New prius owner

[JoelB]

I jumped in head first and bought my first hybrid vehicle a few days ago. It's a 2007 prius with 115k miles on it. Oil was super black and the fill hole definitely has some varnish on it. I was surprised to see it takes good ole 5w30 though. Did an oil change last night with Valvoline 5w30 HM synthetic and a Fram Ultra filter. Hopefully the synthetic can wind back some neglect this car has potentially had.

My concern with this car is that i have a short commute and its pretty darn cold here. I was so interested in getting this thing i dint really think through the fact that the gas engine would almost NEVER warm up on my short drives. What are my risks here of driving this thing and frequently not heating up the gas engine? Fuel dilution and moisture in the oil come to mind. Are these serious risks over the period of a few months?

 

[NormanBuntz]

Isn't the bigger risk the likelihood of having to replace the hybrid batteries? A friend had a 2007 Camry Hybrid he just traded before the batteries went bad.

 

[Astro14]

Battery replacement isn't that bad. About $1,000 if you DIY. Takes a few hours. YouTube videos exist showing how it's done.

The engine will run a lot in normal commuter use. I wouldn't worry about that. Not much less than a gas only car on the same trip.

My neighbors kid (a self-righteous twit, but that's another story) has over 300,000 miles on his.

 

[oghl]

I've dealt with short distance in a few ways. You can get a Bluetooth ODB2 scanner that get you oil temperature display if you want to use an old trick that I used in cold weather driving: block off part of the radiator airflow with a piece of card board. This helps keep the heat in the engine. But pay very close attention to the temperature display as its much more importantly not to overheat. In 0C temperature in the mountains, it used to take 15 min of local driving to get oil temp up to about 105C, with about 80% of the radiator blocked off. Emphasis on not overheating as it doesn't a lot more damage than not reach operating temperature.

Another solution I used to employ is to just change the oil more often. Once I see any milky residue on the oil filter cap, which indicates water in oil, I suck out most of the oil with an extractor and put in fresh cheap oil. I found this more cumbersome and costly than just taking a longer route and drive with more aggression though, which was also more fun for me.

These days, I have multiple cars that get driven once a week or two for 15 min. After the oil temp gets up to about 70C, I cruise at 4000 rpm for about 3min to get it up to 110C. It gets there pretty quickly st 4000 rpm. Then I keep it above 100C for a few more minutes. After slowing down down, the oil temp gets back to 100C very quickly.

Good luck with a very good car. It should have a long life given you care about it so much

 

[WyrTwister]

Install a block hgeater , oil pan heater , dip stick heater or coolant heater .Plug it in at night and control it with a timer , to come on soon enough to get the engine warm before you start it in the morning .

 

[nthach]

Me and The Critic replaced the hybrid battery on a 2nd gen Prius, it's really not a bad job as long as all precautions are taken to keep you safe.

Two things I've observed with Toyota hybrids using a timing chain(Prius/Camry Hybrid) is that they develop timing chain rattle as they get older and it's been common to hear about them drinking oil as they get older too. Mine was drinking oil at the rate of 1qt/800-1000 miles, I was able to get that reduced to 1qt/2000 miles with a series of MMO doses before an oil change and then running some Schaefer's Neutra 1K before an OCI. I recently used BG EPR109 to try to clean the rings up. Synthetic ain't a bad idea for these, I've used synthetic since my parents got the car new(except for a 1K oil change with bulk QSGB to get the break-in crap out). For you, I say run some MMO for a good 1K before an OCI. You can use stronger stuff like Kreen or BG EPR before an oil change if you want. Toyota back-speced the 2nd gen Prius to use xxW-20, which might not be a bad idea for Minnesota winters.

I suspect the reason why the Prius has a tendency to use oil when it's new is a mix of low-tension piston rings and how it's designed to shut off the gas engine during cruise and it doesn't run all the time which could have an impact on how the engine is broken in. Unlike the Scion/Echo/Yaris-bound versions of the 1NZ-FE that get thrashed, the Prius version lives an easy life(unless you're a cabbie or Uber driver) and doesn't see anything near redline. But then again, the 1NZ-FE also drinks oil at an old age.

The 1st-2nd gen Prius uses a coolant heat storage system with a stainless steel double-walled storage tank(think a big Hydro Flask or Yeti bottle) and a switching valve that pumps warm coolant into the engine cooling loop at startup to help warm up the engine in the interest of reducing raw hydrocarbon emissions before the cats light off. Coolant changes are a little different as you do need to purge the CHS system(pull the relay and jumper the CHS pump until it sounds normal) and drain from the radiator and CHS tank. Toyota SLLC or the equivalent works. The 3rd-4th gen Prius uses an exhaust heat recovery system. I think winter starts are no problem - the big advantage of a hybrid is that engine starts are almost instantaneous - and oil pressure is built quickly.

 

[CR94]

You should mostly block the grill in winter----but watch coolant temperature to avoid overheating on the milder days.

 

[Andy636]

Originally Posted by nthach
Me and The Critic replaced the hybrid battery on a 2nd gen Prius, it's really not a bad job as long as all precautions are taken to keep you safe.

Two things I've observed with Toyota hybrids using a timing chain(Prius/Camry Hybrid) is that they develop timing chain rattle as they get older and it's been common to hear about them drinking oil as they get older too. Mine was drinking oil at the rate of 1qt/800-1000 miles, I was able to get that reduced to 1qt/2000 miles with a series of MMO doses before an oil change and then running some Schaefer's Neutra 1K before an OCI. I recently used BG EPR109 to try to clean the rings up. Synthetic ain't a bad idea for these, I've used synthetic since my parents got the car new(except for a 1K oil change with bulk QSGB to get the break-in crap out). For you, I say run some MMO for a good 1K before an OCI. You can use stronger stuff like Kreen or BG EPR before an oil change if you want. Toyota back-speced the 2nd gen Prius to use xxW-20, which might not be a bad idea for Minnesota winters.

I suspect the reason why the Prius has a tendency to use oil when it's new is a mix of low-tension piston rings and how it's designed to shut off the gas engine during cruise and it doesn't run all the time which could have an impact on how the engine is broken in. Unlike the Scion/Echo/Yaris-bound versions of the 1NZ-FE that get thrashed, the Prius version lives an easy life(unless you're a cabbie or Uber driver) and doesn't see anything near redline. But then again, the 1NZ-FE also drinks oil at an old age.

The 1st-2nd gen Prius uses a coolant heat storage system with a stainless steel double-walled storage tank(think a big Hydro Flask or Yeti bottle) and a switching valve that pumps warm coolant into the engine cooling loop at startup to help warm up the engine in the interest of reducing raw hydrocarbon emissions before the cats light off. Coolant changes are a little different as you do need to purge the CHS system(pull the relay and jumper the CHS pump until it sounds normal) and drain from the radiator and CHS tank. Toyota SLLC or the equivalent works. The 3rd-4th gen Prius uses an exhaust heat recovery system. I think winter starts are no problem - the big advantage of a hybrid is that engine starts are almost instantaneous - and oil pressure is built quickly.



Hollyoooffuuu*****....so much for drive a hybrid and save the planet

 

[CR94]

Originally Posted by nthach
... I suspect the reason why the Prius has a tendency to use oil when it's new is a mix of ...and how it's designed to shut off the gas engine during cruise ....
For a regular (non-plug-in) Prius, that is not true, unless you're cruising downhill or very slowly.

 

[Job]

You should try an 0w-30 next time. I had the car, and that;s what I used. No need to buy HM oil, that's considered low mileage. These cars warm up fast, and the engine runs until temp gets to normal so you will soon find out if it warms up because it shuts off at stops. The engine runs virtually all the time in highway use, lots of wrong info out there on the Prius. Change oil and filter at least every 5k.. Never used oil, never one problem on mine. Have the dealer check for any recall work. That's a great car and people get good money for used ones. You probably already noticed there is no starter motor in the traditional sense, it starts in electric and the large traction motor spins the engine to start a short time after the car is turned on. No alternator, no starter, and the brakes last a long time.

 

[The Critic]

Just keep it full of clean oil and topped off. The engines on the Gen2 Prius are extremely reliable; they tend to drink oil but that is the only downside.

Originally Posted by Astro14
Battery replacement isn't that bad. About $1,000 if you DIY. Takes a few hours. YouTube videos exist showing how it's done.

List price on a new battery for a Gen2 is $1950. The Gen3's are still in the $2700 range. nthach and I did one last year. Fundamentally, the concept of rebuilding a failed hybrid battery pack is flawed and it is not a viable repair if reliability a concern.

 

[Kira]

I wish I bought the one which was for sale near me. I went to take a second look and it was SOLD.

Of course it had low mileage and battery packs were, by then, available from Dorman. Live and learn.

Best of luck with yours.

 

[SatinSilver]

Here's a good eljefino Prius buy and fix up thread from last year in case anyone missed it.

https://www.bobistheoilguy.com/foru...370/bought-another-700-prius#Post4757370

 

[Snagglefoot]

The smallest 2019 Prius has an EPA rating of 64 MPG in the city and 61 MPG on the highway. Even if you use a grain of salt with those numbers, they are astonishing. Notice how the gas mileage is actually better in the city than on the highway.

 

[simple_gifts]

Dont sweat it; I picked up a 2004, about 2 years ago with 65K miles; "Yearly" conventional OC with what I consider to be short tripping.

Fill hole was "Newcastle Brown"; I drained and did just filled with whatever syn I had @ the time (RP 10W-30, M1 0W-30, etc)

For your area, I'd be pouring in a syn in October and draining it out in Apr/May; Is there any reason it wont be getting up to temperature a few times a week?

Great car BTW.

 

[JoelB]

Thank you for the replies everyone. I've been driving the car as much as i can and it's really grown on me. It's in my nature to worry so i have a bit of battery life anxiety but other than that it feels super solid.

The car should be brought up to temp once a week, it's just all the other trips that will be pretty short (6 miles to work). I might invest in one of those magnetic stick on pan heaters to help out. I've decided to keep this car in my reasonably warm garage and leave my poor spark outside to suffer in the cold to aid mpg and punish the battery less.

 

[nthach]

Originally Posted by Andy636

Hollyoooffuuu*****....so much for drive a hybrid and save the planet

It happens more so with cabbies from what I've read.

 

[nthach]

Originally Posted by CR94
Originally Posted by nthach
... I suspect the reason why the Prius has a tendency to use oil when it's new is a mix of ...and how it's designed to shut off the gas engine during cruise ....
For a regular (non-plug-in) Prius, that is not true, unless you're cruising downhill or very slowly.

I suspect that's what my parents did to the car - I'm a believer in a nice WOT romp once a week. I think that's partly how I've fixed the oil consumption issue.

 

[CR94]

^^No matter how hard or gently you press the accelerator, or how much oil is consumed, you're not gonna cruise far with the engine off!

 

[ekpolk]

Originally Posted by CR94
You should mostly block the grill in winter----but watch coolant temperature to avoid overheating on the milder days.


Apologies for the old thread revival (hey, it's less than two months), but I've found a couple things as I've continued to learn my new Prius that brought me back to this thread. By the way, for comparison, the manual for my old Gen-2 (a 2004 example) was 300-something pages -- the one for the Gen-4 2018 car is -- hold on to your hat -- 820 (eight-hundred twenty) pages!!! I plead its sheer bulk as partial excuse for my tardiness. . .

Anyway, confirming the viability of the radiator masking strategy, the Gen-4 cars actually have automatic grill shutters to do the job for you. Thankfully, I don't have to trust myself to remember to open them. It is a good plan -- as long as one doesn't permit an overheat.

As for the older Priuses, the oil consumption and noise issues were far from universal in these cars. When I had to strike my 04 from my inventory, it had over 200k miles used virtually no oil. I added the "virtually" qualifier, since I tried a fill of the "Advanced Fuel Economy" AFE 0w-30 instead of my usual M1 EP 5w-30, and did lose about a half-quart of the AFE. Back on the EP 5w-30, it again showed no consumption. Also, no sign of timing chain rattle. I suspect that both careful maintenance, and getting a good example of the car, both played a part, but who really knows...

It's interesting (to me anyway) why the car lost AFE but not EP. Assuming it wasn't an anomaly (the drain plug and filter were both bone dry when I did the change), I don't know. Any thoughts? Alas, Mobil doesn't publish Noack numbers. There's only a four degree flash point difference between the two (230 for EP, 226 for AFE), but doubt (hope!) the oil ever got close to that hot. . .