Under valvcover: '99 Camry

Status
Not open for further replies.
No, I don't recall your thread.

I'm probably going to switch over to Mobil Super Snythetic before long. I have another 8qt of Maxlife that I can use, before I run out of Maxlife. I'm not sure how much detergent level matters--is changing a "low" detergent oil on a frequent schedule going to result in the same cleaning as a "high" detergent oil changed on a less frequent schedule?
21.gif
 
Originally Posted By: dlayman
I'd be MUCH more worried about the 18 year old timing belt.


Technically, so am I. I really was hesitant to start it this morning, since it was something like 5F; but since I started it after a 10-15f night I figured it wasn't much different.

TB is on the to-do list. Just wanted to wait until I had a good weekend to do it on, as I know it'll take 3 days due to unforeseen circumstances. Have all the parts, and I think all the tools. I'm also hoping that it may have been done in the past--I haven't been able to get into the owners site, and there was more work done to it than the last seller indicated.
 
Originally Posted By: tig1
I haven't seen that kind of varnish in any engine I have owned in the last 39 years. I used M1 since then.


https://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/topics/3397521/1MZ-FE_Rear_Valve_Cover_Change

Here is one you didn't own; Mobil 1, 5K OCI. 300K. A lot of cleanliness depends on the nature of the engine; the above mentioned yota V6 being the most challenging IMHO.

I wouldn't worry about the OP's situation. Pour in a good quality oil, use regular OCI and press on.
 
Supposedly both the 1MZ-FE and 5S-FE were "sludge monsters" due to the higher temperatures of the top-end related to emissions-regulations. This, combined with a much longer OCI were cited as the reasons this generation of Camry were sludge monsters.

After spending a couple of years now on BITOG, I'm not so sure about this speculation. What I've read here suggests varnish forms in the cooler parts of the engine as the particulate (or whatever it is) drops out of suspension.

What's interesting is how you can go huge distances on a single change with one type of engine, while another engine of equivalent power and displacement will absolutely murder the oil. My vehicle (not a Toyota, so not really a fair comparison) has had 7,500 mile changes, probably with dino or synthetic most of its life, and city driven. Yet the varnish is nowhere near as severe as this.

Change the PCV ASAP, it not working correctly will be partly responsible for the varnish that has accumulated. Change the TB too, it may not be an interference engine, but its not worth the gamble.
Keep up the short OCI with a reputable oil, and she'll be right. I wonder if the 10w-30 dinos would be suitable for your climate, at all?
 
10W30 would be fine for 3 seasons. I'm leery of them for Jan/Feb, and maybe the two surrounding months. I can hear it crank more slowly at 10F, and 5F (-12C to -15C); haven't tried at colder temps just yet.
 
Originally Posted By: simple_gifts
Originally Posted By: tig1
I haven't seen that kind of varnish in any engine I have owned in the last 39 years. I used M1 since then.


https://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/topics/3397521/1MZ-FE_Rear_Valve_Cover_Change

Here is one you didn't own; Mobil 1, 5K OCI. 300K. A lot of cleanliness depends on the nature of the engine; the above mentioned yota V6 being the most challenging IMHO.

I wouldn't worry about the OP's situation. Pour in a good quality oil, use regular OCI and press on.


After seeing so many different Toyo engines with different oil lubrication histories, I'm pretty convinced that it's the metallurgy of Toyota engines that leads to the tarnishing of Toyos seen here and elsewhere but not on engines by other makers....just too much a pattern to be coincidental...

camtpss.jpg
 
Last edited:
There was a poster over at ToyotaNation who had their 1MZ-FE V6 Camry since new or near-new. 3k changes with "whatever," was the order of the day. Top-end of that motor was spotless, apart from a few puddles of oil.
 
Well, needed to redo the valvecover, so off again today. It's been about 35kmiles since it was off, with changes every 5k. Synthetic at first and now back to conventional. Not sure I'd say its cleaner but it's no worse for the wear. Maybe it is cleaner, if I look hard enough.



 
I don't know, I think it looks a bit cleaner to me, especially on the cam lobes. Nice work!
 
Supton's latest is much cleaner than my old 5SFE. Check out the archaeological layers of varnish progressively removed from the spark plug tubes (with the thickest layer towards the top)



Originally Posted By: JustN89
I don't know, I think it looks a bit cleaner to me, especially on the cam lobes. Nice work!
Definitely cleaner IMO
 
Last edited:
Yeah, I wiped down the tubes at the last VC job, and I was happy to see them staying clean. I recently started using conventional so maybe I should run conventional for a year and recheck? not that it matters much, I don't think.
 
Originally Posted By: supton
Yeah, I wiped down the tubes at the last VC job, and I was happy to see them staying clean. I recently started using conventional so maybe I should run conventional for a year and recheck? not that it matters much, I don't think.

Doubt it would matter much. I'd think that it would look darn near the same.
 
Was convinced that the oil pan gasket was leaking, so that came off last week. Granted it's been a year and at least 25k (so 5 oil changes) since the last update. We'll see if the gasket repair fixes the 1qt/5k oil usage it's been having.

[Linked Image]

[Linked Image]
 
Screen's clean and after reading the entire thread, it appears your regimen is cleaning things up nicely.

Methinks that before it was yours it was a bit neglected.
 
Originally Posted by DGXR
I miss cam timing gears like that setup. Nowadays they are all chains.

Still has a timing belt, but from what I understand, it's considered an "easy" belt to do.

Originally Posted by JLTD
Screen's clean and after reading the entire thread, it appears your regimen is cleaning things up nicely.

Methinks that before it was yours it was a bit neglected.

It might be cleaning up, hard to say. I don't have a good reason to pop the VC off at the moment, so I don't know if the top end is getting clean(er) or not. Mostly I just run it, I figure, worse cars are motoring along just fine.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top