Engine Sludge/Oil Gelling--Toyota's Customer Response - READ ONLY

877 messages, Last post on May 09, 2002 at 5:24 AM

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#863 of 877 Thanks by cliffy1 May 04, 2002 (8:46 am)
First, a huge Thank you goes out to Mr. Shiftright for maintaining the peace here. It would have been very easy to let this topic slide into another Complaint Station and no body would have been able to resolve anything. Next, thanks to folks with constructive comments like Duckshooter, Pilot, Bobistheoilguy and several others. Your comments were appreciated. You obviously care about what is happening to others. A very big thanks to those with sludge problems who posted here. Most of you were extremely civil, even when you disagreed with me, Shifty, the policy or Toyota in general. You have demonstrated that it is OK to disagree in a responsible manner. Believe it or not, your participation has really helped Toyota in modifying how it responds to customers. You are to be congratulated for this. It is very unusual that a company of the size of Toyota to respond in such a direct and personal way and you had a large say in making this happen. Finally, thanks to Bruce Ertmann. I don't know if all of you realize just how hard he worked to make this happen. He is one man in a very large corporation and had a number of internal issues he had to deal with in order to make this experiment work. I appreciate his honesty and candor in all of this. Anybody else who has problems in the future can contact him through the e-mail address he posted. He will not hesitate to do whatever possible to satisfy Toyota owners. I'll see you all on the other Toyota topics.
#864 of 877 Thanks everyone by cholowicki May 04, 2002 (10:31 am)
I will miss this topic, but in a way I am relieved to see it closed. I want to believe the new SPA will make sludge a non-issue for all Toyota owners, past and present. As for me, you will be able to catch me lurking/participating on the Jeep Liberty boards, as that is my new vehicle.
#865 of 877 3000K oil changes or every 3 months by paulo3 May 04, 2002 (1:09 pm)
or what ever comes first will prevent sludging. It is a simple principle that has been expounded upon for years.
#867 of 877 Oil Change by telitlikeitis May 05, 2002 (6:31 am)
If everyone in the U.S. converts to changing their oil at at interval of 2,500 to 3,000 miles, this will create a huge problem for the disposal of the contaminated oil. Does the EPA have a solution for this?
#868 of 877 by Mr_Shiftright HOST May 05, 2002 (6:41 am)
The problem is not the oil itself. That can often be recovered. It's that many people (self-changers) dump the oil into the ground or landfill. So the solution lies with us, not the EPA I think. Possibly these new compact engine designs and the apparent problems that come with them will stimulate new oil formulations.
#869 of 877 pdalpsher by brenneke May 05, 2002 (7:12 am)
I would strongly recommend seeking out another lab at the time of your next sample as there are a few things on your sample that do not wash. Your TBN was at 0.5 and your Oxidation/Nitration 0%? Also, Fuel Dilution was reported to be 0% - ask the lab if they actually checked for fuel dilution and how, you might find their answer interesting. I spoke with a lab technician who told me that they only check this for diesels. Do not be surprised if you hear "it is really difficult to check for fuel dilution with gasoline" as another lab explained to me when asked. They never did come right out and say that they did not test for fuel dilution, but that was the answer they gave me! I personally do not look at price anymore when choosing a lab as I have found that you get what you pay for. I do not know if anyone has covered this already but....I would recommend using bypass filtration on these engines in addition to a good quality oil. There are many good bypass filters on the market that employ compressed cellulose as the main filter media, and they have been proven to be extremely beneficial in removing water from oil before it can react with acids/contaminants. Anything that can help your oil out here should not be considered overkill.
#870 of 877 Sorry by jj35 May 05, 2002 (7:30 am)
I am really sorry to see this forum close. I am surprised, as well, because I thought that Toyota was using this Town Hall board to better respond to customer complaints and issues. There are many people who are more comfortable with the feeling of anonymity of the internet than they are with a phone call to a customer service rep. I am sure that Toyota will be missing out on a great opportunity to continue dialogue with a segment of their customer-base that would otherwise be overlooked. I wish that Toyota had formulated a response to the concerns conveyed in regards to pdalpshers post of engine oil analysis. It fits right in with what bobistheoilguy has been saying happens to engine oil with the meshed gears in Toyota's. Thank you, bob, for providing a forum where we can continue this discussion.
#871 of 877 Oil wearing out by barbz May 05, 2002 (8:45 am)
I would like to know more about the oil wearing out so soon. I was hoping I could buy the new part Toyota has but it sounds like there is more to the problem.
#872 of 877 Oil wearing out... by webguyster May 05, 2002 (8:58 am)
As we (at least me) have learned, we have "High Performance engines!" LOL! I now feel better knowing my maintenance schedule in my Solara should be comparable to a Ferrari! Makes me feel like I have a true sport coupe! 8^)