Comments by "flagmichael" (@flagmichael) on "Why do Toyota engines consume oil ? And how to prevent it?" video.

  1. I have been in a lot of automotive forums where some members - particularly those in the UK and Europe - say 5K mile oil changes is too often. They say in the UK the manuals say the interval is 12K miles or 15K miles. I wondered what was going on, and found that 200K mile car life is very common in the US but is remarkable in the UK. Now 7K miles per year is typical in the UK and few make it beyond 120K miles (17 years). Okay then.... We have had nothing but Prius since 2002 - we love the reliability and economy, and they are the right size for our family. None of them have ever had oil consumption with 5K mile oil changes. My 2002 now belongs to my son, and it still does not consume oil at 210K miles. After watching the video, I understand why not everybody has the same experience.
    11
  2. On the other hand, it is hard to beat the reliability of Toyota's eCVT (hybrid transaxle). Even manual transmissions wear, making shifts balky and necessitating clutch replacements. My son had an Acura that needed a new clutch because the disk springs were popping out (a common Honda thing). I actually strained a muscle in my face holding the gearbox up while my son got the first bolt started. A year later the new pilot bearing seized, and we did it all over again. Toyota hybrid transaxles forever!
    3
  3. In our 2014 Prius it comes on every 5K miles.
    3
  4. The cylinders are splash lubricated so the oil just drains through, but I think you are focusing on one of the important areas. The drain holes are often blamed, and it makes me wonder how much that is sabotaged by poor oil maintenance or (probably worse) the wrong oil. Our 2010 made it well beyond 130K miles with no oil consumption before it was demolished by a driver who thought she could drive, even with uncontrolled seizures. It was replaced by a 2014 Prius now up to 120K mikes, no oil consumption. With 600 mile round trips an average of every month or two it gets a lot of exercise.
    3
  5. We have a 1NZ-FXE with 210000 miles and no oil consumption. I think if you make it to 50K miles without oil consumption it will go to the end of the car's life without excessive oil consumption just caring for it the same way.
    3
  6. Holy cow! It looks like you have a lot of company, and none of them are happy either. https://www.carcomplaints.com/Chevrolet/Equinox/2013/engine/excessive_oil_consumption.shtml With a typical repair cost of more than $3000 at about 70K miles, I am going to hug my Toyota and tell it how grateful I am.
    2
  7. You understand what seemingly few people do: the bearing tolerance ("oil clearance") dictates the viscosity. Of course the low viscosity reduces the energy it takes to pump it. https://www.enginebuildermag.com/2013/03/bearing-clearances/
    2
  8.  @p6102zrfxe  FWIW, our non-burning Prius at 120K miles has a steady diet of top tier brands with 10% ethanol. I am a fanatic about top tier gas (soon to be replaced by Worldwide Fuel Charter, I suppose.) I became a believer when I had a Nissan (hiss-boo!) with horrible clutch judder. One day I realized the judder was a symptom at low speed, high load. I filled the tank with Texaco and within 100 miles the judder was gone.
    2
  9.  @TheCarCareNut  Absolutely! "Here are the new standards. You guys figure out how to do it."
    2
  10.  @TheCarCareNut  That looks even worse alongside engines of the same model that don't consume oil at all. There is obviously a difference and I think you did a good job pinpointing it.
    1