Hybrid harder on engine oil?

[jayg]

Never had this issue in my wife's mostly city driven Prius C. When in Anchorage, the car may get short tripped for many weeks straight in the dead of winter. We do plug it in whenever possible overnight (but that doesn't bring the car up to temperature to take care of all condensation). The TGMO 0w20 does it's job very well and the coolant system in the Prius is clearly well engineered to save waste heat. Regardless of what you drive, it needs to get up to full operating temperature. If she only drives a couple miles and back and never highway, she needs a full electric.

 

[650NutKase]

People are idiots. This is NOT a Ford problem. It's not a problem at all, actually. If she doesn't want to drive more, let the car idle until it gets to operating temp...jesus...

 

[BrocLuno]

Yeah, short changing with the white death in the top end will likely do nothing. Heat is the answer. Need to get it hot somehow ...

 

[650NutKase]

Like mentioned above, I can't wait until she gets a new car and it does the same thing LOL

 

[jayg]

Originally Posted By: 2012AccentSE
People are idiots. This is NOT a Ford problem. It's not a problem at all, actually. If she doesn't want to drive more, let the car idle until it gets to operating temp...jesus...


If where she lives is cold enough, even letting it idle won't get the oil up to optimum temp. She needs to drive the thing for more than 6 minutes at a time.

 

[B320i]

Agree with others this is not limited to hybrid vehicles.

The manual for my '93 Bimmer specifically states that frequent short-tripping can result in excess moisture buildup in the engine oil. The suggestion is at least 10 minutes of freeway driving about 3000rpm every week.

I wonder whether "oil life monitors" (if fitted to hybrids, specifically) should include moisture sensors in the sump. That way, if mayonnaise begins to accumulate there is a better chance it is caught before it can cause issues with the engine.

 

[zeng]

Originally Posted By: HKPolice
While this can happen on any short tripped engine in winter, Ford's hybrid design made it worse.
The Prius used to have a thermos that stored hot coolant but newer models have an exhaust heat recovery system where a heat exchanger in the down pipe heats up the coolant and keeps it hot. Ford's hybrids have no such system, instead they use the exhaust heat to warm up the cabin.

+1

The technology and mitigating practical on-chassis solutions are in use in the NA market for cold temperature applications.
Prius engine is smarter than some other peoples' brains in .....

Originally Posted By: 2012AccentSE
People are idiots. This is NOT a Ford problem. It's not a problem at all, actually. If she doesn't want to drive more, let the car idle until it gets to operating temp...jesus...


....... brains in Ford.
Yes, Ford people are idiots ..... producing inferior products.
Don't blame ...... the products. Blame the people behind it.period.

Maybe it's just me.

 

[DoubleWasp]

How exactly is a thermos or any other heat preservation method going to do anything on a driving cycle where the engine may simply not be coming on at all?

 

[supton]

Originally Posted By: DoubleWasp
How exactly is a thermos or any other heat preservation method going to do anything on a driving cycle where the engine may simply not be coming on at all?


If the engine doesn't come on at all, then I don't think there will be an issue. Not enough moisture gets into the engine from ambient air.

 

[4WD]

How many of you guys own one ? Like I said, NO problems with mine.

 

[HemiHawk]

Originally Posted By: 4WD
How many of you guys own one ? Like I said, NO problems with mine.


I don't (although I've been looking at them lately). In your case, how much do you drive? the Fusion hybrid energi can only go about 20 miles on a full charge right? So assuming it has a full charge, if you drive 30 miles you are probably running on the engine enough for it to heat up.

This is something I am interested in as I have been looking at the Chevy Volt which quotes 50ish mile range on a full charge. My commute would be 20 miles each way. so 40 total (if I dont charge at work). So in a given week in theory the engine would never run.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: 4WD
Like I said, NO problems with mine.

Right, but you don't live up north either.

 

[4WD]

During the week - it short trips. Weekends it will get up to highway speed though. It is a Titanium - so pretty nice car too.

I spent hundreds of days in St John's - home of 70 mph fog. Not sure I would want anything electronic there - we rented Toyota 4x4's for that sloppy wet snow ...

 

[DoubleWasp]

Originally Posted By: supton

If the engine doesn't come on at all, then I don't think there will be an issue. Not enough moisture gets into the engine from ambient air.


You would be amazed how much moisture can build up in an engine from the natural heating/cooling cycle of daytime to night time.

 

[zeng]

Originally Posted By: DoubleWasp
Originally Posted By: supton

If the engine doesn't come on at all, then I don't think there will be an issue. Not enough moisture gets into the engine from ambient air.


You would be amazed how much moisture can build up in an engine from the natural heating/cooling cycle of daytime to night time.


Concur with you in a hot and humid ambients like mine ................. could length of distance away from nearest sea shore play a part?

 

[Mau]

The only time i've experienced milky residue was when I had an oil catch can installed on my old honda prelude and totally forgot about cleaning it out during the winter. That was a shocker when I opened it up to find it full of milky oil.

But thats straight mayo! Disgusting.

 

[itguy08]

Originally Posted By: zeng
While this can happen on any short tripped engine in winter, Ford's hybrid design made it worse.
The Prius used to have a thermos that stored hot coolant but newer models have an exhaust heat recovery system where a heat exchanger in the down pipe heats up the coolant and keeps it hot. Ford's hybrids have no such system, instead they use the exhaust heat to warm up the cabin.

The technology and mitigating practical on-chassis solutions are in use in the NA market for cold temperature applications.
Prius engine is smarter than some other peoples' brains in .....


That would likely do nothing for this "issue". The whole engine compartment needs to get hot to burn it off not just the lower engine. I get the milk in the F150 during the winter and it's driven weekly 78 miles to/from work and on the weekends. So it gets plenty hot enough but due to the design - plastic valve covers it doesn't get hot enough by the cap.

It happens to nearly every vehicle in the winter, and is worse if short tripped.

What her code could have been is there is a condition that trips the CEL if the engine does not reach "operating temp" in a certain period of time. With a short commute in a cold climate in a hybrid that could be what tripped it. We'll probably never know due to that garbage reporting.

 

[Touring5]

Originally Posted By: blupupher


I would be mad too, Fords response to "drive it on the freeway" is passing the buck. She does not need to drive on the highway in her regular travels. Problem is, pretty much every hybrid will do this, not just a Ford thing.
Maybe she needs an all electric instead of a hybrid.


It's the 21st Century equivalent of "blowing the carbon out".

 

[Jetronic]

I've never seen mayo like that on a diesel though, and we have plenty of people short tripping diesels here... anyone care to explain?

 

[JoelB]

I drive 5 miles to work in pretty extreme cold temps and I have never ever seen any milky residue on the oil cap. I've done this commute in many different cars for long periods of time and never seen it, how do you explain that? I think the Hybrid system is a majority of the reason why this is happening.