3.4 using oil?

I have a 2004 Tacoma 3.4 and was wondering if anyone was having oil issues with theirs. I’m either using it or losing it somewhere, I know I should put new valve cover gaskets on it having 260000 miles on it. But I don’t see any wet spots under my truck anywhere from oil. I noticed it uses/loses at least a quart between every oil change, even at less miles that’s on it now. Any thoughts?

 

Do the "tailpipe check" by running your clean finger around the exhaust tip. If it's burning, you'll notice it there

 

This isn't an 80's domestic truck, you shouldn't be loosing ANY oil.

Even if you did have oil spots underneath, that would have to be a massive oil leak to loose a quart or more.

You're burning it.

With that much oil burning, I would think you should be able to see a blue tint to your exhaust. That would likely be bad piston rings. If you get a big puff of smoke on startup after it has sit for a few days/weeks, that's your valve seals leaking oil into the combustion chamber.

 

A quart every 1k may not be visible as a cloud. But everything else, spot on.

 

On the other hand, you may be able to smell the oil burning if you can't see it

 

He’s saying he’s losing a quart every oil change.

OP what’s your oil change interval?

 

Yeah. I've known vehicles that used a quart every 1000 but had no cloud.

 

Ah! Righto!
Edit: sorry! I just learned to read last week

 

Yeah I should have explained better.

 

Oh no worries, I totally miss read it. I just learned to read. Your point was clear. I just missed it.

 

Not to thread jack too much but do you have any pics of your 4WD MT Regular Cab?
I kind of have a thing for that type of truck.

 

Ehhhh, I believe the manuals says oil consumption can be a maximum of 1L of oil per 1,000k.
Or for us here in the U.S. - 1.1qt per 600 miles.

Ok, ok... In reality your case seems a bit high for most engines in the Tacoma.
I’d say normal would be may 1/2 quart per 5k?

Although, I did have family member with over 300k miles on a 2.7 that would use about a quart of oil between changes. This truck was used on a farm and did haul many heavy loads weekly.


Here is a pic of the 2004 manual on the oil consumption. I didn’t just make it up.
Here is a link to the manual too. Info is on page 2009.

 

Lol. It's been around the block a few times, but I'm way more attached to it than I should be.




Edit:Almost 200k miles. The oil level never moves.

 

Sweet truck man. I miss my standard cab Gen 1.
Almost liked it better than my Gen2.

 

Yeah my other truck is a 2007 frontier crew cab with a 6 ft bed. The frontier has been great to me and is way faster, but this little old taco is just a sweetheart.

 

One thing that you can look at is the PCV valve... passenger side valve cover, front. There is a possibility that the rubber seal/retainer could crack and fall into the valve cover chamber/pocket so do this at your own risk. I don't want the 3 second job to turn into a VC job...

 

I’ve had cars come in to work burning 1 quart in 500 miles with no smoke.

Op, consider replacing the PCV these engines are not known to burn oil. Also make sure your running 5w-30. Some places when they change your oil are putting 5w-20 In and can cause some loss just because the engine wasn’t designed for it

 

My 2003 uses about 1/3 of a quart in a 10,000 oci. The motor has 211,000 miles on it and its a 2.7. I use 5/30 Mobil 1 and that has been used since less than 3000 on the ODO. You can try using a thicker weight oil or High Mileage to see if that makes a difference.

 

I checked the tailpipe nothing there

 

291,000 here and I so far haven't burned any oil. Nor does the oil smell burned or any smoke / concerns at the tailpipe. It doesn't appear to be filling with water / fluid either.

I run and recommend Mobil 1 Extended Performance High Mileage Synthetic.

Could be worth a shot and I second checking the PCV as it's a cheap and quick replacement anyhow. Make sure your valve cover bolts are tight to spec also as other have mentioned they can get loose over time.