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Toyota sludge update. As a follow up to my sludge mystery posting I'd like to report finding another very important oil filter for Toyota owners to know about. The filter I am referring to is called the "oil control filter" This filter is very well hidden and is smaller then a sewing thimble. The "oil control filter" when clogged is responsible for all sorts of engine problems such as stalling, erratic engine idle, lack of power, excessive fuel consumption, and a host of others. The "oil control filter" is located just under the VVT solenoid which is beside the alternator on my Corolla. See my original posting below which lead me to this search called "Toyota Corolla sludge mystery". The same filter exists throughout the Toyota model line so you will have to find your own and you will be happy you did. The "VVT solenoid" mentioned earlier is also effected negatively by a dirty "oil control filter" and changing mine as preventative maintenance made the car run like new and added 4MPG to my fuel economy. I now have 220,000 and still doing 40 MPG on the interstate. Good luck.
Use mobile1 synthetic oil with half a quart of Marvel mystery oil. change your oil twice a year, right before it gets really hot or cold. Unless you drive mega miles. Or if your car uses oil use MM oil to top off between oil changes. This works for me.
I had similar sludge issues and oil consumption on my old camry and used amsoil products which helped my issues tremendously. Mobil 1 also wouldnt be a bad option either. Steer clear from regular oil!
I had similar sludge issues and oil consumption on my old camry and used amsoil products which helped my issues tremendously. Mobil 1 also wouldnt be a bad option either. Steer clear from regular oil!
The problem was with the filters going into bypass mode as stated in the thread earlier because of using lesser quality oil and filter which was my fault. The result was a pan full of material that the oil carried to and through the filters. The problem developed in two ways at that point. Part one was the filter material being inadequate to do the job for the recommended miles between changes (low quality filter). Part two was because of the lessor quality filters failure and going into bypass mode and again repeating the cycle again during cold starts. In the end I had a pan full of engine material the filter was supposed to capture but did not. It was all due to a cheap filters and lessor quality oil that did not do their job. Lucky for me I caught it with an oil light flicker and got curious. At this point my car is approaching 100,000 miles since I have changed to both a higher quality oil and oil filter. So far it's been a total of 230,000 turn the key and go miles. You are right in what you suggest and I thank you. The biggest contributer to engine longevity and any cars doing 300,000 miles easily is just change the high quality oil and high quality filter a little more often then recommended and be consistent. Demonstrations exist all over youtube with filters being dissected and compared providing lots of objective data for filter selection in the future. The same goes for oil. Thanks for the post.
Toyota Sludge update with Oil Control Filter pictures
Quote:
Originally Posted by corolla5speed
Toyota sludge update.
Toyota sludge update. As a follow up to my sludge mystery posting I'd like to report finding another very important oil filter for Toyota owners to know about. The filter I am referring to is called the "oil control filter" This filter is very well hidden and is smaller then a sewing thimble. The "oil control filter" when clogged is responsible for all sorts of engine problems such as stalling, erratic engine idle, lack of power, excessive fuel consumption, and a host of others. The "oil control filter" is located just under the VVT solenoid which is beside the alternator on my Corolla. See my original posting below which lead me to this search called "Toyota Corolla sludge mystery". The same filter exists throughout the Toyota model line so you will have to find your own and you will be happy you did. The "VVT solenoid" mentioned earlier is also effected negatively by a dirty "oil control filter" and changing mine as preventative maintenance made the car run like new and added 4MPG to my fuel economy. I now have 220,000 and still doing 40 MPG on the interstate. Good luck.
It's been another year since this post about VVT solenoids and oil control filters. The good news is my 2004 Corolla still runs like new. Had a few requests for Oil control filter picture so they will be attached to this post. The count down to 300,00 continues from 230,000. You can use the search in the City-Data Toyota forum for a more complete explanation of VVT solenoids and oil control valves.
For those of you who have not checked your oil control filter. I would just look at the photo and think of how much dirty oil is capable of going through that little filter (not much). That drywall screw was used to force-ably drive into the filter and pull the seized filter out of the cylinder head. I left it there for a bit of scale compared to the filter. So for what it's worth don't forget to change your oil on time. And remember that tiny little filter hiding in your Toyota needs to be inspected as well. Good luck.
Toyota for decades has had sludge issues and it's due to the crappy engine designs. You'd think for as popular as the Toyotas are that it wouldn't be a problem. Truth is, rarely will any Toyota engine ever make the Wards Ten Best list. Toyota uses the oil as a coolant as do other car makers. But they push the envelop to the max and don't provide near enough evacuation of the condensate which causes the sludge to begin with. It's a design defect. The fix is don't buy one from the start and it won't be a problem. FWIW, Toyota has replaced 2 of the engines in my brothers vehicles due to sludge and all he uses is Mobil One.
If I have to pick one Toyota/Lexus vehicle that is completely bulletproof and reliable with no sludge issue, I would say the inline I6 (not V6) 3.0L JZ engine with cast-iron block. It was last found in 2005 Lexus IS300 and 2005 GS300. New Toyota vehicles don't last as long as the old ones.
The oil sludge issue started at around early-1990s when Toyota switched to aluminum engine block instead of cast-iron. Using aluminum engine block was one of the biggest causes.
Brand-new 2020 Toyota vehicles still has the oil sludge design issue, actually, but it's very hidden and secretive.
My opening post on this thread 1 year ago debunks the sludge issue completely.
Quote:
Originally Posted by waltchan
If I have to pick one Toyota/Lexus vehicle that is completely bulletproof and reliable with no sludge issue, I would say the inline I6 (not V6) 3.0L JZ engine with cast-iron block. It was last found in 2005 Lexus IS300 and 2005 GS300. New Toyota vehicles don't last as long as the old ones.
The oil sludge issue started at around early-1990s when Toyota switched to aluminum engine block instead of cast-iron. Using aluminum engine block was one of the biggest causes.
Brand-new 2020 Toyota vehicles still has the oil sludge design issue, actually, but it's very hidden and secretive.
My opening post on this thread 1 year ago debunks the sludge issue completely. There were also later posts on this thread claiming sludge issues which have also which been debunked. It's all about on time oil and filter changes with quality oil and filters.
My Corolla has now reached 230,000 miles and runs like new with no issues. Read all the previous detailed posts in the last two pages for the full picture.
I have no experience with the in-line 6 or the V6 motors in the Lexus, but I do know the Corolla engine (inside and out) from 1999 through the present day are capable of 200,000 plus with nothing more then recommended maintenance.
My family have owned (4) 1999, 2000, 2004, all of which have done 200,000 plus. My latest was bought in 2015, and it will easily do 200,000 plus miles as well. The only change if you know these engines is the VVT solenoid and oil control filter have been relocated from the side of the cylinder head to the top of the cylinder head.
As a future update I plan on opening the pan and valve cover on the 2004 and making a video of the process to further debunk the sludge issue at 250,000 miles.
My experience with Toyota products and having worked on every thing from tractor trailers to Army tanks in the past 50 years is why my family has owned 4 of them.
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I'd agree. 294k on a Lexus RX hybrid. Zero sludge issues, zero issues at all really, but rigorous following of regular maintenance schedule using synthetic oil and always at the Lexus or Toyota dealer.
My almost 400k miles Land Cruiser is the same.
I have 650k on a Tacoma (but I bought it used) and it doesn't have any sludge issues wither.
From the title of this thread, I thought you were talking about the 1998-2002 Corollas with the oil sludge problem. I did not know the problem persisted through the 2003-2008 Corollas as well. Good to know. Thanks!
From the title of this thread, I thought you were talking about the 1998-2002 Corollas with the oil sludge problem. I did not know the problem persisted through the 2003-2008 Corollas as well. Good to know. Thanks!
Just completed a 4,000 mile road trip with my 2004 Corolla, South Florida to Northern Illinois plus a number of day trips. Had a steady 38 miles per gallon through the both flat land and mountains. While I was in Tennessee yesterday we came across a celebrity that is normally pretty hard to catch up to. But here's the picture so there will be no doubt I was this close.
Read the entire thread to get the full story. This picture has gone viral on my website.
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Thank you. You are absolutely correct.
