01 Corolla Burning Oil

As Fish has said, its hit or miss on oil consumption with this generation of Corolla. Some develop the problem at some point, others never due.

My initial approach to the problem involving some hands on stuff, after getting good feedback here from Fish and a couple others: I bought the repair manual, replaced my air filter, cleaned the throttle body and butterfly valve with throttle body cleaner, cleaned the MAF sensor with contact cleaner, and replaced my gummed up 10 year old factory PCV valve.

With the mechanical stuff done, I began to explore methods to clean the engine and upper cylinder, reduce wear, and reduce oil consumption. After some research I settled on:

- Penzz Platinum 5W30 oil with 10% MMO added as a catalyst to safely clean the engine over time. PP, being a good synthetic, has the added value of reducing start up wear due to its very good cold flow properties that allow it to begin circulating and lubricating faster than conventional alternatives (this is a big bonus in the coming cold winter);

- use of PEA based fuel system cleaner at 5,000 km intervals for combustion chamber cleaning, followed by the use of upper cylinder lubricants that (theoretically) have the potential to free the rings by reducing deposits and lubricating the upper cylinder they glide along during the power stroke. My regimen is Regane for the PEA cleaner (one treated tank every 5,000 km), followed by 3 or 4 MMO treated tanks, and then TC-W3 two stroke oil (at a 500:1 mixture) in each tank of fuel until the next Regane cycle is due. MMO is thought to be a little stronger on the solvency side, and TC-W3 a little better on the lubrication side. Both have properties of each, and I view them as complementary, although I use them independently (that is, I don't treat a tank with both additives at the same time; instead I cycle them as outlined above);

- most recently, I added Lubro Moly mos2 to my oil: half a bottle initially, with one quarter bottle maintenance treatments to follow. Moly is an 'old school' additive and also a component in many (maybe all) piston ring designs. Amounts in modern PCMOs (passenger car motor oil) varies from little to none. The only oil I know that still contains significant amounts of moly is Redline, although its expensive. LM mos2 is an inexpensive additive that ups the moly count in your oil while changing no properties of it otherwise. Its called an 'anti-wear' additive as it works by plating itself to the metals present in pistons, cylinder walls, rings etc. This fills in pores and provides a lubricating film that reduces wear. As consumption in our 8th gen burners is due to failure of the oil control rings from ring "stick" and wear, mos2 shows promise in addressing both issues directly.

My approach is atypical and largely theoretical: its based on the known cause and treatment aimed directly at correcting or fixing the cause using products that show promise in this area, but for which potential results are mainly theory based (though this is also backed by anecdotal reports from others with consumption due to the same cause having reported success at reducing or eliminating it using each of these methods independently).

None of these methods work immediately or over night. Just like it took many thousand miles for the oil consumption problem to develop, some amount of time has to be allowed for when choosing methods like this that are aimed at the source of the problem, but take time for their potential effects to show measurable results.

The first of these measures (the OC to PP) was done 3,000 km ago, and MMO was added to the oil 2,000 km ago. Likewise, the additives mentioned have been introduced at different points, with mos2 being the most recent addition (about 500 km ago). I have recently observed reduction in consumption, but its too early to verify or measure. I will report back though when I have numbers to give. Note too that, as I indicated these measures take time to work, I am planning to continue with this method right til Spring without introducing any changes or further additives; although I may add an additional 8 ounces of MMO to the oil after temperatures go below freezing, to increase the concentration from 10% to somewhere closer to 15%. Meantime I will simply continue this regimen and track the results. I have additional ideas in mind as well too, but I prefer to give this approach some time to work, and to measure the results, before trying anything else.

Edit: I will add that after, probably something on the order of hundreds of hours spent researching the problem, potential solutions, and discussions with others having this issue (including many who have had success at correcting the problem and significantly reducing, or eliminating consumption), that though I have not mentioned every single possible method in this post that may reduce consumption, including the future ones I am considering after the current experiment has been given sufficient time to evaluate, that I am skeptical of the utility of Auto RX in correcting this particular problem. Very skeptical (to the point that I personally view it as an over-priced product with limited utility and whose results can be achieved through other, more cost effective measures). I will not be using it. My two cents on ARX. YMMV.

-Spyder

Edit: I will add that after, probably something on the order of hundreds of hours spent researching the problem, potential solutions, and discussions with others having this issue (including many who have had success at correcting the problem and significantly reducing, or eliminating consumption), that though I have not mentioned every single possible method in this post that may reduce consumption, including the future ones I am considering after the current experiment has been given sufficient time to evaluate, that I am skeptical of the utility of Auto RX in correcting this particular problem. Very skeptical (to the point that I personally view it as an over-priced product with limited utility and whose results can be achieved through other, more cost effective measures). I will not be using it. My two cents on ARX. YMMV.

 

-Spyder

I was ready to try ARX not too long ago but recently decided to hold off. There was a thread on BITOG about a 1zz-fe engine that basically grenaded after the ARX treatment because the OCV screen/filter got really gummed up with deposits. Two days ago I checked out my own screen. Although it looked clean, there were definitely solid deposits on the threaded part of the head that I'm sure weren't helping things. The oil that dribbled out looked much nastier than the stuff coming out of the pan, too. It made me nervous about using a more aggressive treatment.

Generally speaking, I've taken a slightly different approach to consumption. For 40,000+ miles I just topped up whatever dino I had in the crankcase--really not an approach at all. Consumption slowly got worse so I decided to try something different. About 4-5,000 miles and 9 months ago, I switched to Valvoline syn blend MaxLife (the cheaper one) and it reduced consumption fairly dramatically. 1 qt/400 miles to 1 qt./800 by the time I was done with the 3,000 mile OCI. My last OCI was 1,000 miles of Castrol GTX High Mileage, which kept consumption steady at 1 qt./800-900 miles. I burned only slightly over a quart during that time but ran out of GTX and didn't bother buying more. In the meantime I bought Rotella T5 10w-30 (another syn blend), which is what I put in a couple of days ago. Hopefully the consumption will stay the same or improve. If it doesn't, I may go back to Valvoline.

About 700 miles into the Castrol OCI, I did the MMO piston soak, put the rest of the bottle in the crankcase and gas tank, and let that go for the last 300 miles or so. I have no idea if it really did anything.

In general I'm pretty happy with using the cheaper oils because I have seen some decent improvement. Granted, burning 1 qt. every 800-900 miles isn't great, but I don't drive very much either. I've driven almost 50,000 miles with this oil burner, so I'm not too worried about it. For now, Rotella T5 it is, and I will probably buy another gallon jug for topping up to give it some time.

Spyder I searched Bitog for that thread but I couldn't find it. Would you be able to locate it from memory of the thread title and post the link so we could read it?

Since you have found reason to avoid ARX then what are the other solutions you have found in your mentioned research that eliminated oil consumption for people? The only one that I know of for certain is the updated piston.

I'm not sure which link you're looking for, but there are threads on Lubro Moly mos2 in the oil additives and VOA sections (no more than 2 or 3 pages deep) on BITOG. Within the first couple pages of fuel additives section on BITOG you can everything you ever wanted to find out about different upper cylinder lubricants (UCLs), including MMO and TC-W3, the ones I mentioned in earlier posts.

I don't think ARX is effective because the problem is upper cylinder related, and in my opinion ARX is not the most cost effective, or generally effective, route to go. If you do a search on BITOG for Molasoke and Molasoak you will find alternative approaches that I think are the most effective at direct, immediate results gains. You may have to repeat piston soaks several times before its effective - just because it doesn't reduce oil consumption on the first or second try, doesn't mean its not going to work.

My recommendation if going the piston soak route is to inject 2 ounces of MMO into each cylinder, and allow it soak 8 to 16 hours. Eject the MMO by cranking with the spark plugs out and a lint free cloth, placed loosely, to catch the residue placed, over the cylinders. Then follow it up with2 ounces of LC20 into the cylinder (the Molasoke) repeating the same process. Make sure to crank with plugs out to avoid hydrolock. Then start the engine, run it a few minutes to allow the oil to circulate, and then drain it and refill. Do a short OCI of 3k with something like PYB, and (optionally) add 12 ounces of MMO (to a 4 quart sump) for the last 1,000 miles of the OCI. Monitor the consumption throughout, but pay special attention to the first 2k; this is because MMO may slightly increase consumption over the last 1k if added (this is to be expected and not an indication of the method not working).

If oil consumption is stopped, repeat the process, evaluate the results. Rinse, recylce, and see where you're at after three cycles (if needed). At that point, the problem is either cured or its time to move on to other measures.

The one I alluded to in my previous post, come spring, is that method outlined above exactly, although I'm substituting Quaker State dino for PYB, for those short OCIs. I'm also stepping my 3 season oil upto a 10W30 instead of a 5W30 as my research has shown me that, due to higher flash point, HTHS, and lower NOACK, it is more burn off resistant than 5W30. I will continue to use 5W30 for our winters.

If consumption is not satisfactor with this method, Lubro Moly motor oil saver shows promise and can be added to synthetic, dino, or HDEO oil. I would not add it to High Mileage oil like MaxLife, etc. If you're not comfortable going the piston soak route, this is a safe alternative as well that shows promise and is inexpensive. Lubro Moly products are available from Napa, among other places.

I check in here regularly but I'm also on BITOG a lot using Spyder7 as my user name; best bet to contact me is to shoot me a PM over there and I will be too happy to help in any way I can. This is a topic I discuss a lot over there on the boards, and via PM with other users in the same boat as us (some are Toyota owners, but not all).

This is the outline of my own approach, after much research and discussion with other members on BITOG, including things I'm doing now and future steps I plan to take after my winter experiment is over. I'm not selling a cure to the problem, but if anything is going to work short of a rebuild, then this approach (from my research) promises to yield the best results as its aimed at the culprit deliberately, rather than using thick oil and or HM oil to mask the symptoms but ignore the cause.

-Spyder

Excellent info sure to help many. Thanks for taking the time to post it Spyder.

This is the outline of my own approach, after much research and discussion with other members on BITOG, including things I'm doing now and future steps I plan to take after my winter experiment is over. I'm not selling a cure to the problem, but if anything is going to work short of a rebuild, then this approach (from my research) promises to yield the best results as its aimed at the culprit deliberately, rather than using thick oil and or HM oil to mask the symptoms but ignore the cause.

 

-Spyder

How exactly does a high mileage oil mask the symptoms?

This is the outline of my own approach, after much research and discussion with other members on BITOG, including things I'm doing now and future steps I plan to take after my winter experiment is over. I'm not selling a cure to the problem, but if anything is going to work short of a rebuild, then this approach (from my research) promises to yield the best results as its aimed at the culprit deliberately, rather than using thick oil and or HM oil to mask the symptoms but ignore the cause.

-Spyder

How exactly does a high mileage oil mask the symptoms?

I worded that incorrectly; I should have stated it masks the cause (failure of the oil control rings, and oil leaking past them where its burned off during combustion) by treating the symptoms (being thicker than its non-HM counterparts within the same grade, less oil gets past the faulty oil control rings, and therefore less is burned off during combustion). HM 'works' in reducing consumption, but it doesn't achieve its results - where the cause if burn off due to failed oil control rings, rather than leakage from say worn gasket not sealing properly, it reduces consumption yet the underlying cause remains and HM oil doesn't address that directly. The other methods have the potential to, but require either hands on work (with the piston soaks) or time to see the benefit begin to work (use of UCLs and mos2 to correct the problem at the source, in a similar means as with piston soaks but over a much longer interval of time). HM oil has the advantage that any potential results it offers can be seen immediately, and without the hands on work of a piston soak, but the disadvantage that unlike the other methods, it is not addressing the underlying cause directly; instead it is reducing the effect, consumption, by treating the symptom (using its relative thickness to lessen loss through the oil control rings and into the combustion stroke where its burned off).

-Spyder

I am just curious... could you not add an additive, like SeaFoam, into your oil (like 1½ oz to 2 oz per quart) per oil change, and help get rid of the varninshing and copper build ups that are occurring? Would this also help to unblock the holes? Anyone try this route, possibly with Marvel Mystery Oil, SeaFoam, etc?

Ian

I'm no mechanic, but my solution to the problem was to piston soak each cylinder with MMO, as well as put MMO in the oil and drive it for a week. I changed the oil and piston soaked with seafoam and added it to the oil. I ran it for around 500 mile and changed the oil again. Consumption is down to 1/2 a quart every 3500-5000 miles.

For more info - http://www.saturnfans.com/forums/showthread.php?t=80118

Interesting thread.

It reinforces to me the value of using only synthetic oil, once break in of a new car is over.

Some of the problems from design flaws that caused the sludge problem in some Toyota engines as well as the carbon build up on oil control rings discussed here, probably could have been avoided or at least minimized by using synthetic oil.

I realize that when you are buying a used car, you do not always know what the previous owner(s) did relative to oil usage, etc. But, I have had good luck using synthetic oil to clean out the deposits left behind by the previous owner’s use of conventional oil, in some of the used cars I have owned. This approach cleans them out over the course of several oil change intervals, rather than all at once.

I realize synthetic oil costs a little more, but when you look at all of the trouble and expense that use of conventional oil can result in, synthetic oil looks like cheap insurance.

Interesting thread.

 

It reinforces to me the value of using only synthetic oil, once break in of a new car is over.

Some of the problems from design flaws that caused the sludge problem in some Toyota engines as well as the carbon build up on oil control rings discussed here, probably could have been avoided or at least minimized by using synthetic oil.

I realize that when you are buying a used car, you do not always know what the previous owner(s) did relative to oil usage, etc. But, I have had good luck using synthetic oil to clean out the deposits left behind by the previous owner’s use of conventional oil, in some of the used cars I have owned. This approach cleans them out over the course of several oil change intervals, rather than all at once.

I realize synthetic oil costs a little more, but when you look at all of the trouble and expense that use of conventional oil can result in, synthetic oil looks like cheap insurance.

do you have any data to support your conclusion that synthetic oil will solve piston wear or reduce it significantly

 

over say 200 -400k miles ??

thanks

I used to use Mobil 1 for many a year as well as Castrol Syntec and Pennzoil Platinum. The only thing I buy that goes in my Corolla now is Supertech Synthetic 5w30. I get a Purolator Gold filter from Advance auto (now that I know better I will install the taller Matrix XRS filter next time).My car runs better, gets better mileage and is nowhere near as noisy (especially when cold) with Supertech. I won't say its better than Mobil 1 or the others but I will say my engine seems to appreciate it and its a good price. I run it for 5000-5500 miles and according to my UOA's I could run longer.Some good info on Supertech Synthetic over at Bob Is The Oil Guy forums.

“do you have any data to support your conclusion that synthetic oil will solve piston wear or reduce it significantly over say 200 -400k miles ??”

In response to the above question: I never said that the use of synthetic oil will solve piston, (ring) wear over 200 – 400K miles, so no I don’t have any data that supports that conclusion either.

I know a number of people who have successfully run Toyota engines to over 250,000 miles, both using synthetic oil as well as conventional oil, so it is readily apparent that it can be done under the right circumstances of how the vehicle is designed, used and maintained.

What I was referring to was the fact that many conventional oils are just “good enough” to get by and many synthetic oils are “a little better than they absolutely have to be” for many applications.

By using synthetic oil which is a little better than it absolutely has to be, we now have a little built in “margin of safety” into the system. This margin of safety is the “cheap insurance” I was referring to.

The margin of safety comes in handy when a vehicle is not designed, used or maintained under the best of conditions. In the case of the early engines in question, the oil control rings were running hotter than planned and therefore the oil was being oxidized on them and forming severe carbon deposits, which then cause these rings to allow excessive oil consumption.

Oxidizing in this case means combining with oxygen and being partially consumed in the process, leaving carbon deposits behind. In oil specification speak, how easily an oil oxidizes is measured in part by its flash point temperature. This is the temperature it will start burning at. Synthetic oils tend to have higher flash point temperatures than conventional oils, in part because their molecule sizes are more uniform. These and other specifications are readily available on most reputable oil manufacturer web sites.

The flash point temperature for conventional SAE 5w-30 oils range from about 200 degrees C to 232 degrees C, while the flash point temperature for synthetic SAE 5w-30 oils range from about 223 degrees C to 254 degrees C. So on average, the synthetic oils can withstand temperatures which are about 20 degrees C higher. This is the margin of safety or cheap insurance I was referring to. By having a higher flash point temperature, synthetic oils would be less likely to form significant carbon deposits on the oil control rings.

So what does that cheap insurance cost?

At the present time a 5 quart jug of conventional Mobil oil sells for about $11 at Wal-Mart, while a 5 qt. jug of Mobil 1 synthetic oil sells for about $24 at Wal-Mart, or $13 more. The average driver goes about 15,000 miles per year. So if the oil gets changed every 5,000 miles, that is three oil changes per year, so the synthetic oil costs a total of $39 more per year. That adds up to 5 x $39 = $195 over 5 years or 75,000 miles.

Edmunds.com calculates and publishes “True Cost to Own” data for many new model cars. This estimates the total cost of ownership for the car including all costs, for the first five years and 75,000 miles of use. Their current estimate for the 2010 Corolla LE automatic is around $32,000. So the added cost of using synthetic Mobil 1 oil of $195 for the same time period and miles adds only six tenths of one percent to the total cost of ownership.

Where I come from, six tenths of one percent is called “cheap insurance”, especially when it may easily add “significantly more” trouble free miles to the usable life of the car.

retired08, I appreciate your reply.

I think its good to keep a rational, evidence based reason for using different products.

I like to do things that have a scientific and statistical significance to back it up.

In my experience, the synth had no bearing on oil burning . Dyno oil used every 3-5k miles did not cause any oil burning or

drop in every car I had that went to 150-300k. none of the cars I(family) had,( I've had atleast 6 in our family) that I bought brand new and scrapped had their life terminated by oil burning in the cylinder. These were toyotas, mazdas,hondas.

The issues that caused the car to be sent to the scrap yard were transmission, rusted brake lines, fuel lines,

rusted heater core, failed suspensions, etc that were too expensive to fix.

The autos are engineered to last a certain amount of usage or time. The parts are designed to fail after a certain amount of

time or usage. The oil burning or wear in the cylnders, atleast in my experience are not the factor so I do not see the need for synth in moderate climates.

A genius engineer will design all the components to fall apart at the same time, thereby maximizing each part over the lifespan of the car. Such is not the case and oil/cyclinder wear is usually not a factor, atleast in my observation.

Bhp02

I think we are in agreement that under the right circumstances, it is possible to run a car to 150,000 – 300,000 on conventional oil.

I also agree that it is possible to extend the life of the car’s engine to a point that goes beyond the designed life of all of the other components in the car.

However, these two facts do not negate the value of using synthetic oil. Synthetic oil has the ability to outperform conventional oil in adverse conditions and therefore can increase the number of trouble free miles that a car can provide.

The individual who first posted this original thread is dealing with a recently purchase used car that only has 79,000 miles on it, yet it is consuming a quart of oil every 300 miles. I don’t think we have to wonder too hard why the previous owner got rid of it. A quart of oil every 300 miles are not exactly trouble free miles.

There has been a wealth of useful information shared on this thread, to try to address this problem, but it brings to mind the old saying that “an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure”. Once carbon deposits are burned onto something, it is really hard to get them off, especially if you cannot reach them to scrape them off mechanically. There are very few chemicals that will safely dissolve carbon.

My posting was simply observing that compared to all of the trouble and expense that the current owners of these cars were experiencing, the cost of using synthetic oil, which would be less likely to oxidize on the overly hot oil control rings, looks like cheap insurance. Had the previous owner of the original poster’s Corolla used synthetic oil, maybe they would still be happily driving the car, rather having to get rid of it long before 150,000 miles, and saddling the current owner with a very difficult problem.

Hello, first post here. Could use some help.

 

79,000 miles, bought used, no clue if the oil was changed regularly. New plugs new wires.

Burns 1 qt every 300 miles. Ran a compression test and get 190-200 PSI on all 4 cylinders. Does smoke a little out of the tail pipe, but not excessive. Tail pipe has a bit of build up on it. Does not leak oil while the car is off, yet my right drive axle does look a little shiny, so it may be possible something is leaking out of the pulley's and then the axle is spinning the oil off while it runs. Not sure though, I haven't dug into the car far enough to get a close enough look.

Oh and this may be another problem, but I get occasional misfires or similar lag under hard acceleration, and only under hard acceleration.

I am assuming the rings and valves/seats are good due to the successful compression test. I am having a hard time figuring out where the oil is going. Only thing I can think of is maybe a bad exhaust valve guide or a pulley leaking. I have read other threads and will check my PCV tomorrow, but am curious as to how this might affect oil consumption? I am moderately knowledgeable when it comes to cars but not enough so, and always looking to learn more.

Any thoughts? All help or even random guesses are appreciated.

yeah, mine was loosing a bit of oil and it was the leaking oil sensor which I replaced and to my surprise my engine

 

at 120k miles does not burn any oil at all. It could be a slow leak that only happens when you are driving and the oil gets burned off.

Thought I would pass on Oil Burning and fix to everyone.

Within my family I have had over 5 Corollas years 1998 to 2002 in the past few years. ALL have had a oil burning problem! Toyota says there is no problem with the engine. HA! I would beg to differ.

What I found Oil problem is in the piston design. There are small oil passages in the oil ring area that clog. Once clog plan on tearing the engine apart. I tried additives to no avail.

Solution:

Remove head. have it rebuilt since it is off. Replace Rings after cleaning piston especially oil passages. check Rod bearings and replace if needed.

You can do all this without removing the engine block from the car.

Hone Cylinder walls reassemble.

Break in Rings properly.

Oil consumption went from 1Q / 300 miles to 0.125Q / 2000+ miles

Cost doing it myself $900

Cost to having someone do it $2000

If they remove engine $5000

Hope this helps.

I would be interested in others comments and experiences vhpick@yahoo.com

Spyder, any updates on oil consumption in your rolla?

Have we ruled out a leak yet. Every time I think my 98 is going south I clean the motor off then drive and look and find another leak at a different place. Valve cover, seal etc. Seems to me the material Toyota is using fails quickly.

Btw, anyone notice that when you drive over 70mph for a few hundred miles you burn much more oil than driving at 60mph?

My father works for toyota here in ireland for over 40 years,now he tells me that corollas have thinner piston rings and slightly smaller pistons to help increase fuel economy but the downside is oil gets past the oil rings and gets burned off thus increasing oil consumption.He will not drive toyota anymore due to there bad build quality.

My father works for toyota here in ireland for over 40 years,now he tells me that corollas have thinner piston rings and slightly smaller pistons to help increase fuel economy but the downside is oil gets past the oil rings and gets burned off thus increasing oil consumption.He will not drive toyota anymore due to there bad build quality.

Your father's explanation is not that great. Here is a better explanation (long read): https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B0TEXaT-W88kNWY0OGQwNmYtM2NmNi00MWNmLWFhNmYtNDk0YmYyNjBiMDYx/edit?hl=en&pli=1

Hi there,i own a feb 2001 corolla 1.4 vvti with 220000miles.When i bought the car it had 75000miles and burned a little oil and had a little bit of rattling from the engine under load.I did nothing to fix this oil burning so now at 220000miles it burns 1 quart of oil for every 650 miles using 5w30 fully synetic mobil 3000 engine oil as recommened in the owners manual.This is the first time since buying the car that i have used the recommened oil,before this i used 15w40 semi synetic engine oil and it only burned three quarters of a quart every 1200 miles and the car will still do between 53 to 63 mpg.In ireland our car test is quite tough to pass but my car passed recently only being failed for a cracked mirror housing.The emmisions are only marginaly higher than they were 6yrs ago when the car had 75000miles on it.I know by irish standards my toyota corolla is pre historic compared to most cars on the road and the fact most new cars in ireland are now diesel,but it still goes and does decent mpg considering the milage on the engine and the oil burning issue.I am going to try mobil 15w40 new life engine oil on my next service and i change the oil every 5000miles just to see if there is any difference in oil usage and mpg.

Hello, first post here. Could use some help.

 

79,000 miles, bought used, no clue if the oil was changed regularly. New plugs new wires.

Burns 1 qt every 300 miles. Ran a compression test and get 190-200 PSI on all 4 cylinders. Does smoke a little out of the tail pipe, but not excessive. Tail pipe has a bit of build up on it. Does not leak oil while the car is off, yet my right drive axle does look a little shiny, so it may be possible something is leaking out of the pulley's and then the axle is spinning the oil off while it runs. Not sure though, I haven't dug into the car far enough to get a close enough look.

Oh and this may be another problem, but I get occasional misfires or similar lag under hard acceleration, and only under hard acceleration.

I am assuming the rings and valves/seats are good due to the successful compression test. I am having a hard time figuring out where the oil is going. Only thing I can think of is maybe a bad exhaust valve guide or a pulley leaking. I have read other threads and will check my PCV tomorrow, but am curious as to how this might affect oil consumption? I am moderately knowledgeable when it comes to cars but not enough so, and always looking to learn more.

Any thoughts? All help or even random guesses are appreciated.

I have a Corolla 2000 and it also burns oil like crazy! I called Toyota about it today and they recorded my Vehicle Identification number. They told me if enough people call about the issue they will do a recall or some kind of customer support program. Please call them and tell them about the issue. It only takes 5 minutes and the number is 1(800)-331-4331

I have a 2001 Corolla CE 3 speed Auto. I have 74,000 miles and have not witnessed any oil burning and I bought it with 72,000 miles. What I do recommend is the following in order.

-Change Pcv Valve every 15,000 miles, air filter every 2 oil changes, spark plugs every 15,000 miles, spark plug wires after 50k miles and at least 150 miles before your next oil change to run Seafoam through your brake booster line, crank case and gas tank and later take it for a drive up to 65 mph.

- Also use your preferred oil company’s high mileage oil, they have detergents that swell those seals but please note that you must continue to use it religiously so choose wisely.

-Buy oil filters with a drain valve to ease all motor components during cold startup where most of wear and tear happens. Mobil 1 has a great oil filter although they are ranging from $8-$12.

-Once a year, run an additional seal swelling agent additive like the ones from STP.

-Do not keep your car idling for more than 30 mins if it isn’t necessary as it will cause a lot of blow by.

-Warm up your car before you take off after a cold start, it lets the oil circulate through the motor so that there is proper lubrication.

-When going down hill, try not to coast, slight keep your foot on the gas so that the car is not engine braking causing even more blowby. Brake when needed of course.

-Don’t get on your car and give it Italian tune ups everyday, this will cause more wear and tear than you’d think.

Hope this was helpful.

Good luck to all.