the oil draining one can see how the oil drips from the oil pan and the filter housing. GREAT JOB!!

 

What did you pay for the filter and o seals? the compression washer should be about .35cents

 

Are you sure you only have 1,400 miles on that oil?

I was so concerned when I saw your pictures I just went out and pulled my dip stick and wiped it on a white paper towel. My oil with 1126 miles on it still looks relatively clean.

 

Perhaps the drain plug was overtightend. The washer is designed to crush. This crushing provides the tight seal between the oil pan drain hole surface and the drain plug. I have always used a torque wrench to finalize the tightening to factory specifications.

 

I'm with ALS here - there's something strange - it should not be that dark after 1400 miles????????????????????????????? Are you sure you didn't miss a '0' (14,000)?????????

 

This looks more like what I pictured in my mind. The mere volume of oil certainly will look darker than that one would see on the dip stick or in your case the screwdriver. Thank you for showing us this pic and will look forward for the test results.

 

Have to also say are you missing a "0"

This is my oil at 1500 miles

 

When I had about 600-800 miles on mine I thought the oil was a little too full so I got a hand pump that you can draw oil from the dip stick tube ( I had not checked it before that). I pulled out about a pint and it was as dark as was shown in that picture.

I took mine to the dealer at 1560 and had them change it for me, so I did not see the oil that came out or the filter cartridge. I gave them the replacement cartridge, o ring and gaskett for the plug and 4 quarts of mobile 1. When I got home I had to add about a cup of oil to raise it to the 3/4 full mark.

I still have the oil I removed by hand and it is black although it did not look that dark from the dip stick. I have not decided when to change it next at 5000 or at 6500. I would like to keep it around even 5000's or 10000 if Toyota does change the frequency.

 

Typically, the oil on a dipstick will look a lot better than what is resting in the sump. The only way to know for sure is to have used oil analysis done.

 

I have overhauled many engines, lately mostly aircraft engines. His oil is most probably so black because his piston rings haven't seated yet. Blowby will cause early oil discoloration and high oil temps.
If my oil were so dark, I would drive the car hard for a while. Higher cylinder pressures will "blow" out the rings against the cylinders and make them seat. If you don't seat the rings you will have excessive blowby and higher ring wear than normal.

 

I agree. I have NEVER babied any new vehicle

 

Whatever happened to the practice where manufacturers would put mineral "break-in" oil in new cars at the factory so that the engines could break in properly. As I understood it, if synthetic oil were to be put in a new engine it would either never break in (the piston rings wouldn't properly align with - or friction-wear against - the cylinders, etc.) or it would take a very long time to do so. As a result, engine efficiency could suffer over the life of the engine. Maybe, with today's hitech metals it is no longer necessary. Does Toyota use mineral oil or synthetic oil as the first fill in its new engines? Anyone know?

 

"mineral oil" is a term used for an oil that does not contain ashless dispersants. It is also called non-detergent oil. It is still used in the break in process of aircraft engines. I don't think it has been put in any new car for I would guess 50 years.
I swiped this from a Lycoming publication (aircraft engine)

There are two basic types of FAA-approved aviation oils used in
general aviation aircraft piston engines.
1. Straight mineral
2. Ashless dispersant (AD)
Many Lycoming engines use straight mineral oil for “break-in”
purposes with a new, rebuilt or overhauled engine. The operators
should then switch to AD oil after “break-in” has been accomplished.
In those engines that use straight mineral oil beyond the
normal break-in period (25 to 50 hours), a later switch to AD oil
should be done with caution as loosened sludge deposits may clog
oil passages. Oil screens must be checked after each flight until
clots of sludge no longer appear.
Those Lycoming engines that are to be broken in with AD oil
include all turbocharged models, the O-320-H and the O/LO-360-E.
Since modern FAA-approved ashless dispersant oils already
include additives that make them superior to straight mineral
oil, the use of additional oil additives in Lycoming engines has
been very limited. The only additive approved by Lycoming is
Lycoming part number LW-16702, an anti-scuffing, anti-wear oil
additive. The policy governing use of this oil additive is spelled
out in the latest revisions of Service Bulletins 446 and 471, and
in Service Instruction 1409. These publications approve the use
of LW-16702 for all Lycoming reciprocating engines except
those that utilize a friction-type clutch and a common engine
oil system for the transmission and clutch assembly. The use of
LW-16702 is required in certain engine models. These models
are the 0-320-H, O-360-E, LO-360-E, TO-360-E, LTO-360-E,
TIO and TIGO-541.
Clean engine oil is essential to long engine life, and the
full-flow oil filter is an added improvement over older methods
of filtration. Generally, service experience has shown that the use
of external oil filters can increase the time between oil changes

Most all of the more expensive newer cars come from the factory with a high quality synthetic oil, the rings won't seat with synthetic oil is a myth, maybe it comes from aircraft, I don't know.

 

Well, modern machining is light years beyond what it was even 20 years ago. You can thank robotics for that. Most new engines are briefly run in on engine stands at the factory, as there is no way modern emissions controls would hold up if subjected to oil burning

Engines rebuilt the "old fashioned" way still require a careful break-in procedure. Eg: fill with non-synthetic oil, preferably mineral oil. Run at 1,500-2-500 RPM to break in camshaft. Then apply progressive engine loads, eg kept in same gear, accelerate strongly, then back off, to seat rings

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So, well some of the details vary, it seems generally accepted practice for engines built/rebuilt the "old fashioned" way to require a break-in that puts load on, then coasts, the motor