Are Toyota 4 cylinder engines "hard" on oil?

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The only Toyota I-4 that made a name for itself for beating up oil and sludging was the now-discontinued 5S-FE, that was installed in the 4th Generation Camry (97-01 model years). Others might, but I've been a pretty careful Toyota watcher for the last four years, and I've heard of no others.
 
Having owned both 5SFE and 2AZFE, I would say the new 2AZFE is more stressful for the oil. Oil temps are much hotter! Crankcase ventilation works overtime! IAC valve easily gets choked with oil vapours/dirt. Sparkplug chambers leak oil.

The 2AZFE still needs more years of refinement.

I believe the 1NZFE, 3ZZFE, 1ZZFE are better designed and less stressful for the oil. But note that they put the exhaust manifold near the firewall, so it gets noisy!
 
I had a old 77 Celica with an import 18RG fitted, it was rather hard on oil, mainly I suspect because those early twin cam headed engines tend to run really hard and hot, I have not had any other NA engine that was as hard on oil as that thing was.
 
quote:

Originally posted by Ken4:
Having owned both 5SFE and 2AZFE, I would say the new 2AZFE is more stressful for the oil. Oil temps are much hotter! Crankcase ventilation works overtime! IAC valve easily gets choked with oil vapours/dirt. Sparkplug chambers leak oil.

The 2AZFE still needs more years of refinement.

I believe the 1NZFE, 3ZZFE, 1ZZFE are better designed and less stressful for the oil. But note that they put the exhaust manifold near the firewall, so it gets noisy!


I dunno which one is the absolute least stressful -- I'm guessing it depends upon several variables.

I've not owned any 5S-FE cars, but I did have a 2AZ-FE Camry for about 18 months (destroyed in a wreck). Being pretty rigorous in my car care, I did not notice any problems, such rapid oxidation of oil or the leaks you described (likely I just got a really good example). At least up until now, I've not heard of the 2AZ getting a reputation as a sludgemaker like the 5S earned for itself. Hope it stays that way, but only time will tell. Ken, have you actually found sludge or excess varnish in yours?
 
quote:

Originally posted by Ken4:
My engines are very clean, bcos I use only the best synthetics and 5,000km OCI.

BTW, I wasn't asking that because I really thought a fellow BITOG member would allow an engine to get dirty, rather, I always wondered myself as it's virtually impossible to see inside the Toyota engines because of that baffling oil baffle. It's hard to tell what's happening under that maddening piece of metal without popping the whole cover off. Incidentally (and refreshingly), the VQ35DE in my Infiniti G35 allows a nice clear view of the end of one camshaft and the actual top of the head, giving a good monitoring point. Of course, just getting the dipstick out and back requires the dexterity of a neurosurgeon and the patience of Job, so I guess there's no free lunch. . .
 
The 1ZZFE Corolla engine is easy on oil.

I have the 2AZ 4 cyl Camry, 15,000 miles. No problems so far. Coolant temp seems well regulated with plenty of radiator capacity. I saw 226-229 degree oil temp after a long 80 MPH drive in 107 degree temps. Maybe a little on the high side, but not extreme. The engine doesn't have the feel of a heavy duty piece, time will tell. Sometimes those reputations need to be developed over time. There are 2AZ engines running 150,000 miles without major problems. It certainly runs well, 30 MPG, effortless 80 MPH cruising.
 
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