First oil change at 5k or 10k or sooner?

[77Bronc]

As near as I can tell, the only benefit to changing it more frequently is it gives the do it yourselfers something to do that they can do.

There have been multiple samples sent out at varying mileages and intervals and every one of them has been fine.

How long do you want the engine to last? Eventually engine components wear out and fatigue regardless of oil change frequency.

Lastly to undertake a study like you said in your post, in order for it to be unbiased and correct, would cost several hundred thousand dollars and run for multiple years. As a matter of fact the seventh gen 4Runner would be out by the time the 5th gen engine oil life study was completed lol. Pretty sure Toyota knows the frequency required hence them warranty-ing with 10K changes.

We have oil systems on large compressors at my refinery, 7000 to 8000 gallon reservoirs, that have the same oil in for years, I mean YEARS!!! We have a very rigid oil analysis program, PM the filters and system on a regular basis, monthly. In fact one system I know has had the same base oil fill for more than 12 years. Now oil is added as it is consumed, leaks, etc...but I can assure you the service is far, far greater than a 4.0L V6 engine...at $15 a gallon, fill and drains can be expensive.

Lastly, I really feel Mobil1 synthetic can go to 15K without any issue, my opinion based one what I have seen in the lab and testing. Me, I will change at 5K, every 5K, because like 1Engineer said, I like doing stuff like this.

77

 

[begone]

We just bought a 2016 SR5 4x4, we left town with 108 miles on it. We purchased yesterday and left today for California. 24 hours straight through. Should we change the oil when we get there or wait till the recommended time? Anything else we should have get looked at or changed?

Thoughts?

 

[ST1FLER]

not rocket science, follow the manual. 10k miles

 

[sf jakey]

Did you read anything in this thread?

 

[e60ral]

follow the manual. 10k miles

mine says first change at 5k, even had a sticker on the windshield

in their case they want to change earlier since their 24-hr drive will probably involve a lot of sustained highish RPM driving which you are supposed to avoid during break in

 

[Rmack]

We just bought a 2016 SR5 4x4, we left town with 108 miles on it. We purchased yesterday and left today for California. 24 hours straight through. Should we change the oil when we get there or wait till the recommended time? Anything else we should have get looked at or changed?

Thoughts?

I would pay a lot more attention to driving it properly during the break-in period than the oil change interval. Break-in is very important for proper piston ring seal etc. You should have no problems whatsoever with the oil as long as you do not exceed the 10K mark. Just check the oil level and drive it like the manual says for the break-in and you will be fine.

I am also one who changes oil more frequently than the manufacture recommends, but that is just me..... Not better or worse, just my habits from building engines for a long time. On my daily drivers I go past the recommended interval (using Mobil 1)when I am lazy

 

[SirBarton]

mine says first change at 5k, even had a sticker on the windshield

in their case they want to change earlier since their 24-hr drive will probably involve a lot of sustained highish RPM driving which you are supposed to avoid during break in

The first service is at 5K. The first oil change is at 10K.

I just had the free 5K service at the dealer last week on my 2015 Trail. It's a tire rotation and inspection. No oil change.

Also I knew this before I went because I read the manual.

 

[msp]

The first service is at 5K. The first oil change is at 10K.

I just had the free 5K service at the dealer last week on my 2015 Trail. It's a tire rotation and inspection. No oil change.

Also I knew this before I went because I read the manual.

From my manual: Special Operating Conditions for 5K service:

Repeated trips of less than five miles in temperatures below 32F or 0C. Replace engine oil and filter.

There's another one in there about lots of idling.

Unfortunately, that's me during the winter here. So it's 5K oil changes after winter. 10K the rest of the time.

10K is the right answer for the majority of owners. But, it's fun to argue about it. Left over habits from the good old days....

 

[e60ral]

I'm requiring that fluids be changed at the 5k service per the SMG because of stop and go idling

I'm also going to make sure they perform the services required for dirty/dusty roads

(and if you are somewhere where salt is applied, you are supposed to lubricate propeller shaft and re-torque the bolts even if you do not have dirt/dusty roads)

 

[Blitzkrieg]

I just did my first oil change on my 2015 TE. Although it only has 4,593 miles it turned a year old on 02/07 so it was due.

I'm not going to get into the great oil debate - everybody has their opinions.

I consider mine severe service because I make frequent short trips so I have a one year or 5K mile rule. That being said:

1) Use Antman's oil change procedure the first time you change the oil in your 5th gen. It covers everything and makes it a no-brainer to understand what needs to be done.

2) If you don't have a set of these, get them. They are fairly inexpensive and make doing the oil change (and anything else under the vehicle a piece of cake. Also, if you elevate the vehicle with these, you don't need to screw with the tabs on the skid plate as there is more than enough clearance to remove it with the tabs as is.: Rhino Gear RhinoRamp MAX 11912: Advance Auto Parts

3) My drain plug gasket/washer was stuck to the oil pan pretty good. I had to lightly thwack it (carefully from the side) to get it to break loose. The gasket/washer has a blue rubbery cloth type material on it, so as Antman said in his procedure, buy new ones. I do not consider the gasket/washer a serviceable part.

4) The tab on the filter housing may be anywhere on the receiver of the motor, it does not necessarily line up with the bosses on the receiver. Pay attention to the torque when you reinstall it and you will be fine.

5) I picked up two TRD Hi-Perf filter kits (part # PTR43-00079) at my dealer (as well as two new drain plug gaskets/washers - part # 90430-12031) for $15 a piece with a 10% coupon I found on their website. The cheapest I found after a short amount of looking on the net was $18.49 for the filter kit so call your dealer - you might be surprised. I went with the more expensive TRD filter because, well, I roll that way.

6) Be careful if you have a 7 qt drain pan. I do, and did the oil change on my somewhat sloped driveway and started to get a little worried because that baby started to fill up fast. I did have my drop pan under it, but made my butt pucker a bit when it came out like a garden hose at the beginning.

7) The small O-ring that goes on the filter housing - I recommend you oil it up and then put a little grease on it to hold it in the housing (as its upside down and gravity wants it on your garage floor). I am always concerned about this type of thing because if you get it in there and it binds or dislodges, you are going to have a mess on your hands.

All that being said, it's a piece of cake to change the oil on these trucks as long as you have your plan in order.

Edit: One thing I forgot to add: If you are anal like me and read the manual to the letter, it makes it sort of seem like you should see "000000" on the trip meter (like all the super secret binary maintenance settings have be initialized). It doesn't. It just goes to "0.0". You will however see it saying "Resetting Maintenance Data" as it's doing it's thing....

 

[cheeser]

I have been using these valves to replace the plug.

https://www.fumotooildrainvalve.com/16210.html

.

 

[Blitzkrieg]

I have been using these valves to replace the plug.

https://www.fumotooildrainvalve.com/16210.html

.

Yeah, I've seen those. I'm sure they work great, but the paranoid side of me could just see some flaw causing it to open up on me after hitting a bump and dumping 6.5 quarts of Mobil1 all over the road and the bottom of my truck. LOL

Related - before doing the first oil change I was thinking about a remote oil filter unit. Thinking about the process just made it sound like a major PITA.

It's really not. And in fact is more efficient than changing the filter on my 2002 T4R because on the 3.4L you access the filter through a wind flap on the drivers side inner fender after turning the wheel out. There is absolutely NO way to remove the filter on that truck without spilling oil all over the LCA and down into the skid plate.

Every single time I changed the oil on that truck, no matter how carefully I wiped things down, oil would drip all over my sloped driveway when I backed out.

Then I would have to get out the Gunk and my power washer, clean the driveway and the underside of the truck and skid plate, etc... So realistically it took me 2x as long to change the oil in it, than my 2015.

Heck, I even took the time to clean the skid plate and front cover and drain plug cover. I also cleaned out a huge dragonfly, numerous other dead bugs and other detritus after removing the skid plate and even taking my time and jamming to Pearl Jam still had the job complete in 1.5 hours.

What I did do on mine was remove the covers and skid plate and then took the truck out and drove it. That way when I got home the oil was good and hot and I was able to start the drain procedure immediately.

 

[horsemarine]

I just did my first oil change on my 2015 TE. Although it only has 4,593 miles it turned a year old on 02/07 so it was due.

I'm not going to get into the great oil debate - everybody has their opinions.

I consider mine severe service because I make frequent short trips so I have a one year or 5K mile rule. That being said:

1) Use Antman's oil change procedure the first time you change the oil in your 5th gen. It covers everything and makes it a no-brainer to understand what needs to be done.

2) If you don't have a set of these, get them. They are fairly inexpensive and make doing the oil change (and anything else under the vehicle a piece of cake. Also, if you elevate the vehicle with these, you don't need to screw with the tabs on the skid plate as there is more than enough clearance to remove it with the tabs as is.: Rhino Gear RhinoRamp MAX 11912: Advance Auto Parts

3) My drain plug gasket/washer was stuck to the oil pan pretty good. I had to lightly thwack it (carefully from the side) to get it to break loose. The gasket/washer has a blue rubbery cloth type material on it, so as Antman said in his procedure, buy new ones. I do not consider the gasket/washer a serviceable part.

4) The tab on the filter housing may be anywhere on the receiver of the motor, it does not necessarily line up with the bosses on the receiver. Pay attention to the torque when you reinstall it and you will be fine.

5) I picked up two TRD Hi-Perf filter kits (part # PTR43-00079) at my dealer (as well as two new drain plug gaskets/washers - part # 90430-12031) for $15 a piece with a 10% coupon I found on their website. The cheapest I found after a short amount of looking on the net was $18.49 for the filter kit so call your dealer - you might be surprised. I went with the more expensive TRD filter because, well, I roll that way.

6) Be careful if you have a 7 qt drain pan. I do, and did the oil change on my somewhat sloped driveway and started to get a little worried because that baby started to fill up fast. I did have my drop pan under it, but made my butt pucker a bit when it came out like a garden hose at the beginning.

7) The small O-ring that goes on the filter housing - I recommend you oil it up and then put a little grease on it to hold it in the housing (as its upside down and gravity wants it on your garage floor). I am always concerned about this type of thing because if you get it in there and it binds or dislodges, you are going to have a mess on your hands.

All that being said, it's a piece of cake to change the oil on these trucks as long as you have your plan in order.

Edit: One thing I forgot to add: If you are anal like me and read the manual to the letter, it makes it sort of seem like you should see "000000" on the trip meter (like all the super secret binary maintenance settings have be initialized). It doesn't. It just goes to "0.0". You will however see it saying "Resetting Maintenance Data" as it's doing it's thing....

Great post, Bob. Regarding Rhinos, do use 2 sets so vehicle is level?
Keith

 

[cheeser]

Yeah, I've seen those. I'm sure they work great, but the paranoid side of me could just see some flaw causing it to open up on me after hitting a bump and dumping 6.5 quarts of Mobil1 all over the road and the bottom of my truck. LOL.

I had the same concern but they seem to be up high enough where it's never been an issue. They do have a positive locking feature plus an add on lock as a secondary locking feature.

It still doesn't make things easier when changing the filter on my 02 for the issues you noted.

 

[Blitzkrieg]

Great post, Bob. Regarding Rhinos, do use 2 sets so vehicle is level?
Keith

Thanks. I do not. I either use them on front or back depending on what task is at hand. I should also note I do not have that exact model, but similar ones. They are surprisingly light and strong and have a hole in them so you can hang them on your garage wall.

I was looking at the QuickJack (quickjack.com) but they are pricey (>= $1500), back ordered and probably overkill for what I need. Besides, my brother races SCCA and has the garage from hell including a lift bay with heated floors if I need to raise the vehicle up high.

I found the ramps worked just perfect for doing an oil change on my 5th gen and I still had plenty of room to roll around under the truck with my creeper.

 

[renau001]

Just a data point for anyone that is interested. I change my oil for the first time today. Changed it early at 2200 miles for no other reason than I've never had a new vehicle before and did it as insurance just in case there was anything in there that I would want to get out before going any longer. I'm not sending off for analysis or anything, but I will say that I saw no debris, metal shavings, or anything like that upon removing the oil filter and everything looked great. After having done it, I can say at least for myself that I see no reason to do it early.