Just seen this on a Toyota Altis Valve cover and the camshaft . Just thinking before its an owner neglect to change oil and proper maintanance on the engine.
The problem of black death or sludge in Toyota engines is the early occurrence of this phenomena. This is actually a normal event for all engine oil (thus imperative to change oil on a regular basis). The difference is that instead of 3,000 miles or 5,000 kilometers or 3 months period with mineral oil this occurs far earlier. In some cases less than 30 days.
I doubt anyone wants to change oil every 30 days just to keep these cars.
Oil sludge or black sludge is motor oil gelling or solidifying inside the engine. It is usually caused by the presence of water in the oil, and can accumulate with use.
The oil sludge problem reached epidemic proportions starting in 1997, with the following cars greatly affected:
Audi - 1997-2004
Chrysler - 1998-2002
Dodge - 1998-2002
Hyundai - 1998-2004
Lexus - 1997-2003
Toyota - 1997-2003
SAAB - 1999-2003
Volkswagen - 1997-2004
also found in the net are tips in avoiding this problem-
Ways to minimize sludge production and accumulation:
-use synthetic oil. branded, full synthetic.
-perform frequent oil changes. ideal is every 3,000 miles.
-use high-quality oil filter
-replace the PCV valve (if equipped) every 30,000 miles
What makes synthetic oil superior to conventional oil in preventing sludge?
-resistance to oxidation and thermal breakdown (oil sludging)
-synthetics remain stable at high temperatures (conventional oils break down faster at today's higher engine temps)
-synthetics remain fluid at very low temperatures (conventional oils thicken)
-additive packages are formulated with special chemicals for top cleaning and anti-oxidant protection
-measurably better low and high temperature viscosity performance
-better chemical & shear stability
-decreased evaporative loss
-improved fuel economy in certain engine configurations.
-better lubrication on cold starts
-longer engine life
hope this helps
my new ride is an altis gen10, now kung ma sludge ako even by using synthetic oil and having oil change at every 3000 miles, ay isusumpa ko ang Toyota... (just kidding)
my case ako na bumibili nang synthetic oil sa tindahan, then pa service kuna lang sa suki ko na auto shop. that way nakikita ko nang malapitan un mechanic servicing my car, if he is doing a good job the way i expect it. hirap kase sa Toyota service center hindi mo sila nakikita ginagawa nila un auto mo...
One of our corollas had this issue before. Kawawa yung engine parang imburnal. Speedyfix did the cleaning but we eventually sold it to avoid future problems.