I was aware of the sludge issues and have been using synthetic oil in it. I am not aware of any problems with it sludging up. However, that was one of the things that I wondered about when this happened. If there is an issue with something like a check valve in the brake booster feed sticking, it might be related to whatever fumes are floating around in the engine. I gather the reason for the sludge is that the PCV is too small and that was in some manner related to their desire to meet emissions standards.
I like the previous generation of Impalas. They had a nice style to them and a friend had one with very few problems. Don't know if she would go for that. She seems inclined to move to something smaller and more efficient. I worry about safety and would prefer she were in something a bit bigger. Randy -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of Donald Snook Sent: Monday, September 08, 2008 12:58 PM To: Mercedes@okiebenz.com Subject: Re: [MBZ] What would you buy now? Randy wrote: "Unfortunately, my wife had a mishap with her car this weekend that may well be the end of it. Unfortunate as it was a nice car. A 1998 Toyota Avalon with only about 75K miles on it. . . . Sort of lost on what to buy as a replacement however. Anyone with a crystal ball out there? Fuel mileage keeps coming to the forefront on our thoughts. A Honda Civic maybe? Don't really like small cars but most of her driving is very close to home so that might be alright. Don't want to spend a fortune but she will not be happy with any sort of a fixer upper so it has to be something relatively new. If I were you, I would hope they total the car. The 1998 (in particular) Avalon had a real problem with oil sludge building in the engine and causing major damage. It is one of those cars that the 3,000 mile interval should be meticulously observed. (Just google Toyota Avalon and oil and I bet you get a ton of hits and you can read about the problems). Have you thought of the Chevy Impala. It is about the same size as the Avalon. They are really nice cars. If you can get a 2002 or newer the 3800 engine is awesome and by 2002 they had fixed the intake problem. They get surprisingly good mileage. 30 plus on the highway. They are sporty and I think they are good looking cars. Donald H. Snook _______________________________________ http://www.okiebenz.com For new parts see official list sponsor: http://www.buymbparts.com/ For used parts email [EMAIL PROTECTED] To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com _______________________________________ http://www.okiebenz.com For new parts see official list sponsor: http://www.buymbparts.com/ For used parts email [EMAIL PROTECTED] To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
