Oil Sludge Issue??!?

[siege06nd]

Hey all,

I am admittedly clueless when it comes to cars, so forgive me if I sound like an idiot.

My wife has a 1997 Avalon she was gifted by her aunt. It was hardly driven when she received it, about 110,000 miles. I noticed the Check Engine light was on today and figured it was just one of the old Toyota gas cap false reads. When that didn't solve it, we popped the hood and looked under the engine oil cap and saw it was solid underneath. Not just sludgy, but solid, like ice.

We didn't notice any other symptoms (engine temp was normal, no weird exhaust) except the engine light, but we're pretty sure the oil shouldn't look like that. She was just under the suggested change mileage (which I'm guessing was a 3,000 miles). So we're not going to drive it again and we'll have it towed to the dealership on Monday.

This got me worried, so I checked out my 1999 Camry. It's got about 180,000 miles on it, but the engine is relatively new (probably only 90k on it or so). My oil is overdue for a change (I'm about 5,000 miles since my last one) but I popped the cap and it, too, had solid oil underneath. When I check the oil with the dipstick, everything looks fine. No check engine light or other symptoms, just checked b/c of my wife's car.

My question is is can someone explain any of this to me? Is this typical or indicative of a serious problem? I saw about some class action suit and recall that occurred for these models back in 2002, but I doubt this will apply to us anymore. Are we jumping to conclusions or does it sound like something is seriously wrong with either (or both) of our cars?

Thanks for any help, sorry for my ignorance.

[gideon1331]

on every 1MZ-FE (the 3.0L V6 in that Avalon and a V6 Camry) there is a little shelf under the oil cap with an opening on the side that lets the oil enter the engine itself.

When bits of oil are splashed up on that shelf they bake and become crusty. You will find what looks like solid sludge under the cap of any of those engines unless it's brand new.

So long as the oil was changed on a normal basis it should be fine. One indication of the sludge issue is some white smoke from the tailpipe when the car is started.

With the mileage on that car, my first suspect would be an O2 sensor. There are 3 on the car. One for each exhaust bank, and one at the catalytic converter. Go to a place like AutoZone. They will be able to read the error code from the computer. If you google it or post it here, you can find out exactly what the problem is.

[blkavalon]

i agree with gideon1331, if you doubt that you have sludge problem i would remove the valve cover and take a look at it. you will see the situation. its good to know it early because you can clean it before it cause engine damage. on my avalon its really clean but my parents minivan its a another story (bought certified used and we have been maintaining it well since we bought it.).

[siege06nd]

Hey guys,

Thanks so much for the responses.

I think I've just lost significant man-points for mistaking a metal/plastic shelf for solidified oil sludge. Thank you for clarifying that, it's making me feel a lot better.

We're going to take both cars in and get the oil change and evaluation, just in case.

As far as removing the valve cover to take a peek, what valve are you talking about? I can do a google search to get directions, but just didn't know what valve you meant.

I am now hemhorraging man-points...

Thanks for your help, it's greatly appreciated.

[siege06nd]

Nevermind, engine valve cover. Got it, thanks!

I'll let you know how it goes!

[blkavalon]

see the difference? popping the cover is eazy, just remove the upper radiator hose, engine cover and all the bolts around it. tap it with a mallet all around and gently pry it, put some rtv and if its clean put it back together. by the way i see that you are from mclean. you live near by me i can give you a hand with anything if you want.

[csaxon]

THIS IS NOT SLUDGE. It's a coating applied by Toyota.

[gideon1331]

Didn't know they put a coating in there...wonder what it's for... However, it still gets a coating of dried caked oil as it gets older.

My 1ZZ has no coating under the cap, but it is still gradually getting cooked oil deposits showing up (63,000 miles currently). It's gradually creeping in from the edges.

[fourwheeler]

If you're worried about sludge in your engine, run 1/2 a can of Sea Foam in it 200 miles before an oil change and then run a semi-synthetic or full synthetic oil. The Sea Foam will help to dissolve the sludge and clean it out of the engine and the synthetic oil will continue to do the same.

I'm not sure if it works, but a friend of mine just suggested to run 1/2 a quart of transmission fluid in the oil 25 miles before an oil change. The detergents in the tranny fluid should also help clean out the engine sludge.

[Johnyking]

Hi Guys,

Have you all heard about this product call "Auto-RX" It suppose to clean an old sludge engine like our car very well. I tried it on my car and I am at my rinse phase now. Check it out.

[ClimberD]

Manufacturers make all sorts of engine cleaning stuff because people will spend money on anything. The best advice is to change in a good oil, and stick to a conservative OCI of 3k rpms. Surprise, your engine only lubricates itself with oil. That other stuff may get the sludge out, but it can be terrible for the engine. Good luck.

[craig01b]

Sludge....regular and timely oil changes would prevent 99% of that. I agree with climber D, oil changes are the cheapest insurance you can buy for your car.

C

[zythr]

You can now even do what is called an oil flush. It is similiar to a coolant flush. This is a good way to avoid the oil sludge issue

[chuckoff]

Sludge is caused by oil breaking down due to heat, and age. Modern engines run hotter to reduce emissions. Change non-synthetic every 3000 miles and synthetic every 5000 miles, or don't. It is your car.

[avaLAWN]

you should invest in a mad jdm 2JZ with NOS, or do it the right way.... CHANGE YOUR OIL please please please please please