Oil change question

generally, the prius dipstick is notoriusly difficult to read. clean it well, hold it at different angles under varying light, with different backgrounds and try to see where the dipstick is completely covered, vs the smearing and streaking that runs up higher. that is the level.

in the future, your best bet is to measure the oil first, then pour it in.

you can get a cheap suction pump at sears to pull some out through the dipstick, see if you can get a reading, then add as needed.
as for the oil burning smell? you went to a place called 'just tyres'. you'll have to wait for it to burn off, but you may want to use a good light to make sure there aren't any trapped puddles of oil.

 

See if you can pump some of it out through the dipstick tube. Read both sides of the dipstick. The highest side is the one to go by. The dimples don't mean s*)t except as a reference. Four quarts is all you need with a filter change. If they added more than four, it is definitely over filled.

 

I wouldn't put more than 4 quarts in at oil change time. And I have to say, every time I have taken my car in for an oil change, the guy always "spilled" some. This is why I do my own oil changes. Its fun, its easy and I know its been done right. I hated when they wasted oil on my engine. My car engine compartments in the cars I have owned have always been spotless and when some nincompoop would spill oil in it, it frustrated me. The only way to get rid of the oil burning is to clean the engine area. Yes, it will slowly burn away, but it will also stain the area around it as it burns away. Just me. I like my engine looking new.

 

Well, it is not necessary to drain and refill if the crankcase was overfilled. It is just necessary to drain out whatever the surplus amount happens to be - 1/2 quart, or whatever. That would avoid wasting 4+ quarts of perfectly good oil. And the filter does not need to be replaced again.

I would think that what is also required is to have the engine steam cleaned to remove the oil residue that remains from the spill. Or, if the spill is limited, just use engine cleaner spray to dilute the oil, then wash that off with water.

 

Having the oil level at the top dot is perfect. That is where the level is supposed to start at.

It is easy to drain out a small amount of oil: loosen the drain plug and hold it near the drain hole to partially obstruct the flow of oil out of the drain pan. Reinsert the drain plug when sufficient oil has come out. Wear nylon disposable gloves to protect your hands from the oil.

I wash the engine compartment in my Prius periodically. I would not use a pressure washer out of respect for the electrical connections.

 

Top dot = Max
You'll be fine...

 

We put the 4.4qt's in when we do the changes on both of our's The dipstick is hard to read -- mostly because the oil is always so clean.

Don't sweat over this -- if the oil is at the top of the line or a bit over ... you will be fine.

The plastic engine cover is easy to remove -- take it off and wipe around where the oil spilled. Having some oil on the outside of engine will not kill it.

Sometimes it's necessary to clean off an engine. My normal way is to spot spray the heavier stuff with a household degreaser and then depending on the level of dirt either spray down the whole engine compartment with a carwash/ water mix in a spray bottle or simply pour and brush some car wash around under the hood. I wash it all off with a hose -- no nozzle 1/2 flow. Use a car wash with some wax -- it will coat everything. You don't want to spray with force -- it can get into places that will not dry easily.

Occasionally, when I have purchased a used car it's necessary to use one of the commercial engine cleaners -- they are very strong and need to be cleaned off properly. They work well... it's important to use a wax carwash after or even one of the engine shine products so all the exposed metal does not rust/corrode/pit.

 

That sucks man. I always do my own oil changes and just did my first one on the Prius last month. It was so easy, because the oil drain is right next to the filter. I didn't need to move my body to do both. Even if it was the same price (which it would never be), I still do my own oil changes in both of my vehicles. I love having the peace of mind that everything was done correctly.

LG-D801 ?

 

I spray off my engine once a month with the soft soap spray and soft rinse. I don't spray too much around the electrical side. It hasn't affected the electrical stuff.

 

The oil level is a bit easy to spot on dip stick, if it is checked in the morning after overnight parking. I know it is not correct way to measure but that will show the highest level.

It is recommended to measure the level after 5 minutes of engine shutdown. But since the oil is so transparent it is very difficult to see the clean level mark.

hope this helps


iPad ?

 

I've never understood how people that have only 1 job can routinely screw it up. The job is to change oil, which is very straight forward. It's my biggest complaint about the salesman at stealerships; they never know anything about the cars they are selling, which is their only job.

Me- "Is the engine an interference or non-interference design?"
Them- "I'm not sure"
Me- "Does the engine have a timing belt, or a timing chain?"
Them- "I'll have to check".
Them- "We also have the car in red".

So salesmen only know what color the cars on their lot are.

/rant

 

The paint won't stick to all the oil on the dipstick (even wiped clean). Even if it did sort of stick, the oil will attack spray paint. You will just introduce small partials of paint into your oil.

 

Just hold the dipstick so that its flat surface reflects light. Then you can easily see how high the oil level reaches.

 

I have used simple green, cleans engine nicely.