DJrepresent

Hi,



Typically after 7,000 miles my dipstick shows that there's no oil at all. If I add another quart, it shows that there is some. I'm not noticing any leaking below my car, and am using Mobile 1 Synthetic.


Anyone else experience this?

pyroman131

One thing you can do is trace the problem to the oil. You'll want to change your oil immediately, regardless of whether or not it is time to do so.

After you drain and install a new filter, add your oil making sure everything is tight and leak-proof at the drain plug and the oil filter. When you are satisfied and you check your oil level at first, start the car and give it a test run.

Let the car sit for about 10 minutes and then check the oil level again. Add as necessary. If you still notice a considerably low oil level, bring it in to the dealership. You either have a leak or its burning off somewhere.

Dam262a

iTrader: (2)

when was the last time u changed the oil?

TorneoDude

Yes.

I use my 2008 xB for business and have been using Mobil1 since brand new in May 2007 and then switched to Royal Purple sometime in 2009. I cannot change oil every 3,000-5,000 miles as I rack up 3,000 miles per month, so Ive use higher-mileage synthetics and change at about 10,000 miles or 3 mo.s; whichever comes first. I either use K&N or the OEM Toyota filters.

To-date, I never lost more than 1/2 - 3/4 qt. between oil changes.
I am at 114,000 miles.

However, about 2 weeks ago, as I downshifted and braked to a hard stop, my oil light came on and then went out again as I acccelerated. I checked the oil and found it 2 qts low! I added 2 qts of Royal Purple 0W-20 and have been monitoring the levels.

As of last night I was down by 1/2qt. Like you, I have no oil around the engine, underskirting, or driveway and no oil-smoke or soot at the exhaust. I am due to change the oil again on-schedule any day now and am hoping to get time this PM.

I will let you know if I see any changes.

PS: I also own 2x MR2 Spyders whose 1.8 liter VVT-i engines were notorious for problems with pre-cat decomposition and sudden increased oil consumption for no driver-apparent reason prior to engine failure, so I'll admit this sudden oil use has me a it concerned!

Jon

There's a TSB about it: https://www.scionlife.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=209859

xbscion

The catch to that TSB is you have to be under 60k and use more than 1 qt. in 1200 miles.

I'm at 63k and use about 1 qt. every 3k miles, I too use Mobile 1, 5w-20. I'm going to use 5w-30 next time and see if that helps slow the oil usage some.

Had my ignition coils taken care of yesterday with that recall.

Not too impressed with Scion's quality and the way they are handling this oil usage due to bad piston/rings.

Dam262a

iTrader: (2)

Maybe its the issue ur having? since we have the same engine

http://clubsciontc.com/forums/mainte...umption-44537/

RichBinAZ

The recommended oil is 5-30. The second number is the most important as it's the hot viscosity. If you want to use a 0-30, that is fine, just don't use a X-20 oil or thinner.

I would also recommend keeping an eye on the oil level and don't let it drop past the lower level. The oil light is set at around 5psi, so if that comes on you have lost oil pressure. With a low oil level, when you did a hard stop, the oil sloshed forward away from the sump pickup and you were pumping air around untill you got some more oil.

0-20 oil will give you lower system pressure when hot.

Running with a low oil level will overheat your oil and make the pressure even lower.

I am looking after 2 Scions and would say their quality is excellent, much better than our honda accord or previous chrysler products at the same mileage. Specially at this price point

Jon

I believe the 07+ 2AZ-FE calls for 5w20. 05-06 uses 5w30.

Turbo5upra

not the same engine but as a general rule I go 7k or 2 resets of the maintenance light on my 06 tc... first reset I add about a half a quart of oil. I have no precat. I run mobil1 5-30 and beat the snot out of the car daily... I have had a slight lifter tap since pretty much the start of using mobil... it's cheap and works but is usually nosier than other oils....

I do let the car warm up before driving it... I usually wait until the gauge is a quarter before moving the car and then at full for at least a few moments to let the whole engine get up to temp. Personal opinion is that most engine wear is from not getting a vehicle up to temp before driving it...

TrevorS

iTrader: (1)

I have a 2008 and it seems to me if the problem referred to by the TSB is real, then even if the oil consumption at low miles isn't chronic (as per their test), there remains a mechanical issue (apparently corrected with the newer piston and ring set). That suggests to me the owners manual recommended 0W-20 is probably a bad choice. I'm currently running 5W-20, but am thinking changing to 5W-30 next time is probably a good idea (currently 10.6Kmi). Just checked my level after ~5.6Kmi and it's roughly 1/4 qt down from the full mark -- still looks clean though!

Roller_Toaster

iTrader: (1)

I run Mobil 1 0w-30 in my xb now. Using 0w-20, I was usually about 1/2 qt low when I changed my oil every 5k miles. I'm at 99,280mi...

ScionFred

iTrader: (1)

FWIW, my boosted 08 has just over 50k miles and uses about 1/2 qt of M1 5w30 every 5k miles. IMO Toyota's recommendation of 0w20 is strictly for the slight increase in mpg over thicker oil. 0w30 or 5w30 are better choices for engine protection and reduced oil consumption.

To the OP: You should probably replace your PCV valve just in case it's sticking.

TrevorS

iTrader: (1)

OK, so I'm moving to 5W-30 on my next change, though it may include some left over 5W-20 to clean off the shelf. I don't much care what Toyota/Scion has to say, the health of my engine comes first and it's clear that expense is mine not theirs!

FromTheOld

Well, for anyone who's curious about this whole oil fiasco.....I've got a 2009 xB (bought in 2008 though) with 48000 miles. I'm using Pennzoil Platinum 5W-20 and I'm ~2500 miles into my oil change and it's still completely full. This doesn't really prove anything until I'm fully done with my oil change interval (5-8k miles), but I don't really know if you NEED to change to XW-30 unless you're really burning oil.

TrevorS

iTrader: (1)

I'm running M1 so I guess there's always the question of whether different brands tend to be consumed at different rates. My preference is slowing wear and if there's a design issue tending to accelerate it (perhaps varied by break-in procedure? I followed the manual!), then it seems to me the sooner I start fighting back, the better. I always ran 5W-30 M1 in my Eclipse and switched to 10W-30 High Mileage M1 around 125Kmi. I don't have a problem with doing the same with the xB2.

xbscion

I have 2k more miles before I need an oil change and that's when I'll try a 5w-30 oil. Some people have stated that they still burn oil after switching to a 5w-30 oil so it didn't make any difference. I'm going to try just a regular dino oil and if that helps/stops the oil burning then I'll try a 5w-30 syn oil for the next change.

It would be nice of Scion to explain the TSB and what exactly is wrong with the parts they put in the car so the car owner knows what to do. If it's something like the metal wasn't heat treated enough then I don't think that we have a prayer of stopping this oil consumption.

I remember owners having problems with the ignition coils and replacing them while others kept saying things like....bad luck or all parts wear out. Now that Scion has issued a recall for 08-09 xb's for their coils it makes more sense to why those unlucky owners were having problems before.

FromTheOld

Yeah, I don't know. Varied break-in procedure, general usage of car, or just plain luck has made my car totally fine for now. I'll probably plan on building my motor in the future anyway so this whole piston/piston ring assembly business will ultimately affect me.

The whole point of switching to a higher weight oil is to slow down burning because it's thicker. It's not like switching to higher weight oil will magically stop it from burning oil if it burns oil....anyways, if it starts to burn oil there's nothing you can do to stop it if it has anything to do with the pistons/piston rings as the TSB says. It could have to do with tolerances being loose in the assembly (because those are cheaper than tighter tolerances, obviously), which IMO, is the most likely explanation. Either way, it doesn't matter EXACTLY what it is...except that it is in the core of the engine. It's going to be impossible to fix without opening up the car.

xbscion

Exactly my point! If the tolerances are larger then the engine will use oil. If the parts are "defective" things will get worse in a hurry and continue escilating downward until the engine/car needs to be replaced. And if these tolerances didn't fall into the quality assurance inspector why did these engines leave the factory?

I thought that the days of machining engine part using CNC machines took out the varibles of, it's good enough, let's go home for the day!

kidd

it could be as simple, as the assembly of the rings on the pistons. wouldn't be the first time a recall happened. because some idiot wasn't paying attention to the orientation of the gap in the rings.