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Toyota Highlander oil sludge settlement

45 messages,  Last post on May 17, 2013 at 11:55 AM

You are in the Toyota Highlander Forum.

What is this discussion about? Toyota Highlander, Toyota Camry, Toyota Sienna, Fuel System, SUV

Messages Page 5 of 5

#36 of 45 Re: Excessive Oil Usage [steves_toyo] by shoffie

May 15, 2012 (1:40 pm)

Replying to: steves_toyo (Jan 03, 2012 12:38 am)
I have an 02 higlander, 151,000 miles. it started using oil last fall. the oil light has never come on and i only found out when getting ready to go on a road trip, i checked the oil and there was none on the dip stick. I finally took it to the dealership who changed the pcv? valve, did a consumption test after 500 miles, and all checked out fine. I thought we solved it..
I just went on a road trip this past weekend and checked the oil before i left. It was good. I drove to billings montana from denver and parked it. when i went to leave and started the car, the engine banged around and a puff of black smoke came out. i turned it off right away! that had never happened before..checked and again, no oil on the dip stick. put about 2 1/2 quarts in, and all was well. I put the other half in at wheatland, and now the oil level still looks good but i called the dealership and told them the pcv valve wasn't the answer obviously. I took it in and after looking at it, they told me they'd have to remove the top of the engine (or something like that) to check on a sludge issue that had been happening with these cars awhile back, and that would cost ME $450 alone. but... that if i kept up with the oil, the car will probably be fine for a long time.
Other than the indications on the dip stick, there are no other "symptoms". Never any leaks on the ground, never any smoke coming out except what happened the other evening...they are not offering to pay for it AND i don't recall ever getting a letter re: a sludge issue. I am now and always have been on top of all the maintenance required....

#37 of 45 Re: Highlander 24 [meke1] by heartlandhome

Jun 19, 2012 (8:39 am)

Replying to: meke1 (Apr 23, 2012 6:01 pm)
I never did find out what Edelbrock air filter to use but it doesn't matter now because we are to the point of either replacing the vehicle or repairing the oil problem. I think we'll repair the engine, it's a better option for us than buying a newer vehicle right now. We did start using a synthetic blend oil (Trop Artic) which works a lot better than straight motor oil and very reasonably priced compared to other synthetic blends. We can definitely relate to your frustration of the oil problem and, unfortunately, AFTER buying our Highlander and finding out about the oil problem with it, we then did some homework on it and found out this is a common problem with the 2001, 2002 and then got better starting with the 2003 models. The funny thing is, after doing a lot of vehicle shopping the last few weeks I still like our '01 Highlander the best, still looks very good inside and outside for it's age and you can't beat the price tag even with the repair of the oil problem

#38 of 45 short trips or a lot of idling by bruce2891

Nov 15, 2012 (6:29 pm)

I just picked up a 2001 highlander v6 70k miles, 3rd owner last year in summer of 2011. Now in 2012 around June, I started noticing the oil sludge problem. So I took it to a shop and the auto guy said I had carbon build-up because I take short trips or a lot of idling too much (what a liar never heard that one b4) cause of only 5k miles into it for a year and it needed motorvac, etc ..cost $450 for treatment. A month goes by and still the same thing oil consumption. 4 more months go by with the sludge and one cylinder misfires. So now my car is in a shop and an auto guy tears the engine block down to tell me that a piston valve broke, oil ring broke, needs new piston ring all due to oil sludge . I mean come on Im at only 80k. But anyways I want to know if I can still get the toyota sludge settlement even if the car is a 2001 and now its 2012 and the settlement only covers up to 8 years? Cause all these repairs is causing me a lot of money. http://www.oilgelsettlement.com/

#42 of 45 Breather that helps with the engine sludge. by poynorwife9819

Mar 22, 2013 (2:36 pm)

I originally posted in 2011. A few people asked what the breather was that we were using in lieu of the oil cover. We recently had to have the spark plugs changed because my ride was missing, but it is running like a dream once again now!! 169k and going strong!
I am so, so sorry that I never received any of your replies via email!! I certainly would have replied. http://www.race-mart.com/Edelbrock-EDE-4403.html This cover is similar, if not the same one as I have on my Toyota. We did have to have new spark plugs installed this month because it was missing. Now it is running like a scalded dog once again!! =) We are at 169000 miles.

#43 of 45 Excessive Oil Usage 2012 Highlander 6 cylinder by cyork3202

Apr 22, 2013 (6:35 am)

13k on car ... it uses 1 quarter of oil every 1k miles. Dealership keeps keeps telling me this maybe normal. Wants me to keep bring it back every 1200 miles to check. This is getting a little laborious. Any suggestions?

#44 of 45 Re: Excessive Oil Usage 2012 Highlander 6 cylinder [cyork3202] by heartlandhome

Apr 22, 2013 (8:16 am)

Replying to: cyork3202 (Apr 22, 2013 6:35 am)
We purchased a 2001 Toyota Highlander in August of 2010 and found out three months later that it was using oil like crazy. After doing a lot of homework on this vehicle we found out that a lot of the 2001, 2002 and some of the 2003 Highlanders had this problem. A class action law suit was brought against Toyota which resulted in the Company issuing an unlimited mileage repair of this problem to the original owners of the vehicle. Unfortunately, we were the second owners so it didn't do us any good. We just ended up with a real lemon dumped in our laps. We are going to sell it for parts and salvage, we aren't about to have someone else end up with it. I wouldn't think that a 2012 would have this problem and for your sake I truly hope this isn't the case. I wouldn't think a newer car using a quart of oil every 1k miles is "normal" for ANY vehicle, just saying. Good luck, hope it's still under warranty.

#45 of 45 Re: Excessive Oil Usage 2012 Highlander 6 cylinder [heartlandhome] by poynorwife9819

May 17, 2013 (11:55 am)

Replying to: heartlandhome (Apr 22, 2013 8:16 am)
I have owned my 2001 highlander since 2005. We found out about the problem in 2008. I have driven it 70k since then. It helped a LOT when we figured out that if you leave the oil cap off, it burns less oil. We ended up putting an Edlebrock engine breather thing over it to keep the oil from blowing out on the engine. This works quite well for city driving, but Interstate, it still burns quite a bit of oil. With this being said, we have just had a tune up on it and replaced one of the coils. It is now becoming higher maint. that we care to deal with considering we are military and live 1000 miles from home. We will be trading in for a newer highlander...why? Because despite the defect in the engine, I still love this car. The way it handles, the performance over the years. Bottom line is that if I had gotten the oil changed every three thousand miles, it probably never would have had the issues that it does. 8 years next month...I will be sad to see my baby go.

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