Hello everyone, I'm new here and thought I would post about a 2009 Camry I recently purchased for my new teen driver. I was aware of the consumption issues but didn't realize quite the scale of this. The car runs great, idles smooth and not much smoke out of the exhaust (really only on startup if its been sitting). It seems like a good runner for 177k miles. Got the car through a dealership with a good history of oil changes and maintenance. I did notice however that the oil has dropped about a quarter of the way between the dots on the dipstick after about 200 miles. I've seen online about the piston soaks and honestly it scares me a little. I'm no mechanic by any means and would like to avoid that route. I've also seen the ads for the Valvoline Restore and Protect which looks promising. Is it worth it to try the oil by itself rather than do the piston soak to see if that will help with the consumption? Is it even worth it to try a piston soak if necessary considering the age and mileage?
2009 Camry Oil Consumption
- Thread starter Rick_b
- Start date
Use your VIN number and go to toyota owner's website and add that as your vehicle, and it should show you the complete history that Toyota has on that vehicle.
you need to confirm if the piston/piston ring recall was performed on your car, if it was then I would doubt the maintenance claims as after the recall the engines didn't have any oil burning issue from my understanding.
but if the recall was not performed, then your issue is obvious, it needs the updated Toyota pistons, along with new piston rings, that engine otherwise is actually built well.
watch this video for more details:
you need to confirm if the piston/piston ring recall was performed on your car, if it was then I would doubt the maintenance claims as after the recall the engines didn't have any oil burning issue from my understanding.
but if the recall was not performed, then your issue is obvious, it needs the updated Toyota pistons, along with new piston rings, that engine otherwise is actually built well.
watch this video for more details:
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All of BITOG members should be doing a Google Search on used vehicles of interest for purchase, to investigate and troubleshoot their past history. Once all the pros & cons have been brought to light, then either purchase the vehicle or move to another make or model.
I am guilty of not doing enough investigative procedures beforehand, when I purchased our two Hyunkia vehicles six years ago and again five years ago.
I am guilty of not doing enough investigative procedures beforehand, when I purchased our two Hyunkia vehicles six years ago and again five years ago.
I'd probably just run Valvoline restore and protect 5w-30 given that it does seem to clean pretty well and reduce consumption from clogged oil control rings. Add oil as it burns and change the filter every 3k miles for a few times until the engine cleans up. I cleaned the clogged oil control rings in both my old trucks using 15w-40. Granted they burned way less oil like a quart every 1500-2000 miles. Now my yukon burns about a half quart every 4k miles and the sierra burns a half quart every 2-3k.
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that wouldn't really help much, as the piston design is the issue, along with the oil control rings (in the piston rings)
it is a great car otherwise, if you fix the engine (the right way, I recommend CarCareNut whose video I linked) or simply use something like Valvoline Restore & Protect and keep the oil full and change the Cats as they clog up, until 1 of your exhaust valve burns out from excessive carbon buildup (it could be 150k or 250k miles) and then it will need an overhaul anyways, regardless 1 day it needs to be rebuilt, rather you run out of oil or 1 of the exhaust valve gets burnt from excessive carbon build-up.
The Berryman’s soak saved my 2009 Scion with the same engine. It was burning a quart at every fill up when I bought it and two piston soaks stopped the oil burning completely. Once you unclog the oil drain holes it’s like a new engine.
I would at least give it a try for a few oil changes if you are not comfortable doing piston soaks. Members on here have reported positive results in reducing oil consumption using this oil.
Has the PCV been changed on engine? Not minimizing what others have mentioned. Good luck, hope it takes care of your Daughter.
Baja, yeah I did change the pcv with oem. I didn't really notice much difference. As cheap and easy of a fix that that is it was one of the first things I did. I also noticed that the fuel economy isn't good at all (about 15 mpg hwy). I have a suspicion that the plugs are possibly original. Those fragile clips on the coil packs are still intact and look as if they haven't been messed with. I have a new set of oem denso's I'm putting in tonight so I'll get a good luck at the old plugs then. I've also considered replacing the coil packs but I'm not throwing any codes so I'll start with the plugs and clean the mass air flow sensor with proper spray to see if that helps with the fuel economy. I'll probably clean the throttle body as well down the road.
The oil right now is clean but it's from the dealership. I'm contemplating just changing that oil with the R&P just to get the ball rolling with it. I'm probably overthinking all of this but I just want that car to be safe for my daughter. If I had the extra money right now I'd probably just take it in for the replacement rings but that's not really an option right now.
The oil right now is clean but it's from the dealership. I'm contemplating just changing that oil with the R&P just to get the ball rolling with it. I'm probably overthinking all of this but I just want that car to be safe for my daughter. If I had the extra money right now I'd probably just take it in for the replacement rings but that's not really an option right now.
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Thanks for the reply. Does your Scion have the 2az-fe engine with the known ring issue?
Yes. All second generation xBs had the same engine and they never totally fixed the problem, although 2007-2009 were the worst years for it. I've owned two different 2009 and a 2012 and all three were oil burners.
One thing that argues in favor of the piston soak as a corrective measure is the fact these engines didn't develop a reputation for oil burning until they had a few miles on them, meaning when they were factory fresh the oil drain holes were sufficient to the task. It's only after they start getting plugged up that the problem occurs. As long as you catch it before the compression rings get jammed and actually scuff the cylinder walls a good solvent soak can restore them.
The 2012 was kind of an oddball case because it was an HOA security car and rarely went above 10mph. When I got it at 80K miles it was having misfire issues under load because of low compression in one cylinder. A piston soak fixed that issue as well. Apparently all that slow speed driving had really gummed up the insides including the compression rings. I replaced the leaking valve cover gasket and it was so varnished it looked like a car with 200k miles.
Nothing wrong with your preventive maintenance plan. Plugs and a good throttle body cleaning is a great idea from the get go and OEM PCV was a good idea.
Yeah I did a Berryman's B12 soak on my Camry-- same motor, same year-- and it got vastly better. You can do this, it's a 2/10 in difficulty. Pull the plugs, pour a few teaspoons in, crank the engine over by hand to spread the stuff around. Replace plugs so it doesn't evaporate, soak all night, pull the plugs again, put rags on everything, hit the starter. It'll eject the B12. Put your old plugs back in and crank away until it eventually catches and gives you a smoke show. Shut it right down, change the oil, change your plugs if that was the plan.
This motor was spec'd for a 30 weight in 2002 then "nothing changed" so the 0w20 it recommends now is ambitiously thin.
Whilst carrying a spare coil pack is a good idea, aftermarket are worse than the OE denso so I wouldn't change them prophylactically.
This motor was spec'd for a 30 weight in 2002 then "nothing changed" so the 0w20 it recommends now is ambitiously thin.
Whilst carrying a spare coil pack is a good idea, aftermarket are worse than the OE denso so I wouldn't change them prophylactically.
Thanks for the vote of confidence. I saw a vid on yt of a guy that ruined his toyota doing a soak. I think he went way overkill on it though which is what did him in. I have to admit it scared me a little ha. When I get the R&P I'll get the 5w-30. Thanks again!
The Berryman's B-12 Chemtool piston soak should be cheap. Not much work for a mechanic to charge for. Maybe 15 minutes work before, let it stay in the shop overnight and soak, and 15 minutes of work after. Then drive the car for a week and repeat the piston soak a 2nd time.
And assume the liability if engine damage occurs?
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