Oil History Issues, to buy or not to buy? - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

PitBoss1 · 10-27-2007, 05:24 PM

I have an offer from someone I trust to buy a '05 Camry LE, 39.5k miles, for $9k. It is great shape except for one issue.

Due to circumstances that are personal on this persons part, the car has not been service in any way for 15k-18k miles. This includes (believe it or not) an oil change.

All the miles on this car are highway miles, about 30 ,miles 'round trip back and forth to work in The central South East.

I looked at the dipstick, and it is metallic in color (no gunk on it at all). The oil on it was halfway betewwn the 'full' and the 'add more oil' marks. The oil on it was a light caramel in color.

I am meticulous about taking care of automobiles, and once it is in my posession, I intend to have all the late (30k) service done to it, as well as regular oil changes every 3k miles. Also, I understand that there is a cleaning process for engines that can be done chemically, which I also intend to do.

Should I buy this car?
What are the risks?
What is the probability that there is little to no damage?

Thanks for your time and thoughts.

secrecyguy · 10-27-2007, 05:37 PM

That's a good question! I don't know.

I know someone who got a free 97 (?) Toyota 4Runner which the original owner didn't took care of it at all. It stop working at just over 100,000 miles and now needs a new engine.

gdanaher · 10-27-2007, 06:14 PM

The problem isn't as difficult as you think it is. Have him give you permission to pull the valve cover off. Not a big job assuming an I4 engine. Only takes a few minutes, you can do it yourself, and it will tell you all you need to know. Make sure you can actually blow air threw the pvc vent hole in the cover. Clean the valve cover thoroughly. Look at the valve train and see how gunked up it is. Anything dirty can be cleaned. If there is a lot of sludge on top, a few cans of carb cleaner sprayed on them will dissolve the crap and allow it to run to the pan. Chase it down with some kerosene and drain it all out of the pan. Change the filter, add 3.5 quarts of oil and 1 pint of ATF. Offer to buy the car for 1500 less than it might be worth otherwise to compensate for any engine problems. Drive the car 50 miles, drain the oil and change the filter and repeat the ATF treatment a couple of times until the oil coming out is relatively clean and free of any globs of sludge. No remarks from the so called experts who say you never add anything but oil to an engine. This one is going to be full of crap and needs the cleaning.

west467 · 10-27-2007, 07:22 PM

NADA trade-in value for a 05 LE Camry in my area is $13,500, with 39K miles.
I would say you have a pretty good deal on your hands. The oil is light caramel in color? I would go for it!.. For peace of mind pull the valve covers
and look for sludge as the previous poster advised. I would not clean. or flush the engine, if you do buy. Just change the oil when you purchase, then again after 1K, then start regular change intervals based on owners manual.

My 2 cents....

JSM1284 · 10-27-2007, 07:23 PM

Id buy it.

TRD VVTi · 10-27-2007, 09:31 PM

No oil change for 15-18k miles means that there is no way in hell that I'd buy that car.

The engine is the most critical and expensive part of the car. It's not worth the risk for a car that isn't worth a lot in the first place.

EDIT: For $9,000 it's worth the risk for me. It really isn't worth the risk if you can't replace the motor yourself though. That's my opinion.

clarkgrizwald · 10-27-2007, 10:11 PM

yea, id do it. toyota i4s are freaking tanks yo! best engine!

Camry5genrocks · 10-27-2007, 11:27 PM

Don't buy it.

camryvibe · 10-27-2007, 11:59 PM

I'd buy it and based on your description (caramel-colored oil at reasonable level and clean dipstick) I'd estimate the risk of damage as being almost negligible. BTW, I have a 20 year old Corolla which has had a number of periods of at least 20 kmiles without any mtce. It has never had any engine problems, still has good compression, doesn't burn oil, and has over 240000 total miles.

I'd go along with the recommendation to check under the cam cover but expect that you'll find it to look nice and clean. If so I wouldn't do anything further beyond giving it an oil and filter change.

gdanaher · 10-28-2007, 12:03 AM

The fundamental problem with I4's of this generation was that if allowed to sludge up, the valve cover vent would plug and make things even worse because moisture could not get out, pressure would build and force oil burning, and the sludge would just get worse.Make certain that the pvc vent in the cover is open and clear. That means pulling out the pvc hose, removing the oil filler cap, and blowing compressed air through the small hole and checking that you are getting air blowing freely out the oil fill hole. You don't want to add atf or kerosene to a known good, clean engine, but this is entirely a different matter. You will want to de-gunk the engine.

TRD VVTi · 10-28-2007, 12:14 AM

It's really great to see people post some more false information in an attempt to get someone to buy a car, but I'd like to make one point.

If the oil has a metallic color to it, that's because there is metal in the oil. There is metal in the oil because the filter is plugged/restricted causing it to be bypassed. Now metal is circulating through the engine in the oil. That means the crank, cams, timing chain, guides, bearings, block, rings, etc. are all damaged. There's no way around it. The metal came from the engine. To have it be visible means there is considerable damage. It may not show other symptoms right now, but it will.

This engine will need repair or replacement. Both engines are hugely expensive to repair or replace properly.

camryvibe · 10-28-2007, 12:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TRD VVTi

If the oil has a metallic color to it, that's because there is metal in the oil. There is metal in the oil because the filter is plugged/restricted causing it to be bypassed. Now metal is circulating through the engine in the oil.

But of course the original post never indicated that the *oil* had a metallic color - only that the dipstick looked metallic, i.e. "no gunk on it". Perfectly normal considering that the dipstick is made of metal. The original post also indicated that the oil itself was light caramel in color with no mention that it had any metallic appearance.

TRD VVTi · 10-28-2007, 12:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by camryvibe

But of course the original post never indicated that the *oil* had a metallic color - only that the dipstick looked metallic, i.e. "no gunk on it". Perfectly normal considering that the dipstick is made of metal. The original post also indicated that the oil itself was light caramel in color with no mention that it had any metallic appearance.

Actually, the dipstick is yellow plastic where the oil is.

Posting isn't knowledge...

EDIT: You may be right though. The OP could have just meant that the metallic color is the condition of the dipstick as you are stating.

PitBoss1 · 10-28-2007, 05:49 AM

WOW!

Thanks everyone for all the info.

Just to clear things up, what I meant about the dipstick was that it was clean, with no sludge on it. Metallic might not have been the best choice of words here. Just clean, with caramel colored (but transluscent) oil on it - no metal shavings / glitter. Sorry if I misled anyone. I could clearly see the dipstick through the oil before I wiped it down to reinsert it for an accurate level reading.

Based on the general consnsus here, I am probably going to get this one.

***eyeball96*** · 10-28-2007, 08:27 AM

No dought, buy it. Thats a good deal!