engine oil quantity and color

I probably should check my oil level later. Thanks for the post.

Also, I read that over filling the oil by little doesn't hurt the engine but your MPG may go down. Not sure why that is. Maybe it's because the engine will have to burn more gas to warm up the oil.

 

You are very welcome, it's the least I can do for the pleasure of reading your witty remarks on PC.

That we both read high concerns me a bit. My dealer is 1 mile from my home. I am just too lazy to go to the next dealer 9 miles away which might overfill as well.

Judging from what I've read on PC, seems Prius engines tend to consume oil as they age. I used to overfill my Corolla because it has a ridiculous 3.7 or 3.8 quart oil capacity. I'm not going to leave a near empty bottle of oil lying around to leak. Knowing the engine consumes a bit of oil anyway, I just dump 4 quarts in. You can tell I am not a stickler for precision so don't do what I say, follow the owner's manual.

I think the lower fuel economy is due to the engine having to work harder to move more mass to spin. That's why today's oil is much thinner than the industry standard 5w30 back in the 1990's.

 

I said "by little" but yeah, I would agree that it could hurt the engine if you over filled by a lot.

 

There is another thread on this forum ( I forget which one) where someone mentioned that their mpg went way down after oil change by the dealer. It turned out that the dealer had put in almost two quarts more oil than needed. Several people on in the discussion pointed out that two much oil can really damage the engine. After reading the discussion I went and checked the oil level on our pip and it was quite a bit above full level mark. Oil was changed by the dealer almost 5000 miles ago. I had to siphon out a quart to bring it to the adequate level. Of course, since the oil was changed 5000 miles ago, it was quite easy to see the level.

Next time I take the car to the dealer for 15000 toyota care, I will be definitely checking the oil level MYSELF after the dealer oil change!

 

I've found the Prius dipstick very hard to read. It'll show a streak of oil, going an inch or more above the top mark, but on closer inspection there'll be a bare patch, right around the top mark (unless it actually IS overfilled). It's most difficult to read with brand new oil.

Flip it over, sometimes it's easier to read one side or the other. And do several checks.

 

Sorry for the blurry pic, I have no patience trying to take a sharp steady picture with oil dripping. But anyway, here is the pic with brand new oil. I just had it changed at 20k miles. It's pretty clear compared to before and even tougher to discern the level but not impossible. I decided to go to the dealer near my work instead of near my home to compare. As you can see by the yellow dot on the full mark and obviously by my arrow, the other dealer yet again overfilled. But it was less than before. The trip to and from dealer was entirely on EV so the ICE had been off for 5 hours. I'm at a loss to why dealers would do this. It costs them money to give us more oil.

 

You never get all the oil out when it gets changed and the quantity that comes out varies. So there is no oil change capacity to recommend. Standard operating procedure is to fill almost full and check with dipstick to top off. You have a point with the time thing. It's easier to just dump a stock quantity in and don't even bother to check.

 

It's a bit hard to tell with the out-of-focus pic, but the level might be spot-on:

Notice the lighter coloured patch, just below and to right of the full dimple? That might be the level. The dipstick tends to smear way up, along the edges, but if you look closer you'll see a bare patch lower down, the actual level.

 

I tell the dealer to put in 4 Qts of oil and I will top the oil off at home! I never add at home it's about 1/8 of inch below full so it's good.

 

Lots of cars suffer from this, it seems, but as you indicate, take the top of the lowest level of bare patch as the one.

 

I'm not a mechanic but I've seen my fair share of dipsticks. The level is as I stated with multiple checks. I'm definitely not a professional photographer, though.

 

Oil change is 1 year or 10,000 miles whichever comes first correct? Im coming up on 1 yr august 1st. But only at around 7500 miles or so by aug 1st.

Im gonna check mine before and after i take it for the free service.

I know on all my other vehicles and toys, the manual will usually call for a warmed up engine. This usually raises the level some, but does the prius call for COLD motor readings? That could make a difference if everyone is doing a warm reading when it wants cold. Just a thought.


Dan

 

I cannot believe it's 2013 and nobody has come up with a dipstick that is easier to read. Someone PLEASE invent one.