2001 Toyota Corolla Burning Oil

[Petrol & Powder]

YES, low mileage old cars certainly exist. No doubt about that.

An allegedly low miles 17 year old Toyota that burns a lot of oil PROBABLY isn't really a low mileage Toyota.

And I don't care what the odometer indicates.

[country gent]

Low mileage cars suffer from one thing a vehicle driven daily dosnt. The oils run down seals, bearings, rings and gaskets dry out. The rubber synthetic valve seals get hard and brittle from this and don't seal anymore. Rings dry out and may become sticky ditto varnish and or carbon build up. Some say sitting is harder on a vehicle than being driven every day.

I believe milage is a poor measure of use. As it dosnt take into account operating rpms loads and other things. Farm equipment and heavy equipment ( even most riding lawnmowers) are set up for Hours @xxx rpms, this gives a more accurate idea of use and wear.

[HATCH]

An allegedly low miles 17 year old Toyota that burns a lot of oil PROBABLY isn't really a low mileage Toyota.
.

I now get what your saying.

The vehicle wasn’t driving many miles but it has a lot of hours on the clock.

Analogy is a dragster that runs 1/2 mile at a time.
1/4 mile wide open throttle then 1/4 mile back at partial.
Not a lot of miles but it’s hard miles

[Petrol & Powder]

I now get what your saying.

The vehicle wasn’t driving many miles but it has a lot of hours on the clock.

Analogy is a dragster that runs 1/2 mile at a time.
1/4 mile wide open throttle then 1/4 mile back at partial.
Not a lot of miles but it’s hard miles

NO - you don't get what I'm saying.

Someone altered the odometer. That 17 year old Toyota has more than 72,000 miles on it.

[HangFireW8]

Maybe it is high miles. Or maybe it has stuck rings... Like many other Corollas from that era.

I've seen it happen before. Problematic cars with low miles, because, they are not trusted.

[Petrol & Powder]

Allow me to be clear, I do not believe the OP is lying. I think the OP was deceived himself.
That 2001 car likely has more miles on it than are showing on the odometer.

[Petrol & Powder]

Maybe it is high miles. Or maybe it has stuck rings... Like many other Corollas from that era.

I've seen it happen before. Problematic cars with low miles, because, they are not trusted.

Stuck rings or not, the most likely explanation is the car has a LOT more miles on it than the 72K indicated.

[HATCH]

Guess you must of gotten stuck with something like it???


I know on Dodge trucks (some of them) the OF is recorded on the cluster.
You replace the cluster with a used one it shows the used OD.
Saw a Dakota that said 139k miles on the OD but last record only showed 180k plus

[Petrol & Powder]

Guess you must of gotten stuck with something like it???

/\ Nope, but I've seen others that have.

Human beings are not only capable of lying, they are prone to do so when it suits their needs.

When something seems too good to be true, it probably is too good to be true.

[turtlezx]

oils cheep rebuild isnt keep it topped off and drive it

[KenH]

Don't you just love it when somebody asks a question, and never hangs around, or at least doesn't respond to 3 pages of posts?

I agree with most of the statements made. I doubt the 72K miles are accurate, but it is totally possible. Somebody drove very few miles/yr and never changed oil allowing the engine to sludge up big time causing stuck rings. No point in my suggesting any checks, all the good checks have been made already.

Ken H>

[Petrol & Powder]

Nobody is saying old cars with low mileage don't exist. Of course they exist. HOWEVER, it's a bit naïve to think an old car that burns copious amounts of oil and has an average displayed accumulated mileage that corresponds to 4200 miles per year has an actual total mileage of 72K. The most likely explanation (not the only explanation, just the most likely) for a 17 year old Toyota to be burning a lot of oil is that the engine has a LOT of miles on it.
If it didn't burn oil and was in otherwise pristine condition, it would be a little easier to believe the mileage was accurate. If one knew the history of the car and knew the mileage was correct, the mileage wouldn't be a concern at all. But to assume the mileage is correct absent of any proof beyond the digits displayed on the odometer is foolish.

[snowwolfe]

Nobody is saying old cars with low mileage don't exist. Of course they exist. HOWEVER, it's a bit naïve to think an old car that burns copious amounts of oil and has an average displayed accumulated mileage that corresponds to 4200 miles per year has an actual total mileage of 72K. The most likely explanation (not the only explanation, just the most likely) for a 17 year old Toyota to be burning a lot of oil is that the engine has a LOT of miles on it.
If it didn't burn oil and was in otherwise pristine condition, it would be a little easier to believe the mileage was accurate. If one knew the history of the car and knew the mileage was correct, the mileage wouldn't be a concern at all. But to assume the mileage is correct absent of any proof beyond the digits displayed on the odometer is foolish.

Good lord man, give it up! We get what you are saying but it doesnt have anything to do with offering advice to the OP on what may be wrong with the car. You made at least 10 posts about this cars mileage. WE GET IT.

[Petrol & Powder]

Good lord man, give it up! We get what you are saying but it doesnt have anything to do with offering advice to the OP on what may be wrong with the car. You made at least 10 posts about this cars mileage. WE GET IT.

WE GET IT! (well maybe)

Clearly YOU get it. I'm not convinced the collective "we" gets it.
But I'll take your advice and shut up. I wish the OP the best of luck and hope he doesn't end up dumping $4000 into a seventeen year old car valued at $2500 with 200,000 actual miles on it.

[HATCH]

Still say it has 77k miles on the od
Lots of engine hours and poor maintenance.
But let’s see if the op comes back

[john.k]

I have a couple of vehicles that old,with that kind of mileage......I dont think Henry Ford was fibbin when I bought them,cause he said they had zero miles on them.......And I would spend any money to keep them going,cause new diesels are so complicated and costly to maintain.......My brother has a 20 yr old Landcruiser with low miles,seals leak,and it smokes,so he has had valve and crank seals replaced....problem solved.

[Lloyd Smale]

I believe a 2001 has an odometer that reads 7 digit numbers. Where it gets sketchy is if its a plug in dash. I bought a white faced dash assembly brand new on ebay for 200 bucks for my 06 Silverado when it had 12k on it. Dash read zero and was a simple 10 minute swap. Guy could easily swap it out even if going on a long trip and swap the stock one back when he got home. Easy way is to do a car fax report on it. It should give the history of the car and any maintenance, wrecks and mileage through the years. Still wont tell you if someone was swapping dashes back and forth though. Good thing is 90 percent of corolla's are sold to yuppys and people who don't even know what a cresent wrench is let alone would turn back a speedometer or swap a dash. Most probably don't even know where there lug wrench is.

[Geezer in NH]

The easy answer is when you fill or put any gas in the tank check the oil. I had to add the put any gas in the tank to cover the 2-3 gallon pumpers.

Fill the gas fill the oil. Standard procedure at my age of 66. KIds who cannot figure that simple procedure buy a new car and have more debt!

Check and fill both Soon if you do not you WILL need a new vehicle.

[Elkins45]

UFO must have snatched the OP because after three pages he still haven’t told us if it’s actually burning the oil or leaking, although the question about the black stain from the tailpipe strongly indicates burning.

I have a 98 Chevy truck with 42K actual miles on it. It had 22K when I inherited it from my dad, and I know how that he treated it like a baby. It’s falling apart because things are dying of old age, not wear.