Burning 6qt of oil between changes

2007 2wd, 4cylinder, manual, 250k mi no leaks, runs smooth
Mechanic said my truck burns oil. I do regular oil changes. He said .5 qt was drained since last 7500k mi.
Question 1-Why would Tacoma burn that much oil?
Used Mobil 1 5w-20 synethic(0 mi-100k mi), then Mobil 1 0w-20 (100k-180kmi)(mechanic suggested 0w-20), then at 180k mi Amsoil 0w-20 10k mi
I drive it hard at high RPM 3500-4000. oil changes every 3-5k mi then 7500mi with Amsoil.
Currently went back to Mobil 1 synthetic 5w-20
Question 2-I want to switch to high milage. Any suggestions on what oil to use?

 

What?! If he drained 6 qts of oil after 7500 miles you're not burning a drop! That's the max a 2.7 can hold. I'd like to know how he even got 6qts out of it since most of us are doing oil and filter changes and only put 5 or 5.5 qts back in. I'd stick with the Mobil 1 or the Amsoil if I were you. They both seem to be doing a pretty good job if you've been revving it like that for 235,000 miles. Me personally? I'd never run a 0-20 or even a 5-20 in anything unless I lived in ND or Alaska. Unless the vehicle was one of these brand new ones. After 100 or 200,000 miles I'd go a little thicker. However, the weights your using seem to be doing quite well so far but with that mileage I wouldn't be afraid to go with 5-30 of either brand. Unless you do live in some place like ND or AK. I live in Wyoming. We get down to -20. My 2004 recommends 5-30 but I run Amsoil Signature 10-30. No problems.

If you don't have any oil leaks you don't need the High Mileage Mobil 1. That's for engines with oil leaks that are actually burning oil. From what you have said your mechanic needs a brain transplant and I'd find a different one. The standard Mobil 1 or the extended will do just fine as far as Mobil 1 goes and the extended would do quite well with 7500 mile intervals since they say it can go 15,000. Amsoil Signature the same. 7500 mile intervals with either is easy. I know that from the last oil analysis Blackstone labs did for me.

They said to take the Amsoil to 9500 miles which I'm not doing for the time being. I just like the Amsoil Signature since it is a real, true, 100% synthetic and not a blend. Like Mobil 1. Pennzoil Platinum, by the way, is also advertised as a 100% pure synthetic. It's one of the best on the market.

 

did he mean that he had BURNED 6qts in 7500? but yea if the mech said he literally got 6 qts out of your engine, I think youre good to go.

 

Sorry correction. Mechanic said he drained .5qt meaning to say I burned 5.5 / 6qt since my last oil change (7500mi)
I read my truck takes 6qt and was advise to get an extra 1qt. for oil filter using only about 1/4 cup or so.

so looks like I'm going to have to go back to doing my own oil changes if people are ......I won't assume
I'm going back to Mobil 1 synthetic 5w-20. Using 6qts. I never had an issue when I did my own oil changes.

Can anyone explain a loud rattle sound when I let of the gas pedal? Sounds like a flywheel. Mechanics said it was cause there was only .5qt of oil. The rattle did go away but I thought if I was low on oil it makes a knocking sound.

Thanks for the help.
Oh and it's not the clutch. Everything's tight. My truck runs smooth aside from this last situation with the rattle sound. Still want to know if it's cause I had no oil. And if so. Where the heck did the oil go cause the rattle came on all of a sudden and there's not a drop of oil on the ground or pan.

 

Hopefully (not really sure which would be worse actually, no oil to start, or burning 5qts) the last person that did the change just either forgot to add oil back in, or forgot to tighten the drain bolt fully, allowing the oil to drain back out. how many oil changes have you noticed this problem? just this one?

Ive got no experience not having oil in the truck, but I could imagine that with it that critically low, that all sorts of rattles, and clunks could happen.

Sorry, I was no help. I hope everything gets figured out! you did mention that you saw no signs of oil leaks on the ground, or on your truck right?

 

It still ran with .5 quarts left in it? You sure he did not mean 5 quarts?

If it is running ok after the oil change, just keep an eye on the oil level at every gas fill up and see how much you are losing.

 

Sounds like you may have internal damage

 

You need to find a new mechanic, I think. If you were actually running your truck with just 1/2 quart of oil your engine would have to be overheating, knocking, rattling, tapping, and your oil pressure gauge would be bottomed (or the dummy light would be on). And, honestly, when he drained your oil it would probably have been a glitter factory.

 

unfortunatly like the post above says you might already have internal issues.

 

I agree with all of you.
And yes mechanic said he only drained half a quart.
I went through every scenario from when I stopped doing my own oil change at 180k mi. That's when I switched to Amsoil and allowed a different mechanic to do the changes. Prior to that I did my changes and never had any issues.

So my guess if beginning of 180k mi let's say the Amsoil mechanic did something like put only 4qt instead of the 6qt I paid for. Or maybe he put less. I've driven my truck since the rattle sound began for 47k mi.
What damages could have occurred ?

Now this new mechanic who told me he drained only half a quart...
where the heck did the oil go?
Did last Amsoil mechanic forget to put oil?
If so what damage could occur the last 7500mi?

Now what's really irritating me is the new info I learned.

I took my truck to a new mechanic just 2 days after the half quart mechanic. This 3rd mechanic said He drained the oil, and started fresh. Did diagnostic test and everything is great. He said my motor is perfect and was amazed cause it has 227k mi on it and I told him I drive it high RPM. He said. It's a good truck. Last guy should not have said it burns oil. But he recommended me bring it in at 1k mi and check the oil to see if any of it burned.

Now I still don't have an answer to my original issue and reasons I took my truck to the shop.

Why truck had loud rattle whenever I let off the gas pedal??

Really due to no oil?

Rattle started when dummy light came on (7500mi after last oil change)

I'm thinking Amsoil mechanic only put 4qt and not 6 qt. still doesn't explain where the heck 4qt went in 7500 mi. Unless Amsoil mechanic never put oil in. I was dumb and didn't check his work. If it was dry for 7500 mi
What damages could occur? There was no knocking.... No oil drips. I clean undercarriage and detail my truck very often. It's garaged... I'm confused and really not trusting anyone else to touch my truck.

 

Maybe he accidentally drained the tranny fluid

 

If you got 250K miles out of your truck, I would say you are a winner and don't worry about oil consumption. Just add to it as necessary until the engine quits. 250K aint bad at all...

 

keep an eye on it, it may be OK

change it
check the dipstick bone-cold
should be right at the top line no more no less,
then keep a rag handy for the dipstick, drive and monitor it every fillup.

should not really drop much in 5000 miles, maybe between the dipstick marks

 

Id say, yes. the rattle could be from lack of oil. if you added oil and it went away, you could be ok for now. I would definitely do the next oil change yourself, and send a sample to blackstone for analysis. they'll be able to tell you if something is wrong in there without taking the whole engine apart. http://www.blackstone-labs.com/what-is-oil-analysis.php

is the rattle still there?

 

Earlier this year I thought my timing chain was going out...due to noise coming from the front of the engine.
Issue was due to being a couple of quarts low (already apologized to the forum and promised to take better care of my tacoma)

As others have asked, did the noise go away after the oil change?

 

My skeptic meter is fully pegged. I'll protect you in my safe place.

 

If you drove that thing for any amount of mileage with .5 qt in it then the only reason it is still running is because you had Amsoil or Mobil 1 in it. And, it's a 2.7. If it's rattling when you let off the gas I believe that could be rod bearings if I remember correctly. Rattling on deceleration denotes a certain bearing that is bad. It might be main bearings but that sound isn't really a "rattling". It's more of a deeper "thudding" sound. I can't remember which one. There are mechanics on this site. Maybe one of them will chime in.

 

I'm finding this hard to believe myself.

 

I've been doing my own oil changes since I owned my first car and there is a reason for it. One of the very few times I had a shop do it and it was a Jiffy Lube they they over filled it and I had a foot wide puddle under the car on a 700 mile trip. That was a '73 Caddy. No damage and as good a car as that was the rear main seal leak fixed itself. Up until then no one ever touched any of my cars but me from high school on. That was my only car for 18 years until I bought this Taco 3 years ago. I love this Taco but that damn Caddy was the most enjoyable car to drive I've ever owned and I've owned quite a few. Nothing beats an early 70's land yacht. Well, maybe the ''68 AMX with a 390 and a 4 speed in it that I had in high school but in a much different way. I made it from Fullerton, CA to Tuscon, AZ in that thing in 6 hours flat one time and we stopped for 45 mins for lunch. That was the good old days when you could drive fast in this country and there was no traffic and zero cops in the wide open spaces like I-10 from Ontario, CA to Pheonix, AZ. Not even that many anywhere on the interstates even in or near populated areas.