[Tony Liscio]

I recently had the 5w-30w Mobil 1 oil and Toyota filter change since I was at the 20,ooo mi. point. The next morning I checked the oil level only to find it was overfilled by 1/4 inch.
I drove back to the Toyota dealership and ask why? the service man said they fill it up with 3.9 Qts. as it states in the service manual. I said here on pg 282 of the Owners manual it show a picture of the dipstick and according to the picture you over filled it. There is a warning Not to do that for it can damage the Hybrid system. They put it up on a rack and drained out some oil into a empty bottle of Mobil 1 oil. The tech showed me the dipstick which showed on the 2nd mark. After I arrived home I
decided to transfer that oil into a half full bottle of Mobil 1. As I did the oil was Black? I went back to the dealer and asked why it was Black I only drove 20 mi's? His answer was mombo jumbo to me.
1st should I be concerned about the oil level if it is overfilled?
2nd Has anyone had the experience of the tech draning the oil after a few
miles and it came out Black?
If so what did you do? What should I do?
Thanks,
Tony Liscio 04 Tideland Pearl Prius best car I've owned in 48 years.

 

[richard schumacher]

I'd say it was prudent to have them drain it down. Why take the risk?

But you've (re-)discovered an oversight in the service manual. The total capacity of the oil system is 3.9 US quarts. The problem is that nobody will ever get all of the old oil out of the system, and so putting in 3.9 quarts will overfill it. (The amount left in it is also why the stuff they drained out was black. Check the dipstick before and after: if it looks equally black on the dipstick before and after, that would make me wonder whether they had really changed the filter. The Mobil 1 on my Prius' dipstick looks like dark honey.)

The very easy solution is to have the service tech put in 3 full quarts, no more and no less. This will leave the level a little above halfway between the ADD and FILL marks, which is about perfect. You can buy three quart bottles of your favorite oil and hand them to the tech before they start the work. No mess and no worries.

 

[mikepaul]

My Amsoil comes in gallon jugs, and I've started removing 11 ounces or so before going to the oil change place, leaving room for the X1-R I add when I get home. Less chance they'll forget what I told them about capacity if I no longer have to tell them...

 

[hyperion]

I have to add, the mobil synthetic in my cadillac at 33,000 miles does have that slight honey tone. The standard oil changed at my Toyota dealer at 10,000 miles can barely be seen on the dipstick as it is so clean and transparent. If I ever heard of something black on the dipstick I sure would look into it. My 82 chevy pick-up with 149,000 miles on it still has a clear transparent oil coating on the dipstick which makes it hard to determine "level."

 

[Sanny]

Isn't the issue that the oil is dark immediately after it was changed? Sure, overfilled, drained, now it's ok. But what about the "dark" part. Doesn't that seem strange to anyone OTHER than Tony and me? Yo, Tone, I hear ya! :?:

 

[GreyMud]

I've 50k miles on my '02, and the oil has never been easy to see on the dipstick - even right before a change.

 

[DanMan32]

Isn't the issue that the oil is dark immediately after it was changed? Sure, overfilled, drained, now it's ok. But what about the "dark" part. Doesn't that seem strange to anyone OTHER than Tony and me? Yo, Tone, I hear ya! :?:

i thought that too, but someone else who had an overfill drained said his was dark, so maybe the dirty stuff falls to the bottom and stays there?
After all, the dipstick shows you at least 1/3 of your oil.

 

[Den.]

Isn't the issue that the oil is dark immediately after it was changed? Sure, overfilled, drained, now it's ok. But what about the "dark" part. Doesn't that seem strange to anyone OTHER than Tony and me? Yo, Tone, I hear ya! :?:

i thought that too, but someone else who had an overfill drained said his was dark, so maybe the dirty stuff falls to the bottom and stays there?
After all, the dipstick shows you at least 1/3 of your oil.

New here but yes. All the sediment and crap will be at the bottom. And I agree with an above poster that if your dipstick is clean you're ok.

 

[kirby]

I would be concerned that they did not really drain all the old oil. I recently drained mine and refilled with MobileOne and added just over 3.5 quarts. It was so clear it was very hard to see on the dipstick. After a few days I checked it again, after it picked up the slightest tint from the tiny bit of old oil that would not drain out and was on surfaces. The level was just shy of the full line. If yours was dark I would make them replace it as they did a poor job of draining the old oil.