How often do you change YOUR oil??
- Thread starter RobS10
- Start date
It's always been 0-20. Some people just like to be rebels.
2021nightshade4x4
New member
I am too risk averse to do that with a car I bought new and is still under warranty.
HOWEVER:
If a used / out of warranty auto specs 10wXX I will gladly drop it to 5wXX or 0wXX.
No particular science, only anecdotal, but I have been running 0w40 in my Dodge with the 5.7 and it’s at 230k and there is no visible drop in oil level over 5k OCI.
Maybe I just got lucky but it’s giving validation to all the weird products I’ve tried.
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Treetopflyer
Junior Member
I just purchased my 2018 TRD off road. I plan on doing mine every 8000km or so like I have with all of my cars. It may be mild overkill but I’m ok with that
Ghost_4runner
New member
Always do a break in service at 1000-1500 miles and 5000 miles after. I am sure new synthetic oil can go longer but something is to be said for peace of mind
RobS10
Member
.A good rule of thumb for me I would say change the oil in the engine Atleast every 5,000-6,000.
If you can do it sooner it will defiantly not hurt anything. The longer you wait the worst off, imho. Make sure you check the dip stick every so often: like every other gas station fill up if you want to be on top!
If you can do it sooner it will defiantly not hurt anything. The longer you wait the worst off, imho. Make sure you check the dip stick every so often: like every other gas station fill up if you want to be on top!
BlackWorksInc
New member
Since our area basically checks the majority of the environmental points for "Severe Duty" (severe dust, hot summers, freezing winters, higher altitude, and a lot of idling/short trips for many people) we recommend every 5k for anything under 100k, after that they go with a 3k interval (I guess they've been doing it since the old days and never changed it?)
Which I was a bit skeptical/dubious of at first... but I've seen more 200k+ Toyotas out here than I ever did back in the Bay Area and on top of that many of the regular customers are sludge-free and their vehicles are chugging along. So I guess it isn't all bullshit? :noidea:
I personally run Amsoil's Signature Synthetic in my 4th gen and change the oil and filter every 5k (mostly because I don't do enough driving to rack up 10k in a year and I do a lot of idling at lunch running my A/C or Heater while I'm munching food on break).
But if you're every in doubt, the maintenance guide that came with the vehicle will tell you what you should do for your conditions.
PS- I've been out of the loop on fluid tech for a long while now... I should brush up; had looked over some links people posted about fluid engineering and using 5w-20/5w-30 in 5th gen engines that were very interesting from a technical standpoint and adjusted my thought process about adhering to what is spec'd on the oil cap.
Which I was a bit skeptical/dubious of at first... but I've seen more 200k+ Toyotas out here than I ever did back in the Bay Area and on top of that many of the regular customers are sludge-free and their vehicles are chugging along. So I guess it isn't all bullshit? :noidea:
I personally run Amsoil's Signature Synthetic in my 4th gen and change the oil and filter every 5k (mostly because I don't do enough driving to rack up 10k in a year and I do a lot of idling at lunch running my A/C or Heater while I'm munching food on break).
But if you're every in doubt, the maintenance guide that came with the vehicle will tell you what you should do for your conditions.
PS- I've been out of the loop on fluid tech for a long while now... I should brush up; had looked over some links people posted about fluid engineering and using 5w-20/5w-30 in 5th gen engines that were very interesting from a technical standpoint and adjusted my thought process about adhering to what is spec'd on the oil cap.
Lexington
Member
I experimented with running heavier oil in the past. I noticed the engine was much quieter but my gas mileage dropped too.
BlackWorksInc
New member
That was what piqued my interest was some very knowledgeable people claiming that the only reason 0w-20 was spec'd for the 5th gens (or most vehicles these days) was because of EPA standards in the US. I was going to mention what I was told about the engine being designed for 0w-20 per Toyota's own training literature and their recommendations if you use anything other than that oil; but both of those guys posted some really interesting documentation related to EPA, US Regulations, and their relation to Oil Weight recommendations as well as a couple other interesting bits of information.
This was quite a while ago if I am remembering right; but it sorta lit up a couple faint memories of some conversations I had had with some fluid engineers that I had forgotten. Long story short, it made me realize that I haven't kept up with fluid technology and it's changed a lot; so I am less stringent about using "only factory fluids." I still default to it if I can't figure out what's inside an alternative brand/recommendation; but generally I've toned down on that a bit, at least until I catch up knowledge wise (hell, it's got me wondering if maybe I should consider switching to a 5w-20 in my 2UZ-FE to see if it'll be a little happier/more fuel efficient with it.)
Lexington
Member
I’m sure that’s why Toyota went with a lighter oil, to improve gas mileage and their EPA rating.
RobS10
Member
90-95% of the driving we do in our '99 SR5 have been 6 mile round trips to and from work here in San Francisco. The climate obviously isn't, but stop and go is "severe" I guess. I come from the old school of 3,000 mile oil changes, and so far the old girl is at 200K and hope to give her to our son next year. Our new ORP will be driven similarly, but will stretch it to 5,000 miles between oil changes with the synthetic it's gotten since she was born.
kenwilliams0803
New member
I put 5w-30 in mine once. It was a screw up and it happened because all the other cars we had at the time used 5w-30. It was the dead of winter too. I noticed no differences. Gas mileage kind of sucks anyway with winter gas when it's 10* out.
