Hello All,
I have a 01 Lexus RX300 AWD with a 3.0 V-6. This is the model V-6 that Lexus/Toyota has had sludging problems with and as a result, offer an 8 year unlimited miles warranty against sludge being the cause of engine failure. I bought the truck with about 40K on it from a dealer. Previous service history showed some oil changes at the dealer but was assumed that the previous owner took it somewhere else also. I promptly changed oil and have been running Mobile 1 Synthetic 5W-30 ever since. I change the oil every 7500 miles and change the filter about half way - 3700 miles and top off with fresh oil. I use OEM Toyota and Purolator filters only. Well, the truck now has 62.5K on it. I went to change the oil tonight and everything went as normal until I removed the oil filter. After approximately 3700 miles, the filter looks brand new inside and out and there was barely any oil inside of it. Granted the truck had been sitting about 5 hours before I pulled the filter off since it is right below the exhaust manifold and the football game was on but there was only a trace amount of oil. The inside was almost completely empty, shiny and clean. Previous filter changes always resulted in oil spilling down the side of the block into the drain pan or floor when the old filter was loosened and upon removal, I would dump the remaining oil out of the filter into the drain pan. The filter is not really angled to drain back into the block when installed. It is fairly level or perpendicular to the engine. If there is any angle it is slight at best.
Prior to this, the truck was running fine, maybe pinging a little more than normal but I figured that might be because of the ethanol now added to our gas. When pouring the used oil (4.5 – 5 quarts) into old clear milk jugs, I found no debris nor did anything get trapped in the funnel. Everything else looks normal.
Closer inspection of the filter reveals nothing. This filter looks brand new on the outside minus a little dirt. I mean there is no heat discoloration on the casing closest to block. The gasket looks brand new. Inside, there is maybe a 1/8 – 1/2 tsp. of dirty oil and you can see oil in the passages inside the filter. I could drain an old oil filter for an hour and still have more oil remaining inside than this one. It simply looks new, like it never got hot and is as light (not heavy) as a new empty filter.
In the last 3 weeks, we have put roughly 600 vacation miles on this truck and I am positive no one else has performed any maintenance on it.
Do you all think that the engine has serious damage, I just got a bad filter, or what? I am so terrified that I just stopped what I was doing and left it without installing a new oil filter or any oil. In fact, the drain plug is still out.
I am thinking about getting an OEM filter, adding conventional oil, running it about a 1000 – 2000 miles and taking it to the dealer to have them yank off the valve covers and check for sludge. I am sure they will bill me several hundred for this but this is supposed required for Lexus’ warranty to kick in if they find sludge. Then I was going to get them to change the oil and see if the new filter is empty and tech catches it. Then I’ll know that I have a major problem and so will the tech. My other concern is switching back and forth from the synthetic to conventional and vice versa. For all I know, the synthetic oil is the only thing stopping the engine from seizing.
My next option is to sell this truck immediately and buy something else but of course, that is going to cost me a lot of money I don’t have.
Please help. I have never encountered anything like this. Any tips or advice will be appreciated. I have kept the old oil and filter so..
Thanks..
Neil
I have a 01 Lexus RX300 AWD with a 3.0 V-6. This is the model V-6 that Lexus/Toyota has had sludging problems with and as a result, offer an 8 year unlimited miles warranty against sludge being the cause of engine failure. I bought the truck with about 40K on it from a dealer. Previous service history showed some oil changes at the dealer but was assumed that the previous owner took it somewhere else also. I promptly changed oil and have been running Mobile 1 Synthetic 5W-30 ever since. I change the oil every 7500 miles and change the filter about half way - 3700 miles and top off with fresh oil. I use OEM Toyota and Purolator filters only. Well, the truck now has 62.5K on it. I went to change the oil tonight and everything went as normal until I removed the oil filter. After approximately 3700 miles, the filter looks brand new inside and out and there was barely any oil inside of it. Granted the truck had been sitting about 5 hours before I pulled the filter off since it is right below the exhaust manifold and the football game was on but there was only a trace amount of oil. The inside was almost completely empty, shiny and clean. Previous filter changes always resulted in oil spilling down the side of the block into the drain pan or floor when the old filter was loosened and upon removal, I would dump the remaining oil out of the filter into the drain pan. The filter is not really angled to drain back into the block when installed. It is fairly level or perpendicular to the engine. If there is any angle it is slight at best.
Prior to this, the truck was running fine, maybe pinging a little more than normal but I figured that might be because of the ethanol now added to our gas. When pouring the used oil (4.5 – 5 quarts) into old clear milk jugs, I found no debris nor did anything get trapped in the funnel. Everything else looks normal.
Closer inspection of the filter reveals nothing. This filter looks brand new on the outside minus a little dirt. I mean there is no heat discoloration on the casing closest to block. The gasket looks brand new. Inside, there is maybe a 1/8 – 1/2 tsp. of dirty oil and you can see oil in the passages inside the filter. I could drain an old oil filter for an hour and still have more oil remaining inside than this one. It simply looks new, like it never got hot and is as light (not heavy) as a new empty filter.
In the last 3 weeks, we have put roughly 600 vacation miles on this truck and I am positive no one else has performed any maintenance on it.
Do you all think that the engine has serious damage, I just got a bad filter, or what? I am so terrified that I just stopped what I was doing and left it without installing a new oil filter or any oil. In fact, the drain plug is still out.
I am thinking about getting an OEM filter, adding conventional oil, running it about a 1000 – 2000 miles and taking it to the dealer to have them yank off the valve covers and check for sludge. I am sure they will bill me several hundred for this but this is supposed required for Lexus’ warranty to kick in if they find sludge. Then I was going to get them to change the oil and see if the new filter is empty and tech catches it. Then I’ll know that I have a major problem and so will the tech. My other concern is switching back and forth from the synthetic to conventional and vice versa. For all I know, the synthetic oil is the only thing stopping the engine from seizing.
My next option is to sell this truck immediately and buy something else but of course, that is going to cost me a lot of money I don’t have.
Please help. I have never encountered anything like this. Any tips or advice will be appreciated. I have kept the old oil and filter so..
Thanks..
Neil
