Smoke And Engine Oil Consumed Fast

I'm shocked that Wal*Mart botched yet another oil change! Shocked, I say! Well, no, not really.

Sounds like Wally World screwed the oil filter on too tight or too loose, either one of which can cause the gasket to leak.

Wal*Mart's minimum wage techs are VERY famous for this.

Unfortunately, you allowed them to get rid of the evidence when you went back. They had a chance to throw away the old oil filter and clean up the bottom of your engine. You may not have smelled burning oil as it was leaking out, since the exhaust pipe is in the back of the engine away from the filter and you were driving in the rain.

Your next step is to talk to an independent mechanic to try and see how badly your engine was damaged. And yes, it WAS definitely damaged if the oil was so low it was making noise.

Good luck getting Wal*Mart to pay for a new engine, though. You now have no way of proving they installed a defective filter and/or screwed up the installation.

No one touches my Corolla engine but me. Once in a while when it's really cold and snowing, I'll let the dealer change my oil, but I check the oil level, filter, and drain plug in front of them before I leave.

If Wal-Mart TLE employees had any common sence or intelligence, they wouldn't work for Wal-Mart.

Usually oil consumption on the order of 1 quart per 1000 miles is considered the borderline between normal and excessive consumption. But with 60K on the clock - losing oil very suddenly is a problem.

Running 5w-30 vs 10w-30 will not cause excessive oil consumption - may hurt fuel economy - but shouldn't burn more. Sometimes in older cars - some unscrupulous people put heavier weight oil in to cover up problems.

Running through water will not cause problems - unless the water was high enough that it could touch the bottom of the car. Even hard rain with standing puddles of water a few inches deep will not cause problems like this. Since the engine still runs - probably didn't suck in any water. But if the water was high enough to touch the bottom of the car - could be possible that you cracked or warped the engine block or heads from the large temperature differential between the water and block. Pretty rare these days - but I have seen it happen on more than a few cars.

If I understand you correctly - the total distance between the last oil change and when you discovered it was completely gone was 1400 miles and from when you topped off to the low mark on the dipstick - 350 miles. You also mentioned that the car was running oddly and the oil was possibly low - then you continued to drive the car. Sounds like at least 4 quarts gone in less than 2000 miles. This all adds up to a possibly very expensive bill to rebuild you engine.

Really should check you oil level every time you fill up with gas - but not everybody does it. Since it was such a sudden loss of oil - I'd look into improper installation of the oil filter / oil plug by the Walmart tech. Did you notice the check engine light - any warning lights on the dash? Did you notice any oil drips or oil burning smell? Even though you cannot visibly see any oil (smoke) from the exhaust - doesn't mean it is not burning oil.

If still under the powertrain warranty - see if the dealer will take a look at it. If not - check the level of oil constantly and carefully note any changes in the level. Do not let it fall too low. Modern oils have additives that protect against some engine damage - but not enough if the engine was starved of oil. If it looks like the oil consumption is too high (ie. you keep losing oil) you may have to seek compensation from Walmart.

Good Luck.

We drived with the oddly sound for about 10 miles in local,the oil pressure light went on and off sometimes later, just went on and off instantly.

It's still in powertrain warranty, we will take it to dealer for check in next monday.

Thanks for your detailed advice, I sure will pay more attention and care to my car.

I'm shocked that Wal*Mart botched yet another oil change! Shocked, I say! Well, no, not really.

Sounds like Wally World screwed the oil filter on too tight or too loose, either one of which can cause the gasket to leak.

Wal*Mart's minimum wage techs are VERY famous for this.

Unfortunately, you allowed them to get rid of the evidence when you went back. They had a chance to throw away the old oil filter and clean up the bottom of your engine. You may not have smelled burning oil as it was leaking out, since the exhaust pipe is in the back of the engine away from the filter and you were driving in the rain.

Your next step is to talk to an independent mechanic to try and see how badly your engine was damaged. And yes, it WAS definitely damaged if the oil was so low it was making noise.

Good luck getting Wal*Mart to pay for a new engine, though. You now have no way of proving they installed a defective filter and/or screwed up the installation.

No one touches my Corolla engine but me. Once in a while when it's really cold and snowing, I'll let the dealer change my oil, but I check the oil level, filter, and drain plug in front of them before I leave.

We will take it to dealer next monday, and the walmart guy said the wrong oil change can't cause any serious problems, he said the smoke can be from too much fuel(??). We asked him to leave his name and phone number for dealer if needed.

Usually oil consumption on the order of 1 quart per 1000 miles is considered the borderline between normal and excessive consumption. But with 60K on the clock - losing oil very suddenly is a problem.

Running 5w-30 vs 10w-30 will not cause excessive oil consumption - may hurt fuel economy - but shouldn't burn more. Sometimes in older cars - some unscrupulous people put heavier weight oil in to cover up problems.

Really should check you oil level every time you fill up with gas - but not everybody does it. Since it was such a sudden loss of oil - I'd look into improper installation of the oil filter / oil plug by the Walmart tech. Did you notice the check engine light - any warning lights on the dash? Did you notice any oil drips or oil burning smell? Even though you cannot visibly see any oil (smoke) from the exhaust - doesn't mean it is not burning oil.

If still under the powertrain warranty - see if the dealer will take a look at it. If not - check the level of oil constantly and carefully note any changes in the level. Do not let it fall too low. Modern oils have additives that protect against some engine damage - but not enough if the engine was starved of oil. If it looks like the oil consumption is too high (ie. you keep losing oil) you may have to seek compensation from Walmart.

Good Luck.

5W30 will give better mileage in most cases because at lower engien temps, the oil has a lower viscosity.

Why should you need to check the oil every 300 miles (typical distance to fill up). Besides... you should check the oil level when the engien is cold. 5 mintes while you gas up is not long enough. It's better to check oil level and tires once or twice per month when you wash your car.

IF the oil is low, you should first see thelow oil warning light (oil can symbol). Then as teh oil pressure dropped when it ran dry, you would see the check engine light come on. If the check engine light never came one, it's unlikely you did any real damage or even excessive wear in only 1000 miles.

A dipstick does not go to the bottom of the oil pan. IF it measures zero, there is still almost 2 quarts in the oil pan. The oil passages will use 1 quart, and the remaining quart is high enough for the pick-up...except when your on a hill or taking a turn.

Unless under a heavy load or at high RPM's, an engine can run partially starved of oil for longer than you would expect without significant engine wear.

There's a big difference between oil consumption (a common and controllable condition in older cars) and a botched oil change. Why is everyone going off on unrelated tangents about oil consumption and how often you should check oil? The point is that this should never have happened.

From the sequence of events, the problem in this case is pretty obvious -- Wal*Mart either did not install the correct amount of oil or they did not install the oil filter or drain plug correctly.

After not too many miles, the engine started smoking and making odd noises. Upon investigation, at least three quarts of oil was mysteriously missing. The weight of oil (10W30 vs. 5W30) was of no consequence unless it somehow got below zero degrees in New Orleans recently. When he added new oil, even more oil disappeared on the way back home.

The disturbing part is that Wal*Mart tried to cover up their error, and they may have succeeded. When dracodoc went back to complain, they simply changed his oil again, told some stupid lie about the engine running rich ("too much fuel" WTF?) and sent him on his way. Unfortunately, they also had an opportunity to get rid of the evidence -- the old oil filter and drain plug gasket. They also had a chance to clean up any evidence of oil leaks. Remember the bit about the manager and the tech having a long conversation before he got his car back?

Even though it runs OK now, the engine is definitely damaged. If you get to the point where the engine is making noise, there is always damage. (the smoke was probably oil burning on the exhaust pipes) The only question is how much damage there is and how long the engine will last following the damage. I suppose it's possible that the engine is only lightly damaged, but I doubt it, since he continued to drive for some time after hearing the odd noises.

There is a common misconception that the oil pressure light indicates oil level. It does not. If the oil pressure light comes on, it means that oil pressure is low and that engine damage is occurring. You can't just keep going to the next exit or wait until it's convenient -- you have to stop the engine immediately to avoid further damage.

The extent of damage is impossible to know without disassembly. These are certainly tough, reliable engines, so it's possible that it will at least last long enough to trade in. But there's no way of knowing without taking it apart. If the car is still using a lot of oil after this incident, that's one indicator of severe damage.

Usually oil consumption on the order of 1 quart per 1000 miles is considered the borderline between normal and excessive consumption.  But with 60K on the clock - losing oil very suddenly is a problem. 

Running 5w-30 vs 10w-30 will not cause excessive oil consumption - may hurt fuel economy - but shouldn't burn more.  Sometimes in older cars - some unscrupulous people put heavier weight oil in to cover up problems.

Really should check you oil level every time you fill up with gas - but not everybody does it.  Since it was such a sudden loss of oil - I'd look into improper installation of the oil filter / oil plug by the Walmart tech.  Did you notice the check engine light - any warning lights on the dash?  Did you notice any oil drips or oil burning smell?  Even though you cannot visibly see any oil (smoke) from the exhaust - doesn't mean it is not burning oil. 

If still under the powertrain warranty - see if the dealer will take a look at it.  If not - check the level of oil constantly and carefully note any changes in the level.  Do not let it fall too low.  Modern oils have additives that protect against some engine damage - but not enough if the engine was starved of oil.  If it looks like the oil consumption is too high (ie. you keep losing oil) you may have to seek compensation from Walmart.

Good Luck.

Sorry... need to dispel a few things here. 1 quart every 1000 miels is hgihly excessive. my '03 Corolla never used more tha 1/2 quart in over 8000 miles. My '91 Tercel never showed a measurable drop in oil between oil changes.

 

5W30 will give better mileage in most cases because at lower engien temps, the oil has a lower viscosity.

Why should you need to check the oil every 300 miles (typical distance to fill up). Besides... you should check the oil level when the engien is cold. 5 mintes while you gas up is not long enough. It's better to check oil level and tires once or twice per month when you wash your car.

IF the oil is low, you should first see thelow oil warning light (oil can symbol). Then as teh oil pressure dropped when it ran dry, you would see the check engine light come on. If the check engine light never came one, it's unlikely you did any real damage or even excessive wear in only 1000 miles.

A dipstick does not go to the bottom of the oil pan. IF it measures zero, there is still almost 2 quarts in the oil pan. The oil passages will use 1 quart, and the remaining quart is high enough for the pick-up...except when your on a hill or taking a turn.

Unless under a heavy load or at high RPM's, an engine can run partially starved of oil for longer than you would expect without significant engine wear.

Until now, the car runnes smoothly(just after the oil change of 5W30,we feel the engine noise was a little lower than before),and there is no smoke or observable oil level drop.

Thanks for all of you.

There's a big difference between oil consumption (a common and controllable condition in older cars) and a botched oil change. Why is everyone going off on unrelated tangents about oil consumption and how often you should check oil? The point is that this should never have happened.

From the sequence of events, the problem in this case is pretty obvious -- Wal*Mart either did not install the correct amount of oil or they did not install the oil filter or drain plug correctly.

After not too many miles, the engine started smoking and making odd noises. Upon investigation, at least three quarts of oil was mysteriously missing. The weight of oil (10W30 vs. 5W30) was of no consequence unless it somehow got below zero degrees in New Orleans recently. When he added new oil, even more oil disappeared on the way back home.

The disturbing part is that Wal*Mart tried to cover up their error, and they may have succeeded. When dracodoc went back to complain, they simply changed his oil again, told some stupid lie about the engine running rich ("too much fuel" WTF?) and sent him on his way. Unfortunately, they also had an opportunity to get rid of the evidence -- the old oil filter and drain plug gasket. They also had a chance to clean up any evidence of oil leaks. Remember the bit about the manager and the tech having a long conversation before he got his car back?

Even though it runs OK now, the engine is definitely damaged. If you get to the point where the engine is making noise, there is always damage. (the smoke was probably oil burning on the exhaust pipes) The only question is how much damage there is and how long the engine will last following the damage. I suppose it's possible that the engine is only lightly damaged, but I doubt it, since he continued to drive for some time after hearing the odd noises.

There is a common misconception that the oil pressure light indicates oil level. It does not. If the oil pressure light comes on, it means that oil pressure is low and that engine damage is occurring. You can't just keep going to the next exit or wait until it's convenient -- you have to stop the engine immediately to avoid further damage.

The extent of damage is impossible to know without disassembly. These are certainly tough, reliable engines, so it's possible that it will at least last long enough to trade in. But there's no way of knowing without taking it apart. If the car is still using a lot of oil after this incident, that's one indicator of severe damage.

We will check oil level frequently to see what will happen.

Our current mileage is 59230,the power train warranty expires after 60000 miles, so what's the best plan for us? I suppose the warranty won't cover the disAssembling and rebuild,and to rebuild a engine is not a very good idea too.

Maybe all we can do is wait and see,check and pray?

Last weekend we went to New Orleans, I just replaced the engine oil and filter in walmart in June.We met a shower in New Orleans,go to Burger King for a lunch. When we came out, the car began to get some choking whirling sound from time to time. I checked the oil level , maybe it was low or something, I don't remember. The second day the sound still exist, and I checked the engine oil again it is total gone. We added 3 qt Castrol GTX 10W30 and all things seemed normal, no more choking sound.

 

When we came back to home, I found there are a lot smoke in rear bumper. I observed the exhaust pipe in engine start,running,idle,morning start, didn't find any smoke again. But the engine oil level went to low again!

From the oil change in June to the oil totally gone, it have been 1400 miles.From the 3 qt oil to low, it have been 350 miles.

Since the mileage is 59000 miles, we went to the dealer and they said I should go to walmart to see if they have done something wrong. At last they agreed to check it in next monday. Then I found there is a mark in the cap of engine said we should use 5W30 oil(we don't have a owner manual). We went to walmart,they changed the oil and filter again, but insist this cann't be reason for our problem.

So far the car runs smoothly, but I don't know the oil consumer rate in long run. It seemed to me the suddenly oil lost have something to do with the shower,we drive in rain for half a hour, and there are a lot of water in the street.

Have anybody any suggestions?

dracodoc, what year is the Corolla? The early '98's occAssionally had problems with piston ring sticking that caused sudden high oil consumption.

Also, did you buy the Corolla brand new or used?

dracodoc, what year is the Corolla? The early '98's occAssionally had problems with piston ring sticking that caused sudden high oil consumption.

Also, did you buy the Corolla brand new or used?

Depends on the dealership - the powertrain warranty has provisions to do some work - but I don't think it will cover engine disassembly. There are incidents similar to yours for the JiffyLube chain and other quick oil change places. Some are resolved by that oil change place - if they are proved to be at fault.

If the dealer is not able to check this under warranty and you do not want to pay the dealer to do the work (you shouldn't - because it sounds like Wal*Mart screwed up) you are definitely caught between a rock and a hard place.

What is best for you? That is up to you to decide. If I were in that situation - I'd definitely not sit and wait. Time is working against you and you have to either the dealer or another independent mechanic determine if any damage was done. Then seek compensation from the persons responsible. If not - chances are you will be stuck with a sizeable bill.

Can't say for sure if the engine is OK or not - but do you really want to wait and find out. The car could run fine for years - or the engine could die at anytime. Hopefully the dealer will back you up in this case.

Good Luck.

1.to find the problem,do we have to disAssemable the engine? A friend mentioned some compression test, I don't know about this.

2.to disAssemble the engine then rebuild it is not a good thing for our car with this mileage(<60000 miles), if there is no severe problem with the engine, right?

Then the problem is, maybe we have to disAssemable the engine to find the problem, if we decide to do this, there is no sufficient proof to make walmart cover the cost. We have record to prove they changed the wrong type oil, but no proof about the work.

Of course we can argue, we have done anything wrong by ourselves,walmart had done something,and we are still in power train warranty, so there have to someone to pay the bill, walmart or Toyota,blah blah blah... But I don't have much confidence in this.

The walmart mechanic gave us his name and phone to contact if the dealer need to talk with him, I don't know if that will mean some activities under the table.

Depends on the dealership - the powertrain warranty has provisions to do some work - but I don't think it will cover engine disassembly. There are incidents similar to yours for the JiffyLube chain and other quick oil change places. Some are resolved by that oil change place - if they are proved to be at fault.

That explains the problem. The prior own obviously stretched out oil service intervals or didn't check the oil level inbetween oil changes or had the car serviced by teenagers or ex-Burger King employees at a speedy lube place and as a result your engine was already damaged by oil starvation at the time you bought it.

We took the car to dealer yesterday, and they have it checked. We picked up the car today, they said it seemed everything is ok, if there is some problem,maybe in the PCV. They have serveral ****umptions need to test, we can drive it now,and take it to check every week for a while.

Besides, I saw this threads in a forum

http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?p=...#post1026243247

somebody talked about pcv problem, and another guy said "one of the plants manufacturing the 2000 corollas used the wrong gaskets somewhere in the engine. we got ours down to 400 miles per quart", he said Toyota has a TSB on it, I searched Toyota TSB, didn't find anything looks like that.

It's have been 360 miles from the last oil change (Walmart), and the oil level drop from 3 mm above full marker to 3 mm below.

In the first 200miles of local, there was no big change in oil level, and the last 160 miles of highway(up to 80mph) made the main change.

The dealer said they need we drive more, maybe 200 miles, then take it for check.

There is some thing wrong, but I wish it's in engine part and covered by warranty.

Thanks for everyone.

Let me tell you about an experience I had with sudden oil loss:

When I bought my Corolla ('01) it came with lifetime oil changes from the dealer every 5000 miles. So I was pretty much keeping to that schedule.

This past winter I drove from New York to Buffalo to visit family for the holidays. At the time I was just under 3000 miles since my last oil change.

On the way back I got an urgent call that I was needed at my home in the NY area. (someone left their keys and their spares in the house and was locked out in the cold)

I began to drive as quickly as I could to NY. After about 100 miles I needed gas so I pulled off. As I made a sharp right off of the exit ramp my check oil light cmae on and my car started making an awful noise. I limped into the station that was right there, checked the dipstick (completely dry) and filled it with oil. (~3.5-4 qts)

So I got home OK and had the oil changed by a new mechanic because I had moved away from the dealer. The mechanics didn't see any leaks. So then I checked the oil a little while after that and it had gone down significantly. I topped the oil off and at my next oil change asked if they saw any leaks...none.

Since then I have been checking my oil regulaly and it has not gone down at all. Whatever was wrong seems to have disappeared.

One of the mechanics suggested that the dealers didn't remeber to put any oil in...I hope not..because that would mean that I drove ~3000 miles without a drop in the engine!

Since then I have been checking my oil regulaly and it has not gone down at all. Whatever was wrong seems to have disappeared.

One of the mechanics suggested that the dealers didn't remeber to put any oil in...I hope not..because that would mean that I drove ~3000 miles without a drop in the engine!

I thought the problem may have something to do with

1.high speed driving

2.unproper oil change,maybe unproper installation of oil filter.And the high speed driving will make things worse.