new to toyota have some q's

[rasta]

just picked up a 2000 sr5 5 speed. 189k miles. 1 owner, receipts for everything since new. new water pump, radiator, timing belt. should i go synthetic or what oil is recommended. fuel grade? does have a very small clunk when on/off throttle. thanks for any info.

 

[GrampsT4R]

Don't go synthetic. Many people have reported switching to synth at high mileage causes the various leaks. The driveshaft may need to be greased for the clunking.

I put premium in mine but that's with a supercharger. I don't mind the $2 extra per tank in either of my cars for premium.

 

[sportscarfan]

I run premium in my non-SC '97. I found early on when I got it that it detonates at low RPM on regular (85 here). With a 5-speed it's easy to lug around town at low RPM so a few extra cents at the gas station makes a big difference. Most probably wouldn't recognize the sound of detonation...

Big 2nd on greasing the drive shaft - there are several zerks on both front and rear shafts...there is a toyota service bulletin floating around that details the locations and grease type.

 

[Riceye]

just picked up a 2000 sr5 5 speed. 189k miles. 1 owner, receipts for everything since new. new water pump, radiator, timing belt.

Nice score. I have the same truck, and love it!

should i go synthetic or what oil is recommended.

Absolutely, if you currently have no leaks. If you have a leak, it will seem to get worse. This is the nature of synthetic oil; It is thinner when cold, and will find its way past already compromised gaskets and seals more readily. If you change over and notice leakage, either replace the gasket or seal, or go back to dino oil. There is no commitment once you change. Here's a tip - keep your engine oil well below the full line on the dipstick. The happy zone is 1/4-1/2 way between add and full. Overfills WILL cause leaks and damage.

fuel grade?

That's a personal preference. If you run cheap fuel, include a quality additive once in a while.

a very small clunk when on/off throttle.

As mentioned, grease every zerk on the driveshafts thoroughly. Both u-joints and slip joints, as well. Grease them until the grease starts to come out, then grease a little more! If a zerk won't take grease, fix it! Don't just skip it and move on.

thanks for any info.

You're welcome, mon!

 

[MR.H]

That's the same mileage I got mine at too. The main thing is that its approaching 200k and maintenance is your best friend. I just finished doing the oil on tranny t case diffs and regularly the motor. Also find out how recently the timing belt was done, mine showed it being replaced as well but did it again to make sure because it was getting to 100k miles on the replaced one. My rig feels like it couldbe a half million mile beast now.

Btw I use pennzoil high mileage 5w30 every 3k to 4k miles. And it seems like that's every month, but I drive too much.

 

[rasta]

thanks guys. i will check and grease every zerk on it

 

[BlackCat914]

Nice score. I have the same truck, and love it!



Absolutely, if you currently have no leaks. If you have a leak, it will seem to get worse. This is the nature of synthetic oil; It is thinner when cold, and will find its way past already compromised gaskets and seals more readily. If you change over and notice leakage, either replace the gasket or seal, or go back to dino oil. There is no commitment once you change. Here's a tip - keep your engine oil well below the full line on the dipstick. The happy zone is 1/4-1/2 way between add and full. Overfills WILL cause leaks and damage.



That's a personal preference. If you run cheap fuel, include a quality additive once in a while.



As mentioned, grease every zerk on the driveshafts thoroughly. Both u-joints and slip joints, as well. Grease them until the grease starts to come out, then grease a little more! If a zerk won't take grease, fix it! Don't just skip it and move on.



You're welcome, mon!

5w30 synthetic is NOT "thinner when cold" than non synthetic 5w30. Also, there is no need to keep the oil level lower than the full mark, that's just plain bad advice.
These trucks were meant to run on 87 octane, any higher without forced induction is a waste of money, since your truck doesn't know what octane is in the tank anyways.

 

[Bama_Runner]

thanks guys. i will check and grease every zerk on it

You will also want to unbolt the driveshaft from the rear diff and lube the splines on the output shaft of the transmission. If it is not well lubed, you can get a clunk from this area as well.

 

[Riceye]

that's just plain bad advice.

You, sir, are mistaken.

Results of overfill can lead to oil foaming from crankshaft splash, which will compromise the ability of the oil pump to, well, pump. Next, there can direct leakage from crankshaft seals and finally, you risk fouling of your catalytic converter by oil ingestion through the intake via the crankcase ventilation system.

The range on your dipstick accounts for slope of the location on which you are checking your oil. The halfway point should be your target if you are on level ground.

If you check your oil frequently enough, you should have a good handle on consumption. Overfilling "just in case" is a bad practice. The 3.4 would need to be roughly 1-1/2 quarts low before low oil pressure is sensed by the gauge. All things being equal, running right at the lower mark is less harmful than overfilling.

The only caveat is that modern automobile manufacturers have included a certain amount of "fudge factor" with the location of the marks so that minor overfills don't harm the motor. Any amount of overfilling is still a bad practice.

 

[BlackCat914]

You, sir, are mistaken.

Results of overfill can lead to oil foaming from crankshaft splash, which will compromise the ability of the oil pump to, well, pump. Next, there can direct leakage from crankshaft seals and finally, you risk fouling of your catalytic converter by oil ingestion through the intake via the crankcase ventilation system.

The range on your dipstick accounts for slope of the location on which you are checking your oil. The halfway point should be your target if you are on level ground.

If you check your oil frequently enough, you should have a good handle on consumption. Overfilling "just in case" is a bad practice. The 3.4 would need to be roughly 1-1/2 quarts low before low oil pressure is sensed by the gauge. All things being equal, running right at the lower mark is less harmful than overfilling.

The only caveat is that modern automobile manufacturers have included a certain amount of "fudge factor" with the location of the marks so that minor overfills don't harm the motor. Any amount of overfilling is still a bad practice.

Most of your small novel would be true if filling the oil until the full mark was, in fact, overfilling. And in your scenario, you'd need to be overfilled by a quart or more before the crank made contact with what was in the pan. Leaving it half way down the dipstick is running it roughly a half quart low. Will it hurt it? No, but telling him there's some sort of benefit or advantage to it is misleading. There's a reason why the engineers designed it they way they did, mainly to keep starvation issues and cavitation in the oil pickup at bay in extreme circumstances. And the range on the dipstick doesn't account for slope of location, it accounts for ......wait for it.....oil level on flat ground. You're extremely over thinking the situation.

 

[Riceye]

To the OP - My apologies for my share of this ugly thread derailment. I hope you gained some info that you can use.

To BlackCat914 - We should simply agree to disagree.

BTW, synthetic oil has a lower pour point than dino oil, and flows more freely when cold. This fine attribute makes it a better lubricant at startup.