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2010 Prius IV. Adding 1 qt oil every 10K miles??

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by rcarwile, Sep 25, 2018.

  1. rcarwile

    rcarwile Junior Member

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    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    IV
    I have a 2010 Prius IV. 145K miles. Purchased in March with 135K miles on it. Previous owner said it did not burn oil. They had the oil serviced at the dealership and a local tire center, so I am not sure they really checked it themselves much.

    I change my own oil. Noticed after the first oil change that I need to add about 1/2 qt every 5,000 miles. Planning on changing the oil every 7,500-10,000 miles. Not a big deal to just check and add approx. a qt between oil changes.

    From what I have read on here and other sites, this is common. I have this issue with other high mileage vehicles I own / have owned. I just wanted to see if there is anything else I should be doing / checking on. I am planning on driving this Prius to at least 300K miles if I can get there.
     
  2. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk EGR Fanatic

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    Touring
    To clarify: if it starts out at the top mark on dipstick, after 5000 miles 1/2 quart added will bring it back to the top mark? That's pretty minor, not bad at all.

    Have you looked into cleaning the Exhaust Gas Recirculation circuit and the intake manifold?

    Also worthwhile would be installation of an oil catch can, along the hose betweenPositive Crankcase Ventilation valve and intake manifold. Wouldn't hurt to change the PCV valve while you're in there.

    Watch @NutzAboutBolts , pinned at top of the 3rd gen maintenance forum, to see what's involved.
     
    Raytheeagle and NutzAboutBolts like this.
  3. royrose

    royrose Senior Member

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    I have a 2010 with 90,000 miles that uses a quart every 5,000 to 6,000 miles. This is common with the 2010 Prius. Your's is doing well.
     
    Raytheeagle likes this.
  4. ETC(SS)

    ETC(SS) The OTHER One Percenter.....

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    +1 to all above.
    You'll see 300K if some cell phone queen or GPS jock doesn't hit you.

    Congrats for CHECKING in addition to changing your own oil!!!
    You'd be surprised at how many do not do this.

    If it were my car I'd club down to a 5K OCI, and.....no kidding!....check the EGR circuit.
    Also consider a transaxle fluid replacement, and verify that the plugs got changed at 120k.
    You're going to want to also check the Throttle body and MAFS for gunk if your fuel efficiency starts slipping noticeably.
     
  5. rcarwile

    rcarwile Junior Member

    Joined:
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    Location:
    Bloomfield, KY
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    IV
    I checked the Car Fax report and it does not look like the plugs were changed......at least they were not done by a shop that recorded it. I have some information from the previous owners and will double check that.

    So it looks like my next steps in maintenance are to:

    1) EGR Circuit and intake manifold
    2) Change plugs

    Thanks.
     
    #5 rcarwile, Sep 25, 2018
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 25, 2018
  6. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    'oil catch can'
     
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  7. Raytheeagle

    Raytheeagle Senior Member

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    Our 2010 Prius II with 187 k miles on it consumes a quart of oil every 5-6k miles or so. This is running 5w-30.

    Next oil change I’ll be clubbing up to 0w-40 and staying with the 10k mile OCI.

    Another option to consider (y).