3rd & 4th Generation (19921996 & 19972001)Toyota Camry Discussion for years: 1992-1996 & 1997-2001
Topics of discussion range from fuel economy, safety, modifications, performance all involving America's favorite family car, the Toyota Camry.
We have a 2001 Camry with 160,000 miles. It has used more oil than I would expect from day one (I bought it new). Now it seems to use a fair bit more. Dealer no help originally, so I never pursued it. I use synthetic oil now (maybe that wasn't the best idea, but I am afraid to go back). I just changed tyhe oil and am trying the Rotella 5w40 (Is that viscoscity O.K. compared to the 5w30 or 10w30).
Any suggestions as to what I might look into? To cloud the matter further my check engine light is on, but the mechanic has said that it is the valve on the charcoal canister and that I don't need to replace it if it is running O.K.
Any input would be appreciated. Thanks.
A few questions. How long have you been using synthetic oil? Have you ever opened the engine to see if you have the infamous sludge engine problem? Does the engine exhaust smoke? If you run your finger around the inside of the tailpipe does it have an oil coating? Does your engine leak oil?
If you can't find anything obvious, a compression test would be helpful. The fact that it used oil even when brand new is troubling.
It doesn't smoke. It doesn't leak oil noticably. I haven't done the finger test on the tailpipe. I will when my wife gets back from her trip on Monday. I haven't had the engine apart to check for sludging. I have wondered about that. What is the best way to test for that, take off the valve cover? Thank you.
Oh, and I have been using synthetic oil for the last three years and although it always used what I considered more oil than it should, this rate went up in the last 6 months.
Unless you have a fibre scope (a bendable tube with mirrors in it, can see around corners) then the only way to check for sludge is pull the valve cover. It's very easy, but you need to have a clean engine bay to prevent debris from falling into the engine when pull the cover.
You may also need a new gasket and some silicon sealer to apply at specific points. Anyway, for peace of mind I would pull the cover and have a look.
I once had a Toyota truck with a 22R engine that burned at least 1 litre every 500 miles, the problem turned out to be bad valve seals. The engine always had a fresh oil smell when driven. Generally an engine that burns significant oil either has bad/worn rings, or oil leeching through the valve seals and or guides. You could also check your PCV valve if bad it can cause oil burning problems.
On these engine bad seals usually result in white smoke at cold startup. How much oil is the engine using? The 5-40W oil should be fine unless really cold air temps at startup.
If you have the trouble codes someone at TN can tell you what the problem is. Have you checked the PCV system for plugging?
We have a 2001 Camry with 160,000 miles. It has used more oil than I would expect from day one (I bought it new). Now it seems to use a fair bit more. Dealer no help originally, so I never pursued it. I use synthetic oil now (maybe that wasn't the best idea, but I am afraid to go back). I just changed tyhe oil and am trying the Rotella 5w40 (Is that viscoscity O.K. compared to the 5w30 or 10w30).
Any suggestions as to what I might look into? To cloud the matter further my check engine light is on, but the mechanic has said that it is the valve on the charcoal canister and that I don't need to replace it if it is running O.K.
Any input would be appreciated. Thanks.
I change back & forth dino to synthetic twice a year as the only good reason to run synthtetic is initial start up & extreme cold I am at 226,000 km & burn a touch of oil after warmweather starts. I am surprised if there is a sensor on the charcoal canisiter Might want to have someone else check
Maybe try going back to dino oil, synthetic does have a tendency to leak more more "slippery". I doubt you'd do any harm, i have switched back and forth from synthetic to dino many times in my 1988 Nissan Pickup Z24, and it has 300,000 miles on it and passes smog every time.
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