So a Customer ran 9k on PYB....

[JustinC25]

So I just finished servicing a customer's 01 Camry. I did the t-belt and an oil change in june, and told him to call me in 5k and we'll do another. Well I just get a call today to "Winterize It". So I say ok, we'll do the oil, trans, plugs, and a/f.
(I did the coolant 6 months ago when I did the W/P).
I go to pick up the vehicle, and to my horror, I saw they were 4k over what I wrote on the sticker, making a total of 9k on dino, and a Toyota filter (not so good 90915-YZZF1 Thai filter).
I was like What the Heck ?? When I did the t-belt, I had the valve cover off, and it was like new, NO varnish, and the cams were black. I thought it had a new head. So you can understand my surprise when I saw this. After a stern talking to, I changed the oil, and filter. I told them that we need to do a short oci this time to get the junk out.
Also, I know that oil color doesn't mean anything, but after I changed the oil, and started it for 30 seconds or so for the filter to fill, I checked the oil, and it was VERY DARK.
I also used the same oil/filter combo on my Grandma's Camry tonight(Same Engine too.) And it didn't get dark right away.
I guess it is just doing it's job and cleaning the engine.

Sorry for the rant.
Any damage done? Let's hear your thoughts,

Justin

Oh, new fill was Mobil Clean 5k 5w30, and Supertech ST4967

 

[Scienceman]

do a super short OCI.

 

[Scienceman]

Also, don't judge an oil by its color.

 

[JustinC25]

My thoughts exactly, I'm thinking 2k.

 

[beast3300]

It will be ok. I'm sure the engine is fine. I see lots of engines that are severely abused that run thousands of miles.

 

[Herz]

While not judging a oil by its color has merit it also has its advantages. I have found that even in my toyota or any of my cars no oil gets dark in the first 100 miles. IMO, the fact that the oil got very dark is a sign of many contaminants left in the engine due to a super long dino run that was almost twice as long as intended.

However this customer seriously neglected his engine. Is this model toyota prone to sludge?

 

[01rangerxl]

That's every Camry serviced at Jiffy Lube...do a shorter OCI if the customer wants, but I bet they would prefer to just go 9K miles again.

 

[JustinC25]

I'm glad it was atleast a robust dino, and not one of the weaker ones.

 

[spursfan600]

arent the Toyota 4 cylinders known to cause sludge? anyways, good thing he actually thought about winterizing before he went too long on that old oil.

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: JustinC25
I'm glad it was atleast a robust dino, and not one of the weaker ones.


Yeah, it was a T-Rex, not one of those pansy Pterodactyl oils

 

[spursfan600]

also, did you ever tell him the option of running synthetic?

 

[JustinC25]

This is the 5S-FE, and while there was a sludge campaign on these engines they are a lot more forgiving than their V6 counterparts.

I spoke with the customer, and he agreed to a shorter OCI.
The problem is that his daughter drives the car most of the time, so it is difficult for him to check the mileage.

 

[JustinC25]

I thought about mentioning PP, but I had already bought the Mobil, and didn't have any more $$. I may switch him over to PP from now on.

They are an older couple and basically go with whatever I recommend.

 

[gathermewool]

I'd say leave it alone at 5k OCI. What ever small amount of contaminants left over will quickly be dispersed and picked up by the filter or remain in the oil until the next change with out causing issue. IMO, many too-long OCI are what cause problems. I've seen oil turn pitch in an older explorer that rarely had it's oil changed, but ran like a top. It died of oil age, not engine failure.

Why not convince him to run a group III oil like PP? 9k wouldn't be so upsetting.

 

[bepperb]

Whatever, this is blowing out of proportion. Factory OCI on that is 7500 miles. This is probably within the margin of error on that. And I'm sure the majority of Camry's on the road have a similar or worse OCI.

Would I recommend a shorter OCI? Yes. But I wouldn't be too bothered buying this car used either.

 

[JustinC25]

This one gets severe service. Many short trips less than 2 miles.

 

[daves87rs]

Originally Posted By: spursfan600
also, did you ever tell him the option of running synthetic?



Sounds perfect for this car. Then they won't have to worry.

 

[JHZR2]

You did their AF six months after having done it last? Seems like a silly thing...

we routinely did 7500 mile OCIs on dino in our 94 previa for the first 160k miles of its life. Now we are over 225k, no use, and extended OCIs on syn. We've done up to 14k mile OCIs on syn in that engine since the 160k mile mark...

Did the oil shear a grade? likely. Is it holding a lot more junk than it should? yes. Might it even be a bit acidic? likely. But I wouldnt worry much. Unless they drive like idiots, the oil probably did its job and protected just fine. A short OCI to flush out the leftovers is probably smart, but dont count on it getting done...

 

[postjeeprcr]

9K? I had a friend go 25K on Castrol GTX before it weas changed.

 

[slalom44]

Since they logged 9,000 miles in around 7 months, they must have been doing a fair amount of driving. With an occcasional long trip the TBN was likely still positive (although not too high). Although unlikely, they may have added a quart of oil along the way. A UOA would have been very interesting.

I don't beleive that dark oil shortly after the oil change means anything except that there was a lot of soot in the little oil remaining after being drained. It doesn't take much soot to turn the oil black.

That filter they're using is tiny. I know that's what is spec'd for that engine, but I used a ST3614 on my Corolla with a similar engine. I got rid of that car after 297,000 miles.