dear toyota nation,
I have a problem and I need some advice before proceeding. My sons bought a 96 avalon with 82,000 MILES last fall and got their licenses this spring. They only drive it to school and back (2 miles) and generally are very good on cars. I noticed an oil spot on the place they park and started looking into it. I took the timing belt cover off, found some oil and continued to look, finally after reading online, i decided to pull the valve cover off and have a look at that seal. I had read about the 'gunk' lawsuit, but I have never in all my years of working on cars seen ANYTHING like this.
So. Please advise me as to what the next steps are. We have owned the car for only 2,000 miles and changed the oil / plugs and have babied it. Obviously this is a BIG problem.
I suspected something was wrong with the Oil pressure sensor because the light would flicker on and off sometimes (now i know why, clogged sensor)
Can this be repaired or am I just out of luck? I think cleaning all the passageways and pan isn't possible, without THOUSANDS of dollars in repair and the car is worth 2K. (i have 2K in it)
All I can say is...
"Oh what a feeling!!!!"
My sons are very sad, this was a good car... Now it's dead or at least too expensive to fix.
holy crap! theres no words for that............. anyone know if the oilpan will come off with the engine in the car? if so u would try washing it out with something omg that is just wow. i wouldnt try "flushing it"
maybe a rebuild is in order and several days in a block cooker! lol
holy crap! theres no words for that............. anyone know if the oilpan will come off with the engine in the car? if so u would try washing it out with something omg that is just wow. i wouldnt try "flushing it"
maybe a rebuild is in order and several days in a block cooker! lol
OMG, how is that possible?!?!? The previous owner for sure did not change the oil regularly. I don't think there is much you can do besides clean what you can. Can't imagine the rear bank.
Jason is correct. Oil needs to get to a proper operating temperature for it to lubricate properly, without doing so will cause the oil to gum up and cause what you see in those pics.
Before I saw the pics I was going to recommend Auto-Rx which is a engine flush that slowly liquefies the sludge to prevent passageway plugging during cleaning. I read quite a few success stories with it. Your engine looks to me like it is too far gone for that, but you might contact the company if this is your last resort. http://www.auto-rx.com. Maybe a combination of hand removal of some the sludge and Auto-Rx will do it.
I think the Toyota extended warranty was 8 years or 100K miles, so you might want to check. You still might want to try even if you are out of warranty, the problem is have the proper maintenance records from the first owner - I think at least one oil change per year.
Man, those are like pics out of a horror movie; maybe you could sell them to Mobil so they could use them in their ads for Mobil 1.
I'd tend to agree with Edge10. I ran Auto Rx through my engine as a precaution but yours looks so bad I don't think I'd recommend doing that. I'd be worried about big chunks of sludge breaking loose and plugging up oil galleys, which, even if it happened for only a few seconds, could be catastrophic. Of course, as you know that could happen anytime, even without using the Auto Rx.
I hate to say it, but IMO you'd better start thinking about selling the car and moving onward. Don't dismiss Avalons because of this incident though. They're great cars...you just happened to get one that hadn't been properly maintained.
Guys, I am a boy scout (literally) and I cannot in good conscience sell this Piece of Crap to anybody. I know it will be problems down the road for SOMEBODY, so I am going to put it out of it's misery. It's going to be parted out and crushed.
Email me if you need any parts (AC compressor, alternator, etc).. This car has only 84K miles so there are some good parts available. my email address is brian.larose@emc.com
I also am sure that it could be saved with some $$ and some time. If you are near Atlanta Georgia and want the car, just let me know -- i can get you hooked up for cheap. you can even drive it home. Provided you stop every 10 miles and add oil.
goes like this:
2 quarts kerosene or diesel (kerosene preferred)
1 quart atf
2 quarts motor oil, light stuff, like 10w30
2 oil filters
drain oil, and install a new (cheap) filter, fill'er up with the cocktail
start and let idle for 20 minutes (do not drive)
replace oil filter
Repeat
replace oil filter
Repeat
most of the gunk SHOULD be gone.
Drain and refill with motor oil and a fresh filter.
variation to the cocktail include 1 additional quart of atf instead of kerosene or motor oil.
Perform at your own risk, its a hail Mary pass, not recommended for engines that DO NOT need major cleaning, might do more damage then it will solve.
Drain the oil, fill it up alllllll the way to the oil cap with kerosene and let it sit for 3-4 days. Drain, pour a gallon or two of kerosene through it with the drain plug out.
I would then just run some el cheapo walmart oil with 1 quart atf added. Run that for like 20 min idle and then change it all again.
Then change the oil every 500 miles with long highway blowouts inbetween.
Shouldn't cost you more than 100$ and ill bet you it wont die.
The AutoGuide.com network consists of the largest network of enthusiast-owned enthusiast-operated automotive communities.
AutoGuide.com provides the latest car reviews, auto show coverage, new car prices, and automotive news. The AutoGuide network operates more than 100 automotive forums where our users consult peers for shopping information and advice, and share opinions as a community.
ToyotaNation.com is an independent Toyota/Lexus enthusiast website. ToyotaNation.com is not sponsored by or in any way affiliated with Toyota Motor Sales, USA, Inc. The Toyota, Lexus and Scion names and logos are trademarks owned by Toyota Motor Sales, USA, Inc.
96 Avalan gunk'ed to the MAX
1999 Toyota Avalon
The previous owner for sure did not change the oil regularly. I don't think there is much you can do besides clean what you can. Can't imagine the rear bank.
Linear Mode
