1ZZ-FE with 204k miles switch to synthetic motor oil?

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Hello

I have a 1ZZ-FE with 204k miles. 2000 Toyota Corolla.

It does burn / consume oil about 1-1/4 quarts in 2k miles. This engine is know to consume oil, I believe there was a ring issue.

Should I switch to synthetic? If so should I use 10W30 instead of 5W30?

If I stay with a bled or traditional oil should I used 10W30 or the recommended 5W30?

I ask about the oil grade as I am thinking it may not consume as much for the 10W30?

I'm worried if I switch to synthetic leaks will develop and it might burn more. Will synthetic get past the rings easier?

Thanks!
 
I would continue to use inexpensive dino oils such as the Maxlife 10w40 already mentioned
Using an expensive synthetic oil will just burn off and cost you more money to refill
Supertech is also inexpensive and a good oil mentioned above
 
It depends on what you're trying to fix. High-mileage oils do not address the specific oil-loss issue that the 1ZZ-FE engines have. There is no way to actually fix the problem without a teardown and opening up the oil drain holes in the pistons so they don't clog up so easily. Without that, only a high-detergent oil that is thin enough to get into the rings to unstick them and hopefully unclogging the drain holes in the pistons might change anything, and it takes time.

In my experience with my wife's 2002 Corolla, the only thing that reduced its oil consumption from 1qt/2k miles to about half that was to use a large dose of Marvel Mystery Oil with some inexpensive synthetic in the recommended 5w30. I then topped off the oil with MMO whenever it was low. Over the course of a few changes over a few years, this knocked the consumption down to less than a quart over a 3k OCI. Was having that much MMO in the sump a bad idea of long-term engine life? Maybe, but who knows without a teardown and a bunch of measuring tools. The thing ran and sounded good right up to the day we traded it in.
 
If it's a ring issue if anything a thinner oil like 5W-20 may help.
Thicker oil usually helps valve seal / guide issues.

I don't know enough about those engines to say what the oil consumption culprit likely is.

If you use the MMO suggestion above I would use an HDEO 15W-40 with it for the more robust add pack and viscosity after the MMO thinning. I generally get a little better consumption with Mobil Delvac 1300 Super than the other brands.
 
i just got the car. The sticker on the windshield from the last oil change said synblend.

When I got it, it was low so I added a quart of 5W20 full synthetic that was lying around in my garage, I figured it wouldn't hurt and would be fine until I got around to changing the oil.

I plan to change the oil and am looking for advise here as to what oil to use going forward.
 
Hello

I have a 1ZZ-FE with 204k miles. 2000 Toyota Corolla.

It does burn / consume oil about 1-1/4 quarts in 2k miles. This engine is know to consume oil, I believe there was a ring issue.

Should I switch to synthetic? If so should I use 10W30 instead of 5W30?

If I stay with a bled or traditional oil should I used 10W30 or the recommended 5W30?

I ask about the oil grade as I am thinking it may not consume as much for the 10W30?

I'm worried if I switch to synthetic leaks will develop and it might burn more. Will synthetic get past the rings easier?

Thanks!
Try BG EPR it will get those rings and their drain holes nice and clean.
It's the bees knees.
 
Hi All I might of misspoke.. I am not sure what the root cause is for the oil consumption. It may not be stuck rings but maybe it is.

It was mentioned above that it was the drain holes in the pistons that get clogged as well as unsticking the rings.

I don't mind running full synthetic, its actually very cheap the kirkland brand at costco, it may even be cheaper than conventional or a blend.

If switching to full synthetic will cause leaks to start showing up as well as it consume more then I won't bother.

As for BG EPR I could try it, are there any risks with using it? Is it snake oil?

Thanks to everyone for their ideas.
 
Looks like BG EPR was made for the exact problem that the Toyota 1ZZ-FE engine has. I would try that for sure if we still had the wife's Corolla.



BG EPR®, PN 109:

  • softens and dissolves hard-to-remove deposits from piston rings
  • cleans micro passageways to maintain the critical hydraulic function of components such as valve train actuators and turbochargers
  • restores fuel economy and power
  • prevents excessive oil loss
 
Looks like BG EPR was made for the exact problem that the Toyota 1ZZ-FE engine has. I would try that for sure if we still had the wife's Corolla.



BG EPR®, PN 109:

  • softens and dissolves hard-to-remove deposits from piston rings
  • cleans micro passageways to maintain the critical hydraulic function of components such as valve train actuators and turbochargers
  • restores fuel economy and power
  • prevents excessive oil loss
I'm not sure how much I trust canned engine cleaners that claim to do the job of a full rebuild. Maybe use it at your own risk, but know that even if it helps a little, it's just a bandaid fix because the 1zz's issue is that there isn't enough oil drain holes, so the problem will return unless you take the pistons out and drill extra oil drain holes.
 
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