How to tell if a 97-up Camry 4-cyl has the sludge problem?

[93 Camry LE V6]

I am considering another 1997 Toyota Camry LE, with 151K, for $4995. Seems like a very good car. I have not driven it yet however. I know that these have the potential oil sludge problem. How is the best way I can check to see if this car has this problem? Check under the oil cap, or ?? Does the transmissions seem to hold up well on these cars? I know that my old 93 Camry LE had 212K and had a perfect transmission.

I know that the 98-01 Accords had a potential transmission failure before 100K and these Camrys have the potential engine sludge problem. That is about the only two major potential problems with either of these cars. Having a little difficulty deciding between the two. I have owned several Accords and Camrys (80s thru early 90s) and both are great, high quality automobiles.

Thanks for any information in advance.

[CamryWhat?]

whats so wronge about sluge anyways? does it rob hp?

[89SV21]

if there's too much sludge in the engine eventually it will seize because the oil pick up screen is blocked and with no oil the engine goes boom. the 1mzfe also has this prob on certain years as well. i heard that this is caused by a poorly designed internal pcv system that is easily clogged due to the poor crankcase design. the 97-01 camry trans is great.

[BootMachine]

You can see sludge by how brown your cam shaft is too. Take the VC off and look inside. The more brown the engine internals are stained the more sludge buildup there is!

I dont see how sludge can clog the pickup!?!!? Just do proper oil changes and it should be ok...NO?

To answer the question....oil sludge does a few things

1) it does not lubricate like oil...which is bad for the engine

2) It stains the internal parts (like cams, and cranks) brown ....so if you ever go to sell your engine it will be worth less as soon as someone looks inside!

3) Sludge is quite acidic (sp?)...its an ACID. It will cling to parts and eat the DLC off cam shafts and the surface off crank and rod bearings. This will lead to pre-mature engine wear and if you dont address the problem...lead to engine failure!

[93 Camry LE V6]

Thanks for the replies. However, since this car is at a car lot, I cannot remove the valve cover to check inside there for sludge. Any other signs of it? Remember, I am inspecting a car on a car lot and cannot dismantle the engine.

Also too- is the 1997 Avalon have the potential "sludge" problem? I am also considering one of those. I have heard that they have, but they are a totally different engine. It is a 3.0L V6. Thanks!!