Oh, Ive done my research. Ive forgotten more about Toyotas than most people will ever know. The sludge issues that you refer to were on COROLLAS and in most cases it could be traced back to a lack of maintenance. Thats not to say that it CANT happen on a Camry, anyone who knows engines will tell you if you dont change the oil regularly, you will get a buildup a sludge. A TSB simply means that it happened and this is what the cause was and gives the mechanic an idea of something to look for. Thats why its a, "service bulletin". Perhaps you should go do your own research and understand what a TSB is and then return.
Also, if you do your research youd know that any and all supposed sludge problems ended long before '07, so even if you buy the sludge angle, youre still barking up the wrong tree.

 

If its like my '07 non-hybrid Camry, its on the left side (passenger side) of the engine and has a big, loop handle on it. Mine has an orange handle on it, so your's will probably be the same.

 

Hey Shogun, I am not that dumb, LOL. I know how to check the oil, I was just wondering if there was a gauge or warning light or something else to tell you the oil is low without checking it directly.

 

If the oil level gets really low you might see the Oil light flash like when turning a corner. That would mean the oil is so low that the oil pump is having trouble picking up the oil which would lower the pressure and if kept up often enough could damage the engine.

 

Thanks, RBurt. That i the answer I was looking for. I can't believe a car with all kinds of electronic gizmos (we have the nav) does not have a low (not empty) oil warning. I experienced the ding and flash message and the message was so quick I could not even read it. I am going to call the dealer and ask them exactly what the $3000 would be for. I was not in the mood to linger and chat with a sick husband at home. Thanks to everyone for the replies. Some days I wish I had my 83' Corolla wagon back. I could do all the work myself and never really had any issues in over 100,000 miles. Too bad it was stolen and stripped or I might still have it.

 

LOL!

Right... Toyota "knows there is a problem" and is leaving it up to the owner to complain and bring the car in multiple times before they will do anything.

Fact is that Toyota knows they screwed up and that they ARE rebuilding these engines "In The Camry". You should go over to TN and read about it in the TCH forum. NOT the Corolla forum.

 

I got my engine overhauled under warranty from Toyota. It's losing oil every 5000 miles, no leaks just burning oil. Since I got the extended warranty I have to find a dealer that's willing to do the work before it expires. It's happening across all makes of Toyotas.

 

Just had the wife's 09 engine overhauled(80,000 KM),it was the dealer that picked up on it not showing on the dipstick at oil change time,they monitored the car(bring it in every 1000 km) and saw it was using oil,no questions,just set up a date and it was done,it took a week to do.
Dealer mentioned some thing of a silent recall,there story was the skirts on the pistons were to short,and that this was for "some" 09 Camry Hybrid only.
Just to inform others our experience...............

 

I have read the same thing from multiple people with the TCH. I remember it being something about the pistons, I just could not remember the details. Thanks for posting!

More good news for me though...

Funny about all of this... Ours is getting close to 200,000 miles and in all of those miles, it has used about 1 qt. between changes (7500 interval). I just changed the oil today and found that this time it used 2qt's. in those 7500 miles!

I am finding myself popping the hood more and more often to "check the oil" and "top it up".

 

This is going back a few years to when oil consumption in engines was a more common problem. Could be gaps in my memory, but here is what I recall.

Go for a drive and have someone follow you. If the problem is oil blowing by the rings, typically you will see some blue smoke from the tailpipe on hard acceleration. The way to somewhat confirm that is to do a compression test of the engine. The only caution is that burned valves can also reduce compression.

The next test is to go up to highway speed and then let right off the gas. You should put the Camry in B Mode as that changes the timing to increase engine braking. If the oil seals on your valves are leaking the person behind should see a short puff of blue smoke as you let off the gas.

Last have a look at the engine coolant reservoir tank to see if you see any oil in it. That could mean a leaking head gasket.

I do recall that these engines have had an issue with the pistons and oil seal rings. They don't drain down properly, and some have had the pistons and rings replaced under warranty. Yes on the Camry. But, I suspect that would be a much less severe consumption of oil issue.

My thoughts would be to try and narrow down the cause of the oil loss, and then have the specific issue repaired. You may have to locate a competent independent repair shop to do that. Toyota probably only likes to replace the whole engine.