Oil Change and which viscosity?

[sire]

Purchased an 04 Sport Edition this week. Got rid of the unreliable jeep grand cherokee after it self destructed the transfer case at 97k miles with mostly highway driving and a less than 3 month complete fluid swapout. I did have a slight suspicion the dealer did not fill the case to the proper level but could not prove anythng. Was a nice vehicle and had quite a few more creature comforts than the 4runner but the family needs something they trust for transportation

After reading the manual, it recommends 5w-30 oil for the engine. Since I live in Florida I am leaning towards using Mobil 1 10w-30 instead of 5w-30. I feel Toyota is recommending the lighter oil to get the most gas mileage out of the vehicle at the expense of possible engine damage. Hot engine, idling, just came off of the interstate towing a trailer, stuck in traffic, etc.

I have had older vehicles that at idle the oil pressure would hover around 10-12 psi and that makes me uncomfortable. In the heat of Florida I would go up to 20w-50 and have a solid 20 psi at idle. Basically I would run 10w-30 in the winter and 20w-50 (buick v6 turbo) in the summer. I am contemplating doing the same thing here except use the 5w-30 in the winter and 10w-30 in the summer.

I know in theory the hot oil pressure should be the same for both but in my experience a few years ago the pressure would be different with different brands of oil with the same viscosity.

I am upset the vehicle does not have an oil pressure guage. Maybe I am showing my age but the driver should have the ability to monitor the engine oil pressure. Just as important as temp and rpms.

Opinions, comments, advice??

Mike

 

[Kanab]

Hey Mike you can't go wrong running Mobil 1 10w30 even year round in Florida. For all of the information you would ever want on oil go to this site. www.bobistheoilguy.com

 

[CBR Rider]

I have run 5W30 and 10W30 in my `98 4Runner here in NC w/out any issues. The truck has 129K on it now and still going strong.

Winter I usually run 5W30, but summer I switch back and forth depending on my mood and what Advance Auto has sitting nearest my grubby hands I haven't really noticed any difference either way.

I understand your concern about the oil pressure gauge. Honestly, that was one of the *few* things I liked about my Chevy S-10. I haven't tried it, but couldn't you just install an aftermarket gauge??

 

[aj884runner]

Just a Comment

Oil viscosities are rated as this: The first number is for cold. The second number is for hot. Basically this, why would you switch between 5w30 and 10w30? The 30 stand for hot viscosity and you don`t change that between summer and winter. During start up you want a low viscosity so why not run 5w30 all the time. If it was me, I`d go from 5w30 in the cold to 10w40 in the summer. Or run a 5w40 synthetic all year. I live in an extreme climate (Canada eh!). On the coldest nights, in winter, it may get as cold as -40F to 105F on the hottest summer day. I run 20w50 in the summer, 5w30 in the winter and 10w40 in the spring and fall. My ride has high mileage and still going strong, but it is an oldie. I don`t know if your warrenty is void by changing viscosities. Some newer engines have very tight clearances and can not handle thick oils. Ford`s and Honda`s require 5w20. Oil pressure Gauges are the way to go. Maybe you could get one installed on the window pillar.

 

[sire]

Maybe I am being a little too cautious. The plan is to keep this vehicle until the wheels fall off. I would like for once actually pay off a vehicle and go without payments for awhile. Not sure if you can do that nowadays.

Old knowledge was "thin oils were great for winter startup but in the heat it would drain too well and actually contribute to increased wear as there was not enough of a film of oil on the bearings for startup". I believe this is when the most wear occurs on an engine typically unless a mechanical failure.

Could be an old wives tale I heard somewhere long time ago. So the consensus is stick with the 5w -30 mobil1 and no real difference with the 10w-30. I was thinking about 10w-40 but do not see that available with mobil1.

I used mobil1 10-30 on the jeep and changed it every 4500 miles. Figured I would keep it until at least it was paid off but nope, almost at 100k miles, transfer case went for no real reason, and extended warranty was about to run out. Guess I wasted alot of $$$ using synthetic. I am beginning to think, unless you drive in extreme conditions, using regular oil would be better (cheaper anyway) if you only plan to keep the vehicle a few years.

Now, once again old knowledge, was yes you could extend the oil changes with synthetic oil to 5k or 7k miles but while the oil would hold up it was recommended to change the filter half way through the mileage as the smaller filters would clog quicker and open the bypass.

Thanks for the info. First Toyota, I am sure I will be picking a few more brains as I get to know the vehicle.

Mike

 

[CBR Rider]

Don't confuse your old Jeep with a Toyota. The 4Runner is a far superior vehicle!

As for the adhesion of the oil to the engine, that will be more due to the additives that are put in the oil by the mfg than the viscosity. That's why you want a high quality oil - higher quality additive pack. Believe me, the oil companies have some smart guys designing engine oils - they know what they're doing.

 

[Larry]

If you're using Mobil 1 oil why would you want to second guess the factory. It's plain they want you to use 5w-30 except in extreme conditions.

I have an 03 V8 and use 5w-30, but have three cars that vary in mileage from 122k to 371k, all on Mobil. I use 5w-30 up to about 250k and then switch to 10w-30. They are all doing just fine with no major work, just maintenance. My Toyota pickup , a 78, has had the head gasket replaced and the valves and seats touched up, but for 371k, thats not too bad.

So, unless you have extreme weather stick with the 5w-30.

 

[Kanab]

I would use the Mobil 1 10w30 and only switch to the Mobil 1 5w30 if the temps were going to drop below "0" degrees. The owners manual supports this recommendation and all of the UOA on www.bobistheoilguy.com shows the Mobil 1 10w30 giving the best used oil analysis. But one thing you will find the Toyota 4.7 V8 makes all oil look good. In reality either one with 5K mile OCI will give you 500K miles from this engine. This is based on what I have read on the oil expert site from owners of this engine.

 

[ROOFGOOF]

I dropped by the garage 2 days ago and got an oil change. I live in Maryland with current temps of 30-48 averages lately.

I got home and looked at my work order and noticed they used valvoline 5w/20 ???? Is this too light? I have never seen this used in my previous trucks.

My toyota is a 99 4Runner V6. appr 53K miles.

Any oil pro's out there willing to help ???

THANKS

 

[Kanab]

I dropped by the garage 2 days ago and got an oil change. I live in Maryland with current temps of 30-48 averages lately.

I got home and looked at my work order and noticed they used valvoline 5w/20 ???? Is this too light? I have never seen this used in my previous trucks.

My toyota is a 99 4Runner V6. appr 53K miles.

Any oil pro's out there willing to help ???

THANKS

Check your owners manual, I doubt it calls for 5w20. Mine is 5w30, I would take it back and have them change it to the correct weight oil. Go to www.bobistheoilguy.com and ask the real experts. Good luck.

 

[Jim_Chow]

Re: Just a Comment

Oil viscosities are rated as this: The first number is for cold. The second number is for hot. Basically this, why would you switch between 5w30 and 10w30? The 30 stand for hot viscosity and you don`t change that between summer and winter. During start up you want a low viscosity so why not run 5w30 all the time. If it was me, I`d go from 5w30 in the cold to 10w40 in the summer. Or run a 5w40 synthetic all year. I live in an extreme climate (Canada eh!). On the coldest nights, in winter, it may get as cold as -40F to 105F on the hottest summer day. I run 20w50 in the summer, 5w30 in the winter and 10w40 in the spring and fall. My ride has high mileage and still going strong, but it is an oldie. I don`t know if your warrenty is void by changing viscosities. Some newer engines have very tight clearances and can not handle thick oils. Ford`s and Honda`s require 5w20. Oil pressure Gauges are the way to go. Maybe you could get one installed on the window pillar.

If you're using dino, you want the cold and hot numbers to be as close as possible. Reason is, the viscosity is that of the cold number, so a 5w30 is really a 5 wt oil w/ additives that make it behave like a 30 wt. These polymer additives uncoil when the oil is hot, but they are subject to shearing, so over time, your oil loses its hot rating and you end up running a 5wt oil in the summer. With a 10w30, you're really running a 10 wt oil...much better. With synthetics, it's the other way around. First of all, they don't rely on as many additives for high temps. Second, the viscosity is that of the hot number, so a 5w40 like Mobil 1 Delvac is more like a 40 wt oil that behaves like a 5wt when cold (due to the free-flowing properties of synthetic when cold). So the question you should ask yourself is, would you run a 5wt oil in the summertime in FL? Here in Southern Arizona, I run Shell Rotella T synthetic 5w40 and Delvac 1 5w40 synthetic in my 86 4runner and 01 honda prelude without issues. In fact, the honda was burning 1 qt of oil every 3K mi from when it was new (h22a engine design), but switching to a thicker oil (Delvac 1 synthetic) has essentially stopped the burn. The only reason why the automakers "recommend" the 5w30 is because when they have the EPA certify their fuel economy, they run the thinner 5w30 oil to boost economy figures. There's a gov't law that says you must recommend (and sell at the dealership) the same weight of oil you use for EPA certification. The same Toyota engines used overseas (at least in Japan and Australia) recommend 10w30. 5w30 is only a North America/USA thing. Why would the automakers care if your engine only lasts 120K mi instead of 250K mi?

 

[Kanab]

Jim based on UOA on www.bobistheoilguy.com on the 4.7 V8 there is no problem with a quality dino oil in this engine out to conservatively 5K miles. Holds its viscosity and the tbn looks great. Now I realize that the Toyota 4.7 V8 is an exceptional engine and has proven to be very easy on oil. One guy was running 12K mile OCI with Mobil 1 5w30 and no filter change during the 12K mile OCI and it still show a good UOA, but the TBN was getting pretty low. I use Castrol GTX 5w30 and 3750 OCI, when the warranty is up I will switch to Mobil 1 10w30 and a 7500 mile OCI.

 

[Jim_Chow]

Jim based on UOA on www.bobistheoilguy.com on the 4.7 V8 there is no problem with a quality dino oil in this engine out to conservatively 5K miles. Holds its viscosity and the tbn looks great. Now I realize that the Toyota 4.7 V8 is an exceptional engine and has proven to be very easy on oil. One guy was running 12K mile OCI with Mobil 1 5w30 and no filter change during the 12K mile OCI and it still show a good UOA, but the TBN was getting pretty low. I use Castrol GTX 5w30 and 3750 OCI, when the warranty is up I will switch to Mobil 1 10w30 and a 7500 mile OCI.

That's true that the longevity of the oil is closely correlated to the engine it's used in. One thing the 4.7L V8 has going for it is a larger oil capacity than, say an I-4. Another is it runs at lower rpms. I wouldn't expect oil to last nearly as long in a performance I-4 engine that's rev'd to 8K rpms. Also, IIRC, Mobil 1 has a TBN of only 6 when new while Mobil 1 Delvac is 10. Down here in AZ, I don't run longer than 8K mi due to occasional atmospheric dust (worse in the summer). If you lived on the Olympic peninsula in WA (called the "cleanest air in America" since it's cleansed over 5000 miles over the ocean and distances are long), you could probably easily go 15K+ mi.

Still, I'd only use 5w30 dino if the daytime highs were in the 50's or cooler.

 

[Larry]

A 5w-30 oil has a viscosity of 30. the w stands for Winter. The 5w represents the oils performance at a certain temperature, not it's viscosity. Just words, I know, but a 5w-30 is 30 weight oil.

Nobody is going to win the thin oil/CAFE rating argument. There is no good answer. The thin oils are for better CAFE ratings, but they are also good oils in the right engine and work well. UOA's on many 5w-20's are very good, but like everything there are different quality 5w-20's and different quality engines and different maintenance and driving habits, hard to seperate it all. Then there's the 'I used Quaker State oil and my oil turned all foamy and my radiator blew up and my transmission stopped shifting all because of that darn Quaker State oil', stories.