Toyota Corolla very low oil level. Damaged?

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My son has a 2002 Corolla with 170,000 miles on it. I normally change the oil in it using MaxLife 5w20.

He did not bring it by for a change for 8 months or so, and I assumed he took it to a "Quick-Change" to get it done.

He was by yesterday and asked about me changing it soon being he was at the 5,000 OCI. I said sure and pulled the dipstick. There was a tiny bit oil on the bottom of the stick.

I drained what was left in the pan (~1.3 qts) and replaced oil and filter.

What is the likelihood of the engine being damaged running it nearly 3 qts low for sometime?
 
Wow, it used that much oil in 5K miles? That in itself is not good. I'd switch to a 10W-30 full synthetic in an attempt at consumption mitigation.

Without an oil pressure gauge to indicate a lower pressure after the event, and any illumination of the low oil pressure light, and absent any new engine noise, I'd guess it's fine.
 
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When was the last time your PCV was changed? I have seen Corolla engines go through oil like poop through a goose. The PCV is then changed and consumption is practically eliminated. It seems around the 150-200K mark is when this happens if the PCV was never changed. Or if a garbage aftermarket PCV was put on.
 
Although the 2002 Corolla may[MAY] have been backed spec'd for 5W20. However, with nearly 200K miles I would strongly consider a 5W30 MaxLife or as Cujet mentioned, a 10W30.

1+ qts of oil in the crankcase was obviously enough to lubricate the engine so no harm was done however, 4+ qts are better.
smile.gif
 
I wouldn't worry about it too much unless it's been happening regularly.

Why are you using 5w-20? The owner's manual called for 5w-30 when it was brand new. The new oil chart might allow for 20-weights, but you're asking for trouble here.

Fill it with Maxlife 10w-40, or at the very least 5w-30, and instruct him on the need to check the oil level.
 
Originally Posted By: Cujet
Wow, it used that much oil in 5K miles? That in itself is not good. I'd switch to a 10W-30 full synthetic in an attempt at consumption mitigation.


Yeah, it started consuming oil at about 130k. I will switch to what you recommend next OCI.

It did run fine and he drove it home. I told him to be a bit more diligent.
 
Considering everything including vehicle age and miles, my thought would be change the oil and filter and drive it. Unless actually seeing something specific or hearing something pointless imo to speculate on damage. Don't beat yourself up, imo probably no damage.

Going forward, try to impress on your son it's now imperative on him to check the oil level more often. Might want to even give him a specific time frame. Been there done that with a daughter's vehicle. As noted, might want to change the PCV valve if not done in some time.
 
Originally Posted By: fxrider
he drove it home didn't he? its fine. Toyota`s are tough..


If the engine is still running without any other adverse effects, then it's likely that the engine will continue to run fine.

HOWEVER, running the engine that low on oil came with a very high risk of causing additional wear. It's already consuming. It will likely continue to do so, and may be worse now that it was run that low for who knows how long.

If your son doesn't get in the habit of checking the oil and adding as necessary, this engine will not be long for this world.
 
Originally Posted By: Sayjac
Considering everything including vehicle age and miles, my thought would be change the oil and filter and drive it. Unless actually seeing something specific or hearing something pointless imo to speculate on damage. Don't beat yourself up, imo probably no damage.

Going forward, try to impress on your son it's now imperative on him to check the oil level more often. Might want to even give him a specific time frame. Been there done that with a daughter's vehicle. As noted, might want to change the PCV valve if not done in some time.



+1

And leave him a few quarts for top off. I would change oil, filter, check air filter, swap pcv and use 10w40 HM oil. Those cars were known to burn oil.
 
Have you ever changed the chain tensioner o-ring? Check to see if you are leaking there. My corolla didn't burn or leak oil and then one day it was suddenly down 1.5 qts.
 
The "to little too late" oil light triggers when pressure gets below 10 pounds which might be OK at idle but not at 65 MPH. When my son started driving he was given a V6 Camry, and he's watched me check oil long enough to know what to do. He's still got the car and it runs fine.
 
Thanks all for the very good advice!

I will just go ahead and replace the PVC (it has never been replaced, and switch to a higher viscosity syth' oil.

I told him the car could get to 200k if he checked the oil level much more often and carry a couple of qts with him.
 
My neighbors son ran his Lincoln LS totally out of oil and luckily saw the light and shut it down. Being destitute, he wound up using cooking oil in the thing just to get moving again. Drove it back home, over 100 miles with Wesson in the crankcase. He even went through a drive thru to get something to eat!
Back home his father and I changed the oil when he got in and I was quite surprised to see it had appeared to do some cleansing. If it loosened up any sludge I suppose that " additivized " the Wesson. We refilled with Castrol GTX 10w40 that his dad had on hand for his mowers and the thing ran fine.
I don't think you have anything to worry about.
 
As everyone else has suggested, new pcv valve, and switch back to 5w-30. I would cut open the oil filter to see what's inside. That engine is tough, so I wouldn't worry about it.
 
You're good. I bought one of these with about 1/3 quart of mud that was ticking while I drove it.
 
Another vote for 5w30. Probably no damage, just drive it. Educational opportunity for negligent son!
 
Originally Posted By: double vanos
My neighbors son ran his Lincoln LS totally out of oil and luckily saw the light and shut it down. Being destitute, he wound up using cooking oil in the thing just to get moving again. Drove it back home, over 100 miles with Wesson in the crankcase. He even went through a drive thru to get something to eat!
Back home his father and I changed the oil when he got in and I was quite surprised to see it had appeared to do some cleansing. If it loosened up any sludge I suppose that " additivized " the Wesson. We refilled with Castrol GTX 10w40 that his dad had on hand for his mowers and the thing ran fine.
I don't think you have anything to worry about.

Shenanigans.
 
5w20 is too thin for that engine. It'll only consume it that much faster.

Use any decent synthetic in 5w30 which is what's on the cap. Over time, that's what helped reduce the consumption in my wife's '02 Corolla from 1.5qt/3k to less than .5qt/3k.
 
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