'96 Corolla burning oil

[Camry1999]

Hey Everybody,
So, my uncle's '96 Corolla DX about 200k on the clock & has been burning oil for a little while now. It is not leaking anywhere, but it loosing about a quart between oil changes. It seems to be coming from the gasket that is up top. I cleaned the engine bay w/some engine cleaner tto see where it is coming from, it seems like it's coming from there. I decided that I would start me tightening the 6 bolts on the top on the head. They seemed very loose to me, so I tightened them some more. My first question is; Could be the reason why it's burning be the gasket, or something else? Second: Is that an easy gasket to change? And third: How tight are the 4 bolts that are located on the top of the head (by the spark plugs wires) supposed to be. Any input would be greatly appreciated.

[Zembonez]

At your mileage, valve guide wear and the associated leaky valve stem seals are a likely candidate for oil usage... One quart between changes is not terrible.

Obviously any external leakage needs to be addressed first.

[pdq]

The valve cover gasket is easy to change out. You just need a basic wrench set and a spark plug socket.

* Remove the spark plugs
* Remove the 10 or so bolts on the valve cover gasket
* Carefully pry the valve cover off
* Remove the old gasket
* Clean the surface with brake cleaner
* Install the new gasket, using a few dabs of some RTV silicone to hold the gasket
* Let the silicone dry (15 mins or so)
* Reinstall the valve cover
* Reverse the rest of the steps

Note the valve cover bolts do not need much torque. If I recall, about 20 ft-lbs is all you need.

Payton

[speedy25]

20 ft lbs will strip out those bolts in a hurry! 6mm fasteners typically are 8.

Dont forget the spark plug well seals too. They are probably hard as a rock by now too. Be careful of the orientation and depth they get pushed in to.

After that a leakdown test can tell you if you have ring problems causing the oil consumption.

-SP

[cipher93]

You have four bolts on the cover, and two on the cover for the alternator wiring harness, which must first be lifted up off the cover. I believe my book said 54 inch pounds for those bolts but don't quote me on that

[jriddl11]

Originally Posted by Camry1999

Hey Everybody,
So, my uncle's '96 Corolla DX about 200k on the clock & has been burning oil for a little while now. It is not leaking anywhere, but it loosing about a quart between oil changes. It seems to be coming from the gasket that is up top. I cleaned the engine bay w/some engine cleaner tto see where it is coming from, it seems like it's coming from there. I decided that I would start me tightening the 6 bolts on the top on the head. They seemed very loose to me, so I tightened them some more. My first question is; Could be the reason why it's burning be the gasket, or something else? Second: Is that an easy gasket to change? And third: How tight are the 4 bolts that are located on the top of the head (by the spark plugs wires) supposed to be. Any input would be greatly appreciated.

I have a '94 model with 195k on it and i have a similar problem. I noticed it would burn oil normally on the highway but not really around town. A few people have told me its the valve stem seals wearing out easy fix if you have the right tools ive been told. yet someone else has said just drive it like it is and use a oil addictive called "Lucas Stabilizer" probably heard of it. but he told me that once you break the motor down to get to the valves you might as well replace the gasket set for the top end of the motor. i dont know if that helps but thats just the advice i got