oil consumption

[grampi]

My '99 Corolla made it to about 175K -180K miles before it started using oil between changes. When I first noticed it started to use oil it was only using about 1/2 qt every 6K (which is my OCI), but now the car has 223K and it's up to about 2 qts of consumption between oil changes. While using 2 qts every 6K miles still isn't bad, I guess what has me concerned is the fact that the engine used absolutely no oil between changes from the time it was new to about 180K and now the oil use period has occured just over the last 40K. I don't think I've ever owned a car where the engine basically shows no signs of wear for years and then all of a sudden just starts using oil and progressively and quickly gets worse like this car is doing. I also don't know why it's doing this as I haven't changed anything with my maintenance pratices. I still maintain it the same way I always have. I even switched from the normal 5-30 to a 10-30 in hopes it would slow consumption a bit, but no luck. If the consumption keeps progressively getting worse at it's current rate, this engine will be shot in 40K. Is this normal for the Toyota 1.8 liter, or does she have 300K in her?

 

[eagle23]

From my view, you have and are doing really, really well. A quart in 3k is, like, nothing. If I got to 300k using a quart in 1500, I'd be looking at high-fives all around :0).

That said, a couple of things come to mind. Check the obvious, like external leaks. Even a drip or two can add up. Replace the PCV valve (factory type) if you haven't already.

You may have a gradual varnishing of the rings over time. A round of MMO might be useful as a gentle cleaner, or even using the better synthetics (PP, PU, M1, etc).

The valve stem seals may be wearing. I might suspect them first, but they may not be worth the cost given the price of a quart of oil. At north of 200k, a lot of little things may be occuring but the way I hear it, the engine is very healthy.

 

[StevieC]

Originally Posted By: grampi
My '99 Corolla made it to about 175K -180K miles before it started using oil between changes. When I first noticed it started to use oil it was only using about 1/2 qt every 6K (which is my OCI), but now the car has 223K and it's up to about 2 qts of consumption between oil changes. While using 2 qts every 6K miles still isn't bad, I guess what has me concerned is the fact that the engine used absolutely no oil between changes from the time it was new to about 180K and now the oil use period has occured just over the last 40K. I don't think I've ever owned a car where the engine basically shows no signs of wear for years and then all of a sudden just starts using oil and progressively and quickly gets worse like this car is doing. I also don't know why it's doing this as I haven't changed anything with my maintenance pratices. I still maintain it the same way I always have. I even switched from the normal 5-30 to a 10-30 in hopes it would slow consumption a bit, but no luck. If the consumption keeps progressively getting worse at it's current rate, this engine will be shot in 40K. Is this normal for the Toyota 1.8 liter, or does she have 300K in her?


I would do a used oil analysis and see if your wear metals are high indicating a possible imminent engine failure.

If they are low but the fuel dilution is high it could be as simple as O2 sensors needing replacement or the MAF needing cleaning or something else related to fuel management like a leaky injector.

Excess fuel in the engine even if the mileage is somewhat normal could cause washing of the cylinder wall(s) and cause oil usage.

Don't give up on the engine yet.

I would make sure the MAF is clean as these have a tendancy to get dusty from their design.

 

[chad8]

I own 2 corollas with 200k+ . both burn some oil like a quart at 1000-2000 miles. Yes it is usually valve stem seals and varnished rings .Stay away from synthetics unless you like to burn more oil . Been there done that. A good dose of half a quart of mmo the last 1000 miles of an oil change will help at least temporarily as well as using it or lucas ucl in the gas. This regimen helped my 93 with 285000 reduce oil consumption in half. I also went to using a mixture of 50/50 15-40 delo and 5w20 or 30 (whatever I get cheap)or High Mileage oil to soften the valve seals . I also use a toyota brnad filter.Champion filters are decent too in that 1.8. The weight of oil depends on the season. It had very little effect on mileage , but my oil seems to stay clean longer due to less burning. A 99 is pre vvi so your motor has a great chance to make 300000 . That is why I am still driving mine. go to corolland for more info.

 

[Geo_Prizm]

Corollas 1998-2002MY are known for their oil burning issues, a design-related problem for these Corollas.The culprit is the stuck piston rings.It does not explain why burning increased suddenly...

http://www.carsdirect.com/toyota/corolla/repair/what-to-do-about-corolla-oil-consumption

 

[FL_Rob]

I believe your questioning not the total consumption ,but rather the rate of burnoff.The volitility of oil has a cascading effect and the shape of the oil pan itself(slightlty wider at the top) would share responsibilty for the appearance of'un-eveness'of consumption.

 

[Geo_Prizm]

Originally Posted By: chad8
A 99 is pre vvi so your motor has a great chance to make 300000 . That is why I am still driving mine. go to corolland for more info.

'98 and '99 are the worst of all, actually.They tried to correct the design problem later.
That is why people choose Corollas from 1993-1997 over 1998-1999-2000...

 

[OVERKILL]

When was the last time the PCV valve was changed?

Excessive crankcase pressure will force oil past the rings to be burned. Seen it on a couple different Ford 302's, whose consumption completely disappeared after the PCV screen was replaced.

 

[grampi]

I don't think the PCV valve has been replaced the entire time I've owned the car. I suppose that could be the problem, or at least a contributing factor.

What is mmo?

Chad8, why would you say my engine has a good chance of making 300K because it's a pre-vvi engine? The reason I'm asking is because when this Corolla dies I'm planning on replacing it with an '03 or newer Corolla which I know they all have the vvti engines. Are they no good, or are there known problems with them. If there is, I haven't heard of them.

 

[eagle23]

MMO is Marvel Mystery Oil. It's a gentle cleaner. Some here run it every oil change for the full run.

Sounds like the PCV (again, buy the factory one from the dealer...seems to work better), then maybe some MMO if the results don't change.

 

[chad8]

Originally Posted By: grampi
I don't think the PCV valve has been replaced the entire time I've owned the car. I suppose that could be the problem, or at least a contributing factor.

What is mmo?

Chad8, why would you say my engine has a good chance of making 300K because it's a pre-vvi engine? The reason I'm asking is because when this Corolla dies I'm planning on replacing it with an '03 or newer Corolla which I know they all have the vvti engines. Are they no good, or are there known problems with them. If there is, I haven't heard of them.


Contrary to some one on this board , I believe that the 98 and 99 motors , although not as good as the 93-97 motors were made before variable valve timing and do not suffer from the oil burning caused by multiple problems like the late 2000-2002 motors.
Their problems are more related to the changing the displacement to 1.8 and increasing the horsepower .The motor revs a little higher and was subject to abuse from owners who thought the car was a racer.
They really have no real internal issues if taken care of and remember that we are talking about a motor that should last 200000 miles and can last 300000 without major trouble if the oil is changed along with timing belts(tensioner) and a water pump 180000. Lets see any other motor in the history of auto manufacturing that can match that longevity other than the toyota 3.0 in the 98-2000 sienna.
The 2000-2002 motors had tons of problems with oil control rings and valve seals failing from 60000-120000 miles. If you did get a good one from that era , they do last 200000. That is about their limit. VVI helped give wonderful gas mileage in the 40 mpg range at the expense of a longer life.
The newer toyota's from 2003-2007 on are about average in repairs and life . I would pick a hyundai over a toyota in the last 5 years for longevity. I have owned at least 7 toyota's and have watched their quality slip to the point that I am buying Fords again. The last test drive of a 2009 was a disaster. The car shook so bad we had to bring it back after 10 minutes.I called Toyota corporate to let them know about it and nothing was ever done. The next thing I see is the recalls. I can see why. Quietly , the American cars have surpassed the Japanese again. If you drive my dads mkz , you can see and feel why.

 

[grampi]

Originally Posted By: chad8
Originally Posted By: grampi
I don't think the PCV valve has been replaced the entire time I've owned the car. I suppose that could be the problem, or at least a contributing factor.

What is mmo?

Chad8, why would you say my engine has a good chance of making 300K because it's a pre-vvi engine? The reason I'm asking is because when this Corolla dies I'm planning on replacing it with an '03 or newer Corolla which I know they all have the vvti engines. Are they no good, or are there known problems with them. If there is, I haven't heard of them.


Contrary to some one on this board , I believe that the 98 and 99 motors , although not as good as the 93-97 motors were made before variable valve timing and do not suffer from the oil burning caused by multiple problems like the late 2000-2002 motors.
Their problems are more related to the changing the displacement to 1.8 and increasing the horsepower .The motor revs a little higher and was subject to abuse from owners who thought the car was a racer.
They really have no real internal issues if taken care of and remember that we are talking about a motor that should last 200000 miles and can last 300000 without major trouble if the oil is changed along with timing belts(tensioner) and a water pump 180000. Lets see any other motor in the history of auto manufacturing that can match that longevity other than the toyota 3.0 in the 98-2000 sienna.
The 2000-2002 motors had tons of problems with oil control rings and valve seals failing from 60000-120000 miles. If you did get a good one from that era , they do last 200000. That is about their limit. VVI helped give wonderful gas mileage in the 40 mpg range at the expense of a longer life.
The newer toyota's from 2003-2007 on are about average in repairs and life . I would pick a hyundai over a toyota in the last 5 years for longevity. I have owned at least 7 toyota's and have watched their quality slip to the point that I am buying Fords again. The last test drive of a 2009 was a disaster. The car shook so bad we had to bring it back after 10 minutes.I called Toyota corporate to let them know about it and nothing was ever done. The next thing I see is the recalls. I can see why. Quietly , the American cars have surpassed the Japanese again. If you drive my dads mkz , you can see and feel why.


I agree about the newer cars and if I were looking to buy new I too would probably go for a domestic. However, when it comes time to replace the Corolla, I'll be looking to spend somehwere in the neighborhood of $6K-$7K on a replacement vehicle. That price range should put me smack in the middle of about an '04-'06 Corolla. I'm assuming you're referring to pre-98 models when you're talking about timing belts as I've been told the '98 and newer models have timing chains.

 

[hypervish]

My 91' Corolla had made it to 302,000 miles. It only consumed about a quart every 5,000 miles. Which is amazing. It started to consume oil after the 200k mark. But never more than a quart in 5,000 miles.

 

[Eddie]

Time to do a Auto-RX clean-up of the ring pack.

 

[meep]

i drove a jeep 4.0 with ~240k on the original engine. it needed a quart every 2 weeks (800 miles). started every day. i felt horrible about the pollution. 1 qt every 3k would be very respectable by even new car standards over the past decade, for some manufacturers.

M

 

[StevieC]

Originally Posted By: Eddie
Time to do a Auto-RX clean-up of the ring pack.
There goes this thread...

 

[addyguy]

I'd say your car is doing great. At 240k, a quart every 3k is basically nothing for consumption.

If you want to try and fix it, I'd start adding MMO to your oil. Add a quart to an oil fill, and even top-off with MMO for one fill. That may help clean things up a bit, and it's inexpensive.

Don't worry about the engine - it will go 300k or more easily!

 

[grampi]

Originally Posted By: Eddie
Time to do a Auto-RX clean-up of the ring pack.


I used that stuff once in a different car. It did absolutely nothing.