2003 Toyota Highlander 2.4L oil consumption

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So the girlfriends Toyota I had noticed was burning oil. She was currently using whatever the oil change shops had put in. Assuming 5w-30 as per Toyota recommendation. I kept track of it and it was using a quart every 1000 miles.

Next oil change I put in some PP 5W-40 euro that I had from the autozone clearance. That cut oil consumption to 1 quart every 2000 miles.

Question is does anyone have experience with the 2.4l from Toyota? Is this a common issue?

Another note, the switch to 5w-40 doesn't seem to affect performance or fuel economy and no check engine light for the VVT either.
 
Known issue with that little engine. Mine is at 35k now and seems to be zero consumption using full synthetic. OCI 5k with supertech filters.
I think someone posted a TSB
 
Look at the timing chain cover and the tranny/engine bell housing for leaks. Could be rear main seal. I'm using HM 10w-40 in my old Rav4. It doesn't drip oil but has a lot of seepage. Maybe it burns oil, too. If I and I'm not tearing apart the engine you find out.
 
How many miles? I had a '06 never burned a drop then sold it at 90k...some did strip the head bolts, is it holding the coolant?
 
It's a known issue with sticking rings, gummed up ring lands, and oil return holes in the pistons that are too small/too few, and leaking valve stem seals, too. I have the same engine in an '02 Camry that my son drives. We have the same amount of consumption now, and have had it for the past 15K miles. Ours now has 260+K miles on it, so no real complaints. Now running synthetic HDEO 5w-40 (Rotella & Delvac 1), but the consumption seems about the same. A top end rebuild or engine swap is about 20hrs. labor, per my AllData subscription, so I can afford to buy a lot of oil for it. Bought the car from my MIL at 114K miles, and it annoys her that she sold it to me with so many miles left on it, so a ring job in the future might be worth it, just to keep it running.
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2006 toyota highlander 2.4 at 42k now miles, was my elderly mom's grocery-getter until we pulled her d.l. annual oil changes at dealership. no oil burning tho didnt realize is a "known issue."
 
It is a real defect and acknowledge by Toyota.
For the later model year, IIRC till 2008, they issue a Limited Service Warranty recall where they fix it for vehicle up to 150K miles or up to 10 years from service date.
I had a friend with a 2008 Rav4 that was covered, I discovered the issue just in the limited time she had at 135K miles so she only have 15K miles before it was up. The stealership fixed them.

Unfortunately, it does not cover a 2003.

Check with Toyota forum like Toyotanation about this and see what people have done.
 
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Originally Posted By: Leo99
Look at the timing chain cover and the tranny/engine bell housing for leaks. Could be rear main seal. I'm using HM 10w-40 in my old Rav4. It doesn't drip oil but has a lot of seepage. Maybe it burns oil, too. If I and I'm not tearing apart the engine you find out.

If you haven't tried it yet, slow Toyota engine seal leaks tend to respond well to ATP-205 Re-Seal.

Originally Posted By: bioburner
I think someone posted a TSB
Found it via the 2AZ-FE Wikipedia, which has a section on the issue.
TSB 0094-11
 
Originally Posted By: mooferz
Originally Posted By: Leo99
Look at the timing chain cover and the tranny/engine bell housing for leaks. Could be rear main seal. I'm using HM 10w-40 in my old Rav4. It doesn't drip oil but has a lot of seepage. Maybe it burns oil, too. If I and I'm not tearing apart the engine you find out.

If you haven't tried it yet, slow Toyota engine seal leaks tend to respond well to ATP-205 Re-Seal.

Originally Posted By: bioburner
I think someone posted a TSB
Found it via the 2AZ-FE Wikipedia, which has a section on the issue.
TSB 0094-11


tsb does not list highlander as an affected vehicle. my sister i herited my mom's highlander. hopefully we are good.
 
The car has 134k on it. I've looked underneath before and didn't see any leaks or seepage. Nothing on concrete underneath when parked.

I'm guessing that khittner is correct.

Anyone just change a filter then at oil changes? Adding a quart every 2000 with syn. or 1000 with conv. is replacing 1/4 the oil capacity.....

Another note: the catalytic converter had to be replaced a few months ago. Caused by burning oil?
 
Originally Posted By: Buzzinhalfdozen
The car has 134k on it. I've looked underneath before and didn't see any leaks or seepage. Nothing on concrete underneath when parked.

I'm guessing that khittner is correct.

Anyone just change a filter then at oil changes? Adding a quart every 2000 with syn. or 1000 with conv. is replacing 1/4 the oil capacity.....

Another note: the catalytic converter had to be replaced a few months ago. Caused by burning oil?


Using full SAPS oils like PP 5W40 Euro with an engine that burns oil certainly may have contributed to the premature death of your cat- although if it was on a steady diet of TGMO 5w30- typically a mid SAPS formulation resource conserving oil- would certainly slow down the effected cat being damaged. If the car does burn a lot of oil then it would be only a matter of time reagrdless of SAPS levels.

High SAPS levels are toxic to your cats- phosphorous is associated with this and when burned (among others) clogs/damages the cat. That is why there are mid and low SAPS oil out there- they are formulated with emissions systems longevity and efficiency in mind. Going with an ACEA C3 high HTHS 5w30/5w40 with low or mid SAPS levels will help with the oil consumption and prolong the life of your cats. Mobil 1 ESP 5w30, Motul 8100 X-clean products and if you can track down PP Euro L 5w30 (if that is what's called still) may be good choices for you. All of those oils will have excellent NOACK numbers and are ACEA C3 compliant for emissions equipment longevity.
 
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The PP 5W-40 euro was only the most recent change. Before that it was whatever 5w-30 the local shop uses. So I figure that burning 2 quarts over 2000 miles is worse than burning 1 quart of full saps oil over the same interval.
 
Originally Posted By: Buzzinhalfdozen
The PP 5W-40 euro was only the most recent change. Before that it was whatever 5w-30 the local shop uses. So I figure that burning 2 quarts over 2000 miles is worse than burning 1 quart of full saps oil over the same interval.


Gotcha. May be stepping up even further in grade may help you albeit it will be a full SAPS oil. Maybe going to a 5w50/15w50/10w60 might be worth trying out or how others have recommended, a HM 10w40. That is if you see real benefit to that in terms of oil consumption control. If you do get that under control and are not burning oil, that will help the cats too.

If you are worried about your failing cat situation and are ok with adding a quart of conventional oil every 1k miles, find the cheapest-high quality (look at the UOA section or PQIA for results) API SN 5w30 with the lowest sulfated ash % and call it a day.
 
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Higher viscosity oils actually made the consumption worse over time in those 2AZ engines, assuming the issue is in the piston rings. I would definitely try Valvoline Maxlife 5w30, either full synthetic or synthetic blend. It might slow down consumption by cleaning up the ring lands and will also refresh the valve seals, to eliminate that as a possible source of oil consumption. I have a vehicle with that engine, and so far have been blessed with zero oil consumption.
 
Some people (myself included) with vehicles with this problem (Saturn, Isuzu/Acura, Toyota, Mazda) have had success with piston soaks to clean things up. I have used that and kerosene flushes to reduce consumption.

The other thing that reduces consumption is very sturdy, high HTHS and low VII content oil. The oil gets trapped around the high-heat ring area for too long and breaks down. A high HTHS, fully synthetic 10w-30 would probably be your best bet to reduce consumption. M1 10w30 HM is what I find to work on mine. Thicker oils with more VIIs disappear quicker. A synthetic 5w-20 with little/no VIIs should work well too, probably (haven't tried it).
 
Oro_O what fluid do you use in your piston soak? I did some looking online and people seem to have success with MMO. I also have some FP plus and Lc20 that I use in the Jeep.
 
this is what a 4T piston looks like after ten years of TCW-3 in the fuel..may wnat to start the program.

 
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