1999 Camry Can it be sludge

My 99 camery engine died out while driving. The two mechanics I have had it towed to both said it was sludge in the engine and that the engine locked up from lack of oil. When I had tried starting it the engine was not even trying to turn but the power was on. It is a $2700-$3500 fix for a replacement engine. Could this possibly be anything else like the starter.

Put a socket on the crank bolt and try an turn the engine clockwise with a breaker bar or long rachet. If the engine turns at all, it's not locked up and may be the starter. If it doesn't move, you are either weak, or the engine is locked and the mechanics are right.

Since it died while you were driving, odds are it's not the starter.

Get a drain pan and drain the oil - remove the filter. If the oil pours out nicely and thin, you may have a different problem than sludge. If it come out in chunks, and the inside of the valve cover looks like tar, you are one of the sludged.

I you can prove you've changed the oil atleast once is around the last 10-12months, any sludge related damage on the 98-01 1mz-fe's are covered by Toyota/Lexus. Get it to the Toyota dealership & walk in with the information about the sludge issues in your hand, along with reciepts showing you've changed the oil. (Or some kind of proof).

Sludge damage is ver, very rare. Simply put, if you change your oil even remotely close to the recommended time (around 4,500-5000 miles). Oil won't be in there long enough to sludge up.





Most likely you ran it low on oil & it seized up.