[rav97]

I think someone else here had a similar problem.

Ever since buyin my 97 Rav4 (it had 100, 000 Km), it has been going through what I would describe as an unacceptable amount of oil. Roughly a bit over a litre every 2000KM ( about 1500 miles).

Now the strange thing is, it has no leaks and blows absolutely no smoke whatsovever. I even revved the thing to redline and kept it there for a few seconds and no smoke at all.

I've had it back to the dealer twice, and they reckon they pulled out the plugs and found no oil contamination.

It has to be going somewhere???? :roll:

I am running Synthetic oil in it........I'm just worried that may have something to do with it, seeing its so thin compared to other oils.....

Any ideas?

 

[Chucks97]

If your not seeing any leaks under the truck when you park it then more than likely it is being burned off internally. It's propably not a sythetic issue either.

I don't know what you consider a "bit" but I add oil to our Rav on a regular basis. Just stay on top of it.

 

[rav97]

How much does your one need topping up?

By a bit I'd say in the last 2000 KM its used about 1. 2 litres.

 

[Chucks97]

about 1/2 quart every 1000 miles

 

[rav97]

Does your one blow any smoke?

 

[t0ked1]

Are you doing a lot of highway, high speed, or high revving driving? If you are, some oil consumption is expected. Although, what you're describing does seem a bit excessive. If you don't notice any leaks on the driveway floor, as said above, likely internal. Check around your valve cover gaskets, distributor for any buildup or nice shiny oil deposits. Other than that, you might have excessive blow by. What weight oil are you using? You might try a heavier oil. If you're using 5W-30 as the manual recommends, try one of the new high mileage oils such as Valvoline Maxlife synthetic. Royal Purple 5W-30 or Castrol Syntec 0W-30, which many have said tends to be much thicker than the 30wt indicates, are also oils to try. If that doesn't work you can move upto a 40wt oil to see if consumption lessens. I wouldn't recommend more than that. The reason for this is that most people who switch to synthetic tend to end up using Mobil 1 and this is what I'm assuming of you. Mobil 1, Amsoil and Red Line are all great oils, however tend to use thinner base stock than the oils I mentioned earlier. If you have a ring seal problem, these oils may exacerbate it. Synthetics also tend to clean the engine better than regular dino oils and so may make consumption more noticeable. Try the thicker oils and report back! If they don't work, you might be looking at other issues, but this is a cheap way to start. Good luck.

 

[rav97]

Thanks.
Im actually running Catsrol Magnatec, which is what te dealer puts in when they service it.


Ita a 10/40 oil, so is quite thin. I dont do much highway, its mainly city driving, and I've even done the old trick of seeing if there's any blowback from the oil cap on the rocker cover.......nothing. :?

I might try a thicker oil like you suggested.......hope it it helps

 

[billstock]

I have used this product with good success.

www.auto-rx.com

 

[rav97]

Well I've just had a compression test done, and it ranged form 200 to 210.

Quite a bit high for an engine that's done 110,000 KM and chews more oil than it does petrol....... :roll:

 

[Bluenoser]

That's curious......my '98 RAV had 150k kms on it when I traded it in and it wasn't using a drop between changes (6000kms).
That oil has to be going somewhere.......have you talked to the previous owner to see if it has been overheated and warped the head.......or how often he changed oil.....
Another thing to try is to get it going fast downhill, then let off the gas quickly and after 15 - 20 seconds, mash it again...... The idea is to create a strong vacuum in the cylinders to draw the oil past the rings......if there's a problem, you'll see smoke when you mash it.......

Good luck finding the problem!!!

 

[rav97]

Hmmmmm, I may try that and see if I get any smoke.

I bought it from a dealer, so I wouldn't know if the previous owner had any problems..................though a female owned it, which may explain some things

 

[kshopper]

Hello,

My 1998 RAV4 with 168K KMs is having nearly identical oil consumption issues as you're describing. Uses approx. 1 litre of oil every 1250 Kms or so.

Problem started about a year ago. No oil leaking below the vehicle, no noticeable oil burning while driving.

I'm using 5W30 dino oil currently, considering trying the Mobil 1 10W30 synthetic for older vehicles to see that makes a difference.

Just wondering what you've tried and if you've determined the problem in your case.

Regards,
Ken

 

[vc001]

Hello,

My 1997 RAV 277000KMs has oil consumption of about 1 litre every 1500kms. My first steps to solve the problem were to check/replace the washer on of the oil drain plug. Mine was some used rubber washer. Secondly I made sure the oil filter was sitting nice and tight and finally I added Lucas Oil Stabilizer. In my opinion, the last step made the most difference in oil consumption.The Oil Stabilizer comes in a 946ml bottle and you add it to your oil, Not sure if it's on sale where you live but it's popular in automotive stores in canada.

There was a post made by me actaully a while back, a few guys suggested to check the valve seals (I think). If you want more info do a forum search for "Burning Oil".

Hope this helps.

VC

 

[mensajero]

Sorry to say, but oil consumption in the RAV4.1 is a problem. I use 5W-30 since the day I drove it off the show room. Mine started to consume more oil then I expected. Until I installed the TRD Thermostat and the oil cooler. Since then, it doesn't consume any oil at all. BTW, all RAV4 come with an oil cooler from Toyota.

These are the little things that you can do that can help give your engine a lot, and I mean a lot of miles. Don't think of how much it might cost you in the moment. Think of what it can help your engine and the durability of it. :wink:

 

[Chucks97]

I can't see how a new thermostat and oil cooler will help you from going through oil internally. My factory thermostat and lack of oil cooler did just fine for the first 100K miles in keeping my oil.

Smoke on start - up which is the problem I am having is a sign of worn valve seals of valve guides.

 

[mensajero]

The engine runs cooler. Less heat in the engine, won't consume oil. My engine has more then 65,000 hard miles on it. I bought it in June of 1996. It's a 1997 3SFE engine. At first it consumed oil. I guess a little more then normal. After I did these two mods. End of oil consuming. I change the oil and forget about it until next oil change. [that would be every 3,000 miles, religiously]

ps, when I say hard miles, I mean driving a little faster then normal. :wink:

Oh, BTW, I use 3 quarts of Castrol 5W-30, and one Lucas Engine Oil stabalizer. Remember that rattle when you step on the throttle in the engine bay. Sounds like loose valves, Gone. :wink:

 

[tankd0g]

Using that much oil you shouldn't be blowing money on expensive syntheitc. Mine usues about that much 5w30, since I switched to 10w30 deisel oil it usues less than half that, in the summer months I'll usually top it up with 15w40. It's the cheapest oil on the shelf and yet it has better detergent and b urn resistance properties than the most expensive syntheitcs.

 

[rav97]

Hello,

My 1998 RAV4 with 168K KMs is having nearly identical oil consumption issues as you're describing. Uses approx. 1 litre of oil every 1250 Kms or so.

Problem started about a year ago. No oil leaking below the vehicle, no noticeable oil burning while driving.

I'm using 5W30 dino oil currently, considering trying the Mobil 1 10W30 synthetic for older vehicles to see that makes a difference.

Just wondering what you've tried and if you've determined the problem in your case.

Regards,
Ken

I had the engine replaced under warranty, and it was a piston ring problem.........odd considering it was barely over 100,000km

The oil your using does sound a bit thin though

 

[kshopper]

Okay, sounds like Lucas Engine Oil stabalizer might offer some help. I'll try that and report back.

Thanks for the information guys!

Ken