I removed the valve cover to replace the gasket on my Toyota 2ZZ-GE VVTL-i engine and got a nasty surprise. The high cams on the intake camshaft are wiped. All the low cams on the intake and all the cams on the exhaust camshaft are fine - totally smooth to touch. The car is a daily driver, 40/60 hwy/city.
I had inspected the intake camshaft about 40,000 miles ago and it was OK. Very little wear, barely noticeable. Nothing like now. Wondering what could've caused this. Here's my oil change history since I last inspected it, most recent first:
Apart from the obvious high cam wear, there is also evidence of some sludging (??) in the lower left corner of the picture. They're spongy black particles, not typical sludge. Perhaps a Purolator media tear 4-5 oil changes ago? Or is one of the oils on the list worse than others? Every used oil I drained from the engine was still transparent with honey-like color, except the SGT after the very last oil change which was very dark, almost black after less than 7K miles.
I have a new intake camshaft and rockers on order from Toyota. I'd like to hear your thoughts on what to do to prevent this from happening again. Would zinc additives help? I think I will start by shortening oil change interval to 6K and avoiding Shell Gas Truck oil. Thanks.
FYI, the 2ZZ-GE VVTL-i is a high-output engine (180HP from 1.8L, 8600 rpm redline) made by Yamaha for Toyota. It has variable valve timing and lift (VVTL-i), which is similar to Honda's VTEC technology in principle. The engine was used in Toyota Celica GTS/Matrix XRS/Corolla XRS, Lotus Elise and Pontiac Vibe GT.
I had inspected the intake camshaft about 40,000 miles ago and it was OK. Very little wear, barely noticeable. Nothing like now. Wondering what could've caused this. Here's my oil change history since I last inspected it, most recent first:
Oil | Filter | Miles on oil and filter |
Shell Gas Truck 5W-30 | CarQuest R84145 (made by Wix? looks the same) | 6,956 |
Mobil 1 5W-30 | CarQuest R84145 (made by Wix? looks the same) | 8,106 |
Pennzoil Ultra Platinum 5W-30 | Wix 57145 | 6,570 |
QS Ultimate Synth 5W-30 | Purolator L14477 | 9,388 |
Mobil 1 5W-30 | Purolator One PL14477 | 9,332 |
Apart from the obvious high cam wear, there is also evidence of some sludging (??) in the lower left corner of the picture. They're spongy black particles, not typical sludge. Perhaps a Purolator media tear 4-5 oil changes ago? Or is one of the oils on the list worse than others? Every used oil I drained from the engine was still transparent with honey-like color, except the SGT after the very last oil change which was very dark, almost black after less than 7K miles.
I have a new intake camshaft and rockers on order from Toyota. I'd like to hear your thoughts on what to do to prevent this from happening again. Would zinc additives help? I think I will start by shortening oil change interval to 6K and avoiding Shell Gas Truck oil. Thanks.
FYI, the 2ZZ-GE VVTL-i is a high-output engine (180HP from 1.8L, 8600 rpm redline) made by Yamaha for Toyota. It has variable valve timing and lift (VVTL-i), which is similar to Honda's VTEC technology in principle. The engine was used in Toyota Celica GTS/Matrix XRS/Corolla XRS, Lotus Elise and Pontiac Vibe GT.
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