2001 Corolla CE - 1.8L - Losing 1qt every 3,000 miles

[uchok00]

I have a 2001 Corolla CE, currently 84,000 miles. I notice (I hadn't before) that my car loses about 1 QT of oil (I use 10W-30) every 3,000 miles. Is that normal for Corolla CE....assuming that my car has no leaks (at least none that I could detect visually). Thanks! - uchok00

 

[Alan]

Is your PCV clean? Maybe it's time to replacement.

 

[Amkeer]

I second Alan, pcv clogged will consume more oil. What oil? Whats the interval? Daily Drives: -2003 Toyota Tacoma PreRunner XtraCab, 2.7 Liter , Mobil1 Synthetic SS 5W-30. ODO 9600 Miles. -1995 Toyota 4-Runner 3.0 V6, Mobil1 Synthetic SS 10W-30. ODO 91800 Miles. http://community.webshots.com/user/amkeer

 

[Matt_S]

That usage doesn't seem terrible, but it's not great, either, certainly nothing the manufacturer would consider unusual, although they typically have pretty low standards. 1 qt/1000 mi or worse is their limit usually. I'd be interested to know the oil change history of this car. A stuck PCV is certainly one possibility, but if the oil changes have been neglected, this is when it would start to catch up with you. If that's the case, perhaps an AutoRX treatment would help.

 

[slalom44]

I have a '95 Corolla DX 1.8L and I can tell you that your consumption is on the high side for the miles you have. I'd try using 10W40 in the warmer months to see if you can improve those numbers. As already stated, make sure your PCV valve is functioning properly. They don't cost much, so you may want to just replace it.

 

[uchok00]

The oil change is about every 5,000 miles...per Toyota's schedule in the manual. I use: Oil: 10W-30 Valvoline 10W-30 Pennzoil 10W-30 Castrol GTX 10W-30 Chevron All Dino! You know how it is....when there's a sale at Kragen, PepBoys for a case of 12 one qt bottles, that's what I'll buy. However, I'm planning to switch to: 10W-30 Castrol Synthetic Blend 10W-30 Castrol High Mileage I'll definitely check the PVC valve. Thanks! [ August 06, 2004, 02:06 PM: Message edited by: uchok00 ]

 

[Amkeer]

You will get deposits with that OCI using dino especially Valvoline. If you are using dino I would go no more than 4000 miles to maintain a clean motor.

 

[buster]

Normal. I have a 2001 with 165k miles on it and it has always used 1qt every 3k miles. I drive mostly highway at 75mph.

 

[Virtuoso]

I wouldn't be too teribbly concerned with that consumption. Just keep adding.

 

[nthach]

quote:

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Originally posted by uchok00: The oil change is about every 5,000 miles...per Toyota's schedule in the manual. I use: Oil: 10W-30 Valvoline 10W-30 Pennzoil 10W-30 Castrol GTX 10W-30 Chevron All Dino! You know how it is....when there's a sale at Kragen, PepBoys for a case of 12 one qt bottles, that's what I'll buy. However, I'm planning to switch to: 10W-30 Castrol Synthetic Blend 10W-30 Castrol High Mileage I'll definitely check the PVC valve. Thanks!

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I suggest 3000mi MAX on Toyota/Lexus engines on dino. It wouldn't hurt to change the PCV valve as others suggested, but some engines have an affinity to comsume more oil.

 

[JohnBrowning]

I would do an Auto-Rx treatment on it right now! I would also change the PCV valve as others have recomended. I would also consider running a bottle of Redline S1 Injector cleaner through it! Oil Consuption is normaly casused by the following: 1)Stuck rings 2)Dryed out dirty valve seals 3) Worn out valve guides 4) Stuck PCV or EGR 5) worn out rings In this case 1,2,and 4 are most likely.

 

[Bill]

uchok00, Your PCV valve could be causing this, do not bother checking your EGR valve - You Do Not Have One On Your Car The 1998 and later Corolla's were built without them. As stated here or on another site, the 1998 and later Corolla's had engines that used more oil if driven at speed over 70 mph, there is a TSB that specifies this occurance, Buster knows about this, that is why he mentioned driving over 75 and saw the same amount of oil usage. If you drive over 70 a lot on the highway, this could be your culprit, otherwise check the other suggestions given in this thread.

 

[2003TRD]

I had the same engine in my 2001 MR2 Spyder, take it in and have them look at it. I personally will not buy a Toyota (nor any other brand) with an engine that does not have an established track record- especially after the nightmare with the Spyders. The Dang things (esp 00 and 01) had oil control ring problems, they would burn the oil, destroy the cat converter and the heat/back pressure from collapsed cats would further damage the shortblock, frequently requiring replacing on relatively new engines (as soon as 20K miles in a few) Check the Spyderchat.com website. Toyota screwed the pooch with this engine the first couple of years.

 

[uchok00]

Yeah....I drive at LEAST 70mph (about 70-85mph on the freeway)...well, you know, drivers in Los Angeles think driving less than 70mph is a sin... I actually check out a book from the library: "Haynes Repair Manual" Toyota Corolla & Geo/Chevrolet Prism 1993 thru 2001, all models. So, I've been doing a lot of simple maintenance on it myself...woohoo! - uchok00