Black soot in oil cap?

TOYOTA CAMRY
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TWOKUPZ
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Toyota Camry 96: 140K Miles

I looked at this car today and everything looks great. EXCEPT: I looked under the oil fill cap and it had black gritty grime in it. The fill area on the engine also looked black. What is it and is it a reason not to buy?

NOTE: The seller informed me that the rear main oil seal had recently been replaced/repaired. There was no known cause for the original leak. Reason to shy away or is it common in a car of this age and mileage?
Sep 26, 2007 at 9:26 PM
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MHPAUTOS
  • ✓ASE Certified Mechanic
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  • ASE Certified Mechanic
Hi there,

It sounds like this car has not had regular oil changes. This crusty build up is a mixture of oil and carbon. the engine may breath heavly and if the oil is just topped up rather than changed you can get this deposit build up in the engine. I would be thinking long and hard about this car, it may be a bomb waiting to go off in your back pocket.

mark (mhpautos)
Sep 27, 2007 at 7:34 AM
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