[Al Rudek]

Hello,

For the past few oil changes the oil dip stick has been reading low oil after 3,000 mile of driving. I'm using Mobile 0W-20 Synthetic Oil for it. The car has around 92,000 miles. I don't see any leaks so I don't have a clue what's going on. Any help?

Thanks,

Al

 

[Kingdom934]

Welcome to the forums!

Just to make sure: are you checking the oil levels minimal 30 minutes after the car is running and also on a fairly even surface? Even better checking your oil first thing in the morning. If the oil is at the 'L' line, I think that indicates the oil is about a quart low from the full.

 

[Al Rudek]

Welcome to the forums!

Just to make sure: are you checking the oil levels minimal 30 minutes after the car is running and also on a fairly even surface? Even better checking your oil first thing in the morning. If the oil is at the 'L' line, I think that indicates the oil is about a quart low from the full.

Hello Kingdom934,

I have checked the oil in the morning and an hour after it has started on a level street but it still shows oil at the low end of the stick. I have heard that it's a quart low but is that still normal?

Thanks,

Al

 

[Zembonez]

It's burning some oil. Fairly common Toyota issue (and others).

As long as it's not extreme just keep an eye on it and top it off rather than driving it low on oil.

 

[steptide]

What is low? Is it a full quart low? I know by toyotas standards on the 12-14 the dip stick is supposed to read between the 2 dots

 

[Kingdom934]

It's burning some oil. Fairly common Toyota issue (and others).

As long as it's not extreme just keep an eye on it and top it off rather than driving it low on oil.

I think these 2012 Camry is what, 5K? If it's a quart low in 3K, it would be a bit scary driving around 5-6K with 2 quart low.

As mention above, I would top it off if it's that low. It could just be burning oil. 0-20w

http://www.toyota.com/owners/faqs

Thats the only gripe about these long intervals on modern cars. If something is wrong, usually the long duration between the recommend oil changes make people run low on fluids because they didn't check between the 5K points. Your car thanks you for checking the oil . It is noted that you still should check your oil level regularly to make sure it is not dropping though. Call me OCD, but I tend to check my fluids every 1K or every car wash just because.

Some interesting read.
https://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=2992026

 

[steptide]

I've never burned any oil on either camry I drove. I don't think it's normal for a 4 year old car to be burning oil unless there's an underlying issue like how it's driven or driving conditions. I know short trips in cold weather can be brutal on the engine, but even then I'd be surprised if it was burning that much oil in a 4 yr old car.

 

[denzyota]

Hello,

For the past few oil changes the oil dip stick has been reading low oil after 3,000 mile of driving. I'm using Mobile 0W-20 Synthetic Oil for it. The car has around 92,000 miles. I don't see any leaks so I don't have a clue what's going on. Any help?

Thanks,

Al

Who is doing the oil changes? At the risk of asking the obvious, are you checking right after the oil change to make sure it is at the full mark?

 

[Al Rudek]

What is low? Is it a full quart low? I know by toyotas standards on the 12-14 the dip stick is supposed to read between the 2 dots

It's at the last dot on the 12-14 dip stick.

 

[Al Rudek]

Hello,

For the past few oil changes the oil dip stick has been reading low oil after 3,000 mile of driving. I'm using Mobile 0W-20 Synthetic Oil for it. The car has around 92,000 miles. I don't see any leaks so I don't have a clue what's going on. Any help?

Thanks,

Al

Who is doing the oil changes? At the risk of asking the obvious, are you checking right after the oil change to make sure it is at the full mark?

For the past 30,000 miles I have been taking the car to a local spot. I always check right after I get an oil change. It's just these last two oil changes that I am confused as two why the oil is low right after I complete about 3,000-3,500 miles of driving. Could it be that I should use heavier oil?

 

[Al Rudek]

I've never burned any oil on either camry I drove. I don't think it's normal for a 4 year old car to be burning oil unless there's an underlying issue like how it's driven or driving conditions. I know short trips in cold weather can be brutal on the engine, but even then I'd be surprised if it was burning that much oil in a 4 yr old car.

Exactly what I was thinking.

 

[dtownfb]

There is an extended warranty on Generation 6 Camry (pre 2012) for oil consumption. I did a quick search and did find a few threads on 2012 Camrys having oil consumption issues but nothing widespread. You can get it checked out by the dealer or continue to monitor it yourself. Burning 1 quart in 1200 miles seems to be the threshold.

My 2000 Olds Intrigue burned oil like crazy, 2 quarts in 3000 miles. I kept a 5 quart jug of Walmart Super tech in the car for when the "oil" light came on. When that light came on, I knew I was 2 quarts low. I finally traded it in with 175k miles. It was a bad GM design and extremely common with that engine in that era. The key was checking the oil frequently and refilling when necessary.

Good luck.

 

[Greasymechtech]

Your owners manual says:
To prevent serious engine damage
Check the oil level on a regular basis. Regular is defined as ?? every 1k, every fill up, every week, whenever, or after the engine seizes?

When replacing the engine oil
Check the oil level on the dipstick every time you refill the vehicle

The engine oil capacity is a reference quantity to be used when changing the
engine oil. Warm up and turn off the engine, wait more than 5 minutes, and
check the oil level on the dipstick.[/I]

Oil quantity(on dipstick):
Low to Full 1.6 qt (not sure if this is with both engines)

Its really easy to make ANY new engine burn oil. Keep running it low on oil and practice foolish 10k recommended oil change intervals. Also, are you buying the Mobil1 oil and watching it as it is poured into your engine, or are you trusting that the shop uses Mobil1 oil? Be more active and pay attention to what is poured into the engine. I've seen too many shops refill fancy bottles with cheap generic bulk oil, and have seen techs steal good oil while dumping in shop bulk oil.

If you are practicing the recommended 10k oil change intervals with 0w20, it'll lead to oil consumption. Cut the oil change interval to 7.5k or even 5k miles, and check/top off every 1000 miles using about a pint of oil. Alternate among the different brands of 0w20 as some have different abilities and you might find one that reduces consumption(via ring cleaning or seal conditioning or less volatility). Replace your PCV valve.

Following 0w20's are available at most department and auto part stores(or order online):
http://www.pennzoil.com/en_us/products/full-synthetic-motor-oils/pennzoil-ultra-platinum.html
http://www.pennzoil.com/en_us/products/full-synthetic-motor-oils/pennzoil-platinum.html
https://mobiloil.com/en/motor-oils/mobil-1/mobil-1-advanced-fuel-economy
https://mobiloil.com/en/motor-oils/mobil-super/mobil-super-synthetic
http://www.castrol.com/en_us/united...ic-motor-oil/castrol-edge/edge-motor-oil.html
http://www.castrol.com/en_us/united...edge/edge-extended-performance-motor-oil.html
http://www.castrol.com/en_us/united...nthetic-motor-oil/gtx-magnatec-motor-oil.html
http://www.valvoline.com/our-products/motor-oil/syn-power-full-synthetic
http://www.valvoline.com/our-products/motor-oil/full-synthetic-max-life

Redline, Havoline, Royalpurple, STP, Amsoil, QuakerState, store brand, and dealer(Toyota/Honda/Mazda) have great 0w20 oils.

During your interval, log your consumption with each brand and you'll find what works best.

If you are at least a pint low now, try a bottle of
http://www.stp.com/products/oil-additives/synthetic-oil-treatment or
http://www.stp.com/products/oil-additives/ultra-5-in-1-high-performance-engine-treatment

If the oil consumption nose dives after adding the stp molasses, then you can maybe switch to a full synthetic 5w30 for a little more oil control.

 

[CamRod1]

For the past 30,000 miles I have been taking the car to a local spot. I always check right after I get an oil change. It's just these last two oil changes that I am confused as to why the oil is low right after I complete about 3,000-3,500 miles of driving.

1. Change local spot
2. DIY
3. Like others said, check first thing in morning
4. Since you have an oil consumption concern, check daily first thing in the morning after you have completed steps 1&2 to isolate excessive oil consumption, if one actually even exist.
5. If problem persists ... uh-oh?

Son in law had a '08 V6 Charger he bought new, and that thing used some serious oil every time he wanted me to service it. He alternated between me and the dealer for services. Every time I checked the level it was below minimum ... he even took it to the dealer while under warranty and said it was using oil. They said they fixed it?

The last time I serviced his car it was low on oil again, this time I turned on the ignition without starting looking for the oil low idiot lite ... it never illuminated?

Moral of story ... he got rid of it.


All engines use oil, but not that much.

 

[kitacamry]

There is no "normal" for oil consumption in engines. Typical, yes, normal no.
Do NOT accept the opinions of others as to how much your engine SHOULD be using. Your engine's oil consumption is the reality and modus operandi.

As long as the oil level is between the highest and lowest hole (or F and L) on the dip-stick you're okay.

Keep an an eye on the oil level....check it every 1000 miles or every other fill of the gas tank of that is a regime you can remember.
Adding a quart of oil between (6k-mile) oil changes is cheap maintenance, and not automatically evidence of an impending expensive repair.
...even 2 quarts between OCIs is cheap....nothing to lose any sleep over.

 

[jblackburn]

If it seems to be very recent, it may be worth investigating the PCV valve. A clogged PCV can lead to oil consumption issues, and should usually be checked on around 75-100K intervals.

This was a common maintenance item with Toyota 2.2L and 2.4L engines. I have no idea where it is on the 2.5. That said, oil consumption is NOT a common issue on the 2.5.

 

[I86jkk]

Your putting in about 5qts of oil for a oil change, toyota's oil consumption specs are about 1qt for every 1400 miles. If your checking at 3k miles then it's about right that you'll be low. Also your still using 0w20 @ 92k I would think about switching to a 5w20 that way you wouldn't burn so much off on cold starts.