I have a 2009 Toyota with a 2.4l 4cy. I am using 0w20 full synthetic oil. I have to add some oil at about 2800-3000 miles. Should I be concerned? And should I switch to the 5w20 version of my oil, would that help?
Are you using the viscosity that Toyota specified for this engine?
How much oil are you adding at ~2,800-3,000 miles?
How often do you check your oil?
How often do you change your oil?
The devil is in the details, and you need to supply those details.
A quart per thousand miles is generally considered acceptable, although most cars burn much less than this.
In my owners manual I can use 0w20 or 5w20 and I am usually adding a little less than a quart. I usually check it once every other week.
The 5W-20 may help. You may get very slightly worse gas mileage. You might also try a different brand of synthetic. Some motors ‘like’ a specific brand better than others. I’ve had best luck personally with Mobil-1 and Valvoline Synpower, but I do not own a Toyota.
With that weight of oil, your consumption is entirely normal. Toyota says that 1 quart in 750 miles!!! is acceptable for that engine. Read your manual carefully.
The 5W20 version of your oil is normally not synthetic, that is what the dealer put in my Toyota at the last oilchange, although I would have preferred 5W30.
You could use 0W30 synthetic if you live in a cold climate, and that would reduce your oil consumption. My Toyota with 30,000 miles on it uses no oil to speak of between changes (5000 miles) when using 5W30 regular or 0W30 synthetic.
“I am usually adding a little less than a quart”
This works out to a consumption rate of approximately 1 qt per 5,600-6,000 miles, which is…normal, totally acceptable, and absolutely nothing to be concerned about. In fact, owners of late-model Audis would be envious, as many of them report an oil consumption rate of 1 qt every 600 miles, which Audi (both dealers and corporate level) state is normal–for an Audi. Actually, I think that owners of many makes of cars would be envious of such a low rate of oil consumption.
Just continue to check it every couple of weeks, and continue to use the viscosity recommended in the Owner’s Manual. As long as you replenish the oil every time that it is down 1/2 qt, then you are doing the right thing. And, remember to change the oil as per mfr’s recommendations, which I believe is every 5k miles or 6 months, whichever comes first.
Thanks everybody