ACZ

I purchased a 2001 RX300 in 2006 with 42,000 miles. We now have 104,000 miles, and have the oil changed regularly between the dealer and an independent garage. After driving 1,200 miles to the beach, I discovered it was 2 quarts low of oil. On the return trip home, I added approximately 4 more quarts. (I checked each time we filled up with gas). It was all highway miles, we averaged 80 to 85 mph, and I did not pull a trailer, have a luggage rack or was it loaded heavy. When we left for vacation, I discovered it was two quarts low on oil (and I added two quarts before leaving). On the way home, I added approximately 4 quarts of oil, checking and adding oil each time we filled up with gas. There were no check oil lights either. Just before we left for the trip, I had the oil changed (independent) and when I was changing the windshield washer pump motor, I noticed one dime size oil drip on the garage floor, but attributed it to the oil change. I did not see any oil at the condo parking lot, or on my garage floor when we got home. I took it back to the garage, and let them look at it. There is some oil on the front of the engine, but he says that is not new oil, but from oil changes? He also rubbed the inside of the tail pipe, and made no mention of oil residue if it were burning. He says he ran the engine, and couldn't find any leaks, and that we should keep an eye on it. I did tell him to change the oil filter and he topped off the oil, as it was about 1/4 of a quart low. When I was adding oil, I used 5W30 and I assume that was always used in the oil changes. I will be finding a new garage, and will probably take it to the dealer and let them look at the oil sludge issue. I am thinking, and hoping that the oil filter leaked or was not put on tightly, and that was the culprit, as I have never added oil in the past. Was I running it too hard? Is this an oil sludge issue? Why would it start using excessive oil?

Any suggestions or ideas would be appreciated.

Adam

JohnLX300

iTrader: (2)

I had the same problem with my 1999 Lexus RX300. I went through 4 quarts on a 500 mile road trip. Afterwords I stuck a entire can of seafoam in the oil and ran the car for 250 miles. The oil turned black quick. I did pull the front valve cover and I did have a considerable amount of sludge. I am currently @ 99,654 miles, and am going through my first AUTO-RX treatment. I will report back on how effective it is.

Nad1370

^^ This would be my best move in your case since no significant oil leaks were found.

4 quarts in 2400 miles is a lot.
It could be numerous of things : Sludge, worn piston/oil rings, blow-by, valve seals, ect...

It seems you maintained it pretty well so I would have a reputable shop look at it. Well worth paying to diagnose it right the first time than having to throw parts at it or switching to a heavier weight oils.

Give us an update on what they found out.

ACZ

What is sea foam?

ACZ

Is there an alternative to Auto RX? I can't find it locally, and their website reply was that I could order it online. I was hoping to get started on it right away and also use it in my daughters Saturn.

I remember back in my teens, the 1970's, a product called "Risolene". It was recommended that one should ad a quart during an oil change to engines with high mileage. I used it all the time in my 71 Chevy pickup. Of course, back in thosed days, high mileage meant anything over 75,000 miles.

Aprazur

Its that white bubbly stuff thats left on the beach as the waves come in and out here in FL (Sorry).

Or, its that stuff in a can that we buy down here to spray in our outboard engines, too clean the carbon out.

I was spraying some in my RX the other day. The damn thing BACK FIRED and two Honda CRV's fell out of my tail pipe!!!

Jerry

ACZ

I will try some sea foam. What part of Florida do you live? I was returning to Dayton Ohio from Fort Myers Beach, when this oil problem came up.

Aprazur

Y'all were just down the road a piece (15 miles) from me when you where in Ft Myers Beach. I'm in N Fort Myers in a "God's waiting room" 55+ complex called Del Tura.

I moved here full time in 2001 from Plymouth, Michigan (Last one out shut the lights out) lol.

I did the "sea foam" thing about four years ago in my RX, poured a full can in the gas tank. I figured if it was good enough for my boat motor, it was good enough for the RX.

Might have been a big mistake? Smoke billowed out of her and she died, took a few minutes to start and when she finally did, she burped & farted, shook and missed for a half hour. The engine trouble light came on and stayed on...burned out a sensor! I don't think the old girl liked that "Sea Foam" stuff. Might all be a coincidence (the sensor going out). But, I'll never but that $heet in her again.

I would recommend you buy a "good" (INNOVA Equis 3130) CanOBD2 fault reader. It gives you (live) data as you drive, holds & erases fault codes, and actually tells you what part to replace. About $135 on Amazon. If the old girl burps or farts, I just plug it in and take her for a ride. Best gift that I've ever bought my sweetie. Its handy if your friends or relatives have a car problem.

Jerry

Lexmex

The 3130 is a good scanner to be sure in terms of being multifunction.

About 4 years ago I was spraying some carb cleaner in my intake manifold and I over did it and sure enough one of my ignition coils went on the fritz. I was able to get one for a Camry and modify it to work until I got one sent to me in Mexico about a week later. I prefer more tame cleaners like Redline, Techron, Lucas, etc.

Aprazur

Ron,

Big 10-4 Thank you on the Redline recommendation from a older previous post of yours Lexmex of Florida. I put a can in the gas tank and in a few miles it really smoothed out (750) my idle. I had to hunt for it though, PepBoys is the only store in Ft Myers that sells it. Redline is good stuff.

Jerry

Lexmex

Jerry,

That's right...Pep Boys is the only place I see it around here excepting a place like perhaps Murray Auto, but the other big auto parts chains don't seem to carry the Redline cleaner, though they do carry WaterWetter.

I have been playing around with our 06 4Runner that we just got and even though the miles are like 19K (fantastic for the price we paid, $19K...lol) I had a suspicion the people that owned it before us were using some gas that may not have had the best additives (they were using 87, that much we did learn, which is okay), but after throwing in a bottle of Redline on half a tank and using some Chevron Techron. We've notice a 1.3 mpg increase with the same type of driving (it's my girlfriend's daily driver, but she has been doing nothing but commuting). A K&N air filter went in the other day along with some WaterWetter in the coolant. Some of the same modifications that I've done on the RX300 will eventually occur with the 4Runner, but I'm going to wait until at least 30K to add a few.

ACZ

An Oil Update
I have been watching the oil regularly, and with mostly around town driving, it used about a 1/3 of a quart in about 900 miles. That is probably within a "tolerance" of an engine with over 100,000 miles. I took it to the local Lexus dealer and he did another oil and filter change, as well as the regular 100,000 mile service. They found a slight leak in one of the seals, but did not remove any plugs to check for oil burning. On further research myself, I did notice there is black "carbon" inside the tailpipe. I have none in my 2000 RX300 (128,000 mi) but a similar amount in my daughters Saturn SL1 (80,000 mi). It must be burning oil as I have found not so much as a drop on the garage floor. I am going to try some of the oil additives, as I monitor the oil level. At the next regular service point, they are scheduled to change the plugs, so we will see what that brings. They did indicate that it was not "pooling in the back of the engine" or oil jelling. That is good news, and if I have to add oil regularly that is not the worst that I could be dealing with. I am still perplexed, as to why all of a sudden, it started with the oil consumption.

Thanks for all your help and I will post again if something new comes up.