What oil for next OC?

[Luis_G]

Hey guys new member here looking to get educated on oil!

I drive a 1999 Corolla with the notorious oil comsuming 1ZZ FE engine. It is at 118k miles, and is driven well, no hard accelerations or quick braking. No leaks just consuming from what I've seen.
Currently it's consuming 1 quart~ every 3~ weeks, approximately every 500ish miles or so. The rate of consumption can go worse or better depending on how the car is run. I think the worst was 1 quart in 1 week, but that was a lot of driving in high way during cold weather.

The last oil change was quite a while back (5k miles back), and I've been simply refilling the oil since them. Recently I started reading on the forums about the value of additive packages.
I did a search for specials on motor oil and found QSUD Full Synthetic for $20 for Full synthetic w/ a Filter.

I bought it and just did the oil change my self (first time). So far it seems to be slightly noisier. Doesn't seem to have affected performance.

So here's my question: Would picking premium oils slow the oil consumption on the 1ZZFE engine?
Let me know if you need more info.

 

[hydrogen3]

M1 HM. I wouldn't use QSUD.

 

[Luis_G]

Interesting. M1 High Mileage?

Why not QSUD? Do you have a link thread?
Edit: Oh I saw your post, made your engine noisy as well.

 

[hydrogen3]

M1 HM is a thicker oil than QSUD. Might help with consumption.

 

[Bottom_Feeder]

HM oil in general will not fix your issue since they are designed to help fix leaking seals, not oil consumption. You might get lucky by using one of the oils known for being a 'cleaning' oil (like most Pennzoil products for example) to help unclog the oil drainback holes in the pistons which is the culprit, but the only real fix for these engines is a mechanical teardown and re-opening the drainback holes.

My wife's 2002 Corolla has/had exactly the same issue and the consumption appears to have slowed down to maybe half a quart per 3k mile OCI. I tried all sorts of oils in it, even did half-quart top-offs with Marvel Mystery Oil for a few OCIs which must have helped. I'm thinking/assuming the last two fills of Pennzoil Ultra probably did the most to clean things up. Cheap NAPA Synthetic is in there now and it doesn't appear to be consuming it but she puts so few miles on it now it's hard to keep track. Totally unscientific and inconclusive info but it may help.

Or, considering this is a 16 year commuter car, just stock up on the cheapest API-certified oil you can find and keep feeding it. NAPA Synthetic is like $3.50 a quart and is basically 'diet' Valvoline Synpower. Good and cheap, as cheap as most conventional oils.

 

[donnyj08]

Using a qt every 500 miles I would be using the cheapest API oil I could possibly find. St??

 

[Luis_G]

Thanks guys. I know engine rebuild is the only solution however it's economically unfeasible. I think the engine can be replaced for cheaper.
Atm I can source ST API rated 5W-30 conventional for about $2.30~ or so.

Is NAPA's oil going to be better?

 

[donnyj08]

Originally Posted By: Luis_G
Thanks guys. I know engine rebuild is the only solution however it's economically unfeasible. I think the engine can be replaced for cheaper.
Atm I can source ST API rated 5W-30 conventional for about $2.30~ or so.

Is NAPA's oil going to be better?



The better of the two is whichever you can buy the cheapest. Both are good conventionals

 

[SilverC6]

I wouldn't bother with 5W anything.

I'd use a HDEO 15W-40 in the worn out Toyota to extend the oil mileage and cost.

You might bump your oil add interval up a few hundred miles with the thicker stuff.

Whatever you find on sale will work just fine but with extra thick Chevron HDEO available under $12/gallon, that would be my choice.

 

[hydrogen3]

ATM?

 

[Luis_G]

Im using 5W30.
Should I keep this vehicle? It's got new brakes, new front suspension, and 2 new tires (2 old tires still have a lot of thread).
From my understanding these cars rarely die from oil consumption as long as you keep it filled.

Only issue so far is a slightly bent rim, and oil consumption.

 

[barkingspider]

I would keep the vehicle and use as a commuter / beater. Keep the oil level and it will last another 100k miles. I had a 95 Geo prizm that I put new wheel bearings, engine mounts, tires etc. It had 125k miles when I bought it. I had penz 5w30 in it, drove from CA to AZ and back in the peak summer temps and it ran perfect, did not eat much oil on the trip. It ate more when short tripped. You will save tons of money with it vs a newest car.

 

[Luis_G]

Okay cool. I will just keep it then.

I think I will stick with 5W30 and use the cheapest quality oil I can find. May just make small bulk purchases when oil is on sale.

Forgot to mention car isn't noisy anymore just needs to get to operating temp.

 

[addyguy]

Definetly keep it, and just keep it topped-off.

Maybe add a quart of MMO as a top-off a few times to see if it helps.

 

[hydrogen3]

Remember M1HM. And avoid the OCOD.

 

[Luis_G]

I think I had an orange oil filter installed I think it was a FRAM, it was all orange.

This time I have a cheap Driveworks filter, not sure how good that is.

 

[Bottom_Feeder]

Driveworks filters are cheap but will work fine for a 'standard' 3k OCI on a commuter/beater. Personally they wouldn't be my first choice but they do the job.

If you're adding that much oil, and you drive the car regularly, consider doing at least 5k mile oil changes, even when using the cheapest oil you can find. You will be constantly replenishing the additive pack in the oil so it will not 'wear out' anywhere near as quickly as if you had the same 4 quarts of oil in the crankcase for 3k miles. Unless your engine is a sludgy mess inside, any recent SN-rated oil will easily go 3k, even 5k, and a synthetic should go even longer.

That said, you could probably get away with doing 10k mile OCIs with a good cheap synthetic like NAPA syn and a quality long life filter like a Fram Ultra. If I'm doing my math right, you would be going through about 24(!) quarts at this point. But at least you wouldn't be doing as many oil changes and the consumption might improve by using syn. Just an idea.

 

[hydrogen3]

Use OEM filter. The best filter for my money's.

 

[Luis_G]

What would be a good oil filter for 10k OCI?

 

[Justin251]

Fram ultra