Oil Burning Prius...Common Factors?

I was going to write an opinion about constantly checking the oil level but I ended up arguing with myself to no end.

My one side said:
#1:
It's my opinion that a constant monitoring of the oil level will not, in itself, prevent a vehicle from starting to burn oil.
It will allow you to fix the problem before it causes serious issues. Like running no oil.

My other side says:
#2:
If you have constantly check your oil level, it would not drop so low as to start wearing out the piston rings or wear out the cylinders wall causing rapidly increasing wear on the engine increasing oil consumption.

Take for example two Prius owners.
Bob never checks his oil level but constantly has his oil changed at a reliable dealer every 5,000 miles.
Robert, another Prius owner, also has his Prius oil changed every 5,000 miles but checks his oil level every other day.

Both cars start to consume about a quart of oil every 5,000 miles at once they reached reached the 100,000 miles mark.

Bob, obliviously keeps driving his Prius for another 50,000 miles and buys a new Prius and couldn't be happier.
Robert argues constantly with his dealer about fixing the problem, is shocked at repair costs, and swears never to buy another Toyota again. Robert turns bitter, never trust any auto dealer again. Takes up riding a bicycle and tragically dies when a Hummer hits him in traffic.

Bob, reading about it in the newspaper, thinks Robert should of bought a Prius if he was so worried about saving money on gas.

 

all true. it's the stories about oil being below the lower line that sends the call for checking between changes.

 

Checking the oil frequently may not stop an engine from consuming oil but an owner that checks their oil more frequently ussually tops it off if they loose oil and an owner that doesn't check as frequently may not see low oil until it is much lower that it should be, possibly more than a quart low. Running low on oil can increase engine wear cause it to consume more oil.

 

^ That's pretty much it in a nutshell.

 

yes, but that's only one part of the prius oil burning. the other part is low tension rings. Notice that the non-Atkinson versions of the prius engine have no oil burner stigma (1.5L in yaris and 1.8L in newer corolla). the 1998-2003 1.8L oil burner in corolla was a different engine altogether.

 

Yes.yes friendly_jacek. I am aware of the design factors, including low tension piston rings. And thank you for your great work on the subject of motor oil in the Prius family of cars.

I am now inclined to set aside mpg factors in favor of durability factors. I just don't like all the viscosity index improvers in Toyota Geniune Motor Oil 0W20. I want to ensure that oil consumption is not an issue.

Mobil 1 EP 0W20 in the 5 quart jug at Walmart, with a quite moderate oil change interval, is a no brainer for me.

 

That's interesting. Specifically how much lower is ring tension in a 3rd-generation Prius engine than in a Corolla engine of similar vintage? I understood those engines to be nearly identical mechanically below the head gasket. You're certain recent Corollas don't have the same oil-burning tendency?

The definition of what constitutes "low-tension" rings must be somewhat arbitrary or subjective, and is generally lower than it used to be. Way back when my '81 Mazda GLC (aka 323) was a new model, Mazda bragged in the accompanying press kit about new friction-reduction measures in the engine, including, yes, low-tension piston rings. Exactly how low, compared to today's low-tension rings, who knows? I do know that that engine went 600K miles with no radical increase in oil consumption (through that route, aside from its unrelated problems), and no evidence of serious wear of rings or cylinder walls.

 

maybe the common factor is to thin oil ow20 eom is water

 

Proofread?

 

Did you read question he ask for common factor not proof. 0w20 and long interval is the most common factor those oil burner have...
In the 300k plus kilometer tread there is couple guy who say they reduce there oil consumption with use of heavier oil

 

only 4 quarts?

 

Sorry for the obvious question...but you don't know how to pour half a liter into you engine...and screw the cap back on? Good luck with that.

 

go for 3 quarts; should be still way enough for an 1.8 engine....

 

...and to provide lower oil temp and provide for better sludge resistance. well worth it long term.

 

Our previous civic hybrid spec'd. 3.2 liters. I took it to the dealership for the first few oil changes, was gonna have a good service record for a change. They routinely slammed in 4 liters. I gave up on them, went back to doing my own.

In metric, the 3rd gen Prius spec of 4.5 quarts become 4.2 liters. Every so often I buy 5 liters instead of four, and with every oil change I dump in 4, then pour .2 into my precision graduate, add that.

 

FWIW our 2010 Prius has 160K kms or about 100K miles. It's used Mobil 1 0W20 for the majority of it's life and 8000 km or 5000 mile intervals. No notable consumption.

 

... but if the odds aren't with you, a lot can go wrong in 5K miles. What if you're using burning more oil in the hot summer than in the cold winter? (or vice versa) What if a gasket failed and antifreeze is slowly mixing with the oil?

I put a huge value on regularly checking under the hood and also under the car for any suspicious drips. Many times you'll get a couple hundred miles warning that something is about to go horribly wrong. Check your tire pressures too, even if you have tire pressure monitoring.