sludge on a 2001 V6 Camry?

What you are describing is not exactly the sludge problem that destroyed some V6 engines.

If I were you, I would change my oil at 3000-3500 miles, using a good quality oil.

I personally use Castrol, but you use what you like. (There are some brands of oil I don't use anymore because I believe they contribute to varnish formation in the engine.)

I do not use synthetics, but dont have too much against them except for the cost.**

I believe the most recent issue of Popular Mechanics discusses change interval a little, and the 'expert opinion' is that you should change often EVEN IF you use synthetics**. The reasoning is that both refined fossil oil and 'synthetic' suffer from contamination due to engine blowby, wear, dilution, etc, and regardless of the superlative specifications that are quoted, the lubricants should be changed frequently.

Toyota says that V6 sludge related failures are almost always related to the failure of the owner to change oil frequently enough.. (Interesting that, it is it said, Toyota may have had to change its corporate opinion of how frequently 'enough' actually is):

=================== See:

=================== One of the benefits of synthetic oil is higher resistance to thermal breakdown - that is, can be operated at higher temperature without atlering viscosity. Other benefits are higher film strength and lubricity. As you say, for normal driving, these beneftis may not be worth the additional cost, but they can be helpful under more extreme conditions =================== See:

There is a plastic deflector just below the filler cap that usually develops a thin film of oil that you are observing. That is not engine sludge, and has no bearing on whether there is or is not sludge inside your engine. Because of the deflector, you cannot see inside your crankcase from the filler cap to determine is you have engine sludge.

I would recommend synthetic oil, or at least a synthetic blend for you car. If you have not used synthetic previously, I would use 10W-30 instead of

5W-30.

A call to your local Toyota Dealer service department will answer the warranty question that you have.

Yes, I'm planning on calling the dealership soon but this whole weekend is a holiday including today. I'm pretty sure it's sludge that was on that plastic deflector. It's not a thin film of oil. I had to poke my fingers in there and scrap it off with a cloth. The substance on it was like black sand...it was all over the deflector.

Regarding the 2001 Camry we got, it drives great. We have been drivng a Camry for the past 12 years and just replaced our 92 LE V6. Only real problem we had with the 92 was the water pump, radiator, small oil leak, shocks. The Camry was just so reliable that I didn't think twice when buying our new one which is fully loaded with everything.

You are not listening. The sludge (or whatever it is) on the plastic deflector is present on most V6 Toyotas regardless of whether there is any sludge inside your engine. I have used Mobil 1 since 5000 miles and change it regularly, and still have the stuff on my deflector.

That is not sludge. It is sound deadening material applied to the top of the baffle to minimize noise from the valve train. You will see it in a brand new vehicle.

Where's Charlene Blake to contribute her infinite wisdom? ;-)

Your joking right? Either way...I don't get it.

I guess I'm being a little paranoid but I'm going to the dealership tomorrow to check it out and some used ones on the lot.

Unfortunately synthetic oil is the solution next to getting rid of the car and let the next owner, like you, worry about it. Some engine designs, like the Chrysler 2.7 V6 (but not the 3.5 V6, go figure) and VW 1.8t (we know, it's got turbo) have the same problem. VW specified both the brand and weight of approved synthetics to use, and they increased both the sump and filter sizes in that case.

Elevated cylinder head temperatures, probably due to the ULEV needs and the removal of the engine oil cooler in 97 (cost cutting) may be the reasons for these engines sludging up. As you know, they don't build them like they used to. But you do get the 8-year extended warranty that you'll have to pull teeth to have it honored (why don't you try it?) ;)

Mark is right, what's on the shield may not be what's in the cylinder head. That said, the splash shield under the oil filler cap should have no more than a thin layer of brown engine oil. No more -- not gritty stuff you can scrape off. It may not have a problem, but rather than waiting for the warranty to kick in, try finding another car without this problem.

Rocky2001 wrote:

The buildup on the plastic splash shield is not a problem. I have it on my

98 V6 and I have used Mobil 1 since 5000 miles. When you pour the new oil in the crankcase, it flows over the plastic deflector and a sticky reside builds up. The more often the engine oil is changed, the more likely the deflector is likely to have the residue.

Do not look for another car unless you find some other evidence of sludge.

Dino oil changed every 3000 miles, I have yet to see any thing other than a slight browning (a thin coat in some areas) on the insides of valve covers.

But this is where I differ in that frequent oil changes should not leave any gritty coatings that you can scrape off!

Today's engine oil actually dissolves and cleans, that's why they are called detergent oils -- not the break-in non-detergent mineral oils some manufacturers still use.

Mark A wrote:

No, I am not. Get real.

Yes, you are being paranoid.

Have fun with it.

You don't know what you are talking about. We are not talking about the inside of the valve covers, we are talking about the plastic deflector right below the filler cap on a V6. Your car may not have a plastic deflector, but it tends to get a bit sticky, which is not surprising since it is made of plastic..

This is the THIRD time I'm trying to explain this. I know the difference between "sticky" on the plastic deflector and "sludge" on the deflector. I ran a piece of cloth and my fingers in there and it came out with a sand like substance. NOT sticky, NOT a thin film of oil but a thin coat of crust that I had to scrap off (the plastic deflector only) and when I felt it and rubbed between my fingers, it was like oil sand.

Anyway, I have the car booked in next week and surprisingly it still has the 5 year original powertrain warranty left. I will ask for them to open up the valve cover (at my expense) to make sure. If they find nothing, I will pay for it, if they find something, then I'm covered under the regular 5 year warranty anyway. We plan to drive it for the next 12 years+ like we had done on our 92 and a couple of hundred dollars is not a big investment for some piece of mind. I'll let you know what they find next week.

This is the THIRD time

This is the THIRD time I'm trying to explain this. I have the same stuff on my 98 Camry and I guarantee you that my engine is as clean as a whistle (I use Mobil 1). The "stuff" on the deflector is not an indication of engine sludge. It is an indication of a plastic that has combined with oil and heat to form the "sand" like substance on the deflector.

This make more sense now. Oil gets on plastic, gets heated and forms the sand like substance. I guess since there is no real "movement" of oil up there...the oil tends to heat like a frying pan on that cover. Either way, I guess my dealership will tell me.

Well, just as you guys suspected. The oil on the plastic is actually sludge but it's not big deal as the Toyota mechanic told me that piece of plastic is like a frying pan and that sludge on there is actually normal (it's not a sound deadening material). There is no way to tell if there is sludge on the engine unless you pull the valve cover off.

So...after 1/2 hour labour ($49), the service advisor pulled me into the garage and told me to look at what they found...NOTHING. The inside looks like a mirror! Perfectly clean with NO sludge whatsoever.

For us, it's a good $49 well spent for some peace of mind especially if you were not the 1st owner.

FYI: In Canada, the sludge warranty applies as well (8 year/unlimited). When I asked them, the first thing they did was to pull my vehicle history to check if the oil changes were done (which were done all at Toyota) and then said my vehicle is covered.

One more thing to note, I opened up the oil cap on a new 3.5 V6 (RAV4) and there is no more plastic cover there, you can actually peak inside the engine a bit. No more plastic in there! Also, the cap is a "turn until tight' screw setup. Not like the "align the groove and then 1/2 turn".

No shit, Sherlock!