Oil Gelling

TOYOTA MOTOR SALES, USA, INC.

Engine Oil Gel -- Customer Support Program

Question What is Toyota's Customer Support Program for engine oil gel?

Answer A very small number of Toyota owners have reported engine damage from a condition known as oil gelling or sludge. Toyota implemented a Customer Support Program for covered vehicles that have experienced engine oil gel. Engine oil gel occurs when old, dirty engine oil becomes thick and no longer adequately lubricates the engine and, if not corrected, can lead to severe engine damage. Performing regular engine oil and engine oil filter changes will prevent engine oil gel.

Symptoms of engine oil gel may include:

MIL (Malfunction Indicator Light)/Check Engine Light ?On? Blue smoke from the tailpipe Excessive oil consumption If you are not experiencing symptoms and are maintaining the vehicle as recommended in the Scheduled Maintenance Guide or Owner's Manual Supplement, no further action is required. We simply encourage you to continue to perform engine oil and engine oil filter changes as recommended. It is important to change the engine oil in your vehicles.

The Customer Support Program assists customers who have made a reasonable effort to maintain their vehicles and have engine repairs due to engine oil gel. The Customer Support Program will provide coverage for engine oil gel related damage for 8 years from the date of first sale or lease of a vehicle with no mileage limitation.

For normal driving conditions, Toyota recommends changing the engine oil and engine oil filter at a minimum of every 7,500 miles or 6 months, whichever occurs first.

For special operating conditions, Toyota recommends changing the engine oil and engine oil filter at a minimum of every 5,000 miles or

The Toyota Scheduled Maintenance Guide or Owner's Manual Supplement can help you determine which maintenance interval is appropriate for your driving conditions.

If your vehicle has symptoms of engine oil gel, please contact the Customer Relations Manager at your local Toyota dealership for further assistance. If your vehicle develops these symptoms in the future, please contact your local Toyota dealership to arrange for repairs.

The following vehicles have engines covered by the Customer Support Program:

MODEL MODEL YEAR Avalon 1997-2002 Camry

Engine Oil Gel -- Prevention

Question How do I prevent engine oil gel?

Answer Performing regular engine oil changes at the recommended intervals as outlined in the Toyota Scheduled Maintenance Guide or Owner's Manual Supplement will prevent engine oil gel. For model years 1996 to present the recommended engine oil change interval is listed below. For model years 1995 and earlier please refer to your Owner's Manual.

For normal driving conditions Toyota recommends changing the engine oil and engine oil filter at a minimum of every 7,500 miles or 6 months, whichever occurs first. This engine oil change interval requires changing your engine oil a minimum of twice a year.

For special operating conditions Toyota recommends changing the engine oil and engine oil filter at a minimum of every 5,000 miles or 4 months, whichever occurs first. This engine oil change interval requires changing your engine oil a minimum of three times a year.

Special Operating Conditions include the following:

Driving on unpaved or dusty roads Towing a trailer or using a camper or car-top carrier Repeated short trips of less than five miles in temperatures below freezing Driving on rough, muddy, or salt-covered roads Extensive idling or low-speed driving for long distances as in heavy commercial use, such as delivery, taxi, or patrol car

If you need further clarification on engine oil change intervals please contact the Customer Relations Manager at your local Toyota dealership. The dealership may also recommend additional or more frequent service, depending on local road and environmental conditions, and individual driving style.

Each claim is individually reviewed to determine if reimbursement is appropriate. If you have paid for previous repairs you feel may be related to this condition, please contact them at 1-888-802-9436 for further assistance.

Engine Oil Gel -- Reimbursement Procedures for the Customer Support Program

Question How can I get reimbursed for my previous engine oil gel repair under the Customer Support Program?

Answer If your car suffered damage from engine oil gel and you paid for repairs or had incidental expenses, please mail or fax a copy of as many of the following items as possible to the address below:

A repair order for oil sludge damage repair work performed Proof-of-payment for the engine repairs, such as a copy of both sides of the cancelled check or credit card receipt Proof-of-ownership of the vehicle, such as the registration or title Evidence of reasonable maintenance such as work orders, receipts, or other appropriate service records Current mailing address and daytime phone number Incidental expense receipts (i.e. rental car)

If you do not have these items, please include a statement explaining your individual situation and why you do not have the particular item.

Mailing address:

Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.

Toyota will evaluate each request to see that reimbursement is appropriate. You should include your telephone number in the event that we need to contact you regarding your claim. Processing time is usually 6-8 weeks from the date your request is received.

Basically, it's sludge build-up and loss of effective engine lubrication as a result. Cause is the very high oil change intervals that the market seems to demand combines with the lubrication requirements of modern variable valve timing engines and Toyotas unwillingness to specify synthetic oil. People who use dino oil and follow Toyota's oil change interval for "normal" use risk getting it. People who use synthetic over the same intervals don't get it. People who use dino oil and change every 4,000 miles or so don't get it.

On Sun, 12 Jun 2005 18:24:53 -0400, "GRL" graced this newsgroup with:

we keep to a very strict 3,000 mile oil change interval using Mobil 1 synthetic.

Overkill, but all things considered, it's cheap insurance.

You can no doubt take that up to 5K miles without any difference in the oil's performance or abilities, and probably up to 7500--but like I said, cheap insurance...

I've spoken to several mechanics regarding oil changes and and have gotten similar responses. They say whether you go 1500 or 7500 miles stick to three month intervals. Any thoughts on that?

Everytime you shut off your engine, a certain amount of water condenses inside. Happens on all engines, a normal function. The amount of water is related to humidity and temperature, I have been told it can be as much as 1

I guess I qualify, I work less than two miles from where I live and am located in the New England. Thanks for the response.

Thanks, good to know I haven't been changing the oil for no reason even though I rarely, if ever hit even 2000 miles between changes.

On Sun, 12 Jun 2005 21:25:03 -0400, "Elmo P. Shagnasty" graced this newsgroup with:

...that's exactly the way we feel. A couple of hundred bucks more a year on oil changes is cheap insurance considering what the consequences could be.

Hey, if you can afford a Lexus, you should be able to afford upkeep IMHO.

Reminds me of a friend of mine who saved for years to buy a late model Ferrari, then spent a tremendous amount of time looking for the cheapest places to buy gas...probably burned up more in fuel looking for the cheap gas than what he would of spent stopping at the first place he saw.

Every time you shut off an engine that has been run long enough to get to operating temperature it has no water in it except whats chemically bonded and the cooling system. If there was any free water in the crankcase it soon turns to steam and is vented off. When you shut down from a full operating temperature the only moisture remaining would be that from fuel combustion and most of that will be exhausted by the engine as it slows down to stop. In colder weather some of that moisture might condense in the exhaust system. And that's what rusts out exhaust systems on cars that take short trips in colder climate and never reach operating temperature. After you shut down an engine that has reached its operating temperature and it reaches ambient it will breathe and take in ambient air and if the ambient air is humid and the temp of the engine is at dew point that moisture will condense just like dew on grass. In this case we're talking about small amounts, less than 1/5 cup. But every day the car sits around it breathes and whenever the engine reaches dew point the moisture in the air will condense and drain into the crankcase. Over a period of weeks in a humid climate you might get a pint. And if the car's next trip is so short that the engine doesn't reach operating temp long enough to boil off the water you'll have water in the oil. However if you take a long enough trip to reach operating temp for long enough the water that isn't bonded to oil molecules will boil off. So 5000 miles is a good interval for cars that are driven every day and reach operating temp and 1000 miles may not be a good enough interval if the car makes short trips that never allows the engine to reach operating temp. That's why a 5 year car that has only a few thousand miles on it because a little old lady drove it one mile to the store once a week and changed oil once a year. may not be a good deal.

Some Lexus engines experienced this problem when too many miles were put on the cars between oil changes. Lexus will sometimes cover all or part of the repair with some documentation on how often the oil was changed. If you suspect you may have an oil gel problem, take the car to your Lexus dealer. They can give you the details.

RG