Okay, here's another question from a prospective Corolla owner: I've heard that the four cylinder Toyotas' have problems with oil sludge. Is this true and if so does if affect the Corolla?
I was wondering about that... is there any way to combat sludge buildup? The articles I've read about the problem seem to indicate that basically you wait til it screws things up, then rebuild your engine. I was wondering if there was some addititive that would help clean things out? For example, if it's true that synthetic oils break down deposits, would it also break down the sludge, over time?
From the little research I've done it seems that if you change your oil frequently, i.e. about every 3000-5000 miles, that it will eliminate this problem. However, I've heard "rumors" that some people who kept to their maintenance schedule still had problems with oil sludge. But since it doesn't affect the Corolla I'm not going to really worry about it anymore.
By the way, just so you all know, I currently drive a 95' Ford Escort with about 110k miles on it. It has been a good car, but I think it is time to replace it. I've heard really good things about the Corolla so far so that's probably what I'm going to get.
You could also run some crankcase flush through the system before changing the oil. Just don't actually drive the car with the stuff or otherwise place any load on the bearings. Sludge can happen when you don't get you car up to full operating temperature (short trips), don't change the oil frequently enough, operate in high humidity, run without a proper air filter (or have a leak in the intake tract somewhere), or if you have excessive blowby from worn out rings.
As stated the goop affected the Camry 4 and 6 cylinder engines the most. The Corolla was not one of the sludgemobiles. I'm in complete agreement with using synthetic oil to keep things clean along with the other benefits it provides.
I still dont believe that this sludging was a problem with the engine, rather than the owner not having it maintained like its supposed to be done. Heck its much easier to point fingers and accuse others of making s#itty engines, than looking at yourself and saying "oops, I f'ed up"
One of the reasons Toyota decided to fix the engines was because thousands of owners showed they changed their oil according to the manual or sooner. Initially they declined the repair but decided to do it under warranty. They have changed the engines internally since.
Heck, one should think what oil to put in his car, like VW has now, you put the wrong oil in the engine (one that VW doesnt approve) your warranty is void. Putting in the cheapest oil you can find will get you into problems.
Heck, one should think what oil to put in his car, like VW has now, you put the wrong oil in the engine (one that VW doesnt approve) your warranty is void. Putting in the cheapest oil you can find will get you into problems.
It's Ford that does it. To a certain extent, Honda (depends on the dealership)....with 5w20 oil.
VW says use 5w40, but the manual also says 5w30 is acceptable
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tan
-Retired: 88 Camry V6 5-speed & 84 Corolla Sedan
-Now driving 02 Golf TDI (hey I got a 80 mile commute)
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'89 Corolla GT-S (RIP 1989 - 2003 very sad!)
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