I have an an oil leak and have to refill one quart per week.
Also, does the oil filter still need to be changed every 3k miles?
(2006 Camry)
Where is the leak? Is it too expensive to fix?
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Yes, it will clog up and the oil will bypass the filter and no longer filter the oil…
" All engine oil filters or heads are equipped with a bypass valve . This valve is needed so the engine does not become starved of oil as the filter clogs with debris."
“What happens when the full flow filter is blocked?
If the valve remains closed, the clogged filter will balloon and may cause severe engine damage. A stuck open oil bypass valve will allow the pressurized oil to bypass the filter and flow back through the system.”
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I am wondering that also,
If it is not the rear main seal or front seal or head gasket leaking then the fix should pay for itself in the savings on oil in a decent amount of time… But any leak that fast needs to be taking care of…
I’m not a tree hugger or the EPA but you are basically pouring a quart of oil on the ground every week… At the very least oil eats pavement…
" Your pavement is made up of sand and aggregates which are held together by a binder called asphalt pavement. Oil will dissolve the binder, causing raveling to occur . In cases where the oil stain has been untreated for a while, the top of your asphalt pavement may become soft."
I’m sure you will hear about the other effects on the environment from others as well…
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My mistake. The engine is burning oil. Not leaking oil.
I would suggest changing the oil. You are basically diluting the old oil and contaminants. It would be better to get rid of it imhop.
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Then you definitely should change the oil regularly. Most would not recommend a 3000 mile change interval even if the engine wasn’t burning oil. 5000 is fine… but change that filter.
That burned oil is going to kill your catalytic convertor so you might want to try Restore in the engine oil. Can’t hurt, might help reduce the oil burning.
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Well at least there are no Mosquitos anywhere you drive… lol
Answer is still the same for changing the filter…
How many miles on your Camry???
I’ve seen Toyota replace the engine or the pistons and rings under warranty with Camrys over 180K miles on them…
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I recommend try adding this to the engine oil.
https://www.restoreusa.com/index.php
If it doesn’t completely stop the oil burning, it’ll at least slow it down…
Tester
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Now that we know that the engine is burning oil, rather than leaking it, I have to echo Mustangman’s advice regarding oil changes and the catalytic converter.
Regarding Restore, it is worth a try, but when my friend’s Toyota began consuming oil at a high rate, Restore only improved the situation to the point where I was adding 1 qt every 300 miles, instead of every 250 miles. Ergo… not much of a difference.
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I expect OP already knows solving the oil burning problem will eventually (perhaps sooner than later) be required. But for now, I’d guess beyond the necessary topping up, @Mustangman 's advice above to replace the engine oil and filter every 5,000 miles would be a pretty good compromise.
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I would suggest that the OP check prices for cat converter replacement, because–as Mustangman implied–its only a matter of time until the oil burning winds-up destroying the cat converter.
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Surely you jest. If I had a leak of even a few spoonfuls of oil (or coolant, or transmission fluid) per week, I would replace the seal, gasket, or other component which is leaking. I would not tolerate a leak of even a tenth this size. Either fix it yourself, or have a professional mechanic fix it before you run the engine low on oil and ruin it.
Edit to add: if you think the engine is burning a quart of oil in a week, as opposed to leaking it out onto the ground, I would suggest trying Restore, and if that doesn’t help, either rebuild or replace the engine, or buy a different car. I have had good luck with Restore in the past.
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I would try a piston soak.
I would try the dealer/Toyota corporate… Am I missing something here???
I’ve seen Toyota replace the engine or the pistons and rings under warranty with Camrys over 180K miles on them…
I would try the dealer/Toyota corporate… Am I missing something here???
I’ve seen Toyota replace the engine or the pistons and rings under warranty with Camrys over 180K miles on them…
I too would start with that approach.
Though I do wonder if CalmnCool’s car is outside of the model year covered by the issue described in that article. CalmnCool’s Camry is a 2006, and that the problem described in the article only references Camrys from 2007 and newer.
2007 – 2011 Toyota Camry
2007 – 2011 Toyota Camry Hybrid
2009 Toyota Matrix
2009 Toyota Corolla
2006 – 2008 Toyota Solara
2007 – 2008 Toyota Camry
2007-2009 Scion TC
There is no warranty extension for oil consumption on the 2006 Camry. The Customer Support Program/warranty extension for the 2007-2009 Camry expired October 31, 2016 or 10 years from the date of first use.
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Thank you Nevada… I had multiple customers around 2015-2018 had it done, missed the 10 year cut off date…
“Toyota models manufactured from 2006 to 2011 were plagued with excessive engine oil consumption,” wasn’t sure if it was possibly a pro date thing of the date the engine was manufactured…
OP sounds just like a lot of customers I remember complaining about using oil on the 07 and later Camrys…
The Dodge neon 1st model year was 1995, but I have seen a pro date (in person) of 1/94… lol
(" The Chrysler/Dodge /Plymouth Neon is a front-engine, front-wheel drive compact car that was introduced in January 1994 for model year 1995") Yeah I called the dealer and said I had a 94 Neon and they said no you don’t… you can imagine how that conversion went… 
Just curious, is the PCV valve OK?
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How many miles are you driving weekly?