Oil consumption
 

Recently there have been some reports of higher than expected oil consumption from a few members here. There is a TSB out covering certain Toyota models that use the 2AZ-FE engine and I believe there was talk to the effect that the TSB may be extended to cover certain Scion models as well. In order to qualify for the TSB you need to consume 1 qt of oil every 1200 miles. I'm curious to know what level of oil consumption SL members are experiencing. If your engine has more than 100,000 miles and you vote in the poll, please add a post giving your actual mileage. Please choose the answer closest to your average oil consumption between oil changes. Thanks for participating.

*Edit: If you submit a poll entry for unusually high consumption such as 1 qt every 3000 miles or less please post some details about your situation. E.g., miles, oil used, oil change interval, engine mods, etc.

Zero comsumption after 53k miles. Ive even run up to 10,000 miles between an oil change. I guess I've been lucky.

2010 5 speed w/~38k.....uses about 1/4-1/2 qt of 0W20 between 5k oil change intervals....has done this since I bought it brand new Feb. 2010.

Just traded in my 2008 with +98k miles. It had Mobil 1 5W20 full synth oil changes every 5k miles (starting at 15k after the first 2 freebies) and the last couple of oil changes it had burned about 1/2 qt. by the looks of the dipstick.

Wow, KoolBox has some serious issues with either his engine or posting in polls! If you're really using 1 qt every 1,000 miles you should get to your dealer ASAP for new pistons and rings.

Question...would either a gutted or removed catalytic converter cause an XB to consume more oil?

48k miles, going strong without sipping any oil.

130 views and only 5 legitimate poll entries? All it takes is a click of your mouse people!

I'm at only 10Kmi and am planning to drag out my 5K synthetic 5W-20 change to 8Kmi. I see maybe 1/4 quart loss, but I'll wait a bit longer before making any statement. However, I seriously encourage everyone to respond and honestly to this poll. I believe it's intended to benefit us all from clearer understanding of what we are dealing with -- a real concern!

I don't see how. Common things that contribute to increased oil consumption are a clogged PCV valve, a dirty air filter, over-filled crankcase and thin synthetic oil like the 0w20 that Scion recommends.

I have a theory about something that may be contributing to this relatively new problem from a very old and proven engine. I believe that for MY 2007 Toyota added oil squirters that squirt oil on the bottoms of the pistons for additional lubrication and cooling. Much of this extra oil likely ends up on the cylinder walls and if the oil rings are not working 100% this could easily lead to increased oil burning. I believe this might be even more so with synthetic oil since synthetics cling to metal better and whatever the rings don't remove from the cylinder walls will be burnt during the next combustion stroke.

The ultimate problem is still the oil rings not adequately scouring oil from the cylinder walls but I believe that the oil squirters may exacerbate the condition. Perhaps this is why only 2007 models and newer are covered by the TSB.

Anyway, if you're burning 1 qt every 3000 miles that's certainly not the norm. Can you post more details about your car? Engine mileage, oil used, filters, oil change interval, etc.? Last time PCV valve and air filters were changed? Thanks.

2008 XB, 97K, 10W40 Castrol Syntethic, changes every 5K, Fram Filters, new air filter and PCV changed in September.

Let me know if there is any more info that can help you help me.

Thanks in advance

Sorry but no useful suggestions, only a few more questions. Did it always use that much oil or has consumption increased with mileage? Does your engine leak any oil? At 97k it's not uncommon for the front and/or rear crank seals to start leaking and even rubber valve cover gaskets harden and shrink over time allowing some leakage.

1 qt per 3k miles isn't great but I had a 87 Mustang GT that used 1 qt per 3k miles from new until I sold it at 60k miles. It was common for that 302 engine and the only potential problem was forgetting to check and add oil as necessary.

I got the car from a dealers auction at around 86K. https://www.scionlife.com/forums/sho...ighlight=mauby...Owned Toyota's before and built many a car but the oil consumption of this XB puzzles me. I've replaced the valve cover gasket and there is no leakage on my garage floor. One question..is the TC valve cover the same as the XB? If you checked the link out you will see that the car came with a broke valve cover and I could only find a TC one at the time. The only difference I did notice is that I couldn't use the plastic oil baffle that appears to come under the stock valve cover. Do you think that might have anything to do with the excessive oil consumption? Curios cause I'm running out of ideas. No blue smoke of any kind from the exhaust but I do see a black line below the exhaust on my garage floor as if when when I step on the accelerator oil is coming out.

I'm puzzled...but I do love the car.

Thanks again

Other than Gen1 xB i have 08 RAV4 with 2AZ-FE motor. I have to add more than a quart of Mobil1 5w20 between the oil changes. The engine has 55K miles now and for first 10K i used Castrol GTX- it didn't loose any oil with that. It also has an oil pan leak but not enough to cause noticeable loss of oil. I'm taking it to the dealer while it's under warranty for the water pump (started leaking) and gas pedal recall, so i'll see what they say about the oil consumption.

the dealer is going to tell you that using oil in between changes is normal, especially w/ 55k on the engine...

I could probably argue with that but what am i gonna win? TSB calls for replacing rings and pistons. Do i want dealeship techs tear the motor apart and put it together? Probably not. If Toyota were replacing the motor under warranty i would push for it, otherwise i'll keep adding oil. I hope it contaminates the catalytic converter before the 100K miles warranty runs out so i at least get that new from them later.

I'm not positive, but I believe the cat is only warrantied to 80k miles in Cali, and I don't think it's covered beyond that even if you have a 100k extended service agreement.

Yes, you are right- it's 8 years/80K miles but since it's the Federal Warranty it doesn't matter what state you are in.

Assuming that you don't have complete service records for the first 86k miles, your present oil consumption could easily be related to poor servicing before you bought it (or not). Another possibility is that TC valve cover. They are not interchangeble, although they are very simiilar. The main purpose of that oil baffle is to prevent oil from being sucked into the engine through the PCV system. Running without it almost certainly is causing some or all of your excess oil consumption. I highly recommend finding a XB VC to replace the TC one. Another potential problem with a TC VC is that the coil packs are also different. I know of one member who cracked a XB coil pack by installing it into a TC VC which takes a slightly shorter coil pack.


This is JMO, although shared by many others with better credentials than my own, but I dislike *w20 motor oils for DD use. If you're racing and looking for every last HP, running a large capacity dry-sump system and rebuilding every few thousand miles, *w20 is great stuff but when your goal is 200k+ miles of grocery getting, *w30 is still the best oil.

I agree, w20 is really thin but that's what it calls for on the oil cap. I will probably put w30 next time and see if anything changes. I run 30 weight in my xB1 and it doesn't use any oil at all at more than 80K miles.

I sincerely believe that w30 will reduce your oil usage. The only thing you might lose is some miniscule reduction in MPG.

Last year I bought my daughter a 97 Geo Prizm with 80k miles on it. I made the mistake of adding 5w20 M1 oil, leftover from when I ran it in my XB. It used about 1 qt every 2k miles but only 1 qt every 5k miles since switching to 5w30 dino.

I was thinking along the same lines. But unfortunately I cannot find any XB's in the junkyards or online to get another VC. Thanks for your input.

Until you find a XB VC you could install a catch can to capture some of the oil before it enters the manifold and cylinders. It would also give you a good idea of how much oil is being sucked through the PCV valve without that VC baffling.

You're always welcome and thank you for voting in the poll. 547 views, 21 posts, 10 valid votes and one invalid. UFB...

tell you what, when we pulled my engine apart 2 to 3 days ago we noticed some virtical scratches that you could feel with your nail on the cylinder walls. That is a guaranteed reason why some of you are losing oil are because of those small scratches. A Toyota mechanic of 15 years (master Rank) Told me he has seen this a couple times and will definatly be the cause of burning oil and it will slip through those scratches. Just saying :flame:. However if burning a little oil is the worst i have to suffer for a motor that will go 400k easy :wink: i can not complain that much. Just need to watch oil level.

Well, for anyone who's interested, I'm at 50k miles. It's 5000 miles and not a single drop of oil has been consumed. I'm running Pennzoil Platinum 5W-20.

As far as the Scratches, its from Running low on oil. Mine are very minimal i barely burn any gas (70k miles on it now) But that is definatly the main reason with our engines why they burn oil. Like i said before if thats the worst, for a motor that will last 400k ill take it.

you are 100% dead on Fred. It will limit your burning by quite a bit going to a thicker oil, and will not hurt anything at all. This is from Toyota Regional, and the Mechanics.

Just to be clear, did you accidentally run your engine low on oil to cause the scratches or are you saying that the engine has an oiling problem that results in cylinder wall scratches? In any case I feel a lot better having the superior film strength of 5w30 protecting vital components than the sewing machine-thin 0w20 oil that Toyota, et al have started recommending for slightly improved mpg.

It's good to hear Toyota acknowledging this fact. What convinced me was the fact that nothing in the engine has changed since Toyota recommended 5/10w30. Time to put those "closer tolerances" theories to rest.

I chose <1qt over 5Kmi; however, I have less than 12K on the car. In any case, it's my intention to go 5W-30 with my next oil change (currently running 5W-20 Mobile One). The single most important thing to me is the welfare of my drive-train, any cylinder scratches whatsoever are unacceptable :(! Perhaps any delay is a mistake?

I dont lose enough to notice much difference on the dipstick :)
Mobil 1, 0w20 I had used Castrol EDGE 0w20 once as it used to be much cheaper, at least at that one time i purchased oil.
EDIT: 99k miles

0 / 20 synthetic is where the burning has been happening. Our car calls for 5 / 20 synthetic or regular, why use something thinner than what the car recommends?

Some have no problems using lighter Weight however Some do, all depends on how your cylinder walls are and if you have any grooves =P

Going thicker 5/30 in theory should actually be better for your car, as it will not break down as easy, more Lube. Might lose a 1/4 mile of a gallon but well worth it for the long life of the motor. These blocks are known for having minor ( Vertical )scratches in the cylinder walls, from the horses mouth. We also had a second engine block and it had the same thing, both blocks had about 60k miles. Again not a huge problem however its something to be aware of and always make sure you check your oil every other gas change and use 5/20 or heavier, and your motor will last you 400k miles no problem with minimal oil burning =)

Sounds good to me :)!! Drive-train health is definitely more important to me than absolute MPG. I used to run my Eclipse 4G63 on 5W-30 Mobil One, but as it approaches 130Kmi, I've switched to 10W-30 High Mileage. Most people don't seem to keep cars, but my inclination is to keep them running as long as I reasonably can :)!

FYI this poll is not anonymous so everyone can easily see who is casting votes by clicking on the vote #.

Koolbox and youngflier both owe everyone an explanation for why they claim to be burning 1 qt every 1,000 miles. Your claims are absurd and unbelievable without explanation.

i should also at least explain my poll, i was burning 1.5 to 2.5qts every 9,k miles on 0/20 1QT every 9k miles on 5/20. So i use 5/20 or 5/30 now =) As our car does call for 5/20

i wish i could edit, because i should be 1 of those 12.

I stumbled across a thread which helps to explain Youngflyer's vote:

https://www.scionlife.com/forums/sho...22&postcount=1

Apparently he bought a used TC with a blown supercharger and he states that it "leaks 2 qts between oil changes". That's only 1 qt every 2500 miles but in any case this poll wasn't intended to include abused, worn out used TC's with blown supercharger seals.

the owners manual states 0w20 all year round and recommends for fuel mileage. It is still a 20 weight oil when hot for either one. And using synthetic i do not worry about it "breaking down".

The only difference between synthetic 0w20 and 5w20 is that 0w20 flows ever so slightly better at very cold temperatures making it a good choice for those living above the artic circle. It's also worth noting that 10w30 synthetic actually flows better than conventional 5w20 when cold. Syn 5w20 is actually no better at protecting your engine than 0w20 and won't affect oil consumption.

Also, scratched cylinder bores are not normal wear and have nothing to do with the Toyota TSB for excessive oil consumption. Scratched cylinder walls are caused by dirt, debris, over-heating or oil starvation. This reminds me of when I bought my ebay CAI that was literally full of metal shavings. Had I not thoroughly de-burred and cleaned that intake before installing it I would no doubt have scratched cylinder walls from all those metal shavings getting caught between the pistons, top rings and cyl walls. I did a full write-up of that install but for those who did not read it, I reiterate the necessity of inspecting and cleaning any new intake components before installing them on your car.

maybe for your year, but not for mine =) It strictly says on the oil cap 5/20 hard to miss.

not quite true when my mechanic sees it on 80% of the 2.4l blocks he actually opens up, which has been at least hundreds, that 2.4 has been out for quite a while. dirt and what not can cause it, but it is also a known problem on the 2.4L They are minor meaning you will not have major problems if even minor. However vertical scratches can cause you to burn oil as the oil goes past the seal, through the scratch.

The oil cap for my 08 xB states 5w/20 and 0w/20.