16th Jul 2013, 16:45
"Occasional" sludge issues? Not even close, and no they were not exactly addressed either. If you bought a re-manufactured unit, the design of the PCV system was still the same. Also the oil passages in the cylinder heads being as narrow as a pencil didn't help either.
Just because you say you never met anyone with a Toyota sludge issue, doesn't mean anything. How many people do you know? Or better yet, how many DIFFERENT Toyotas have you worked on in the past decade?
I do a lot of side work as a mechanic out of my fully equipped warehouse, and have replaced over a dozen Toyota engines in the past 15 years, including a family member's car that sludged at a whopping 48,000 miles.
16th Jul 2013, 08:07
Consider yourself fortunate you have a 1996 (truck). The problem is that this is a 2003 review and many experienced engine sludging. Your comments do not make a 2003 Camry owner feel great who lost an engine with no warning.
I can go back in time and rave about a vehicle I bought 20 years ago. Sure it was fine. But this one had issues.
You many be a big fan of outsourcing. See http://voices.yahoo.com/outsourcing-american-jobs-hurts-us-1619717.html as perhaps it will not affect you. But many thousands are out of work.
My biggest issue is people that use the word "Toyota" or "Ford" or "Nissan" and use the sweep of the brush to cover all models and all years. I have had good cars one decade and abysmal the next. Like now. If my engine block has a poor design with cold spots in the block, how does that compare to the former great engine? If you make a high mileage claim, indicate the year and model, not just a brand. I would like to see some 2007 up extreme high mileage models on here with minimal issues. Not one you bought 15 or 20 years ago. I am sorry we traded our older ones in. And I am sure we are not alone.