Corolla Burning Oil...

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Hi everybody,
I have a Corolla with 235,000 miles on it that burns a quart of 5w-30 every 300-500 miles. It has good compression in all cylinders and so I assumed it was the valve guide seals/lifters and that if I rebuilt the head I'd get good results. Nope. Just spent $1650 and it still burns about the same amount of oil. Looks like I'm going to eventually rebuild the block too. Probably the oil rings eh? I just put Castrol 10w40 in it as prescribed by the machine shop to slow the burning. Any helpful thoughts?
 
Try a high mileage oil in the meantime and change pcv..maybe also look for a rebuilt or used motor . is thr rest of the car in good shape? IE the front end and tranny?
 
Try 10W30 , our Vibe with the 1ZZFE burns it a lot less than the 5W30.
You have a ring issue . PCV valve might help a bit too.
 
If pcv replace and piston soak doesn't help, start saving money for a rebuild or used engine. I use 10w30 in mine
 
My '02 Camry's 2.4 liter 4-cylinder has 244K on it and was burning a quart every 1K miles. I switched to Rotella T6 synthetic 5W-40, and ran a bottle of Amsoil engine/tranny flush in the crankcase immediately before the last oil & filter change. I still get the telltale blue puff at cold start-up that I assume is from leaking valve stem seals, but I think the majority of my oil consumption issue is caused by sticky rings. I don't know whether it was the flush, or the heavier and more detergent Rotella, but I'm now getting about 1700 miles per quart of oil. YMMV.
 
Originally Posted By: Bud_One
Try 10W30 , our Vibe with the 1ZZFE burns it a lot less than the 5W30.
You have a ring issue . PCV valve might help a bit too.


Yep...
 
What were the compression figures like before the rebuild ??

Castrol GTX 10w40 is not a high mileage oil, their GTX 15w40 is.

Some engines will burn more oil during running in, but if it is burning more than before the rebuild make sure the crank case vent is not blocked. If that is clear (Google balloon test etc) and that the oil does not show signs of mayo or coffee cream, then I would go talk to the rebuild artists again.
 
Originally Posted By: Mr Nice
Just add oil and drive it till she blows up.


+1. Unless the rest of the car is so pristine, rust free and never saw a drop of rain, that its worth throwing more money into it, Id do just this.

Find a cheaper oil with low SAPS, and run it. Supertech is probably a good bet. Go up in viscosity a bit to 10w-30 or even try 20w-50, the Zn and P in them is all the same, unlike some oils where they allow higher ZDDP above 30wt.
 
The cylinders tested at 180 per cylinder give or take a few pounds. The machine shop owner said to not use high mileage oil because he didn't believe in it. He said to go with Castol 20-50 but the mechanic said I'd better not do that cuz it was getting to be colder now here in the NC mtns. He said just do Castrol 10-40 so that's what I did. We'll see how much it helps. (It doesn't make sense to add an oil that makes the valve seals expand now that the seals are new right? The whole head is rebuilt and done by a top notch machine shop with high recommendations by all.)
You see, the car is in decent shape with no dents. It has a solar system built into it, it hauls my trailer, I can sleep in it and I really love how it handles and the great visibility and more. Heck, a whole lot of the car has been replaced now. Just got a new windshield too. For $2600 more I can have the whole block rebuilt including labor.
I already replaced the PCV valve. It's not that.
 
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It's a 93. I've replaced a lot of things in the car and it's really a great all-round vehicle. I'd just have to get another one and start replacing stuff all over again - either that or buy a new car and pay out my a__ monthly.
 
Yea, I'm just going to pay the mechanic & machine shop to go ahead to do the block too. It's another $2600. They're right next to the Toyota dealer and I the mechanics there highly recommend them.
 
You sound really familiar, have you been around here before?

Originally Posted By: BrettLee
The cylinders tested at 180 per cylinder give or take a few pounds. The machine shop owner said to not use high mileage oil because he didn't believe in it. He said to go with Castol 20-50 but the mechanic said I'd better not do that cuz it was getting to be colder now here in the NC mtns. He said just do Castrol 10-40 so that's what I did. We'll see how much it helps. (It doesn't make sense to add an oil that makes the valve seals expand now that the seals are new right? The whole head is rebuilt and done by a top notch machine shop with high recommendations by all.)
You see, the car is in decent shape with no dents. It has a solar system built into it, it hauls my trailer, I can sleep in it and I really love how it handles and the great visibility and more. Heck, a whole lot of the car has been replaced now. Just got a new windshield too. For $2600 more I can have the whole block rebuilt including labor.
I already replaced the PCV valve. It's not that.
 
Originally Posted By: BrettLee
Yea, I'm just going to pay the mechanic & machine shop to go ahead to do the block too. It's another $2600. They're right next to the Toyota dealer and I the mechanics there highly recommend them.


Trollin'?

For $2600, you could find a nicer car that doesn't burn oil.
 
$1,650 + $2,600 = $4,250 spent on a 23 year old Corolla with 235,000 miles on it!?

Sell it and cut your losses. You could probably get $1,500 for it, so $1,500 plus $2,600 you'd spend on the engine rebuild is $4,150 you'll have to spend on something decent.
 
Originally Posted By: kschachn
Starts with a J...

No, no, I didn't say that.

Where's Bandito440 when you need him?


I don't think so.

Said person wouldn't have paid a machine shop to do work. It would have been bottles of blue devil, restore, whatever else could have been thrown at it.
 
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