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RAV is drinking oil!

87K views 155 replies 58 participants last post by  Hans Moleman 
#1 ·
My RAV4 seems to be using up oil and there are no signs of where its going.

I noticed it was on the bottom dot on the dipstick a couple of weeks ago. I added more oil (almost 1 Litre) till it was just under the full mark.

Now its back down to below the half way mark (in 2 weeks). This has been going on for a while.

So I look in the owners manual and it states that its normal for 1 Litre of oil consumption per 1000 Kilometers. Thats ridiculous! That would mean that it would be normal to add 8 Litres of oil between oil changes (at 8000K intervals).

Anyone else having this problem? There's no sign of leakage anywhere. I've never had a vehicle that has done this before.
 
#4 ·
Sounds like something is wrong if you went from little consumption to extreme consumption.

I am sure you are doing this but....

Checking the oil at operating temperature?
Making sure the car is level when checking?
Waiting about 5 minutes or so after turning off your engine so the oil drains back in the pan?
 
#5 ·
I lost 1.5 liters between my first and second oil change (5000km) and so far I still seem to be ok after 2000km (3000km until I do my 3rd oil change)

keep a tab of how much you put in, and how much comes out, if it keep on going like this, after a couple of oil changes, you should ask for an oil consumption test at the dealership...
 
#6 ·
Oil Consumption

I think a quart (or liter for our friends outside of the United States) drop every 1K miles is excessive for any of the engines installed in a Rav4.

Our '07 V-6 AWD is about to turn 10K miles. At about 2K miles I did the first oil change [Synthetic 5W30] followed by the scheduled 5K mile oil change [also synthetic]. The oil level was OK at each step. With about 5K since the last change the oil level is perfectly fine. The 10K mile oil change will also be synthetic.

Our Rav4 is driven a mix of city, suburban, and highway driving. At least once a week the vehicle is used for a 40-70 mile drive @ 55-75mph. It is not used for towing or carrying heavy loads.

Checking oil is done after the vehicle has been at rest at least 30 minutes. And, it should be done on as level a surface as practical.
 
#7 ·
The first place to check is the drain plug...I know you said you can't see were its going... but if it started all of a sudden...did you just have an oil change? Is the oil filter dbl gasketed? I have seen oil leaks only when hot and under pressure...when stopped nothing evident 'cept a thin coating from leak area...sometimes hard to see and harder to find, Tim
 
#8 ·
wingdr said:
The first place to check is the drain plug...I know you said you can't see were its going... but if it started all of a sudden...did you just have an oil change? Is the oil filter dbl gasketed? I have seen oil leaks only when hot and under pressure...when stopped nothing evident 'cept a thin coating from leak area...sometimes hard to see and harder to find, Tim
I second this, check for oil residue, if you can put a sheet of cardboard under it when it's stopped to see if you get oil on the ground. A co-worker of mine got an oil change and afterwards noticed a lot of oil underneath his vehicle and on his back end. The issue turned out to be a filter had a notch/cut in the gasket.

Even if you can't locate it get a service call placed and take it in!
 
#9 ·
Oil Consumption

Briant73 said:
wingdr said:
The first place to check is the drain plug...I know you said you can't see were its going... but if it started all of a sudden...did you just have an oil change? Is the oil filter dbl gasketed? I have seen oil leaks only when hot and under pressure...when stopped nothing evident 'cept a thin coating from leak area...sometimes hard to see and harder to find, Tim
I second this, check for oil residue, if you can put a sheet of cardboard under it when it's stopped to see if you get oil on the ground. A co-worker of mine got an oil change and afterwards noticed a lot of oil underneath his vehicle and on his back end. The issue turned out to be a filter had a notch/cut in the gasket.

Even if you can't locate it get a service call placed and take it in!
+3
 
#10 ·
Thanks for your replies guys, greatly appreciated!

I guess I'll put the RAV up on the ramps this weekend and have a look underneath to see if I can see anything unusual. I park it in the garage each night and there's no oil on the floor at all.

I always check the oil when its parked in the garage, engine is warm after driving home from work (30 minute drive) and I wait about 15 minutes before checking the level. I haven't noticed any smoke or anything else unusual.

For comparison, my 5.7L Tundra doesn't go through any oil. It shows the same level on the dipstick each time I check it. Same with other Toyota's I've had in the past (and I've had quite a few). I'll monitor it more closely now and mention it to the dealer at next scheduled service visit.
 
#11 ·
Just a quick update...

I just did an oil consumption test over the last few months and the results were 1L used per 3,200 Km (1 qt. per 1,988 Miles).

Dealer opened a case with Toyota Canada on it and we'll see what happens. I've never owned a late model vehicle that goes through oil. According to the manual, up to 1L per 1,000 Km (1 qt per 600 Miles) is acceptable. That would mean going through 8 L between service intervals, which is simply ridiculous.

Anyone else's RAV thirsty for oil?
 
#12 ·
seadragon said:
According to the manual, up to 1L per 1,000 Km (1 qt per 600 Miles) is acceptable. That would mean going through 8 L between service intervals, which is simply ridiculous.
+1 on ridiculous...

… when i read that in the manual... i thought it was a type-O… sorry to hear this is actually happening… sounds like just another way for ToMoCo to cover its ASS…

RAVitUP :thumbs_up:
 
#13 ·
Sorry to hear about your problem.

I have a friend who owns a 2004 Pathfinder that burns 1L every 500kms. Nissan knew about the problem during warranty but at the time it was within "specs". Anyway, during normal driving there is no noticable smoke, however if the vehicle works hard (ie towing or steep hills) it smokes. Most likely for him he has some rings lined up. That being said have a look at your tail pipe and use your finger to check for burned oil, compare it to your Tundra.

Goodluck, hopefully its just a leak that is being burned off on the exhaust.
 
#14 ·
d*mn those oil drinking I4's...you should've got the V6... :wink:

just playing... :D

Sorry to hear about your oil consumption. That's definitely not normal for the Rav4 both the I4 and V6...at least I haven't heard any other complaints.

1 qt. every 1000 miles seems to be an industry norm. I used to own a G35 coupe and many owners complained of oil consumption. Infiniti/Nissan's response was 1 qt. every 1000 miles is considered "normal". That's BS if you ask me.

Good luck. I hope Toyota pulls through and helps you fix the problem.
 
#19 ·
seadragon said:
I had the PCV valve replaced just to see if it would make a difference. Unfortunately it didn't. The oil level is still dropping with no sign at all as to where its going.

I don't know what else I can do about it. I just hope it doesn't get worse.
Your situation would be unacceptable to me too. If Toyota says there is nothing they can do, then that would leave me to my own devices. The first thing I would suspect is the PCV, but you've already tried that. The next thing I would do is try Auto-Rx http://auto-rx.com/ to clean up the ring packs (the blow-by may be caused by debrie from coking).

If there is no improvement with oil consumption after Auto-Rx, then I would install Krank Vents:

http://www.et-performance.com/automotive.html

Good luck!
 
#20 ·
Unfortunately, some cars do that (rarely). A lot of different causes: negligent brake-in, substandard oils or too long oil change intervals, defective rings, broken rings, leaking seals, or some external leaks. Sometimes, no apparent cause and just bad luck. Check for leaks everywhere, try autoRX regimen, and consider changing type of oil as different additives may fix it. You can consider heavier oils like 10W30 or even 15W40 . They WILL NOT damage your engine but produce a hit in MPG. Good luck!
 
#21 ·
06 RAV.. I4.. 44,000 miles. I use mobil 1 10W30 and change the oil and filter every 6000 miles and its still clean.My Rav uses about 1/3 to 1/2 quart every 2000 miles.It has no leaks,so i assume its just burning it somehow,but it runs strong and gets great milage,no smoke.
 
#22 ·
Just a thought: I'm wondering if you might never need to change the oil if you've got this ongoing loss and replacement process. Just change the filter once in a while. This might be a good thing. Yours might be a prototype for self oil changing cars of the future.
 
#23 ·
Jimbow said:
06 RAV.. I4.. 44,000 miles. I use mobil 1 10W30 and change the oil and filter every 6000 miles and its still clean.My Rav uses about 1/3 to 1/2 quart every 2000 miles.It has no leaks,so i assume its just burning it somehow,but it runs strong and gets great milage,no smoke.

We have the exact situation with out 06 I-4. Mobil 1 10/30 every 6,000. Use 1/2 qt during the time. No smoke, or leaks anywhere.
 
#24 ·
'07 I4 going on 18K miles. Dealer changes the oil & filter every 5K. Except around the first 3K miles, when the oil level dropped about a pint and I had a huge argument with the service manager about whether that was normal, there has been negligible loss of oil. In normal use NO modern engine should consume ANY oil, IMO.
 
#25 ·
I have a feeling that my RAV is using more oil now than it was. I topped it up today to just under the full mark on the dipstick and noted the odometer reading. I'm going to watch it closely over the next couple of weeks.

There's obviously something wrong with the engine, but Toyota considers up to 1 Liter per 1,000 Kms acceptable (1 qt. per 600 miles). It's right in the manual on page 236. They even have a topic on oil consumption in the manual.

This on top of all the other problems I've had with this RAV. This is really pissing me off.
 
#26 ·
seadragon said:
I have a feeling that my RAV is using more oil now than it was. I topped it up today to just under the full mark on the dipstick and noted the odometer reading. I'm going to watch it closely over the next couple of weeks.

There's obviously something wrong with the engine, but Toyota considers up to 1 Liter per 1,000 Kms acceptable (1 qt. per 600 miles). It's right in the manual on page 236. They even have a topic on oil consumption in the manual.

This on top of all the other problems I've had with this RAV. This is really pissing me off.
I know, it's in the manual. What's up with Toyota here? No US maker that I know of says that ANY oil consumption is OK. Didn't that go out in the US, and Canada, around 1946? Good luck with fixing this.
 
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