Toyota Repair: compression, 1991 toyota camry, toyota camry

Question
Hi Ted,
    My 1991 toyota camry 4 cylinder has 155500 miles. According to the factory manual the compression should be 178 psi in each cylinder.  I did a compression test with the following readings:cylinder #1  165;  cylinder #2 170  Cylinder #3 165 Cylinder #4 170.  The car runs well but uses 1/2 qt of oil per 500 miles. Should I be concerned that my engine will fail soon?  Also, why are the cylinders reading so low?  Would this explain my less than average miles per gallon?--(22 mpg combined fwy/city) Car should be getting 24 city/30 mpg hwy per factory specs.
Thanks in advance,
STAM

Answer
The compression specifications state "plus or minus 10 psi"
your readings are not abnormal and within the limits, a deviation of only 5PSI is nothing to be concerned about.
Toyota considers oil consumption of one quart per 1000 miles normal. I don't see a problem here.
Is there any blue smoke from the tailpipe at any time, check on cold startups.