Blew my 03 V6 engine, then I found this...

I just think you drove to long on your oil. If you would of changed more frequently then all of this could have been prevented. 3.5-4k miles max is for me. A $30 dollar oil change is worth the extra insurance and piece of mind then saving $30. I do not care what amsoil or any oil analysis says.

I actually have a 2002 Toyota Highlander V6. Bought since new and I have been changing the oil every 3-3500 miles. This engine is known for sludge issues and engine will sludge up and potentially fail if followed the manufacturers oil change interval. Think there is a recall out as well. 160k miles later and no problems. I am glad I changed the more frequently. 3k miles could be a little excessive but in my case I'm glad I did.

So you wanted the best reliability out of your engine so you tried to put the most expensive oil in there. IMO if you want the best life out of your engine it is better to change your oil more frequently with a cheaper oil then going all out and buying the most expensive oil and changing at 10k+ each time.
 
chmura said:
IMO if you want the best life out of your engine it is better to change your oil more frequently with a cheaper oil then going all out and buying the most expensive oil and changing at 10k+ each time.
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:iagree:

This is really good oil advice.
 
I'm going to disagree with the 9K is too long as a general statement. It depends on the car. My BMW used to go 15k on the same oil and filter, and I never had a problem other than I may have to add a little oil when it hit 13K. My 4Runner now is recommended for 10K for the oil change (but I'm going to do the 1st at 5K.)
 
I'm a big fan of 3,000 or 3,500 mile change intervals. It's right about then the oil starts to change from golden to dark brown, synthetic or not. Tried the Mobil1 route including oil filter and still at 3K it was darkening. Now at best I use blend and a Toyota filter. My 22RE gave up the ghost at 472,000 miles. The truck gave up the ghost long before. It's in heaven now. :D
 
oil changes

FourEyedWilly said:
I'm a big fan of 3,000 or 3,500 mile change intervals. It's right about then the oil starts to change from golden to dark brown, synthetic or not. Tried the Mobil1 route including oil filter and still at 3K it was darkening. Now at best I use blend and a Toyota filter. My 22RE gave up the ghost at 472,000 miles. The truck gave up the ghost long before. It's in heaven now. :D
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Woah thats a lotta miles! Nice job. :biggrin2:


bob Lots of good info there.

Blackstone Labs See whats up with your oil and if you could have run it longer.

The owners manual states 5,000 for conventional oil in standard driving conditions. I think 3,000 miles is pretty darn early on these trucks unless you are towing something big constantly or doing 100% city driving. A good synthetic like Mobil1 is good for 5k without breaking a sweat, 6k is what I go and could probably even go longer. From my readings of the oil analysis people have had done in these engines, 6k is very safe with good synthetic.

9,000 miles on the other hand is expecting a lot in my book, mostly expecting a lot of the filter. I agree with others that said buying cheaper oil changed more often seems like it would logically be better than buying some super duper oil and filter and running it for nearly 10,000 miles.
 
offshorebear said:
9000 miles is far too long for an oil filter... and probably the oil as well. Next time you might want to cut that in half.
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Not that I disagree especially after what's happened to me, but I thought it was pretty conservative driving fairly less than Amsoil actually guaranteed.
I definitely wont do that again that's for sure!

Anyway, quick update:
I found out on Amsoil's website they actually have a filter limited WTY for the period of service life recommended by them. Guess what, they also claim to reimburse any engine damage caused by a defective filter.
So I phoned Amsoil last Friday and filed a WTY claim. The guy at the technical service request dept was very receptive, acknowledging they had big problems with this particular filter.
He shipped me an oil sample kit accompanied with forms. He is now waiting for that to be analyzed, my oil filter which will be tested at their facility and pictures of the damaged bottom end.
So now all I can do is wait some more...

Attached are some pics of the oil pan, pretty clean oil eh?
 

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Ack! No wonder it died! It was grinding itself to death. Wow

Regardless of any statements by any oil or filter manufacturers, you are always better off sticking with vehicle manufacturer recommendations.

If you want to find out the specific limits for your vehicle, then having an oil sample tested at 3k, 4k, then 5k would be prudent to find out how far you can safely go before absolutely having to change your oil in filter. If the 5k test shows that the oil is still viable then let the chemist make a recommendation as to how far you should drive before having it tested again. Contrary to popular belief, the color of the oil is not a solid indicator of the oil's viability. An oil sample is the only true measure of its efficacy.

Rule of thumb: Change both every 3000-3500 miles under normal driving conditions and your engine will stay at peak performance.

Sorry you had to learn this lesson the hard way Frenchie. :dammit: Good luck with getting them to cover the cost of the new engine.
 
 
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Ducman said:
Woah thats a lotta miles! Nice job. :biggrin2:


bob Lots of good info there.

Blackstone Labs See whats up with your oil and if you could have run it longer.

The owners manual states 5,000 for conventional oil in standard driving conditions. I think 3,000 miles is pretty darn early on these trucks unless you are towing something big constantly or doing 100% city driving. A good synthetic like Mobil1 is good for 5k without breaking a sweat, 6k is what I go and could probably even go longer. From my readings of the oil analysis people have had done in these engines, 6k is very safe with good synthetic.
Click to expand...

:iagree: 100%

I have used Blackstone to determine the 6000 mile change on my 04 using various store bought quality brands of sythetic 5W-20 oil (Mobil 1, Pennzoil Platinum, or Quaker State Q-power) and OEM V8 filter on my V6. At 6k the various wear metal numbers would start to creap up. So I stick with 6k and now only have the Blackstone report done every 2nd or 3rd change. 105000 miles now with no problems!! I stick with 5k OCI on my 08 (34k currently) for now since it has a 100k warranty with the same oils and filter as above.

I flirted with the idea of the once a year or 15k mile change using Amsoil fluids and filters on my 04. I can get the oil at dealer cost and over all it would have been cheaper per year verses 3 changes per year I currently do. Man I guess I may have dodged a bullet by not going that route!!

I do feel for ya frenchie!!!
 
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Keep us posted on what Amsoil's response is, I posted the TSB here back in Sep 09. This doesnt phase me as far as running my M1 oil and filter to 10K+, stuff like this has a reasonable chance of occuring over time with anyones parts. Some of the wear metals, notably Fe, trend over time so the more miles you put on the oil the higher PPM it will have.
 
chmura said:
I just think you drove to long on your oil. If you would of changed more frequently then all of this could have been prevented. 3.5-4k miles max is for me. A $30 dollar oil change is worth the extra insurance and piece of mind then saving $30. I do not care what amsoil or any oil analysis says.

I actually have a 2002 Toyota Highlander V6. Bought since new and I have been changing the oil every 3-3500 miles. This engine is known for sludge issues and engine will sludge up and potentially fail if followed the manufacturers oil change interval. Think there is a recall out as well. 160k miles later and no problems. I am glad I changed the more frequently. 3k miles could be a little excessive but in my case I'm glad I did.

So you wanted the best reliability out of your engine so you tried to put the most expensive oil in there. IMO if you want the best life out of your engine it is better to change your oil more frequently with a cheaper oil then going all out and buying the most expensive oil and changing at 10k+ each time.
Click to expand...

"than", not "then", 2nd and 3rd uses.
 
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Great thread:nicethread:. I POSITIVELY know to change 5k with my synthetic (Castrol or Mobil One) and either use OEM oil filter or Mobil one. Just the other week, Auto parts guy tried to convince me of Amsoil 25k oil change- my brain said too good 2 b true- guess it is.
I also have used Fram for years (I'm with ya man) with diff cars/trucks with no prob and 3k changes. But I do want to try and use something better- OEM or Mobil1.
Wow scary man:wow2: sorry dude this happened but thanks for informing us on this. Let us know the results.
 
Chewed itself to shreds!

Damn, sorry to hear about that. I've been using Amsoil 5w-30 three times a year (roughly every 4000 miles) with NapaGold Filters on each change. I have not noticed anything unusual, but will keep my eye on it. I'm a bit paranoid now, as I will be trekking to Montreal at the end of the month.
 
Ok, so I couldn't concentrate at work, as I kept thinking about this. How is this possible? Would the oil be broken down into sludge and jam the filter, or will the filter over time and clog up?

Frenchie - did it seem as though it was not running as smooth prior to it failing (as if the engine was dry)?

If an engine were to cease, would the shaft or piston arms not snap, rather than shred things?

Could it be due to the vertical-mounted design of the filter?

I'm gonna thoroughly inspect the old oil when I do my next change in August.
 
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