My Camry is beginning to use more oil @ 116,000 mi

Status
Not open for further replies.
Joined
Jan 8, 2012
Messages
14
Location
Colorado
2005 4cyl Camry SE 5speed manual. 4000 mi OCI. I bought car new very well maintained.
The car always used a bit of oil. About 1/3 qt between changes up to about 95,000 miles. Used Toyota 5w-30 for the first 6 years then Mobil Super 5w-30. At about 100k changed to Mobil Super HM 5W-30 because oil usage was slowly increasing. Now I'm using about 1 qt per 4000 mi. Because the HM did not seem to help much can I assume this is a
ring problem not valve guide seals. Car runs great good mileage too. Thinking about going to Mobil Super HM 10w-30 for summer use. No visible smoke and no leaks. I know
Toyota oil is packaged by Mobil so I have stuck with Mobil's oil, good stuff from what
I hear. Would be interested in an opinion from anybody with some Toyota experience here.
Thanks so much Coastal Guy
 
change your PCV valve first and see how it goes?

BTW: wifey's 2AZ-FE (bought used with 58k on odo, now 189k) doesn't burn a drop of oil between 5K conventional oil changes.

mixture of 60%city and 40% highway.

I do clean the PCV valve every year.

Q.
 
10W-30 won't hurt the car at all. For an extra $2 you could get a 5 quart bottle of Walmart SuperTech full synthetic which is a fabulous oil.
 
10w30 won't make any difference over 5w30. In fact, in some instances of Mobil products, the 5w30 has a higher viscosity at 100C than the 10w30.

In all honesty, using 1QT per 4,000 miles isn't bad...oil is cheap. Trying to run down repairs/fixes beyond a few bucks for a PCV is going to cost you more than just topping of the oil now and then...

My Toyota truck started using oil about that age. Now, it leaks a bit too...but at 251,000 miles, I just find oil on sale....
 
Try a tankful with Redline si-1 or other well-regarded fuel system additive with UCL to see if that frees up anything on the rings.

Other than that, just overfill slightly at OCI-start, then refill to top right at the OCI-middle, and if you're only 1qt/4k miles you'll still be over the minimum at the OCI-end.

If you need less than 1 topoff per OCI, I think your efforts can be better spent finding something else to worry about, such as the PSI in your tires.
 
Last edited:
There are numerous people on here that would kill to use only 1 qt in 4000 miles! *

Drive and keep topped off.
thumbsup2.gif






*Hyperbole for effect
 
One qt per 4000 mile is not really high. I saw a year old cars that use more than that. Just watch your dipstick and
you're good.
 
Originally Posted By: Lubener
A quart every 4k is not bad at all. I wouldn't lose sleep over this at all.

+1
 
I change the PCV in 95 2.2 yearly (it's less than a gallon of gas). I'd do that and before you think rings (not 2 common at that mileage for a well maintained 2.2 with your mileage) I'd suggest you look at the valve cover way in the back (need a light). These covers do leak on ya! If so easy repair and the gasket it pretty cheap. I'd also look at the seal on the passenger side. I was looking a bit of oil and thought I could be burning but it was via seal that was my issue. Cardboard under recently run engine will tell you that one.
 
Originally Posted By: coastalguy
2005 4cyl Camry SE 5speed manual. 4000 mi OCI. I bought car new very well maintained.

The car always used a bit of oil. About 1/3 qt between changes up to about 95,000 miles. Used Toyota 5w-30 for the first 6 years then Mobil Super 5w-30. At about 100k changed to Mobil Super HM 5W-30 because oil usage was slowly increasing. Now I'm using about 1 qt per 4000 mi. Because the HM did not seem to help much can I assume this is a ring problem not valve guide seals. Car runs great good mileage too. Thinking about going to Mobil Super HM 10w-30 for summer use. No visible smoke and no leaks. I know
Toyota oil is packaged by Mobil so I have stuck with Mobil's oil, good stuff from what
I hear. Would be interested in an opinion from anybody with some Toyota experience here.
Thanks so much Coastal Guy


Your Camry is a mate to the Kitacam it seems (J-vin too?)

...it's at 121k miles now...and like in yours the oil level has dropped to L (- 1 quart) by 5.5k-7k miles depending on the type of driving for the past 4 OCIs...then I change it rather than top it off...


@ 100k I removed the valve cover to inspect the top of the engine and that revealed minor varnish and a dead/cardboard/brittle valve cover gasket that likely did little good....replaced it (along with plugs, PCV valve and hose) with nice soft rubber...I'll be pulling the VC again to inspect again @ 126k miles to see if 4 OCIs of PP will have cleaned up the minor varnish I saw at 100k...

After 126k I'll be topping off @ 3-4k (1/2 qt) and running to 8k before the next OC if all looks good under the VC....the engine seems quieter with a full crankcase.

Finally...different brands' add-pack have different effects on oil consumption...even at the same weights...try PP or another brand of choice...it may make a difference....though at a couple of dollars per quart on sale, oil is cheap...

p.s. Lots of very reasonable advice above here on this thread!
 
Originally Posted By: BISCUT
I change the PCV in 95 2.2 yearly (it's less than a gallon of gas). I'd do that and before you think rings (not 2 common at that mileage for a well maintained 2.2 with your mileage) I'd suggest you look at the valve cover way in the back (need a light). These covers do leak on ya! If so easy repair and the gasket it pretty cheap. I'd also look at the seal on the passenger side. I was looking a bit of oil and thought I could be burning but it was via seal that was my issue. Cardboard under recently run engine will tell you that one.


OP's Camry is a 4cyl, not Vee-6.

Q.
 
Originally Posted By: Quest
Originally Posted By: BISCUT
I change the PCV in 95 2.2 yearly (it's less than a gallon of gas). I'd do that and before you think rings (not 2 common at that mileage for a well maintained 2.2 with your mileage) I'd suggest you look at the valve cover way in the back (need a light). These covers do leak on ya! If so easy repair and the gasket it pretty cheap. I'd also look at the seal on the passenger side. I was looking a bit of oil and thought I could be burning but it was via seal that was my issue. Cardboard under recently run engine will tell you that one.


OP's Camry is a 4cyl, not Vee-6.

So is mine. 2.2L 4 Cylinder. Did they make a 2.2 6??????
Q.
 
Ok I have a camrey with the exact same engine and year. I have 214k on it now. I have learned that that engine will use 1/2qt in about 500 miles then not change for a few thousand. I did have a spike in oil comsumpon but a change to t-5 fixed that( oil rings must've had some carbon build up). Now I get 5-6k per qt and that is with a rear main seal leak.

With the cam being a bucket cam and the Issue with the oil control rings carboning up I would recomend a hdeo oil.. I like t-5. It's a great all around oil and reasonably priced.
You can also run the oil filter for the v-6 camry. Check it out you would be suprise at the size diffrence!

While your consumpsion is pretty good, I beleave changeing to a hdeo will improve it.
 
To see if it is a viscosity issue, the next time that you are low a pint of oil, add some goop like Lucas, STP, MotorHoney, Hyperlube... if oil consumption stops, use a thicker oil for your next interval.

If molasses didn't help, use a quart of marvel or rislone during the next 4k interval for cleaning. Then run an interval with no additives to monitor consumption.

Top off oil regularly. Never run low.
 
Go back to the Toyota 5w-30 and do a couple of OCIs with that and see what transpires.

Even though Mobil may make the Toyota 5w-30 oil it will be a different specification to the Mobil Super HM 5W-30 you are using.
 
I would try the Mobil 1 full syn High Mileage in either the 5W-30 or 10W-30 flavor. It might do some cleaning and reduce consumption. In any case I'd extend the OCI beyond 4K to at least 5K-7K on a full syn...
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top