Toyota Sienna/Camry oil gelling problem

Former Member

I'm considering whether to buy a 2001 Toyota Sienna with 54,000 miles. Have read some history on the oil gelling/sludge issue. Available maintenance records indicate the oil has been changed every 4-5,000 miles so far, but with one (and maybe a 2nd) interval of 7300 miles between changes.

There seems to be a record of at least 1 oil change per year -- anyone know if Toyota is still accepting that as the minimum to get a free repair if needed?

The owner also purchased a transferable 6yr/100,000 mile warranty; I'd like to keep the vehicle well past 100K miles, though.

My main questions for this forum: if I buy it and start changing the oil every 3,000 miles, will it probably be all right?

I.e. would starting frequent oil changes now gradually remove accumulated sludge/gel?

Is there any other way (reasonably easy/inexpensive) to reverse the damage, or at least remove most of the accumulated sludge/gel?

Is there a test my mechanic should do before I buy to check for sludge/gel?

3/1/042:48 PM

Original Post

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