Excessive oil consumption. Issue resolved by Toyota.

I respectfully disagree with your “not toyota’s fault comment”. There are plenty of car models, including other toyota.models that successfully run 0W20 oil without consumption problems. Even toyota has their repair for the oil consumption issue that involves redesigned pistons and rings. They created the problem and they even know how to fix the problem. What the owner experiences is their corporate integrity, which seems lacking. Instead of standing behind their products, they stand behind lawyers.

 

I think you need to google "oil burning" and you will see that the use of 0W20 and oil burning in new cars is wide spread and only in the US.

 

I agree. Yeah I know 0w20 contributes to the problem, but my ford cmax with 114,xxx miles doesn't burn a drop, actually if anything my oil level goes up slightly because of the fuel dilution into the oil. Also the 2010-2011 Honda insights don't use any oil either, and they have a tiny 1.3 engine that's pushed harder than a prius engine. Toyota didn't messed up on something.

 

Glad I found this site.

My 2010, w/145k mi, is burning 2 quarts a week (540 miles), so might have the record so far. When it first started and got to a quart a week, dealer ran a compression test and found nothing out of the ordinary. Took it in yesterday, about a year later, and they are now recommending the PCV swap. They actually recommend this first as a deeper diagnostic will cost more than the swap. I'm not willing to change out the engine (>$6k), so if this doesn't work, it's new-car time. Shame as the car is NOT that old or worn out.

 

Well, if your PCV valve is blocked, that could lead to excessive oil consumption. Cheaper to try than a 6K engine change; it's a $5 experiment . . .

 

Oil consumption is a mechanical issue. Leaks where the oil drips out, or leaks past parts with critical tolerances due to mechanical wear. A quart of oil is just shy of 950 cubic centimeters. Your consumption is 1.8 cc's per mile. That is almost as much as a syringe full EVERY MILE. Say you are getting 40 miles per gallon. You are losing 40 x 1.8 cc's. That's 72 cc per gallon. I think that is about a 50:1 ratio. That is 2-cycle engine ballpark. You are going to see that.

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If the engine compression test shows that the piston rings and cylinders have adequate sealing, and there are no obvious oil leaks, then the valve guide seals are probably leaking. Hence, installation of a rebuilt cylinder head might resolve the problem.

 

Perfect candidate for "high mileage" oil? Their efficacy is to swell rubber seals. At least something to try first, might help.

 

I know that the "high mileage" oil is all the rage. However, because I have been a professional liar (marketing/business development director), I know that this, "feature" of the oil is a differentiator to appeal to buyers. What kind of engineering proof do we have that this oil provides ANY advantage over sticking with the standard weight and type (Mobil 1, in my case) recommended by the design engineer?

 

My understanding is they work by swelling rubber. That's all I got.

 

Depending on the additives, it may also keep the oil basic to allow for less degradation due to leak by of gas into the oil.

 

My understanding the additive pack does swell traditional gaskets and they add compounds that make the oil sticky to components. I don't remember all the particulars. I have a distant relative in the industry (petro -chemist) I can tell you that our old Pathfinder does not drip and the engine quieter with the high mile oil. And years ago when we had many Ford V6's in the fleet -- the old one ran quieter with he high mile.

 

If everyone would just check their fluids and tire pressures every fill up...

 

But I want to stay indoor and watch Netflix all day and night. I’ll just buy another car again if it breaks and go with 84 month finance this time.

 

I don't know how long I will keep my Prius. But I already made the switch over to 5W-30 oil. I just completed my 3rd full tank of gas with the new oil (1500 miles driven) and I noticed the mpg went up slightly, about 2 or 3 mpg on each tank. And the engine does seems a bit quieter. I will never go back to 0W-20. My goal is better long-term engine protection.

I also deflated the tires back down to factory specs, so it's odd that the mpg actually increased? Plus, I got a much smoother ride now. It's win-win. Better oil, and my teeth no longer rattle... What's not to like?!

 

This stuff works on all seals, including valve seals. If high mileage motor oil is not working, I recommend atp-reseal. ATP_205_re-Seal_Works

 

Lots of people check their oil very regularly, and still get consumption. Checks are good, can be an engine life saver if you have consumption that starts somewhat suddenly, but they don't guarantee no consumption.

A little bit of oil consumption is by no means unusual either; I'd say if you're adding less than a quart between oil changes it's just a part of life, lol.

 

All engines wear and do burn more as they age, but the Prius 1.8 does not forgive oil neglect at all. The rhetorical question being how often does Jose or Billy Bob in the express lane at the Dealership tell the customer getting their "Free" or paid oil change (same folks) it came in with low or no oil on the stick. Most of the time they just drain and fill because they are overworked, underpaid, unskilled labor.

So it's time to get fuel...

You drive up, swipe card, insert/set nozzle, check tire pressures, check dip stick while visually looking at reservoirs, fire up the lights and do a quick walk around, pump clicks remove nozzle, grab receipt and go about your business. Might take 1 extra minute to do this at first however, almost everyone gassing up just stares into space, starts poking glass or whatever.

No judgement, just the facts.

 

I had a 170k mile prius which ate 1q per 1000 miles.. very bad. changed the engine to a 85k mile one, and that too started eating a lot of oil at 120k miles. I wouldn't bother with these types of changes. A rebuild imo is the only way to get another 120k out of your engine before oil consumption.. or another car altogether.