2002 Corolla --very low oil (1 Viewer)

[sjpitts]

I am not sure if this is the right section to ask this question, but here goes.

We have a 2002 Corolla sedan that we have had for many years. 5 speed. My kids have learned to drive in it, driven it to high school, and taken it away to college. It has served us very well. They are great little cars. And I love the fact that they don't use a timing belt that needs to be replaced.

The other day my daughter said the "oil light" came on. So I had my son change the oil, and he came to me and said "almost no oil came out". I went and checked it out, and sure enough it only had about 1/2 qt of oil in the pan. See the picture below.

It had been more than year, but only 2500 miles since it was last changed.

We finished changing the oil and it started up and seems to be running ok. It may be shaking a bit more than it used it, but that could also be my imagination.

Given how little oil was in it I am somewhat surprised that the car still runs. But maybe the Corolla is just the land cruiser of little cars?

So questions-- what could make the car lose so much oil so fast? And what is the chance that the engine is really toast?

One reason I ask is that it needs new tires, and I don't want to be wasting money on new tires if the engine is likely done. And I just have a hard time believing that the engine was not damaged by this.

 

[aztoyman]

Yikes. The oil can leak out or be burned by the engine. You would see oil on the floor or all over the engine or a lot of blue smoke out the exhaust. Especially if it used or lost that much in 2500 miles.

Is it possible that is all that was added at the last oil change? There's plenty of oil change business horror stories out there. Was the drain plug tight?

I would cut the oil filter open if you still have it and check for metal. It doesn't look like metal is present in your oil sample there.

I would also check oil pressure. If there's no excessive metal on the filter pleats and you still have good oil pressure, maybe you got lucky.

 

[sjpitts]

Yikes. The oil can leak out or be burned by the engine. You would see oil on the floor or all over the engine or a lot of blue smoke out the exhaust. Especially if it used or lost that much in 2500 miles.

Is it possible that is all that was added at the last oil change? There's plenty of oil change business horror stories out there. Was the drain plug tight?

I would cut the oil filter open if you still have it and check for metal. It doesn't look like metal is present in your oil sample there.

I would also check oil pressure. If there's no excessive metal on the filter pleats and you still have good oil pressure, maybe you got lucky.

Thanks for the reply. I will see if we still have the filter and cut it open as you suggest.

I have not seen any significant leaks.

I am not sure about the current oil pressure. There is no "oil pressure gauge", only a red warning light. But I guess it is OBD2, so maybe I can get that info using an code reader and an app.

I did ask my daughter how long the light had been on, and she said it was just flickering on and off, and she did not drive it very far when that was happening. A mile at most.

Maybe we were very lucky. And these may have just been the most reliable little sedans every made. I should perhaps go buy another one or two for future grandkids.

Jared

 

[aztoyman]

If you have a gauge and hose to check pressure (Harbor freight) you can most likely tap into a port. Even where the idiot light switch is if it's not too bad to get to.

IDK if it's an issue for you but one of my daughters had kids in HS sabotaging her car.

I hope it lives on. I taught my kids and a niece how to drive stick in my old Toyota truck. My oldest grandkid is next.

 

[gnob]

checking oil levels is overated.

for example my brand new in 2018 wrx burned 1.5 qts in 3250 miles.
Toyota deems 1qt per 1k miles acceptable.

 

[aztoyman]

@gnob, was any blue smoke noticed with your Subaru? I'd think this Corolla missing 4-5 quarts or so in 2500 miles would either be oily or smoky.

 

[gnob]

@gnob, was any blue smoke noticed with your Subaru? I'd think this Corolla missing 4-5 quarts or so in 2500 miles would either be oily or smoky.

i don't really think so.
some engines are tighter than others.
my sienna burns a grip of oil but doesn't smoke.

but you're right here, i assume if the numbers are legit there'd have been signs.

 

[thabruiser]

The 1ZZ-FE in it's early iterations were notorious for burning oil. Later ones seemed to be better about it. You never say how many miles are on the vehicle, but I would venture to guess that it has just burned the oil right along with the gasoline. The oil scraper ring on these and other Toyota engines would collapse, or the piston holes would clog up, and cause "excessive" oil consumption.

Aside from this, you are correct. These and the next generation of Corolla are pretty robust. Not far off when you call it the Land Cruiser of sedans. For it's intended purpose (daily commute, etc) they are dead nuts reliable.