Oil Consumption-2010 RAV4-V6

[kschachn]

Water coming out of the exhaust simply means your catalytic converter is doing its job. When you burn gasoline, you get CO2 and H2O as combustion products in an ideal environment. Since engines rarely if ever manage an ideal environment we have extra combustion products, CO and NOx being the primary offenders along with bits of fuel that didn't burn. Your catalytic converter's job is to convert these unwanted species into CO2 and H2O. The water condenses against cool parts of the exhaust system and eventually makes it out the end of the pipe. It's not unusual or bad. When you start driving down the road the increased exhaust flow will heat up the pipes and evaporate any liquid water and send it out of the system.

It's normal. Especially in cooler weather under extended idling where you have chilled pipes until you get going down the road.

The vast majority of water vapor comes from the products of combustion. If you’re getting that much water from catalyzed unburned hydrocarbons and oxides of nitrogen in the exhaust then there’s something wrong with your engine.

 

[EEE]

I was having oil consumption on my Accord since day one. It appears to have been significantly reduced after going to Red line oil. I would estimate less than 1/4qt and I'm at 2300 miles since switching. Its worth a try for one oil change. I will stick with RL for now.

 

[SilverFusion2010]

The vast majority of water vapor comes from the products of combustion. If you’re getting that much water from catalyzed unburned hydrocarbons and oxides of nitrogen in the exhaust then there’s something wrong with your engine.

Ok fair enough. It’s still a normal thing to have some water come out of the exhaust when the pipes are cold

 

[CobraKaiFan]

The rear bank of spark plugs on our '07 Rav 4 V6 wasn't that hard to change. NOW.....the time and effort doing a transmission pan drop is something else. Ours was never done till I changed out the filter/strainer and cleaned the pan/magnets. The dealer refused to do this and I can see why. (They used a flush machine on previous service.) I can tell you the strainer was filthy. I used Idemitsu TSL-LV fluid which is better than the Toyota WS fluid, IMO.

Yep drain and fill is the way to go....Flush can be quite dicey....or so I'm told.

 

[BAJA_05]

Yep drain and fill is the way to go....Flush can be quite dicey....or so I'm told.

Any updates on consumption? Did you change out the PCV and switch to another motor oil brand or weight?

 

[CobraKaiFan]

Any updates on consumption? Did you change out the PCV and switch to another motor oil brand or weight?

BAJA-First let me apologize for bring so verbose in this next comment. I was thinking about commenting on this again and when I saw your inquiry I figured that I should do so....So here goes.. Yes...I had the PCV Valve checked. It was said to be in like new condition. I also had the oil changed (It was a little early but why not). Anyhow the mechanic that Inspected the PCV Valve and changed the oil this last time is not the same mechanic that told me to ditch 5w-30 synthetic and go with 10w-30 conventional. I wanted to get another opinion. This new guy said that the engine was in pristine condition. No leaks whatsoever. At this oil change I elected to go with a different BRAND of 5w-30 for this oil change instead of the normal Mobil 1 full synthetic I went with the Valvoline Extended Protection 5w-30 Full Synthetic (SP rated) to see if I could get better results. Well it just so happens that we took the RAV in for brakes. We took it to the same mechanic that has been telling us to switch to conventional 10w-30. He fixed the brakes and checked my oil level. He said it was a quarte low (at the first dot). I had checked the oil the week before and it was midway between the top and lower dots.. The vehicle was at the 3,000 mile mark from the last oil change when I had taken it the new shop for the PCV Valve inspection and oil change....Again my oil change interval is every 5000 miles. Well, I get home and let the car sit overnight on a level surface and checked it the next day. As it turns out the oil level was not quite at the first dot it was very slightly above the first dot....but not by much. I was always under the impression that you don't need to add a full quarte until you are a little below the first dot...not at or slightly above the first dot. So, I split the difference. Instead of adding 1 full quarte, I added a HALF quarte and it brought the level up to exactly between the two dots (AKA the half way point on the dipstick). That was a week ago. I checked it again this morning and the oil level is still holding steady at right in the middle. All in All I'm more pleased with the Valvoline over the Mobil 1 in the RAV ....That said, the Mobil 1 has performed very well in my 4Runner. Crazy right? Also, while the Valvoline is showing less oil consumption than the Mobil, I still think I can do better. One of the other guys that commented mentioned using Redline...I've looked for that stuff locally at Autozone and Wally World and can't find it. I have "heard" that Castrol Edge is supposed to be good in fighting oil consumption because it tends to be slightly thicker than advertised but I have no idea if there is any truth to that or not. As for my mechanic (my regular mechanic that insisists that I switch to 10-30 conventional)....He says that he hasn't changed a PCV Valve in 10 years and that they very rarely go bad in his opinion. This is contrary to what I've heard from so many others. In-fact others say that if anything they are cheap junky parts that should be checked and replaced or AT LEAST cleaned from time to time.. They asked me why am I so reluctant to change to 10w-30 conventional oil? I told him that I don't want to swap an oil consumption problem for other issues by using the wrong grade of oil....especially when the Valvoline seems to be holding up better than the Mobil-1....It hasn't stopped the oil consumption issue and I'll probably need to add a little more before the next oil change, but at least it's doing "better " Truthfully, I'm wondering if ut's a Valvoline thing or if it's a GF-6 thing? Either way, I'm likely to try Castrol Edge just to see how it stacks up. Having said all of that, I've heard some say that it the difference between 10w-30 and 5w-30 is so miniscule that it's not worth giving it a second thought. When I look in my Owners Manuel, Toyota says that if you can't find 5w-30 then 10w-30 may be used with the caveat that you switch back to 5w-30 on your next oil change. That tells me that it might not be the smart play. I live in the mid-south....Our summers are always brutally hot but our winters typically dip down to single digits for a few days with an occasional winter that will get down to -5 when you factor in windchill...but again that is not most winters. ...just occasionally. I admit that this mechanic has forgotten more about Toyota's than I will ever know. He has a stellar reputation in town and has done very good work for us. I just can't quite figure this oil consumption thing out. I've never had a vehicle that I needed to top off between oil changes. Folks say not to stress over this because all modern cars with VVT and/or GDI do this and that it is "nornal" to have to top off in between oil changes....It just seem that "normal" is driving me a little crazy these days.

 

[EEE]

I get my redline from amazon. You can also get it from summit racing. In my case, for about 3000 miles I didn't have to add any oil to the redline. Then I noticed it started to consume. Guessing it is getting thinner with miles. By 5000 miles I end up adding about 0.8qt. I'm content with this for now. I will do 5k mile oil changes from now on.

 

[CobraKaiFan]

I get my redline from amazon. You can also get it from summit racing. In my case, for about 3000 miles I didn't have to add any oil to the redline. Then I noticed it started to consume. Guessing it is getting thinner with miles. By 5000 miles I end up adding about 0.8qt. I'm content with this for now. I will do 5k mile oil changes from now on.

Yep. Im at a half quarte top off at the 3k mark. I'm curious to see how much more I will need by the time I get to the 5k mark. I'll tell you another thing that I'm considering...Im thinking about going to a 5w-30 conventional with a 3,000 mile oil change interval. I hate to do it because I truly believe synthetic is better but it worked with all my Nissans back in the good ole days......Dino oil with a Nisaan filter. I say that but I recognize that that VVT/GDI are completely different from those old Nisaans..Switching to conventional is not what I want to do, but I would definitely do that b4 jumping to 10w-30.

 

[BAJA_05]

Yep. Im at a half quarte top off at the 3k mark. I'm curious to see how much more I will need by the time I get to the 5k mark. I'll tell you another thing that I'm considering...Im thinking about going to a 5w-30 conventional with a 3,000 mile oil change interval. I hate to do it because I truly believe synthetic is better but it worked with all my Nissans back in the good ole days......Dino oil with a Nisaan filter. I say that but I recognize that that VVT/GDI are completely different from those old Nisaans..Switching to conventional is not what I want to do, but I would definitely do that b4 jumping to 10w-30.

Thanks for the feedback, I personally would just go SuperTech Synthetic HM 5W30 and change it out at 3-4 thousand miles. Relatively cheap & not gonna hurt a thing changing out at that interval anyways. Sorry to hear you still have some consumption -- Redline is pricey but great oil. Hence, I said -- going the SuperTech route. Good luck & stay positive...

 

[CobraKaiFan]

Thanks for the feedback, I personally would just go SuperTech Synthetic HM 5W30 and change it out at 3-4 thousand miles. Relatively cheap & not gonna hurt a thing changing out at that interval anyways. Sorry to hear you still have some consumption -- Redline is pricey but great oil. Hence, I said -- going the SuperTech route. Good luck & stay positive...

Thanks BAJA. I might just do that. It's kind of like an experiment. I would love to get feedback from anyone who might have had a similar experience. I may try the Redline but it seems like the Valvoline Extended Protection is consuming less than the Mobil-1. Again, this is not a knock M1...after all It's been doing great in the 4Runner...I've had luck with Castrol products in the past with other Japanese vehicles so I may give it a shot to see how it stacks up to the improved results that I'm seeing with Valvoline. What would be even better than that is to see a study done by someone who is way smarter than me on these be GF-6 oils to determine if one brand seems to do better in fighting oil consumption issues. I'm told it's pretty common in modern cars.

 

[tcp71]

As stated, the VVT rubber oil line is known to leak and then explode, dumping all the oil in a matter of seconds and requiring a new engine in the 3.5 V6 of that year. Look closely and also check with the dealer if the updated hose has been installed. It is completely different than the 4Runner’s 4.0 litre or earlier 4 cylinder Ravs.

 

[CobraKaiFan]

As stated, the VVT rubber oil line is known to leak and then explode, dumping all the oil in a matter of seconds and requiring a new engine in the 3.5 V6 of that year. Look closely and also check with the dealer if the updated hose has been installed. It is completely different than the 4Runner’s 4.0 litre or earlier 4 cylinder Ravs.

I researched it. What I found was that it was indeed an issue with Rav's through 2009. I believe (and I could be mistaken) that the 2010-12's did not have that particular part. I've seen the part on some videos. It's partially metal on both ends with a rubber part in the middle....a terrible design. Mine is a 2010 but it probably couldn't hurt to check it out.

 

[allepunta]

my last change I added 200 ml of this additive to the mix. My car used to burn up to 1 1/2 liter per 10.000km.
I have running this oil for 7.000km now and has consumed about 300 ml of oil. No affiliation.

MANNOL Ester Additive

www.mannol.de