1987 Toyota Camry oil change mystery

Tiny
DKBROWN100
  • MEMBER
  • 1987 TOYOTA CAMRY
  • 6 CYL
  • 2WD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 79,000 MILES
I took my 87 camry wagon for an oil change. After driving about 330 hwy miles the engine died. There was less than 1/2 cup of oil in the engine when drained and no signs of oil leaks. The engine had less than 80,000 original miles and was in excellent condition. The oil changer says that without oil, the car would not have made it out of the parking lot. My question is could there have been enough residual oil int the engine to keep it running for a while? The only apparent explanation is that they did not put oil bakc into the engine, but they argue that the car would not run at all without oil. The light came on when I picked it up, but it went out, so I did not take ite back right away.
Tuesday, June 29th, 2010 AT 6:19 AM

1 Reply

Tiny
KHLOW2008
  • MECHANIC
  • 41,814 POSTS
Hi dkbrown100,

With no engine oil, the engine would not last 330 miles. It is possible to drive for a short while but not that far.

There is a possibility insufficient oil was inside the engine and being an old engine, some of it could have been consumed resulting in the level depleting. The oil light on when you took the car is an indication of insufficient oil in the engine.
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Tuesday, June 29th, 2010 AT 10:15 AM

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