Love this car and has high miles (280K) but never any issues till past few months. It is going through oil like gas. Can not find any leaks. It burns a quart on long drives (2-3 hours) which I do on a regular basis. If I keep my foot out of it and drive between 70-75 it is fine but when I drive over 75 it will burn through oil quickly. Any ideas or thoughts to start with?
Clearly the engine is starting to wear out. 1. Keep your vehicle speed under 75 mph, or 2. Buy a case of 12 quarts of oil, then you'll have plenty of supply, or 3. Install a used engine from a salvage yard, but it doesn't sound like the condition of your existing engine is sufficiently bad to warrant that four-digit repair expense.
Try a heavier weight oil -- like 20w-50. It won't fix the problem, but may well reduce your consumption.
Not good advice. The ONLY oil viscosity approved by Toyota for the 1NZ in the US is 10w-30, later they approved 5w-30 as well. Thicker oil is more likely to cause excessive start-up wear than to do anything else. Higher engine speeds associated with increased road speed suggest that there is an issue with the PCV system or even a restricted air filter causing very low pressure in the intake. Since crankcase gasses are routed from the sump to the intake (hence the term positive crankcase ventilation), higher pressure in the crankcase COMBINED with low intake pressure (high vacuum) will dramatically increase oil consumption as the oil mist is drawn into the intake stream. The MOST COMMON cause of oil consumption not related to engine damage is the PCV valve. I would start by replacing the PCV valve and air filter and see if that reduces consumption.
First and most importantly: SLOW DOWN. For your safety and mine. Have the PCV system checked and air filter. Once and engine has high miles on it, it is pretty much normal for the oil usage to go UP right along with speed.
Well that is a pretty funny assertion.......when the engine is probably near to worn out already. Besides the fact that it is not true in general. When the oil usage starts showing up at ALL speeds, then it might buy you a little extra time to start using a slightly heavier oil.....with "high mileage" additives. But that is a last resort and should NOT be done early as a preventative.
BIG difference between having to add oil for the rest of it's life and the unnecessary failure of a rod or cam bearing due to an internet suggestion not based on any imperial facts.. Facts?
You first. You are the one who made the unsubstantiated "Internet assertion". Millions of vehicles of all different kinds have run TRILLIONS of miles with 10W40 or 20W50 oil in them.......with little or no documented instances of engine failure due to the oil being "too thick". There really isn't THAT much difference.
Under what circumstances ? It is almost NEVER good to be adding solvents to your crankcase oil. Especially when you don't know what actual condition you are trying to cure.
To the original poster: There's conflicting information in this thread. I don't want to derail it, but also don't want you to get bad advice. You're saying you're burning a quart of oil in about 200 miles at highway speeds -- that's a LOT of oil. I'd be more concerned with clogging your cat converter than with cold-start damage. Oil viscosity related damage -- if it were to happen at all -- would be over the long-term. With your oil consumption, it appears you don't have the luxury of thinking long-term with this engine. Probably would be prudent to change your PVC valve too, but don't expect a miracle.
