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Posted on May 14, 2009
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2001 Toyota Corolla, Burning Oil rapidly

I have a 2001 Toyota Corolla with approximately 130K miles. For some reason the car has started to burn oil rapidly (about 3 quarts a month). The mechanic says that the problem is due to high mileage and I should have the entire engine replaced, which I find hard to believe as I have friends that have Toyotas with 259K plus miles on them and they did not require a new engine. Is this a common problem? Any suggestions? I have regular maintenance performed on the car and any repairs as they come up. My car is also burning oil badly. It's only been 2k since my last oil change and the dipstick is dry. I even had the high mileage oil put in.
This is a big deal breaker for any future GM or Toyota cars.

  • Anonymous Nov 19, 2011

    Just read your post. my car has similar problem. My car is burning oil. it has about 130K on odometer but it burns like crazy. I add 1 quart 5w30 oil every 2 days thats about 80 miles drive. I went to mechanic and he suggested me to change engine for 2k (about 60% of the price i paid for). I wonder if the car would be fine after engine replacement. I am also confused: If i change engine now.. then transmission might have problem later.. and if that gets fixed.. then it might be smth else.. so if i go on adding 1 quart for every 80-100 miles for long run.. how long does the car last. let me know wat did u finally do?

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  • Posted on May 14, 2009
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Hi, the main cause of major oil consumption is due to cylinder wall deterioration. this is caused be bad piston ring sets that tend to chip of tiny pieces of the cylinder walls over a long period of time. this will start to show in engines with high millage. this will also lead to compression loss as well if it is not fixed soon.

To fix this issue within the cylinder walls, they will have to be machined and a new set of piston rings will have to be fitted around each affected piston. this will stop the oil from leaking into the combustion chamber and it will restore the compression rate as well.


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  • Posted on May 14, 2009
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3 qts per month is a huge amount of oil. I think you and the mechanic are both correct though. As you say - just having alot of miles on a motor doesn't mean it will be an oil eater. But the mechanic is correct in that this problem usually exhibits on older engines. At that rate you should be seeing smoke coming out the exhaust from the oil burning off. Unfortunately, the easiest and quickest way to take care of this is to replace the engine.

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Toyota burning oil

If you are sure it has no leaks, the only other possibilities are worn oil rings or valve stem seals. Generally if the oil rings are worn then the compression rings are as well, so get a compression test. If readings are down on spec, which is about 150 psi., add a tablespoon of engine oil to each cylinder in turn through the plug hole. If readings rise, then it is worn rings at fault. If not, then suspect the valve stem seals.

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