[JeffD89]

Hey Everyone,

New to posting but not to the forum. I have an 02 Camry LE (2.4 L 4-cylinder) with 250k miles. I go roughly 2.5K miles between oil changes and burn about 2.5 qts (10w30). Over the last 3 oil changes, I've had to add coolant (roughly 1/8 of a gallon; most going directly in the radiator) each time.

Condition of the oil: No issues aside from half the oil being gone; is it normal to burn 1/2 a quart every 500 miles based on the age of this car?
Coolant: Reservoir coolant changes to a brownish color between oil change interval. I empty it out and top with fresh every-time. 2.5k miles of driving and its brown again!

There are no noticeable leaks! I have put cardboard under my car for a few days and nothing dropped.

Is this car toast or are there any steps to help get a bit more life out of her?

 

[Blackness]

For oil leaks, check the car visually for leaks... also inspect PCV system.

For water leaks, pressure test the system to check for leaks.

 

[JeffD89]

Blackness,

I forgot to mention that I did replace the PCV valve a few thousand miles ago. Probably 8k driven since. It definitely needed to be replaced. Oil is not leaking (visually) anywhere. I'll do a pressure test on the coolant to see what comes of it.

Thanks!

 

[dtownfb]

Sounds like a possible head gasket leak. A pressure test should reveal the leak. Good luck.

 

[JohnGD]

The rear head bolts might have come loose as the threads in the block disintegrated. An unfortunate "feature" of the 2.4L. Right, do a pressure test, and see if coolant seeps out on the firewall side.

See the thread:
http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/1...-4-liter-2azfe-stripped-head-bolt-thread.html

 

[Kingdom934]

The rear head bolts might have come loose as the threads in the block disintegrated. An unfortunate "feature" of the 2.4L. Right, do a pressure test, and see if coolant seeps out on the firewall side.

See the thread:
http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/1...-4-liter-2azfe-stripped-head-bolt-thread.html

This is exactly what I thought when I saw 'losing oil and coolant'.

The coolant would be the above issue providing there is no leaks. Oil might just be from the 2AZ engine nature. 1/2 quart per 500 miles is quite excessive IMO though. If the coolant and oil issue is starting to get more serious during the same time, I suspect possible a bad head gasket from the headbolt issue.

How often was the coolant change prior? Turning brown could also mean that the coolant system has a lot of rust/sludge from neglected coolant OR mixture of the toyota pin/red with the generic green coolant.

As mention above, get the head pressure check before doing any more further repairs.