higher mileage with I4 than V6;why?

[chesstompowell]

Hey guys. My '98 I4 Camry has 380,000 km on her. My mechanic was telling me that if it was a 6 cylinder I wouldn't get anywhere near that. Can someone please explain why?

[ONE_to_HATE]

Originally Posted by chesstompowell

Hey guys. My '98 I4 Camry has 380,000 km on her. My mechanic was telling me that if it was a 6 cylinder I wouldn't get anywhere near that. Can someone please explain why?

i think the 1mz were a little more susceptible to engine sludge than the 5s, but it again- boils down to how well you take care of that car. If you don't believe in oil changes with quality oil- it'll definitely be a key component as to why the car didn't last too long.

[PhatRoyale]

Because your mechanic doesn't know what they are talking about.

It's all relative and dependant on maintenance performed.

[buci]

Originally Posted by PhatRoyale

Because your mechanic doesn't know what they are talking about.

It's all relative and dependant on maintenance performed.

That's right,change the mechanic. 348.000 km on my V6 and counting.

[WISHYWASHY]

its got 2 less cylinder so it last longer


















j/k

[projektvertx]

Take a look at newer Camry's on the road. How many V6's do you see? Not many. Hence, you have more odds of seeing higher mileage I4 (in the Camry family at least). But V6's should hypothetically last longer. Remember a lot of us V6er's on here have 180,000 + miles I myself hit the 350,000 KM mark on my 1MZ this friday and I believe there is another user, sk8ersublime, who has 310,000 miles(almost 499,000 KMs!!!) on his 1MZ-FE as well. A better example is taking a look at the percentage of ES300 (92-01? I believe) left on the road today since they were all sold with a 3.0L V6(1MZ-FE), and take a look at the number of, say Corolla's left on the road in the same years, since they were sold with 1.6L and 1.8L I4's. That should give you a better idea as to which one lasts longer.

Build quality and Horsepower obviously do have something to do with longetivity as well. But the horsepower angle can be compensated for by milder driving habits (at least I think so). Build quality is something else, look at the 80's and 90's products from Government Motors, Ford, and Chrysler.

One of the biggest factors is maintenance. A poorly maintained engine will, of course, probably not live to see 200,000 miles, if that. The best thing you can do for yourself and your car is pick up Toyota's maintenance schedule and simply replace everything based on their recommendation. And don't cheap out on parts, that will come back and bite you in the a**.

Another thing is how the car is driven on a daily basis. I know one guy who drove his Corolla into the ground (trans failure) He would redline it at every light. At 180,000 miles, the car was consuming (not leaking, I mean the oil would seep past the piston rings) an average of 1 qt of oil every 1.5 weeks, the trans fluid was thick and burnt when drained out, even thought this was at 15,000 miles change intervals. His oil just looked horrible. It was the blackest oil you have ever seen.

Compared to my car, which never really goes above 2250 rpm when accelerating from a dead stop and a max of ~2800 rpms at highway speeds and never really exeeds 130 km/h (~80 MPH), when I last drained my trans fluid at 12,000 miles (3rd oil change), the color had turned only SLIGHTLY darker, and I mean VERY VERY slightly, but the consistency looked like the new one I poured in. I think the color change may even have been due to contamination from some leftover oil in the pan I was draining to So much so that I laughed when I saw the fluid and figured the car could actually keep going just fine if I poured the same fluid back in.

[Nervous]

OP, your mechanic has no clue. V6 lasts longer since load on each cylinder is smaller and wear of each cylinder is less. The only potential issue - sludge. It doesn't affect gen 3 / 3.5's 1MZ, however it affects gen 4 / 4.5 and even 1st year of gen 5.
BTW, my 1MZ has 227,000 km on it and still like new.

[projektvertx]

Originally Posted by Nervous

The only potential issue - sludge. It doesn't affect gen 3 / 3.5's 1MZ, however it affects gen 4 / 4.5 and even 1st year of gen 5.

I've always wondered why is that? Anyone?

[Nervous]

Seems to me, they redesigned 1MZ a little bit between 96 and 97.

[the_professional]

I think it solely relies upon good maintenance habits.

I think there could be some basis to your mechanic's statement though. The 5SFE is designed to be an entry level block, that would have to live up to entry level customers, who do not necessarily believe in maintenance. & Toyota 4 bangers are known for the extreme reliability. I saw a video of a 5SFE about a year ago run while draining oil, the engine still managed to run a good couple of minutes without oil. Sure it finally stuttered & sounded horrible, and finally seized but, when it comes to reliable four bangers, Gen 3 5SFE are A1. I know at least for the Gen 4 5SFE, I believe the oil passages were made smaller, among other things. I forget now, someone else could chime in.

[JohnGD]

In 1997 Toyota supposedly cranked up the cylinder head temperature to meet the then Low Emissions Vehicle status only in the US. So US engines started to sludge up after that.

In 2004 Toyota decided that the old 7500 mile oil change interval wasn't going to cut it for their engines. So they reduced it down to 5000 miles to help cut down on the sludges. This applies to all Toyota engines. Paper end caps in OEM filters dont' help either.

Of course, GM and Honda were pushing 12,000 miles OCI during this time, and European luxury brands go 15,000-20,000 miles OCI.

It's Toyota's engine design, IMO.

Originally Posted by projektvertx

I've always wondered why is that? Anyone?

[JohnGD]

Like in another thread, Toyota got rid of the engine oil cooler in 1997 as well. Now that's not going to help. Cost cutting is #1.

[projektvertx]

Originally Posted by JohnGD

In 1997 Toyota supposedly cranked up the cylinder head temperature to meet the then Low Emissions Vehicle status only in the US. So US engines started to sludge up after that.

In 2004 Toyota decided that the old 7500 mile oil change interval wasn't going to cut it for their engines. So they reduced it down to 5000 miles to help cut down on the sludges. This applies to all Toyota engines. Paper end caps in OEM filters dont' help either.

Of course, GM and Honda were pushing 12,000 miles OCI during this time, and European luxury brands go 15,000-20,000 miles OCI.

It's Toyota's engine design, IMO.

Originally Posted by JohnGD

Like in another thread, Toyota got rid of the engine oil cooler in 1997 as well. Now that's not going to help. Cost cutting is #1.

Ahhh, thanks for that! I've never been able to come up with an explanation for that. I lined up my V6 next to my mom's 98 avalon and the only major noticeable difference, other than the engine cover and some small little details, was the intake design and throttle assemblies looked quite different. Nothing solid to justify why her engine is more succeptible to sludge.

[the_professional]

Originally Posted by JohnGD

Like in another thread, Toyota got rid of the engine oil cooler in 1997 as well. Now that's not going to help. Cost cutting is #1.

thats what i was thinking of, thanks for the back up.

[JohnGD]

Detroit V6s have no problem making those mileages.

Originally Posted by chesstompowell

Hey guys. My '98 I4 Camry has 380,000 km on her. My mechanic was telling me that if it was a 6 cylinder I wouldn't get anywhere near that. Can someone please explain why?