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2002 Sienna Sludge despite changing oil every 3k?

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13K views 14 replies 12 participants last post by  terbennett  
#1 ·
Hi,

I have a 2002 Sienna with 41,000 miles and have changed the oil every 3000 miles. I opened up the oil cap and noticed buildup and poked my finger in and there was a layer of black crud. I know I should remove the valve cover for a complete check. Car is running fine.

Check the link for photos. You can clearly see my finger scratch in the middle.

http://new.photos.yahoo.com/pauoapoi/album/576460762381842997

Do you think I have a sludge problem under current diagnosis?

Any comments would be appreciated.

Thanks.
 
#3 ·
There is an oil baffel right where you pour it in under the cap. Thats what your looking at. Oil cooking on that area is common and does not mean you have a sludge problem. It happens because there is no oil circulation in that area under the cap which is normal. If you change the oil every 3K then i doubt you have a sludge problem. You could always pull that front valve cover off to take a better look at it if it really concerns you.
 
#4 ·
My Mom's Avalon (95), my Aunt's Avalon (98), another Aunt's Camry (02) and cousin's Sienna (98) all have that same crud under the cap on the engine, but are in perfect sludgeless shape otherwise. Like ShawnM said, no oil really passes over that spot, so whatever gets in there sits and cooks into sludge. On both Avalons, it is actually a thick and really nasty looking dried crud. So long as you keep changing the oil (and provided you dont wreck the van) your Sienna will have a long healthy life.
 
#5 · (Edited)
I work in dealer parts. All of the V6 oil gel that we have seen are on unmaintained cars.
The lack of oil changes is obvious. On the same car we are likely to see filthy air filters,
low brakes etc. When we ask those customers for proof of service, they cant provide it.
"My brother-in-law is a mechanic and he does it". Yeah. right. If you routinely change your oil, you are fine. The oil gel suit started because of poorly worded verbage in the maintainence books. We have customers blaming tire wear and poor mpg on oil gel!

Good luck!

Hoof?
 
#6 ·
2002 Sienna Sludge despite changing oil every 3k? - Thanks

Thanks! You guys have been very helpful. I think I should be okay. I've switched to synthetic oil changes as of last week.

Again thanks!
 
#7 ·
My 2001 Sienna XLE had same problem with oil sludge

My 2001 had the same problem, and it was burning oil, I was adding a quart every 1000 miles.

I changed the oil every 3000 to 5000 miles. Asked our local guy who specializes in Toyota's what was going on. He said this was a recall issue because of the sludge in 3.0 V6's.

I went to the Dealer, the Van had 69,000 miles on it, and they asked for proof of oil changes. I had all the receipts from Snappy Lube, (what would I have done if I had chaned the oil myself:().

They agreed to rebuild the engine and a complete overhaul was done.

I would go to the local Toyota service rep. and explain your issue and if you need further satisfaction go to the regional guy. Once I had proof of oil changes they were very quick to help:)

Good Luck!

Big Mike
 
#8 ·
It was my understanding that Toyota redesigned the 3.0 litre engine in 1997 and reduced the oil passages in the heads to increase temp and help in emissions. Intent was good but backfired to some extend with a poorly maintained vehicle. I bought a used 97Camry V-6 had 35,000 put another 100,000 on it and traded it in. Knew of the sludge problem and changed oil every 3,000 miles and had no problem.
 
#9 ·
Poor design or poor upkeep

In some posts the underlying implication is that the sludge problem is being caused by poor upkeep, and is an owner problem. I changed the oil in my Toyota every 3 to 5K miles with synthetic oil, and the problem still arose.

By Toyota's willingness to rebuild my engine, I suspect they knew the design flaw was their issue and not the customer's.
 
#12 ·
wjchun said:
Hi,

I have a 2002 Sienna with 41,000 miles and have changed the oil every 3000 miles. I opened up the oil cap and noticed buildup and poked my finger in and there was a layer of black crud. I know I should remove the valve cover for a complete check. Car is running fine.

Check the link for photos. You can clearly see my finger scratch in the middle.

http://new.photos.yahoo.com/pauoapoi/album/576460762381842997

Do you think I have a sludge problem under current diagnosis?

Any comments would be appreciated.

Thanks.

I heard a lot of problems with the 1MZ engine and I would like to share my experience with my Sienna and things I did I think would prevent future sludging. I purchased a 2000 Sienna about a year and a half ago with 109000 miles. The former owner live in Half Moon Bay and commute to San Francisco almost everyday. The first thing I check was the sludging problem and it didn't have it. I switched to synthetic oil (Amsoil) the week I had the van and added Redline Water Wetter to the cooling system. My brother in law borrowed my Sienna for a trip to Las Vegas that summer and had the ac on all the time on a 113 degree weather. After he got back, I checked the oil cap right away to see if there's sludge but there wasn't any and still doesn't have any problems(knock on wood!) after putting an additional 25K miles on it! I just did an oil change yesterday, again using Amsoil, after logging almost 9k miles.
I came to the conclusion that most Siennas with sludging problem has nothing to do with infrequent oil changes but to high operating temps and dino oil. I read someplace that the 1MZ engine has a very high operating temp compared to other engines and the oil passages are very narrow. My particular Sienna was used by the former owner where the ambient temps are pretty moderate to cool that's why it never had that problem even when she was using dino oil. I've also noticed that most people with sludging problem live where the normal temp is warm to hot.
In my opinion, changing you oil every 3k to 5k with DINO OIL is NOT going solve the sludging problem, and besides, I think that's just a marketing ploy but that's another story. A good synthetic oil like Amsoil or Redline will prevent sludging.
 
#13 ·
At 96000KM, we will start using Synthetic Oil with Premium Gas in our 02 Sienna XLE LTD. We bought it used half a year ago with 88500 at Granville Toyota. We will bring it in to the dealer for maintenance service. The vehicle runs great and is has a real luxurious ride of a Lexus despite its a Toyota.
 
#15 ·
hoofhearted said:
I work in dealer parts. All of the V6 oil gel that we have seen are on unmaintained cars.
The lack of oil changes is obvious. On the same car we are likely to see filthy air filters,
low brakes etc. When we ask those customers for proof of service, they cant provide it.
"My brother-in-law is a mechanic and he does it". Yeah. right. If you routinely change your oil, you are fine. The oil gel suit started because of poorly worded verbage in the maintainence books. We have customers blaming tire wear and poor mpg on oil gel!

Good luck!

Hoof?
I had a 2000 Toyota Sienna XLE V6, which I bought new in February 2002. I was meticulous and had the oil changed every 3,500 miles with receipts to prove it. Around 70,000 miles, my mechanic told me that my headgasket had to be replaced because of the oil sludge. I almost paid for it myself until he alerted me that it was a Toyota issue and the dealers know about it. I know that most people have had a good experience with Toyota dealer's customer service. The service is good when the issue is minor. However, when it is something serious, the dealer's service department tries their best to make the problem appear to be your fault. I am an avid Toyota owner because of their reliable cars, but their customer service is horrible. Maybe a lot of people are negligent but still no engine should experience the sludge problem so soon. I was told that the problem derives from the head design on this motor. I wonder what Lexus ES300 owners think about this issue.