Oil Sludge - Should I NOT buy a Camry

[nbender]

Hey all,

I have a 92 Camry - it's been awesome 240 000 km on it now. Was going to definitely buy a 1997-2002 used Camry until I read about the oil sludge issue. We have publication here in Canada called 'Lemonaid Car Guide'. It absolutely bashes the Camry from '97 on and really drags out the 'oil sludge' issue. I do NOT see these sentiments in any other car/toyota review site.

I am leaning towards a Honda Accord simply because of this potential issue with a used Camry.

Any thoughts/insight would be much appreciated.

Thanks

[MIC0417]

The 4 cylinder in the '92 is the same as the '97, that magazine sounds really ill-informed. I.E. stupid. The V6's have minor sludge issues if they haven't been maintained well.

[Venom_5]

with the exception of one or two members, nobody here has had any sludge issues with their Toyota Camry .... and that is because we all take care of our cars properly

with regular maintenace, the car should be fine .... and this "sludge issue" is only for the V6

[ONE_to_HATE]

i thought it was for both the 4 AND 6.

[Venom_5]

Originally Posted by ONE_to_HATE

i thought it was for both the 4 AND 6.

the 1MZ has a bad rep for sludge ... idk why, because i havent seen OR heard of that many cases of it

i know for a fact that my 5S-FE doesnt have the slightest amount of sludge buildup .... and my car was maintained at about an average level for the first 8 years of its life by my mother & grandmother .... and the last 4 years, meticulously by me

[rholzboog]

and don't use cheep oil i use royal purple it work's great http://www.synerlec.com/index.html

[TRDSleeper]

I don't know what's wrong with that magazine you've been reading. I am aware that my 2001 Camry could have potential problems with oil sludge but I think with anything, as long as you take good care of it then it should serve you well. My Camry is a V6 and my family bought it brand new from the dealer back in 2001. Now it has over 95,000 miles on the odometer and no problems so far. I keep up with the maintenance very closely. In your case, if you buy a used car that hasn't been maintained well, then oil sludge could possibly be a big problem later on.

[Heat]

If you are looking at the Honda Accord, just be aware that the automatic transmissions between '98 and '02 (the "6th generation") were really bad. Manual transmissions in those years are very good. Besides my Camry, I have a '99 Accord with manual transmission.

[Hajoca]

To answer the differences in the gen3 to gen4 engine changes, the oil temperature for the gen4 engines were increased as a result to increase combustion chamber temperature for better fuel efficiency and emissions.

I know that the gen3 5S engines had an oil - to - coolant heat exchanger as well but would not think that the additional oil cooler will prevent sludge formation if oil is not changed regularly, or brought to a temperature sufficient to evaporate fuel dilutation and absorbed moisture.

[gladis]

You know, at the end of the day, almost all cars by even somewhat reputable manufacturers will NOT fail you provided you take proper care of your car, much less Toyota

On the other hand, if you neglect a car for years on end, even the most ironclad and indestructible design will fail at some point

[mtmx46]

It's a known issue but not nearly as bad as it's made out to be. Lemonaide is a Canadian guide and in particular it's based out of Ontario. So if you look at it from Phil Edmonston's viewpoint, he's talking to owners who may not be warming up their car properly. Short stop and go trips in a high humidity environment... extreme temperature changes and prolonged cold.

That's definitely going to break down oil and promote sludge buildup. Sometimes people think because it's a Toyota and because it's a Camry, you can neglect it and it will run perfectly all the time. Of course when it comes time to complain, then they go running to him at the APA (Automobile Protection Association).

I'm not knocking him. He used to own and promote the first generation Camry and has always liked it. But obviously his opinion has shifted in the face of other Japanese and Korean competitors to the Camry.

[number73forlife]

The Oil Sludge issues seems to have been more hype than actual problem. If the car has been well maintained and you continue to do so you will not have problems. And buying the car used, you will not have claim to the oil sludge'd motor rebuilding. The notice that came out said you must be the original owner and purchaser for the offer to be valid. My 1999 Gen 4 American Edition did not smoke when we got it, but some time later it began throwing a cloud at start up. Signs of oil sludging, yes, but I do not care because: 1) No place that I take my car to get serviced has ever come back to me and said HOLY COW YOU"VE GOT MASSIVE SLUDGE, or any such thing, 2) I still get 35 MPG on pure highway driving and 29 around town, 3) Now that I switched to synthetic blend the oil consumption appears to have dropped drastically- I used to burn about 1/2 to a whole quart over a service of ~ 5000 miles, and no I can't even tell if the volume moves at all, 4) all cars are dissposable inferior commodities-meaning that eventually they will all die and that the more money you make the nicer car you will buy and in general nicer cars will have a better service / performance life (new v used). Cars of our generations are getting to be a bit old any ways, find something newer if you can, but Toyota should do well by you regardless.