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Originally Posted by enp83
Good advice, I would change the oil right away for sure. He said the owners manual recommends 7.5k-10k oil changes? I know some cars say that now, wasnt sure about the hybrids but he said (and showed receits) for oil changes every 5k with mobile 1 0w-20. The interior of the car was really clean, exterior in great shape, well taken care of car....just lived on a gravel road. Not a long drive on the gravel, more like an extended long gravel driveway.
What other fluids do you think should be changed? Car has 25k miles on it.
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I bought my 03 Prius with 49,300 miles on it from a dealer west of Ft. Worth. I drained the over-filled oil down to 3/4 and got the tires up to 42/40 and the MPG went up. When the cold weather knocked the MPG down, I decided to replace the transaxle oil at 53,000 miles with a synthetic and tested both the old oil, a virgin sample of Toyota Type T and the Amsoil. The old oil was more than worn out, it had
significant silicon contamination (grit).
WARNING:
do not substitute Amsoil for the Honda CVT fluid. The Honda CVT uses a sliding cone and belt mechanism and the lubrication properties are critical to correct operation. Amsoil specificly warns against using their ATF in Honda CVT transmissions. The viscosity and film-strength of the CVT lubricant is a critical part of a sliding cone and belt design. If the CVT fluid is too slippery, the CVT belt could slip causing overheating and destroy the cone and belt surfaces.
What appears to have happened in my case is the Prius transaxle has a breather port located under the inverter. I suspect the thermal-cycles led the transaxle to ingest west Texas, grit laden air. I do not know if the Honda CVT has a simular breather tube.
This is one case where you might ask the Honda dealer to do a CVT lubricant change and inspection. Since it only costs $15 to have the old and new lubricants analyzed, see if they will give you a sample of each. The fleet data (see threads under model comparisions) suggests the Honda CVT may need special attention. I would also recommend having a close look at the steering and suspension joints. They would be 'bathed' in dust and dirt. Pay particular attention to the CVT boots too.
If you catch problems early, the next couple of months, you'll gain years to useful life later. Work out a reasonable schedule after the maintenance manual arrives.
GOOD LUCK!
Bob Wilson