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Where Is My Oil Going?

by heathbo, November 1, 2007



I have a 2000 corolla that is eating oil for some reason. There are no signs of an oil leak (puddle of oil) or burning oil (smell, and smoke). I've already replaced the PCV valve. I have to put in a couple of quarts every month, otherwise my engine starts makeing a fast grinding noise. My wonderful corolla is turning into a money pit with all the oil I have to put in it. Does anyone have any thoughts, because I am clueless.

Thanks

Bikeman982

Make sure you check the dipstick and the oil level.

I knew someone who kept adding oil because he thought it was low and his car was making noise.

He finally took it to the shop where they said he had 19 extra quarts of oil in it.

If you are checking the level and the oil is not leaking out or looking like it is being burned off -

good chance it is being collected in the catalytic converter and you will eventually get a fault light.

Your oil is either leaking where you don't see it, burning when you don't notice it, or collecting where it will eventually show up in a negative way.

Make sure you check the dipstick and the oil level.I knew someone who kept adding oil because he thought it was low and his car was making noise.

 

He finally took it to the shop where they said he had 19 extra quarts of oil in it.

If you are checking the level and the oil is not leaking out or looking like it is being burned off -

good chance it is being collected in the catalytic converter and you will eventually get a fault light.

Your oil is either leaking where you don't see it, burning when you don't notice it, or collecting where it will eventually show up in a negative way.

I generally check the dip stick when ever I put oil in. The dip stick has been dry the last fiew times. Because of the way my car goes through oil, I never know when to put it in until the oil light goes on. How would I check to see if its collecting in the catalytic converter?

heathbo:

You very likely have one of the "oil burners" like myself. I also have a 2000 corolla that consumes a lot of oil. Mine has 183,000 miles, and other than the oil has been relatively trouble free. I would highly recommend not waiting until the oil light comes on. The oil light on many cars often comes on too late to prevent engine damage. Try monitoring your oil consumption on a weekly basis and keep track of your miles traveled at the same time. Then add oil before it gets below the add oil mark on the dip stick.

Some 98-02 corollas tend to consume oil. If you keep oil in it, they are a very trouble-free vehicle though. Mine is currently using a quart every 500 or so miles. I add a quart every week, as 400-500 miles is my typical weekly mileage.

This has been discussed numerous times here, and the general opinion is that the oil control rings on the pistons are not working properly, which is very expensive to fix. Adding oil is much cheaper overall, but the situation is frustrating.

Jim

Waiting until the low oil pressure lamp lights up to add oil and by then, it is running so low that it doesn't show on the dipstick + making some bad sounds - it doesn't sound too good for the engine.

Need a bit more info: When did you start noticing the oil consumption? Have you pulled the plugs to see how they look? What kind of maintenance has the car seen? Mileage? What kind of oil do you use, change it yourself, what kind of oil change intervals are you looking at? Drivability questions - how does the car run, pretty good aside from the oil consumption? Fuel economy changed or fluctuated wildly since you've had the car? Ever had the compression tested? Ever had the oil tested (used oil analysis)? Coolant test?

Engines that I've had in the past that experienced heavy oil consumption - I just got in the habit of carrying a case of oil in the trunk and checking the oil before I drive the car for that day. That way I build up a history of how much oil is used over what distance and what situation seem to increase or decrease the rate of oil consumption. The Corolla's 1ZZ-FE engine holds a little less than 4 quarts of oil - once you are down about two quarts - it will no longer show up on the dipstick. Low oil lamp usually comes on when oil pressure is just about zero. Normal driving usually has the oil pressure around 30-40PSI minimum when cruising, minimum of about 5PSI at idle.

Some Corollas have some pretty serious oil control issues - usually from bad oil seal on valves or from stuck piston rings. Others are pretty trouble-free - not burning any oil at all. If you are consuming engine oil at a rate NO greater than 1 quart every 1000 miles (Toyota and many other manufacturers considers this normal oil consumption) - then you are right on that edge of having a potentially major problem. At this rate - running an oil of slightly heavier grade (like a 10w-30) or using some oil additives (AutoRX, Marvel Mystry Oil, Rislone, etc.) may help free stuck rings and swell oil seals. Some people have used oil on the order of 1 quart every 100-200 miles. Nothing really they could do about that other than a rebuilt engine or engine swap at that point.

Might be able to tap on the cat converter to see if it is "full" - but that is a long shot (works on older ball bearing style matrix, doens't really work on the honeycomb matrix they use now) - only way to tell for sure is to cut it off, and look at the entry and exit of the converter.

Waiting until the low oil pressure lamp lights up to add oil and by then, it is running so low that it doesn't show on the dipstick + making some bad sounds - it doesn't sound too good for the engine.

Need a bit more info: When did you start noticing the oil consumption? Have you pulled the plugs to see how they look? What kind of maintenance has the car seen? Mileage? What kind of oil do you use, change it yourself, what kind of oil change intervals are you looking at? Drivability questions - how does the car run, pretty good aside from the oil consumption? Fuel economy changed or fluctuated wildly since you've had the car? Ever had the compression tested? Ever had the oil tested (used oil analysis)? Coolant test?

Engines that I've had in the past that experienced heavy oil consumption - I just got in the habit of carrying a case of oil in the trunk and checking the oil before I drive the car for that day. That way I build up a history of how much oil is used over what distance and what situation seem to increase or decrease the rate of oil consumption. The Corolla's 1ZZ-FE engine holds a little less than 4 quarts of oil - once you are down about two quarts - it will no longer show up on the dipstick. Low oil lamp usually comes on when oil pressure is just about zero. Normal driving usually has the oil pressure around 30-40PSI minimum when cruising, minimum of about 5PSI at idle.

Some Corollas have some pretty serious oil control issues - usually from bad oil seal on valves or from stuck piston rings. Others are pretty trouble-free - not burning any oil at all. If you are consuming engine oil at a rate NO greater than 1 quart every 1000 miles (Toyota and many other manufacturers considers this normal oil consumption) - then you are right on that edge of having a potentially major problem. At this rate - running an oil of slightly heavier grade (like a 10w-30) or using some oil additives (AutoRX, Marvel Mystry Oil, Rislone, etc.) may help free stuck rings and swell oil seals. Some people have used oil on the order of 1 quart every 100-200 miles. Nothing really they could do about that other than a rebuilt engine or engine swap at that point.

Might be able to tap on the cat converter to see if it is "full" - but that is a long shot (works on older ball bearing style matrix, doens't really work on the honeycomb matrix they use now) - only way to tell for sure is to cut it off, and look at the entry and exit of the converter.

When did you start noticing the oil consumption? I have on and off for almost a year. It has just gotten worse in the past few months.

Have you pulled the plugs to see how they look? No. What should I look for?

What kind of maintenance has the car seen? Regular Oil changes, in the shop a few times trying to find out what the problem with the oil is.

Mileage? 180,000

What kind of oil do you use, I've been using 5w-30

change it yourself, I take it to the shop to have it done.

what kind of oil change intervals are you looking at? Every 30,000 -40,000 miles

Drivability questions - how does the car run, pretty good aside from the oil consumption? Its smoth when oil is in there.

Fuel economy changed or fluctuated wildly since you've had the car? It's pretty much stayed around 30-33mpg

Ever had the compression tested? No. Where would I have that done?

Ever had the oil tested (used oil analysis)? No. Where would I have that done?

Coolant test. No. Where would I have that done?

Do you think and oil like shell rotella would work? Of all the oil additives, which do you think works the best?

Oil change intervals - I hope you meant 3,000-4,000 miles. 180K miles on a 2000 Corolla - not bad. I'm running a similar track - 138K miles on my 2002 (about 23K miles a year or so).

First thing to do is monitor the oil usage - see how much oil is consumed and where it is more likely (longer or shorter driving distances). Do not wait until the oil lamp comes on, if at all possible, running the engine that low can really accelerate its potential demise. If oil consumption is less than one quart per 1000 miles - a higher detergency/dispersant oil like Shell Rotella or Mobil Delvac (diesel engine oils) can help with consumption issues. Same with synthetic motor oils - they run a bit thinner, have a bit more solvency - so they can help dissolve some varnish and deposits that may be in there.

If oil consumption is very heavy - I would recommend a compression check, both wet and dry tests (a good mechanic should be able to do this) - just to make sure that everything is OK and see if they can pinpoint the source of the oil consumtion, either past the rings or by the oil seals.

Used oil analysis can give you an idea of how the engine is working - wear metals, additive packages in oil, trace elements, fuel and coolant presence and their relative amounts - can give you lots of information of the potential health of the engine. This goes hand in hard with a coolant test - basically you want to look for combustion byproducts in the coolant. If there are - then there is a good chance that something has penetrated the cylinder wall, blown headgasket and/or warped cylinder head (probably pretty remote chance in the 1ZZ-FE).

As with any service done by a shop - always verify that everything seems OK before you roll off the property. Check that no tools are left under the hood, nothing missing, no drips, and that the engine is filled properly. This goes to independant shops, chain shops, and dealerships.

K_Watson

I about 1.5 - 2 quarts of 5w30 every 3000 miles.

Oil change intervals - I hope you meant 3,000-4,000 miles. 180K miles on a 2000 Corolla

 

Yes I ment 3,000-4,000 miles. I was wrong about the miles. My corolla actually is 106K miles. My wifes car is 180K.

About synthetic oil. I was told that if I put synthetic oil in, I won't be able to put regular oil in again. It foams up or something. Is that true, or is it an urban myth.

Thanks

Myth - most synthetic motor oil and conventional motor oils are still made from crude oil. Only thing that really makes them different is the level of refinement and selection of what consitiutes their basestock. Indeed most synthetics need a quality conventional oil basestock to carry the additive package, though that might have changed over the years.

Some things that may happen with synthetic oil use - if your engine is predisposed to leak (bad seal, bad gasket, etc.) Some engines start to leak when switched over to synthetic - since the synthetic oil tends to have more solvency (ability to clean and break up deposits) - it may also break up deposits that were plugging the leak.

Bikeman982

You can usually mix conventional oils and synthetic oils.

The best method is to do an oil change to change the type of oil.

My '99 with 82,845 Miles just had an oil change. However, the guy said there was only 1 quart left and I was moments away from potential engine disaster.

He said he'd add an additive, but doubted that would solve the problem. My friend has done all previous oil changes (TDK), I don't know if he's noticed this high amount of consumption.

No one mentioned anything until it went past the 75K mark. I got the trannny flush and coolant flush at my 70K service (really supposed to be done at 60K, but I got in at 70K).

I have no just bought a gallon container of oil, just in case and have been advised to keep a close eye on the level of oil in my car. I think it's the same issue w/the original poster.

What else could I do...you guys had no other advice other than an engine rebuild, and I'd end up buying a new car before it'd come to that...

I also got a new Cat converter and muffler last year around October...in late August last year was when I got my major service done (brakes, ect.)

I'd just keep an eye on the oil levels for now - additive generally do not do anything, most shops that say they "must" add X additive or dire consequences will follow - are just using scare tactics to help pad their bottom line (profit).

I get into the habit of checking the oil levels everytime I fill up, or at the very least - once a month. That way I can catch any drop in oil levels as address them ASAP. Since our sumps to not hold that much oil, any significant oil loss can trigger a much higher rate of oil consumption due to the oil breaking down, sludging up, etc. Just a few minutes of your time will help document any potential issues, and catch small problems before they turn into potentially big ones.

Bikeman982

Whatever happened to the days the gas station attendant asked to "check your oil" when you pulled in for a fill-up?

Today it is all "self-serve" and the oil never gets checked unless the "idiot" light comes on.

It is a good habit to check your oil level at least once a week for normal driving and even more frequently for high miles.

If your car uses a lot of oil - check for leaks, it may be burning it, or it is collecting somewhere (like in your catalytic converter).

Use a heavier weight oil (may help slow a leak), try an engine cleaner/additive, or take it to a dealer.

Like some have said - it may be easier (and cheaper) to keep adding oil, than to have an engine changed.

They went the way of the tailors that measured your arm and leg inseam.

Besides I guess it costs too much to support a gasoline tenant.

Bikeman982

They went the way of the tailors that measured your arm and leg inseam.

Besides I guess it costs too much to support a gasoline tenant.

I think it coincides with the fast-paced society.

 

There is no time to check your car over - you have to get someplace.

You do all the gas pumping yourself and if you are in a hurry - who can you blame for being slow?

It is like the Drive-thru fast food places. Everything in a hurry, no casual encounters, it has to be quick.

It is also probably less expensive to use a machine and not a person for the gas pump, the customer serves himself/herself.

I added 1 quart of oil today. I had hit the 2000 mile mark since my previous oil change. However, I noticed when I added oil I was unsure if i was reading my dipstick correctly. Mine only has 2 dots on it. I know if it's wet in between that's a good level, but to me it seemed dry.

I just worry I added oil that didn't need to be added. I'll drive it around some more and I guess get another reading so to speak and see what happens from there.

Level should be between the two dots - sometimes you have to turn the dipstick over to the otherside and see if the level is even on both sides. If they are different - wipe the dipstick off and recheck the oil level.

Pretty hard to overfill the engine by accident - as long as you don't go beyond the upper most mark by 1/2" or so - you should be OK. Same goes for low little engine oil in the sump - running with lower levels of engine oil accelerates oil consumption rate.

Best time to check is on level ground and before you start the car - I usually try and shoot for every other weekend (cover ~500 miles a week on my normal commute), right before we go on our usual grocery shopping foray.

Fishexpo: How wet should the dipstick be?

Mine looked like someone took an old black water based marker and drew a streak on the dipstick leaving a wet residue..

Bikeman982

The top mark on the dipstick is when the oil is full - the bottom mark means it is low.

I think there is about a two or three quart difference between the marks.

The dipstick shoulkd have oil on it between the marks.

The best way to check it is to take it out, wipe it dry, then put it back in, pull it out and get the level.

Do that a couple of times to be certain where the oil is.

Don't just pull the dipstick out and try to read the level - it may be off.

If the oil is real dark or smells burnt, it is probably time to change it.

Clean oil is like the color of the oil you put in - light, if your oil is light when just put in.

Change the oil filter at least every other time you change the oil. More often if you have plenty of money.

Hope this helps.

I had this problem; burning up about a quart every 1000 or so miles using Castrol GTX 5-30.

Valvoline sythetic/conventional mix took care of that. At almost perfect level after 2000 or so miles and not so "dark".

I still check it though because of the half conventional mix, but it seems to be holding up.

140,000 miles on a 1999 manual VE.

Bikeman982

I think synthetic oils don't burn off as quickly as conventional oils.

I use Castrol synthetic, but I still check it every so often and add a quart about every 1500 miles.

The top mark on the dipstick is when the oil is full - the bottom mark means it is low.I think there is about a two or three quart difference between the marks.

 

The dipstick shoulkd have oil on it between the marks.

The best way to check it is to take it out, wipe it dry, then put it back in, pull it out and get the level.

Do that a couple of times to be certain where the oil is.

Don't just pull the dipstick out and try to read the level - it may be off.

If the oil is real dark or smells burnt, it is probably time to change it.

Clean oil is like the color of the oil you put in - light, if your oil is light when just put in.

Change the oil filter at least every other time you change the oil. More often if you have plenty of money.

Hope this helps.

Comment: the difference in oil level between the bottom mark on the dipstick and the top mark is about one quart, not two or three quarts. The Corolla only holds 3 liters, about 3.5 quarts.



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