Es300 Burning Oil

[Ron T.]

My 2001 ES300 has less than 50,000 miles on it. I am the original owner and changed the oil myself religiously every 3,000 miles. About three years ago I began to notice that it would consume oil after long trips at sustained higher speeds. The problem has gotten worse. This past summer, after a round trip of about 550 miles, I went through about 5 quarts. I also notice smoke from the exhaust at times.

I understand that there was a problem with engine sludging and that Lexus might be responsible for repairs to the engine. Does anyone have any experience with this?

Thanks all!

[Tom Donaldson]

Our '99 ES300 exhibits similar behavior with these exceptions: 1) Problem did not develop until 90K-95K miles (currently have 113K); 2) No smoke - or oil leaks under vehicle; and, 3) Ours only uses about 2 quarts in 550 miles, but still enough to be annoying. Our mechanic replaced the PCV valve hoping that would correct it, but problem persists. I will be interested to see if anyone has other suggestions. Our vehicle was serviced at Sewell Lexus in Dallas for the first 75K and at Davenport's, an independednt Lexus garage in Plano TX, since then.

[pberku]

Our '99 ES300 exhibits similar behavior with these exceptions: 1) Problem did not develop until 90K-95K miles (currently have 113K); 2) No smoke - or oil leaks under vehicle; and, 3) Ours only uses about 2 quarts in 550 miles, but still enough to be annoying. Our mechanic replaced the PCV valve hoping that would correct it, but problem persists. I will be interested to see if anyone has other suggestions. Our vehicle was serviced at Sewell Lexus in Dallas for the first 75K and at Davenport's, an independednt Lexus garage in Plano TX, since then.

Woow Thats lot of oil to burn in 500 Miles. With that amount of oil consumption, you should consistently see Blue Smoke out the Exhaust, and not just the occasional puff of smoke.

What grade of Oil are you using? Try switching to a higher Weight. If for example you have been using 5W-30 then switch to 10W-40 and see what happens. You should also be aware that if most of your driving is in town, then there is the possibility that your oil was contaminated with Moisture and gas. As such, although your car may have already been burning oil even in town, you may not have noticed it as the amount of oil lost was replaced with other contaminants such as the 2 that I mentioned. Therefore your Oil level may have appeared to remain normal.

When you then take the car on the highway, the contaminants are burned off, and it then appears that your oil consumption goes up up dramatically when driving at Highway speeds.

Juts my 2c Worth.

Phil

[Ron T.]

Thanks for the input. However I believe my problem is due to premature engine wear due to the sludging problem that Lexus made public a few years back. Has anyone had to deal with a similar problem? And, if so did they get any satisfaction from Lexus?

This oil consumption started to appear at about 40K. This should not happen to a well maintained engine.

[homemechanic]

5 quarts of oil in 500 miles. I would definitely look into oil leaks. With 5 quarts of oil burning thru, you definitely would see constant blue/black smoke of out the exhaust, a film of exhaust built up on your rear bumper above the exhaust pipe and very noticeable loss of or lack of power.

I have a 99" ES300 w/the VVTI engine, which is a similar engine as your car. These engines are notorious for sludge formation and oil leaks. After 10 years of service, I replaced the valve cover gaskets and spark plug seals. The seals cracked to a point that engine oil was leaking into the spark plug seats. I haven't replaced the cam and crank oil seals yet, which will be done at the next timing belt change.

Here are the main areas of oil leaks:

valve covers gaskets (front + back)

spark plug seals

cam seals

crank seals

front main oil seal

rear main oil seal

I would look into the valve covers and cam/crank seals first.

[Ron T.]

There aren't any oil leaks. The bottom of the engine is dry and the driveway where it is parked does not have any oil stains at all. The oil is being consumed through the engine. Again, the oil and filter were changed every three thousand miles. More than the interval recommended by the manufacturer.

I am looking for someone who has had a similar problem and has gotten satisfaction from Lexus.

[pberku]

There aren't any oil leaks. The bottom of the engine is dry and the driveway where it is parked does not have any oil stains at all. The oil is being consumed through the engine. Again, the oil and filter were changed every three thousand miles. More than the interval recommended by the manufacturer.

I am looking for someone who has had a similar problem and has gotten satisfaction from Lexus.

Ron, I feel for you, and your dilemma, but unless and until , someone (i.e.: a qualified mechanic) diagnoses the cause of the oil loss, than you have nothing to go on.

You can not, and should not rely on someone else that may have had similar symptoms. The cause of your problem may be totally different.

Phil

[homemechanic]

Here's another suggestion. You can draw out a bit of engine oil and send it for analysis. If they detect some unusual metals or elements in the oil, they can then give you an idea what's wearing out or wrong inside the engine. I think Amsoil is still doing it. Can't be sure. . check their website. it's like $20