If the search is correct from 2005 to 2009 it was called the Toyota Corolla Verso then the Corolla part was dropped . And it seems to be European only.
Frankly I think the OP should just drive on and see what happens.
Itâs based on the warnings on engine flush products. Itâs also based on my opinion that this issue might be nothing more than cosmetic.
Outside of remembering the local auto show guy 20 years ago always recommended Seafoam, the only thing I would add is that plugs, oil, and filter, is not full maintenance, but just minimal. For an 07, you should consider transmission, radiator, hoses, belt, timing belt if it has one, brake fluid flush, etc. I donât know if Seafoam is available in Europe though.
One datapoint, it doesnât look nearly that bad on my own 25 year old Corolla. There are a few of those light brown âwater-color lookingâ colorations, but none of the really thick dark brown deposits. Does your engine use variable valve timing? If so, sludge can really do a number on that. W/o vvt I wouldnât worry about it other than do oil & filter changes more frequently for a while, and I might use a fully synthetic oil for its cleansing ability. Donât remove the oil pan unless you have an actual reason to suspect you may find something diagnostic there. Likely whatever you see, you wonât be able to do anything about it. There isnât much upside. And on the downside, you risk inadvertently damaging something in the process or creating an oil leak.
Thank you Mr Volvo, as I have just had the oil changed my mechanic has advised to drive below 3000 miles so the filter can capture some of the crap! Before we do the oil pan thing
Hello Mr Tester yes I intend on doing this!
Hello Mr ok4450
Yes thatâs exactly what has caused this issue unfortunately, prior to owning this I had a toyota avensis which I used to service every 5000 miles and it drove silky smooth
My main concern is safety as I have children I wouldnât want the motor to conk out on me whilst driving with the kids in the back! Which is why I want everything perfect In the car
Hello Cavell,
Thatâs what I am contemplating at the moment, but since I bought the car, iv put in new tyres, done a full service and changed the battery and also the clutch as the clutch was a bit stiff, iv only driven approx 600 miles since owning the car, so after spending that much money on maintenance I really donât want to sell the car if I donât have to, Iâm just trying to establish if there is a link between engine sludge and poor mileage and I havenât tried flushing the oil yet, thatâs something I will do after I approach 3000 miles of driving then if the oil sludge remains I might I forced to sell the car, but it does drive OK there isnât any knocking noises or anything but Iâm just a bit bit cautious of all that gunk being inside the engine, I had a toyota avensis prior to this which I used to service every 5000 miles, so when you are used to having a well maintained car it just feels a bit weired driving a car around with a dirty engine around as thatâs not my style!
Hello George Iâm not sure about the variable valve timing but my mechanic who fixes alot of toyotas has told me itâs nothing to worry about and after a few oil changes everything should be OK, il be a bit cautious about the oil pan as you are right I donât want to cause any oil leaks going forward!
Hello Mr Bing, yes radiator, brake, transmission fluid have all been replaced, but as it is a vvti engine it has a chain so no timing belt would be required my mechanic has said.
Toyota corolla verso 2007 vvti engine 1.8 petrol itâs in the UK. Thanks
Hello Mr whitey yes I have heard of this scenario I basically have 2 options either do frequent oil flushes and open the oil pan to see whatâs going on inside, or secondly add some sea foam and let it chemically clean my engine then drain the remains out. I still have a bit of mileage to cover so il see how I get on closer to the time. Thanks
Hello Mr Whitey
I used to service my toyota avensis every 5000 miles as well and engine was silky smooth, compared with this itâs OK, itâs not as smooth and occasionally whilst idling the noise will change like itâs hesitating then go back to normal again, this is whatâs making me think could this sludge be inside the crankshaft which is causing it difficulty idling the car, and also a dirty crankshaft is going to require a lot more power to spin in cause using more fuel, which in turn would my make theory correct of engine sludge causing me poor gas mileage.
I bought a four year old Sienna with a V6 back in 2008. It looked just like the photos posted here (inside the valve cover and oil filler cap). It had 73,000 miles on it. I switched to synthetic oil with 7,500 mile change intervals and never had any issues. It never burned oil or made noises that indicated any oil starvation. I sold it with 227,000 still running strong with no engine issues whatsoever. I wouldnât worry too much unless you are hearing engine noises that indicate oil circulation issues or it is burning excessive oil.
Good, that clears some things up. You have the 1ZZ-FE engine, which isnât a particularly sludge-prone one (some of Toyotaâs are, which is why I asked). So if youâre seeing sludge itâs indicative that the oil hasnât been changed as regularly as it should have been which lines up with your comments about the previous owner neglecting it for years on end.
I donât think this is going to lead to particular problems as long as youâre more responsible with the oil changes than the previous owner was, but if you really wanted to, it wouldnât hurt to dump 1/3 of a can of Seafoam in the oil filler cap, then run the car for 10-15 minutes and change the oil.
I will say that Iâve seen engines with much, much worse sludging going on that still ran. As long as you donât let the sludge get worse, youâll probably be fine.
If you havenât already, you should have a look at all the other fluids. If the previous owner neglected something as cheap and basic as oil changes, itâs a good bet he didnât get the coolant or the transmission fluid serviced too.
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That certainly sounds like a much safer way to do it than just dumping a can of the stuff in there and leaving it in, and your instructions line up with the instructions found on products designed to flush-clean motors.
Iâd add a couple of caveats to that though:
-Make sure when you do this, youâre not overfilling the crankcase. If the oil is full when you start, you might drain out a quart first.
-Iâd personally run it for 5-10 minutes with the Sea Foam in the crankcase, and Iâd start with an already warm engine rather than a cold engine.
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Itâs comforting to know that there are some people on this board that think they know more about automotive products, than the people who actually make them.
Tester
Just to clarify, I wasnât making a comment on whether or not Seafoam will hurt things. Seafoamâs labeling says it wonât, and it probably wouldnât if it was harmful because theyâd have been sued by now.
I just tend to run it, when necessary, shortly before Iâm going to change the oil anyway because then itâs a one stop shop.
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âvvtiâ means variable valve timing. So yes you do have it, and you are correct to be concerned about the sludge formation. Good for you for staying ahead of it.