We have a 2002 Corolla LE that has been using oil excessively since we got it in March 2010, when it had only 114k miles on it. It uses about a quart per 1000 miles in summer and about a quart per 800 miles in winter.
My mechanic checked for leaks and found none, and says that the plugs look clean, so he's baffled as to why.
I asked Toyota if there was a recall and they said that 1 quart every 800 miles is "within parameters for the car" but I'm very annoyed by that answer, and by having to feed this thing oil all the time.
I've tried replacing the PCV valve recently, to try that, and it didn't work. My mechanic says to try Marvel Mystery oil, in case it's being done by sticking oil rings. My dad used to swear by the stuff years ago.
( I have some BG MOA oil additive here, will that work as well as the Marvel? )
But the mechanic says that if it's not that, it will likely need some kind of rebuild with new rings and valve seats ( guides? ) or something? I don't know about all that. My mechanic doesn't do rebuilds, so I trust his word on this.
But what does that kind of thing usually cost?
He says they have to "pull the head" to do that and it's expensive. How much generally?
Don't know what to do, but I'm a long time Corolla fan, since buying my first wagon, a '93, in 1995 and just selling it last month. But this is really putting a damper on my enthusiasm for Toyota now.
Not all of the 8th gen models had oil consumption issues - mine own 2002 with 185K miles, owned since new, doesn't drink a drop. Unfortunately, there does seem to be a small percentage of owners, especially with the first half of the generation (1998-1999) that had excessive oil consumption.
At this oil consumption rate - 1 quart every 1K miles, unlikely that any additive will "fix" it. Some additives, like MMO and Auto-Rx, have show good results in some cars - loosening deposits and stuck rings. Helping reduce the amount of oil being consumed. Otherwise, the engine will have to be opened up to access what is wrong. Given the higher engine temps (for emissions) and relatively small oil capacity (~4 quarts) - takes very little to run into problems (run low on oil, see low oil warning lamp come one = trashed engine, missing oil changes, extending oil changes without UOA results to back them up, etc.)
As for costs to pull the head - depends on the mechanic and what follow up work they want to do. Could be a few hundred to start - could be several more depending on the extent of the damage. If the cylinders don't look bad - could just need a little cleaning, new rings, upgraded pistons, new bearings, etc. + labor - might be $400-$500. Could swap in the short block from the newer Corolla/Matrix - reuse your cylinder head, intake, exhaust, etc. for about the same amount of money or a little more. Have to discuss it with your mechanic. Also need to double check how familiar the mechanic is with the 1ZZ-FE Toyota engine - though similar to other DOHC engines, there are "features" that they have to be aware of.
Not all of the 8th gen models had oil consumption issues - mine own 2002 with 185K miles, owned since new, doesn't drink a drop. Unfortunately, there does seem to be a small percentage of owners, especially with the first half of the generation (1998-1999) that had excessive oil consumption.
At this oil consumption rate - 1 quart every 1K miles, unlikely that any additive will "fix" it. Some additives, like MMO and Auto-Rx, have show good results in some cars - loosening deposits and stuck rings. Helping reduce the amount of oil being consumed. Otherwise, the engine will have to be opened up to access what is wrong. Given the higher engine temps (for emissions) and relatively small oil capacity (~4 quarts) - takes very little to run into problems (run low on oil, see low oil warning lamp come one = trashed engine, missing oil changes, extending oil changes without UOA results to back them up, etc.)
As for costs to pull the head - depends on the mechanic and what follow up work they want to do. Could be a few hundred to start - could be several more depending on the extent of the damage. If the cylinders don't look bad - could just need a little cleaning, new rings, upgraded pistons, new bearings, etc. + labor - might be $400-$500. Could swap in the short block from the newer Corolla/Matrix - reuse your cylinder head, intake, exhaust, etc. for about the same amount of money or a little more. Have to discuss it with your mechanic. Also need to double check how familiar the mechanic is with the 1ZZ-FE Toyota engine - though similar to other DOHC engines, there are "features" that they have to be aware of.
Seriously? Is it because we're in different parts of the country? I've been asking my mechanic and he said it might be more in the neighborhood of $3000-$4000 to get the engine rebuilt.
Prices are greatly fluctuate from time to time, could also be the availability of core parts in your area. Partial rebuild kits can be had for under $250 if you shop around and there are many mechanics that can work on it. Remember, this is assuming that no physical damage is found, just stuck rings, the most common cause of heavy oil consumption concerning the 1ZZ-FE engine.
$3000-$4000 is the price of a reman engine dropped in there. If that was for just rebuilding it, the mechanic is way overbilling labor/parts - just to CYA, as he hasn't pulled anything apart. Call around and see what others are charging. Anything more than $1500 for a rebuild is too much, IMO, regardless of where you are at.
Majority of engine rebuilds generally run between 8-10 hours of work, depending on what needs to be done. Some DOHC engines I've seen "book" times on the order of 20 hours (though most mechanics can do it in 14 hours at a relaxed pace, 10 if they push). Most that I've heard recently on a 1ZZ-FE engine was 14 hours for a full rebuild (oil pump, timing chain, full gaskets/o-rings, hot tank, etc.). Usually going rate for labor is anywhere from $85 to $155 per hour for Toyotas. Some independent shops can do good work and charge between $30 to $40 per hour labor! - shop around.
I posted here before about excessive oil use in my '02 Corolla. I thought at one point that the problem had been figured out and solved, but it hasn't. It's still using about a quart every 1000 miles.
But today, I got a new clue and wanted to run it by those of you who know about cars, to see if this might identify the problem.
It's 40 outside today in the Denver area. The engine has been warmed up for over an hour. I'm driving the car down a long downhill stretch of the 6th avenue freeway, coming down from Golden heading east. I had my foot off the gas for several seconds ( downhill ) and then gave it a little gas, and saw a big puff of blue smoke in the rear view mirror. I repeated this a few times just to test it.
So this appears to be when the car is burning the oil?
Classic valve guide seals, but these engines can burn large amounts of oil and you will never see smoke. So you might be burning oil past your rings also.
Classic valve guide seals, but these engines can burn large amounts of oil and you will never see smoke. So you might be burning oil past your rings also.
I just noticed the post at the top of the forum about this, about Toyota using smaller pistons and larger rings, and them burning oil after 30k miles. Toyota stinks for not fixing this! I don't know if I'll ever buy another Toyota because of this!
They should swap out the pistons for full sized ones with normal rings!
If I have to pay for this myself, can they put full sized pistons and normal rings in the engine?
I just noticed the post at the top of the forum about this, about Toyota using smaller pistons and larger rings, and them burning oil after 30k miles. Toyota stinks for not fixing this! I don't know if I'll ever buy another Toyota because of this!
They should swap out the pistons for full sized ones with normal rings!
If I have to pay for this myself, can they put full sized pistons and normal rings in the engine?
Its not true , there are /were no small pistons and oversized rings. Just the too small to few piston oil holes.
Since you are at the 1 quart to 1000 miles range of oil consumption - might be able to find ways to reduce that somewhat. Won't be a permanent fix - but will help out - nothing short of a rebuild will eliminate oil consumption.
As for your discovery of the puff of smoke after extensive idling - sam333 is right on, classic valve stem leakage. Also happens if you get a puff of smoke on cold startup and not during normal driving. Can also be attributed to a clogged PCV system as well. Smoke on hard acceleration or almost constant smoke generally points at rings - though some people with heavy oil consumption don't see any smoke at all.
Before you go all out - I'd suggest a compression test / leak down test to assess the health of the engine and maybe even an used oil analysis test. Pulling the plugs and reading them will also be pretty helpful. Running high mileage motor oil helps trap more "junk", its high solvency and additive package also helps slowly clean the engine and swell o-rings, conditions the seals. Might try adding a few ounces of MMO (Marvel Mystery Oil) in the crank case to act like a slow flush - though I'd hold this off as a last resort sort of thing. Can due the same thing with Seafoam, though it tends to thin out the mix more than I'd like. Old school tricks of using engine vacuum to help pull on the rings (use engine braking) can sometimes help - check oil levels after this, as you can pull a surprising amount of oil past the rings if there is a mechanical problem with the rings.
Since you are at the 1 quart to 1000 miles range of oil consumption - might be able to find ways to reduce that somewhat. Won't be a permanent fix - but will help out - nothing short of a rebuild will eliminate oil consumption.
But we don't even know if a rebuild will help! This sounds like a lemon design!
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As for your discovery of the puff of smoke after extensive idling -
NO, after coasting downhill for several seconds, then giving it some gas again.
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sam333 is right on, classic valve stem leakage.
What causes that, at 114k miles? ( which is when we bought the car and found all this )
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Also happens if you get a puff of smoke on cold startup and not during normal driving.
We get that sometime too!
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Can also be attributed to a clogged PCV system as well.
Tried that, changed the PCV valve myself. The old one was sludgy though.
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Smoke on hard acceleration or almost constant smoke generally points at rings - though some people with heavy oil consumption don't see any smoke at all.
Not on acceleration, no.
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Before you go all out - I'd suggest a compression test / leak down test to assess the health of the engine and maybe even an used oil analysis test. Pulling the plugs and reading them will also be pretty helpful.
Our mechanic says the plugs look fine, at least.
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Running high mileage motor oil helps trap more "junk", its high solvency and additive package also helps slowly clean the engine and swell o-rings, conditions the seals.
I don't see how that can fix something this bad.
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Might try adding a few ounces of MMO (Marvel Mystery Oil) in the crank case to act like a slow flush - though I'd hold this off as a last resort sort of thing.
I tried a bottle of it in the fall and it seemed to help the gas mileage for some reason, but it may have been coincidental to mild temperatures.
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Can due the same thing with Seafoam, though it tends to thin out the mix more than I'd like. Old school tricks of using engine vacuum to help pull on the rings (use engine braking) can sometimes help - check oil levels after this, as you can pull a surprising amount of oil past the rings if there is a mechanical problem with the rings.
I'm just disgusted with this. It seems like Toyota build a bad design and now we're stuck with a lemon and they won't stand behind it!
As you've read the majority of oil consumption problems in this year come from clogged oil return piston ring holes. Clogged with sludge. No sludge, no problem. Allow sludge to buildup, you see the problem. Toyota's not responsible for that. More than likely the other blue smoke you see is related to this issue.
The recommendation of a high mileage oil is a good one. Try a synthetic like Mobil 1 high Mileage. You may get lucky and the holes free up.
Lemon laws vary from state to state - if this falls under the "lemon law" - that will be between the arbitrators and the manufacturer. There is a statute of limitations on when "lemon law" can be filed, if it can be filed in your case - most cases, within 4 years of manufacturer date. Some require X times to allow the dealership to "repair" said issue, some states, it can be as high as 10 identical repairs, in others a single repair on a critical safety component.
Have all your ducks in a row - start to finish, could see a resolution in under two months. We did one for our Dodge truck - took 3 months to fix that situation, but felt like a year.
Biggest hurdle is figuring out if the previous owner saw any oil consumption. Since you bought it second-hand at 114K miles on the clock - have to find out what the maintenance history was like and how the car was driven. As for proving this is a manufacturing defect - that is an uphill batter. You'll have to first: find out if your car actually has this issue, and not caused by poor maintenance, previous overheating, etc. Sites like these help, but only to a certain extent.
Even if you can prove beyond a doubt, that this is a manufacturing defect, you'll have to find some way to extract some compensation as Federal Lemon Law is not likely going to help you out.
First, you'll have to find out what is causing the oil consumption. Jumping to the explanation of "faulty design on Toyota's part" is not going to help you - you have to find out exactly what is causing it. From there, find out your options. It really helps to find a mechanic that knows the 1ZZ-FE engine inside and out - one that doesn't stand on "trash" or "treasure" side of the 1ZZ-FE. Need one objective enough to say - this is what we need to do, a quick and inexpensive diagnosis - then provide you with possible paths to go down. As that was critical if our case, without that tech, we would have gotten Jack squat done.
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Excessive oil use in 2002 Corolla
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