KtrainHurricane

I have a 1994 Pickup 4x4 v6 automatic, and just turned 150,000 miles. I bought it from the original owner who had maintenance and service on the truck up-to-date. Here is the main receipt of the most recent work the previous owner provided me with:



Recently, I have had to put a bunch of money into the truck myself. I had the following done:
*(13 Feb 2013 @ 145,130) - oil change, replace oil cooler o-ring, replace shifter bushings (total $345)
*(29 July 2013 @ 148,106) - oil change, R&R LT. inner & outer tie rod, 2 wheel alignment, R&R RT. inner & outer tie rod, replace idler arm (total $807)

Then (on 16 Aug 2013 @ 148,513) the truck shut off on me at a stoplight on my way home from work. It shook and cut out, almost like if you stop in a manual without pressing the clutch in. I had the truck towed to my mechanic and after looking at it and hearing a bunch of noise from the engine bay they said the water pump or the bearings in the water pump (or something???) were so shot that it was wobbling around and got jammed, causing the truck to die. He quoted me about $700 for parts and labor, and I said fine. Then, later the next day, they said that the water pump wasn't actually the problem, but instead it was this part right in front of (or behind?) the water pump, and that part alone cost $320 (it was the fan clutch bracket). This kind of pissed me off because they still charged me for the water pump ($121.50) which had been replaced by the previous owner in 2011. Total cost for that job was $1,096.

THEN I had a transmission problem on a drive up to Orlando (from South Florida; about 230 miles) where it was overheating and slipping after being on the highway for a little...all those details are in another thread. THAT ended up resulting in a rebuild, which cost me another $1,600.

So at this point, I have spent $4,000, and that is in addition to the $4,000 I spent in March for repairs on my truck after getting into an accident (other person's fault) with a lady who didn't have insurance...so $8,000 I was NOT expecting to pay, especially within such a short period of time. I am a college student and have no money as it is...but now, I am literally tapped out and getting discouraged with this Yota.

So the point of this post - when I got to Orlando, I parked the truck in the hotel lot and looked around for any obvious problems. One big thing I noticed was that I was low on oil by 2 quarts. Since driving back from Orlando (maybe 500-600 miles or so), I noticed this morning that I was short another 2 quarts of oil. The truck is not leaking that I am aware of...can't see anything underneath, and I have been parking it on my concrete driveway and there are NO puddles or even drip spots anywhere.

Any idea on what this problem could be? Anything common with a truck of this age/mileage? Any way to treat/stop this without taking a huge hit financially?

vital22re

iTrader: (2)

check your coolant. The v6 was very prone to headgasket failure. It may be leaking into your coolant.

KtrainHurricane

Ok...and this may sound dumb/elementary, but how do I go about doing this? And what exactly am I looking for - just the coolant to be dark instead of green?

Slowey23

yep oil will float so as soon as you pull the radiator cap cold if its leaking that much into your coolant sys there will be a bunch of oil there saying hi

KtrainHurricane

Took my truck in for a routine oil change and check-up, and told the mechanic about losing oil.

After having it for a few hours, they said "it is dry as a bone and not leaking anywhere," and that it "may be burning, or you're just crazy." They suggested that I keep an eye on it, and if it gets low again to add a "stop-burning" additive from the local parts store, and/or try using a thicker oil.

Any input on that advice?

Gamefreakgc

That's the "just ignore it and the leak might go away all by itself" advice. Not very good. Thicker oil will cause extra stress on the engine when cold and lower your MPG's. Additives are junk, they will just clog up your engine. They might stop the leak, but also stop your oil from lubricating the engine as well! What shop did you go to? Might be time for a better shop that actually cares about the longevity of your vehicle.

If there's no oil in your coolant and no visible leaks then you're burning it up in the combustion chamber, meaning most likely it's leaking through the valves or the piston rings. If it's a slight burn then maybe you're ok... but it's not about to get any better.

Did you check to see if it's leaking from the valve covers? That's pretty common on old engines.

rworegon

Are you getting any smoke out the exhaust? If so, what color?

Kiroshu

2 Quarts for 500 miles of engine run time is awfully excessive...

Are we using 10w30 weight engine oil as specified by Toyota for the 3VZ-E(3.0)...?

Poor quality engine oil...?

Oil being diluted from a rich mixture condition and or coolant in combustion chamber...?

How are you measuring your oil level exactly...?

How do "you" read the "dip stick"....?

If there is no external leaks for sure.

Then the engine oil is being consumed internally.

Check cylinder compression and utilize an engine vacuum test to verify engine health.

Engine oil present in intake...?

Excessive crank case pressure...?

Crank case ventilation system inoperable/poor performance...?

PCV valve faulty...?

KtrainHurricane

The shop I go to is one that my family has gone to for over 30 years (since before I was born/before my parents met). They are Toyota/Lexus exclusive, and have worked on all our cars since my parents will only buy or drive Toyota. They only use genuine OEM Toyota parts for repairs, and have been always been honest. Never really thought about questioning their work or comments about our vehicles, but as you pointed out - this one caught me off guard...

I have not checked the valve covers specifically, but will do so tomorrow.

I see no smoke out of the exhaust; I have also had someone drive behind me checking for smoke, since I had noticed I was losing oil but didn't see any leaking from under the car.


I first noticed this when I took a 3.5-hour trip to Orlando, FL. I had transmission trouble on the drive up, and checked the oil when I was able to park the truck and let it sit overnight. This was when I was about 1,500 miles in from my last oil change, and at this time I was 2 quarts low. After I got back home and drove around a little, and had another trip come up that required me to drive to Daytona, FL...or about 4-4.5 hours (I had not put any more oil in since filling it up in Orlando). Before this Daytona trip, I checked the oil again and I was about a quart low. Since coming back from Daytona, I was about another quart or so low, and I just had my oil changed today, right at 3,000 miles.

So obviously I am losing oil the most on these long trips (200-250+ miles)...which indicates I am burning it, even though I don't see smoke. Assuming this is the case, what is the next recommended move? Ballpark price on how much would it cost to have this fixed?

thefishguy77

iTrader: (1)

Have you checked your valve adjustment.

KtrainHurricane

Sorry for sounding like/being a noob and uninformed, but I don't know what that means, or how to do it...

HighLux

With the 800 dollars you have spent on it you could have....

factory service manual
great starter set of tools
$1oo in parts at best they used on your truck.


Buy a service manual....start collecting a tool set...amd stick to this site.

Either that...or be a girly man and take it to the shop.

KtrainHurricane

I don't recall spending (or ever saying I spent) $800 on having my loss-of-oil issue looked at, so I am not sure what you are referring to here.

Gamefreakgc

Well I'm all for maintaining a relationship with a shop, they'll learn your vehicle well and know how to diagnose it. And you'll trust them. Maybe they had a new guy looking at it?

You won't always see the smoke. It may only be burning oil when the engine gets real hot and the oil gets thin (allowing it to seep through cracks/bad gaskets better) when at highway speeds. You won't see any smoke going that fast but it's there.

A compression check is a very good idea. Your shop should charge you $40 or less to to it (mine did it for free). Basically, it tells you how much pressure each cylinder is holding. If any show low compression it could be due to a leaky or out of adjustment valve (hence the valve adjustment idea) or it could be a bad piston ring, which is also allowing the oil to to enter the combustion chamber and burn off. It's cheap and will get you going in the right direction.

KtrainHurricane

Awesome. Thanks for all that info. I will check the valve covers for leaks later today, and ask the shop about a compression check when I get back into town after this weekend.

Roark

He was more of referencing the $4000 you've spent on repairs, I think.. Granted, not everything can be done in the driveway by the average backyard mechanic, but investing in the tools, manuals, and time required to do these repairs yourself will MORE than pay for themselves. You payed ~700 for the water pump/associated bits job while you could've done it yourself for the price of a water pump, which is much cheaper than the $100+ your shop quoted you at. Everyone's suggestions for helping you are accurate and very informative..but their help can only be used to their fullest extent if you do the work yourself. It's not in everyone's cards to do it themselves, but if you can spare the time, I would highly suggest you investing in tools and knowledge to fixing your truck yourself. Otherwise, expect much more $$$$ being spent on these repairs, especially with what sounds like screwed piston rings..

If you end up trying future repairs yourself, the people on this site will be more than helpful! If not, I wish you all the luck, all the same.

KtrainHurricane

It's been quite awhile since I've last visited - got really busy and this oil issue had to take a back seat (since I could control it by just carrying an extra quart around with me).

Anyway, I finally got around to looking into a compression check. I did not ask me regular mechanic, because they had already given me the advice of "using an additive" or "thicker oil." So, I went to another nearby shop that has been around for several years and gets great reviews. I have several friends who go there for regular maintenance and everyone seems to love this particular mom-and-pop shop.

I spoke with the owner and he asked why I was interested in a compression check, and I explained the situation. He suggested not to have one done, because he "doesn't want to see (me) throw $100 away." He said that the advice I received from the other mechanic was accurate in his opinion - that I should try running something like 15w40 or 20w50 oil. He said that he would only recommend I try replacing the PCV valve because oil may be leaking through there, and it is an easy/cheap fix.

I explained to him how I thought that using an additive or thicker oil was just a "band-aid" and he said if the PCV valve doesn't solve the problem, then anything besides replacing the motor would just be a band-aid. He said that 1 quart every 1,000 miles isn't "a lot" by normal standards.

He seemed like a pretty honest, stand-up guy and kept saying that he just didn't want to see me waste my money...

JohnnyCanuck

If you are curious about your compression, usually you can get them free from an automotive parts store, here I use Canadian Tire, leave a deposit - although they don't even charge me anymore - use puller/enginehoist/compression tester/etc, bring it back and get your deposit back.

Gevo

If you are burning oil the mechanic is right in that you will need a 'rebuild' to fix it.

However, I do not agree with him that a compression check is throwing away $100. He should charge alot less.

Anyway, sorry to hear you've thrown so much money into it...

Natosports

I have the same problem, burning oil. I told my mechanic about it. He did an engine flush.