Hi,


I notice that every 3,000 miles or so the dipstick reports that it's short and after 7,000 miles it reports there is no oil. When I change the oil there is some that empties out but I'm worried about it shortening. I only use Mobile 1 5w-20. I do refill it periodically and typically don't go more than 10k miles without changing.

Anyone else have this problem? I'm thinking that maybe I can avoid a formal oil change if I just keep refilling but want to hear what you think.

 

If the engine is getting older, start changing it every 5k. I have always stuck to 5k intervals running Mobil synthetics on all of my cars from day one. None of my cars burned off any significant amount in that time frame, even after 100k. 5w-20 is thin oil and will burn off or blow by the rings enough on a slightly worn engine to drop the oil level by the 3k mark. Even if it is a quart low at the 3k mark, the engine will continue to serve you for a while. Just continue to keep an eye on it and fill it up as necessary. As long as you have no kind of excessive engine noise, I would not sweat it. You could have a compression test to check the condition of your rings. Also check for external leaks and check the coolant for signs of oil contamination, that would mean a gasket failure or crack in the block somewhere.

 

the same thing was happening to a buddy of mine who has a 08 tc. he ended up seizing the motor, but luckily it was still under warranty and toyota took care of everything.

 

I did take it to Toyota and they said that something like this isn't covered under the powertrain warranty even though it was under 50,000 miles at the time.

I don't notice any spills underneath my car and it has around 60,000 miles on it.


Any thoughts?

 

You may want to consider switching to 5W-30. The 30W should provide much better warm engine protection and last longer in the crankcase. You may also want to consider never going as long as 10Kmi, perhaps 8Kmi max between changes. In any case, it's necessary to keep an eye on the oil level.

 

I'm with Trevor on the 5w30 and unless you're running M1 extended performance or a similar extended change synthetic oil, it should be changed at 5k miles, not 10k. Although synthetic oil might not break down at 5k miles, the standard additive package might. As for simply adding oil instead of changing it every 5k miles, it's a very bad idea. Don't do that!

 

By the way, I think your question is better suited for either the "Owners Lounge" or the "Drivetrain & Power" sub-forum. "Aero & Exterior" seems just a bit of a reach !

 

The oil cap says to only use 0w-20 or 5w-20. I did use 5w-30 once and it ran fine, but my mechanic said to use what the vehicle specifies.

Anyways, I took it to my Toyota dealership and they said that it's normal for the oil to get used up by the engine. So I don't think that adding a bit of oil here and there is a bad thing, and I'll definitely get a full change every 10k miles or sooner.

Yes, you're right, can I request a mod to move it? Who can I ask?

 

Suit yourself.

 

I'm a lube tech at toyota and I can tell you that those camry motors burn oil like crazy, there's no leaks but it'll just burn off oil. Best thing to do is check your oil level frequently and add as needed.

The main weakness these motors are known for are the water pump and oil burning.

 

I agree about the water pump but it appears to me that only a small percentage of 2AZ-FE engines burn any appreciable amount of oil. Mine has never burned more than 1/2 qt in 5,000 miles during the 5 years and 55,000 miles I've owned it. It's even been turbocharged for 30,000 of those miles. There's a poll on the subject that suggests that excessive oil burning is rare, not common.