G-Man II, you might be right ... depending on the cooling capacity of the system when the thermostat is in wide-open position.
--- Bror Jace
--- Bror Jace
Go with 3000 for the "severe service" or about 4500 miles regular service. I would change oil at no more than 4 months regardless of miles. I tend to lean towards the 3 month 3000 with the dino oil regardless what the manual says. If you switch to synthetics you can stretch it to 6000 miles or more.quote:
Originally posted by kiko:
How far can Toyota factory oil go without shearing? I just received my service coupons in the mail the other day (2004 Sienna) and the dealer is recommending oil changes at 5k miles. However when we first purchased the car, we were told to bring it in at 3k miles. I even have the reminder sticker for my first free oil change at 3k miles. My question is which one should I follow? 3k oil changes or 5k with factory oil? Can factory oil go that far? Thanks.
I wouldn't use the Amsoil. It's not API certified, and therefore the dealer might use it as an excuse not to fix problem: "You didn't follow the manual. You have to use API oil."quote:
Originally posted by RussellA:
I own a 99 Avalon and received a letter last year about the new policy. I had been using Mobil 1 10w-30 ... I have currently switched to Amsoil Series 2000 0w-30
UNBELIEVABLE. What's the point of having an engine warranty if the Dealer/Manufacturer refuses to honor it? That's complete ********. Sometimes I wish I was a lawyer, so I could screw companies that don't honor their warranties.quote:
Originally posted by Shannow:
His best mate (same company) had a Camry v-6 that in spite of maintenance at the dealer in accordance with the manual, and using the dealer supplied oil died of bearing failure. Strip down showed sludge everywhere, and restricted oil flow to the bearings. Toyota charged him $6,500 for a remanufactured engine.
In other words a shorter water jacket, a jacket that is shorter than the total travel of the piston, is going to result in much hotter oil, and therefore, greater oxidation, leading to onset of sludging much sooner than if the water jacket were full length.quote:
Therefore, to study the effect of a reduced [water] jacket depth, a depth equal to a 60% stroke was modeled. This resulted in a 15 C increase in sump temperature, while the piston undercrown and ring temperatures increased by 33 C and 43 C repsectively. The predicted temperature of the oil leaving the undercrown of the piston also increased by 32 C, and the average bore wall temperature increased by 57 C. The direction of these temperature changes is consistent with expectations, as the shorter water jacket should lead to increased bore temperatures.....Also, if the [heat] energy is not leaving the the piston through the rings to the bore, then it must leave through the undercrown and end up in the oil.
quote:
Originally posted by frankioski:
My car is a 99 Camry CE, 5S-FE engine, no variable-valve timing, 109K miles (75% highway miles).
Someone mentioned i4 engines being affected, but is the 5S-FE engine prone to oil sludge?
The engine light has stayed on for over a week now. I've re-tightened the gas cap about 10 trips ago, and the engine light is still on. I changed oil every 7,500 miles, and started changing every 5,000 about three changes ago. 5W-30 oil was used about half the time (in the early years), but lately it's been 10W-30. My last oil change was about 4,000 miles ago with 10W-30, and I added about 1/2 quart 5W-30 about 1,000 miles ago--the oil cap looked clean then. (I've always noticed a very thin, clear gel-like layer of oil residue around the thread of the cap; I don't know what to make of it.) The car drives very smoothly; I sense no loss of power.
Could the engine just suddenly seize due to oil sludge while showing no performance symptoms beforehand?
Thanks.
From Toyota, the cars covered by their new replacement policy for oil gelling ( sludge)quote:
Someone mentioned i4 engines being affected, but is the 5S-FE engine prone to oil sludge?
I think this includes your car.quote:
1997 through 2002 Toyota and Lexus vehicles equipped with 3.0 liter V6 or 2.2 liter 4-cylinder engines
This can be about 160 different codes. Need to read the code with an OBD II code reader. Many autoparts places will do this for free. My 99 Avalon did this and it was the bank 1 sensor 1 O2 sensor heater circuit. Had to replace O2 sensor.quote:
The engine light has stayed on for over a week now. I've re-tightened the gas cap about 10 trips ago, and the engine light is still on.
I know on the V6 there is a plastic baffle in the valve cover under the oil fill opening, so I'm not so sure sludge would develop there even if you had a problem.quote:
I added about 1/2 quart 5W-30 about 1,000 miles ago--the oil cap looked clean then.
It seems from Toyota oil sludge forums the typical first symptom is blue smoke on start up. Unfortunately often at this point it at least requires tearing the engine down to clean (expensive).quote:
Could the engine just suddenly seize due to oil sludge while showing no performance symptoms beforehand?
I've tried using 10w40 in my '01 V6 Camry. I wanted better wear protection. But...it felt sluggish and after 2k the car was a little harder to start. Very small difference but noticeable.quote:
Originally posted by troy_heagy:
I'd stick to the Mobil 1 synthetic, 10W-30 (since you live in warm Georgia), and change every 3000 miles. Always keep fresh oil in the engine. Switching to a thicker synthetic like 10W-40 might help too since it has a higher flame point and can withstand the heat.
re: Additives. I think they are a bad idea. I wouldn't use them.
(Aside: I wonder if a diesel oil would be good? Since it's designed to hold soot in suspension, it might hold any sludge in suspension too.)
I've been trying to figure that out. Does someone have a friend at a Toyota Dealer Parts Department that could look on their parts schematics at the heads, head gaskets, valve cover, maybe block and see what changed from 96 to 97 to cause this problem, and see what may have changed from 2002 to the mid 2002 and after (v6) to fix the problem??quote:
It would be interesting to know if the water jacket(s) in the so-called "sludge-monsters" has been shortened with respect to other models that have not had sludging problems.
How do I locate the PCV valve?quote:
And I would replace the PCV valve immediately (should be an easy do-it-yourself).
Facing the front of the car on the V6 on the left top of the engine near the rear, almost sits on top of the rear valve cover and it has a hose with clip attached to it. Should be very noticeable.quote:
Originally posted by frankioski:
RusselA:
How do I locate the PCV valve?quote:
And I would replace the PCV valve immediately (should be an easy do-it-yourself).
Thanks.
This link to a pdf has a few diagrams of Toyota PCV. They look like 4 cylinders. Hopefully it will point you in the right direction. Might help to look at a few autoparts sites and find what your PCV looks likes so you know what you are looking for. Mine is a v6 so it is different than yours.quote:
RusselA:
quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
And I would replace the PCV valve immediately (should be an easy do-it-yourself).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
How do I locate the PCV valve?
Thanks.
Doing this right now. That must mean I'm paranoid too. It's better to be safe than sorry is what I say. I have the '04 Sienna and to keep up with the warranty I let the dealer change the oil every 3k miles but then I add a maintenance dose of auto-rx into the engine right after leaving the service area. Will probably go to the extent of changing out the dealer oil after 500 miles and replacing it with my preferred brand of oil just to help me sleep better at night. Might even have to use Mobil 1 but I'd hate to dump it every 3k miles. Any recommendations?quote:
I wouldn't use a "cheap" oil for more than 3-4K and I would use a cleaner to get the deposits out EVERY oil change. But that's just me..Joe paranoid.