Toyota Verso 2007 Engine Sludge?

[zoomaj]

Hello All

so i pop over the hood and unscrew the oil cap and im confronted by all this black sticky tar like substance please see pics attached. Unfortunately the previous owner totally neglected this car so i took a bit of a gamble, i dont think it was serviced for 3-4 years, in hindsight i should never have bought the car, but hey ho here i am trying to revive the car.

However i have since fully serviced the car new oil, oil filter and air filter and plugs, but this still remains , can anyone explain how serious this issue is? if its like this on the top how will it be inside? or would most of it have been drained out when i changed the oil? the engine itself does seem pretty smooth now but my mileage isnt great if you check my other post getting around 280 miles from a full tank of £60, would this engine sludge be causing me low gas mileage? also how easy is it to get rid if this problem? has anybody successfully been able to cure this issue?

or is it going to cause me a problem in the long run? or should i sell the car?

also on my next service iv already told the mechanic that we will unscrew the oil pan to have a proper look inside the bottom of the engine.

any help and assistance would be appreciated.

Thanks

[zoomaj]

the dipstick was also charred, but i replaced the dipstick as i couldn't measure the level of oil. i wish i knew a bit more about cars before i bought this! otherwise i would never have bought this car.

[Johan Damitha De Silva]

I am not a mechanic. I would presume the oil filter would have got clogged up at some point and so some of the bearings could have run dry (presume no blue smoke on idle) and yes 280 miles is pathetic. Perhaps this will get better with more servicing I dunno? but you have to do the calculations to see if you can live with 30-40% inefficiency in your fuel bills and the potential for engine failure (even from a tough Toyota engine) against a second hand Verso for 2.5 to 3 grand (cr100k miles). We have all made expensive mistakes and have to learn and move forward.

[hubrad]

If something seizes, it was serious! Honestly, there's no real way of us telling from a few pics, but generally i'd say you don't want such stuff hanging around.

If it was mine, I'd take the hit on that first lot of oil and filter you've just changed, run engine oil flush through for the specified period (helps clear deposits), and then do another oil and filter change. See if that makes a visible difference, and if so work on a reduced service time for the next year or so.

The reputation of Toyota reliability seems to hinge on good servicing, so worth keeping up to. As you say, if you'd known.. (I'm sure most of us have been there!) but now you have the car it's time for some TLC.. it's your best chance.