06 Tacoma 4.0 burning oil look at plugs and Toyota engine cleaner

***** Update *****

Brought the truck to the dealership and they called 3 hour later and they do not see any leaks… recommend doing an oil consumption test…

I said, I brought the truck in not to be looked at but to be tested and I hope that gets done. In my mind I told the service guy a very extensive history and I wanted to get a experienced service tech to diagnose, test and maybe even scope what’s going on.

 

Thanks so much for your time brother, I just posted another update on that. I’ll let you know when it gets in. I did swap out the Pcv valve it was very similar to the one that was in there, so I don’t think that’s the case. I blew through it both ways. One way held up a little bit then clogged in the other way was free flowing. I’m hoping to get compression and scoping done there and if that looks OK, I’ll do the valve cover gaskets and I can check those guides as well then try a few additives for the piston rings which I kind of suspect. If the compression rings are OK, but the oil ring is not. Wouldn’t the compression test turn Out OK but I can still have a problem with the oil?

 

Toyota found no leaks, but it sounds like no compression test were Performed and they discounted the visit… basically, they said 1 quart of oil every 1500 miles isn’t so bad. I’ll attach a picture for proof.

 

You could always use a bore scope and look down each cylinder. For oil consumption I would try HPL engine cleaner. Follow the directions. Their oils are some of the best. If you want more info. Check out bob is the oil guy forums.

 

Toyota has an engine cleaner as well, and I’m curious if you’ve had any experience with it? I’ve always tried my best to go OEM. I’m not sure if it’ll matter too much with an actual engine cleaner or not. What do you think?

 

The "tech" recommended a heavier weight oil 15w-30 lol. Really?

 

Here we go. Race oil!

 

I’m really hoping the service guy had no idea what the tech was talking about and transposed that a bit. Like I said, I had to post a picture because I’m still kind of in shock

 

I’d go with the HPL. You need to cut open your oil filters before and after. That way you know if it worked at cleaning out the oil control rings. HPL cleaner is a slow cleaner and their oils contain high ester content for even more cleaning. There was a guy who pushed their oil to 30K on a dodge Durango V6. It had sludge. He used the cleaner and used their oils. It was spotless. He posted his results on bob is the oil guy. I personally use Amsoil.

 

Just to confirm this is the stuff right?

also Is mobile one full synthetic extended care for high mileage good oil?

 

15w40 Rotella and send it! That's probably what the tech was referring to instead of 15w30.

Although 196K isn't exactly "high miles" in those engines, it would benefit from an Xw40 oil. I ran 0w40 Euro oil (leftovers from my VW days) in my last 4.0 and it didn't skip a beat.

 

That’s it. M1 is good. Hopefully your oil burning issues is dirty oil control rings. You can always try filling the cylinders Berrymans B12. Let it soak overnight. You may have to suck out the remaining fluid. Put the plugs back in and give it a start.

 

TBH , those plugs are worn, but I'm not seeing excessive oil deposits on them. Or maybe you could post better pictures of the electrode area.

 

Are valve steam seals the ones that come on the gasket?

also are valve guides something that can be changed out once I do the valve cover gaskets? Are the guide plastic or metal?

 

I’ll try and get a better picture tonight, thank you!

 

No, valance stems seals go around the valve stems and the valve cover gasket has rubber “o”s to seal the spark plug wells.

the picture of your spark plugs doesn’t show evidence of a bad head gasket. Your mechanic friend is probably right about the way you drive it. Put in new spark plugs, change the valve cover gaskets, and do some longer drives to get some sustained heat in that motor. It still drives fine, yes?

 

Agree with TireFire. The valve cover gasket kits come with seals to prevent oil from seeping onto the top of the plugs - they just seal the valve cover. The valve stem seals are under the valve stem springs, on each valve stem. In high mileage engines, they harden or crack, leading to oil consumption. If they harden, an oil additive can soften them up. If cracked, there is nothing you can do but ignore the oil burning or disassembled the valve stems. In some cases, the head can remain installed; I don't know if this is possible with the Taco V6. The issue is that the valve stem disassembly involves removing the stem spring retainers, when you do that, the stem falls into the combustion chamber.

Seals are 13711E and 13715A, different for intake and exhaust valves.