1998 Toyota Seanna Van Oil Question

[Andrewsreef]

Hi, we purchased our van from my wife's Grandmother with 57k on it a few years back. It now has 74k on it. I switched it to Mobil 1 10w30 on the first oil change a few months after we got it. I do 5k oil changes now.

When I first got it, I noticed the baffle (or what ever it is) in the valve cover looked like it had burnt oil on it (kind of gritty). This baffle is what you see when you look down the valve cover with the oil cap off. Is this normal for this sheet metal to have a burnt look to it?

I have read that these things can "sludge up". Mine uses 0 oil between changes which is nice. My wife's grandmother had the oil changed very regulary so hopefully I am ok with the sluge.

Thanks

Andrew

 

[unDummy]

A little buildup is no big deal. Because the vehicle doesn't burn oil and has a maintenance history, I would just drive it and perform normal maintenance.
But, I would also consider a thicker oil regardless of the owners manual recommendations. Something like the 0w40 or 5w40 Mobil 1 should be considered. Also, the 0w30 Castrol Syntec is thick for a 30wt oil.

Replace the PCV, plugs, filters.... regularly.
Stick with the synthetic oil and a reasonable oil change interval(time or mileage based). Use a quality filter or an oversized one.
Keep the cooling system maintained. It is probably time for a new thermostat, coolant change, and belts....

Some will recommend using a flush product, a cleaning product or whatever. This website likes to market its sponsors over competitors.

Any of the cold engine 5-10 minute flushes, kerosene/biodiesel homemade flush, Marvel Mystery oil, Rislone, Lubecontrol, Neutra, Autorx, Kleenz-It, Seafoam, Gunk, Goldeagle, B12 Amsoil,....... can be used to clean up the engine if you want. Just remember to follow the directions.

 

[ToyotaNSaturn]

That baffle is to prevent oil from spewing outside the motor in the event the oil cap was inadvertently left off the engine. It will have a burnt/icky look to it.

I owned a 99 Sienna, as unDummy said, change the PCV, make sure the PCV is clean... This is why.

At this stage, I strongly suggest an AutoRX treatment or two. I'm sure it needs it by now. It's on sale at their website (I think today is the last day!).

Your choice of M1 is good. I used Toyota filters, then switched to SuperTech ST3614 as the ADBV works just fine in the cheaper filter.

Also, I would perform a used oil analysis to make sure everything is going well. This engine in this vehicle is one of the "problem children" motors, it takes extra care. But you're at the right place to make your ride last a long time!

 

[Tones]

This question has come up before. Some Toyotas have a baffle inside the valve cover that has a black sound proofing material sprayed on it. It sounds like this may be what you saw. If so, it would be normal.
This thread has some info