Probably, Gonna Need to Change Oils & Need Advice

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Apr 7, 2017
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Location
Mississippi
Situation:
07 Lexus IS (DI engine) 136000 trouble-free miles. Oil changes since 120K Valvoline MaxLife 5w30 (per Lexus).
OCI's every 6000 miles
Changed after Christmas and noticed oil on dipstick down by little over half. No leaks so obviously its being burned.

None or very little smoke from tailpipe

Never a thrown code for carbon buildup

So, 1) Where's the oil being burned?
2) What oil weight and brand would y'all suggest?
I live in MS so there's no concern heavy oils
I drive alot, in fact. January I drove 3800 miles

As usual, thx ahead.
 
Overhaul the PCV system, top the engine up to the max mark and measure how much it's using over what distance.

Consider moving up to a 5w40 or 0w40 A3/B4 synthetic oil. Look for manafctuer approvals when you choose, not just 'meets or exceeds...".
 
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Quote:
None or very little smoke from tailpipe


It takes way more consumption than what you have to see any visible smoke during normal operation, though it may appear on an emissions test. Are you seeing a puff of blue on startup after it sits a few hours? Leaking valve seals could account for some consumption in an engine of that age, but generally will not cause smoke other than right at startup.

Not sure what range your dipstick shows, but probably 1 to 1.5 qt between full and low marks. Half to 3/4 of a qt in nearly 4k miles is not bad at all. Did this consumption suddenly start or get worse? Have you been driving it harder than usual? Highway trips and thrashing the engine will use oil faster than gentle in town trips.
 
Need to drive quite a bit more to monitor, could be an isolated event. My wife's Outback oil level never moved in the first 45k, then burned half a quart. It was due to a 6 hour drive at 80mph, got to love the southwest! Hasn't burned a drop since.
 
Yes, consumption only began when I had the big driving month, last month. I've topped off some last 10k miles, but not like this.
 
Engine is aging a bit and consumption increased slightly. What's the big deal?

Isn't this why the average Joe trades in a lightly used 36,000 mile vehicle just after the warranty expires to not ever worry about oil consumption as the car gets older?
lol.gif
 
Not bad consumption rate at all. I service a lot of IS 250/350 with heavy oil consumption. A lot of owners don't know how to check the oil level or are too lazy. They come in 2 or 3 quarts low at 5,000 miles. Most of these examples are between 100,000 to 200,000 miles.

For your particular car, I would recommend the full synthetic maxlife 10w30, or stick with the red bottle blend in 10w30 or 10w40. Your oil consumption is very mild and I would recommend just checking and topping off half way between services.
 
Originally Posted By: Speak2Mountain
Yes, I blv it was Toyota's first, may have been the first Japanese car w/DI


Definitely not
wink.gif
 
Don't change anything. The truth is any API SN HM PCMO would provide similar results there is no reason to change what has gotten you this far.
 
a couple of things: some gdi's don't have pcv's . also hm oils seem to be consumed more than non-hm's. i'd go with a 10w-30 like PP (not high mileage version) and just monitor levels--imo you're not using very much
 
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Originally Posted By: VeryNoisyPoet
Quote:
None or very little smoke from tailpipe


It takes way more consumption than what you have to see any visible smoke during normal operation, though it may appear on an emissions test. Are you seeing a puff of blue on startup after it sits a few hours? Leaking valve seals could account for some consumption in an engine of that age, but generally will not cause smoke other than right at startup.

Not sure what range your dipstick shows, but probably 1 to 1.5 qt between full and low marks. Half to 3/4 of a qt in nearly 4k miles is not bad at all. Did this consumption suddenly start or get worse? Have you been driving it harder than usual? Highway trips and thrashing the engine will use oil faster than gentle in town trips.

yes... i've heard the lexus vehicles tend to develop leaky valve stem seals
 
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