99 camry eats oil and has low gas mileage

[hdninja]

hi, i have a 4cyl 99 camry with a 5spfe, and i it uses about a qt of 10w30 oil every 1000 miles, i dont notice any smoke. and on a side note i only get like 16 mpg and it feels like there is a loss of power, but i might just be imagining that. im not a motor head and have no idea what to check first or any signs, any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

[1996camry]

The possible source of oil leaks are

1. oil can get in spark plug (remove the spark plug to see if you have oil on the spark plug
2. oil can leaks around the valve head gasket
3. oil can leaks around the crankshaft seal, camshaft seal, and oil pump seal.
4. O-ring distributor wore out and can leak, too

I would check around the area I suggested above...

When is the last time your changed your spark plug?

[Stillrunning]

If you're not leaking oil then you're burning it. No smoke may be the catalytic converter burning the exhaust clean. The loss in power and mileage may be a blocked CAT. Do a vacuum test to determine blocked exhaust.

[Marcluv]

how do you do a vacuum test

[hdninja]

i can see where oil has been heated off the engine. but i cant find the source. i checked all the sparkplugs and i didnt see any oil. I think it might be the seal on the top fill cap, but i dont see how that would change 1qt every 1000 miles down to 1/4qt every oil change. I figure i have to go to get a vacumn test at a dealer right? and how much would one cost generaly? and whats the next solution if my CAT is happened to be blocked?

[zythr]

Either a new used engine or a new used car

[abew330]

to make sure theres no leak, clean the engine bay

whens the last time you did a tune up?
a lot of the time the "back" valve cover leaks and needs to be changed (due to the position of the engine)

simple tune up would ensure better MPG and no leak from rear valve cover

i recently "seafoamed" my car and i get up to extra 100mile per fill up.. (before +/- 200 per full tank)

[JohnGD]

The engine can leak from the valve cover on the rear of the engine, near the firewall. Use a mirror and flashlight.

[hdninja]

So ATM I think it's leaning more towards the valve cover. Do i need another one or what can I do to fix the problem. And are they hard to change

[fenixus]

check this thread:
How-To Guide: Removing and Painting a Valve Cover - 5SFE -- 56K warned Lots of Pics
pics are broken in first post, but they posted a link to all of them in one of last posts.

it's as simple as removing all spark plug cables and 2 vacuum lines (PCV on top of cover and another on driver side) and unscrewing 4 tube nuts (30mm socket, free loaner in autozone). then you have to pry 4 tube nut seals with flat screwdriver and remove them. after that the valve cover is free and probably held only by baked gasket and RTV (may need to pry on edges, be careful not to damage the matting surface)

new gasket OEM part number is:
11213-74020

you may also want to replace the PCV valve and grommet at same time:
12204-74030
90480-18001-83

also get red RTV from parts store and use small dabs of it at spots where gasket changes shape (vertically) and on cast connections.

when tightening the nuts on re-installation use a torque wrench and max force of 17ft-lbs when tightening them equally starting from middle ones and then outer.

[hill8570]

Are you getting drips where you park? I get a quarter-size puddle every time I park overnight (oil pump seal...it's on the "to do" list), but I never come close to needing to top off oil between 5000 mile changes. If the oil loss is due to a leak, a quart every 1000 miles should give very obvious puddles on the ground.