97 Camry has been running on the cool side

[teddyboy]

The theromstat needed to be replaced and it turns out that the heater core lines were plugged. The temperature never rose to operating temperature, it usually settled about halfway between the cold mark and the normal operating temperature mark. I would say it's been that way for a couple of months. The repairs were all completed yesterday.

Is there any reason to fear excessive fuel dillution or other problems that may damage oil life? The car gets a mixture of short trips and regular commutes to work of around 15 miles one way. It's the 5SFE engime with 244K miles. Current fill is M1HM 5W30 and a Bosch Premium filter. My regular OCI is 5K due to the infamous sludge issue. The oil was changed about 1100 miles ago.

 

[beast3300]

Naw, I would run it out to 5k. Super durable engine you got.

 

[bepperb]

I can't say for your exact engine but the 2az is out of open loop operation way before the needle moves, so assuming the fuel programming is the same I wouldn't worry about fuel dilution. To be honest 5k sounds like a good conservative number, not something I'd worry about.

 

[teddyboy]

Thanks for the replies. I'll change when it hits 5k.

 

[Vikas]

Do you smell gasoline in the oil? If yes, then I would change the oil otherwise I would leave it alone.

 

[LeakySeals]

Nothing should be plugged. Type of coolant and when it was last changed?