Gen II Burning Oil?

What kind of oil have you been using? Have you checked thoroughly for leaks? Any large blue smoke clouds following you under heavy acceleration? Any driveability issues? If you look at the coolant reservoir do you see any oil at the top or is the coolant clean?

The other question is, what did the mechanic define as "two quarts low"? Checking the oil is not a black art, but that's sort of a vague description considering that there is a one quart range that is considered acceptable. I should also mention that one quart burned over 5k miles really isn't a big deal. It's not common but it's not necessarily a sign of impending doom as long as you stay on top of it. The severity of the problem really depends on the cause.

 

A few questions:

1. How long have you owned the car?
2. Is this oil consumption issue a sudden change?
3. Do you see any oil leaks where you park the car?
4. Do you always observe the 5K oil change schedule?

If you are a long-term owner, this oil consumption is a sudden change and there are no visible leaks, then it sounds like you've got engine wear.

A cylinder leakdown test would show whether you've got a leaky valve or worn piston rings. If the leakdown test does not reveal any problems then maybe you have worn valve stem seals.

The cost of repair in either case is going to be much more than your buying two extra quarts of oil every 5K miles, so if your car doesn't have visible exhaust, you might leave well enough alone. Good luck.

 

mine burns oil... if you look in your manual, it says to expect that.

i was worried so i switched to a 5w 50. mpg hasn't really changed. i can feel the gearing more as if there's a tiny bit more drag... but i noticed my oil level hasn't dropped.. that was about 2k miles ago.

 

My 1976 VW Rabbit went through almost half a quart of 20w50 between fillups and that was considered normal.... for a Rabbit.

When I think about it now, I wonder why I did oil changes... should have just changed the filter since most of the oil was always fresh.

 

Yes, however I think of the manual advice as a "CYA" type of thing - so that the occasional owner with this problem won't expect to get a new engine under warranty.

5W50 - OMG - this is like molasses. Wait until winter and see if your car even starts...

OK. I suggest that you keep an eye on the oil consumption to make sure the rate doesn't get worse as time passes.

A 1976 VW Dasher was the first new car that I bought, after becoming a freshly-minted MBA and getting my first corporate job. That car was far from world-class in so many ways... How about the dealer-installed air conditioning, that was very noisy and the AC compressor drive belt liked to slip.

Good point regarding why change the oil so frequently, maybe the OP should move to 10K mile oil changes since he's replacing 50% of the oil every 3-4K miles anyway... (just kidding...)

 

I bought a brand new 2001 VW Beetle. Much to my shock, I afterwards found out that it was "normal" for that engine to burn 1 quart of oil every 1000 miles!!!!

I felt pretty bad about having to carry around a few quarts of oil with me for a new car, so that I could keep it topped off!!

Thankfully, I no longer own that POJ.

 

Ah yes, one of those vehicles where you pull into the service station and tell the attendant to check the gas and fill up the oil...

 

My wife had a 1999 New Beetle GLS. It didn't burn appreciable oil. However, the most notable failure happened when she was driving at freeway speed and then heard an explosion. However the car kept going so she proceeded on her business.

When I got home, I looked at the car, which seemed fine. Then I looked closer and saw that the RR plastic fender liner was missing. Apparently the liner came loose and the RR tire grabbed the liner and ejected it from the fender at speed. Amazing that didn't cause an accident... The fender liner was replaced under warranty, one of many warranty repairs to that car - which we sold after 4 years.

 

well, he's in CA and the oil is 5 wt from a cold start, i don't see the problem

have you experimented with different weight oils, dino and synthetic?

did you jump to 50 weight because you think the oil was creeping over the rings?

did you examine the spark plugs?

blue tailpipe emissions?

i know this is a lot of questions, but did this get resolved?

i think this little four banger eating two quarts every 5k is crazy, even more so as it's a hybrid ... kinda surprised, warranty or not, that toyota wouldn't want this motor back ... you contact the factory/corporate?

i'm surprised you don't have a new motor in there

again, you experiment with different weight oils?

(losing that much, i'd go a few miles with the Rotella 15W40 dino and see what happens ... with the all stop/start of the motor, it may not be the op temp weight, but rather the start weight, that's getting you, and 5W50 has a large spread)

that's my 32 cents ...

are you SoCal or NorCal?

 

A compression check at spark plug change is a suggestion. Not sure how comp. check is done on a Prius. That used to be a common simple procedure for checking engine health on a regular basis. PCV valve should be checked/changed. I have had luck in the past substituting 10w-30 for 5w-30 in another car with over 200K. With the 10w-30, consumption essentially stopped, or no need to add between changes. It seems an unusual problem for this engine at this low mileage 93k.

 

I ran synthetic in my 2004 Prius after the 2nd oil change. Even running Mobil 1 0W-20 for up to 10,000 miles, the oil level went down perhaps 2mm on the stick

 

I have a 2006 Prius and it uses 3 1/2 qts every 5000 miles. Had all the tests at the toyota dealer. Said it was the lower rings. I have put lemon stickers on car and signs in the rear windows telling every this.Going to park it in front of several dealers with yellow baloons hanging on side mirrors. That might get Toyota in motion.

 

Odometer reading?
How long have you owned the car?
How often is the engine oil and oil filter replaced?

 

Yes what are the details that lead to this situation. It's not always someones elses fault you know.

 

The problem started @ 80,000. Changed the oil and filter every 3000 mi, till 50,000. then every 5000 mi. Bought car new 1/06. it now has about 128,000 mi.

 

This is very interesting. Has the oil consumption shown a gradual increase since 80K miles, or was this a sudden change? If a sudden change, were there any changes in your driving pattern that occurred around the same time (like extended periods of high speed driving?)

What oil brand and viscosity, and oil filter have you been using? Any changes during your ownership?

Under full acceleration, do you see visible exhaust gases coming out of the tailpipe? If so what color?

<The good news is that if you are burning 3.5 quarts every 5K miles, you could make an argument that there's no need to change the oil at 5K intervals any more. Just replace the oil filter at 5K mile intervals, top off the engine oil level, and you are done... >

 

I'd be interested to know whether or not the situation at 80k miles was first noticed by observations on the dip stick or if, as per the original poster, it wasn't noticed until it triggered the engine check light.

 

I have a 2005 Prius with almost 224,000 miles and I have consistently been burning oil for the last 25K miles or so. I get my oil changed at JiffyLube every 5K, no leaks, no smoke, it just burns through oil. I'm using 5W 30. I JiffyLube's free top-off policy all the time now. When I am getting close to 3K, I stop by have them top me off free of charge and come back at 5K. I don't have any issues with the car and it's still running good. 300K or bust! (probably bust - especially, if I forget to stop for the top off)