Toyota sludge settlement

[ColonelPanic]

Heh, looks like Toyota finally stepped up and admitted that there was issues with those engines sludging all up... They really fought it though, it's the owners not changing their oil! Yeah, right. In some cases, yeah, but for those who were changing their oil and still had their engines blow up, hmmm...... http://www.consumeraffairs.com....html

[KNINE]

I've never heard of this before. Can somebody explain to me how an engine can cause the oil to sludge if the correct oil is being used, and is changed at the proper intervals?

[GrayFox]

good thing we drive pontiacs! lolSo the vvt-i is "safe"? I've never heard of this issue on here beforeand our engines aren't in that list they gave...

[ColonelPanic]

I think the Vibe's engines are ok... Neither of them apply to this. Of course you can have sludging in any engine if the conditions are right.Here's an explanation: http://www.toyoland.com/sludge.htmlI'm surprised few here have heard of it with as many Toyota fans as we have around here. I learned about it a few years ago, I just kinda stumbled upon it... then found a news article where they reached a settlement so I decided to share.

[GrayFox]

thanks, CP

[KNINE]

Good article, thanks C.P. I've never really followed Toyota. I consider myself a GM fan who's car just happens to have a Toyota engine. I would have bought the Vibe even if it had a GM engine.I can't help but wonder if this would be more well known if it was GM problem. The press seems to have a bias against American cars (some, but not all deserved). That's my little conspiracy theory of the day.

[GrayFox]

there was a thread around here somewhere concerning you're conspiracy theory and yes if it was a GM problem they would be getting slammed for it

[ColonelPanic]

Yeah, I'd say if it were a GM problem, we'd all know about it. I think by now everybody knows about GM gasket failures and the infmaous "piston slap" that the pickups with the V8's had a few years back. And who knows what else...But it is funny how this was so low key, hush hush... The media can't let the word get out because it will make the Camry resale value plummet and the entire country will be in economic despair! Never say an unkind word about the Honyota. hehehe

[kostby]

Remember the Pontiac Fiero? The early 4-cyl models were famous for turning the oil into a tar-like goo from overheating, due to the mid-engine design of the car. Sludging indeed!

[mcgusto82]

Quote, originally posted by ColonelPanic »Yeah, I'd say if it were a GM problem, we'd all know about it. I think by now everybody knows about GM gasket failures and the infmaous "piston slap" that the pickups with the V8's had a few years back. And who knows what else...But it is funny how this was so low key, hush hush... The media can't let the word get out because it will make the Camry resale value plummet and the entire country will be in economic despair! Never say an unkind word about the Honyota. heheheOhh don't worry Colonel. i posted a bulletin on Myspace. lol i'll do all possible to get the word out. I think i'll even call my local news network. lol

[ColonelPanic]

Well, thanks for the help but I think you're probably wasting your time. Nobody will believe you.

[prathman]

We have one of the affected Toyotas, a '97 Camry, but it doesn't look like the settlement is going to do us any good. The extension of the warranty is to 8 years, but we only heard about the lawsuit a few months ago when we had already had the Camry for almost 10 years (purchased Jan. '97). Oil usage problems were first noticeable almost two years ago, but at that time the car was well out of warranty so we didn't seek any expensive repair and just started keeping a closer eye on the oil level. Now the terms of the settlement appear to require that there be some proof of problems developing within 8 years and we don't have that proof. It also doesn't help that I do my own oil/filter changes and don't have all the records anymore. I kept them through the original warranty period but figured (wrongly in retrospect) that there wasn't any need to hang onto them after that time. Obviously we'll be keeping those records more carefully on our Vibes.BTW, I also have an '87 Nova (Corolla clone) with far more miles than the Camry and no signs of any sludge damage. It didn't get any more frequent oil changes than the Camry so my feeling is that the Toyota engines in the Gen. 4 Camrys do have some characteristic that makes them more susceptible to sludge buildup. AFAIK, there's no indication that the engines in the Vibe/Matrix twins (either base or GT) share this problem.

[mcgusto82]

Quote, originally posted by prathman »We have one of the affected Toyotas, a '97 Camry, but it doesn't look like the settlement is going to do us any good. The extension of the warranty is to 8 years, but we only heard about the lawsuit a few months ago when we had already had the Camry for almost 10 years (purchased Jan. '97). Oil usage problems were first noticeable almost two years ago, but at that time the car was well out of warranty so we didn't seek any expensive repair and just started keeping a closer eye on the oil level. Now the terms of the settlement appear to require that there be some proof of problems developing within 8 years and we don't have that proof. It also doesn't help that I do my own oil/filter changes and don't have all the records anymore. I kept them through the original warranty period but figured (wrongly in retrospect) that there wasn't any need to hang onto them after that time. Obviously we'll be keeping those records more carefully on our Vibes.BTW, I also have an '87 Nova (Corolla clone) with far more miles than the Camry and no signs of any sludge damage. It didn't get any more frequent oil changes than the Camry so my feeling is that the Toyota engines in the Gen. 4 Camrys do have some characteristic that makes them more susceptible to sludge buildup. AFAIK, there's no indication that the engines in the Vibe/Matrix twins (either base or GT) share this problem.can't hurt to try...

[ragingfish]

that article certainly confirms what many of us have been saying in regards to the *lovely* treatment one receives when going to a toyota dealer...

[high revin]

Thats why you run mobil 1 never have a problem with it

[ColonelPanic]

I bet even the best oil poured into an engine with serious enough design issues could still have problems... That does bring up a good point, I wonder how many of these poor folks that got jacked around by Toyota were using synthetic?

[tnpartsguy]

Quote, originally posted by ColonelPanic »Yeah, I'd say if it were a GM problem, we'd all know about it. I think by now everybody knows about GM gasket failures and the infmaous "piston slap" that the pickups with the V8's had a few years back. And who knows what else...But it is funny how this was so low key, hush hush... The media can't let the word get out because it will make the Camry resale value plummet and the entire country will be in economic despair! Never say an unkind word about the Honyota. heheheCP, the GM trucks STILL have the piston slap....

[ColonelPanic]

They don't have that fixed yet? That is, how you say, suck? Dad was telling me they did, or at least had changed something in the hopes of resolving the issue. That's been one gripe of his about his silverado from the start.

[KNINE]

Is the piston slap an issue with the V6 and the V8? My father has a V6 and has never mentioned anything about piston slap. He did complain about the stock Continentals and replaced them Good Years, so I guess Vibes aren't the only vehicles sold with crappy Continentals.

[ColonelPanic]

I think the six is ok, it's the V8's that knock like hell. The 5.3 I know does, as that's what dad has... I think the other V8's do the same.