Oil Change, How Long???

[GuardianBU]

Hey All,

I have a dumb question - I recently bought a 2007 SR5 and was thinking about oil changes. I only have a little over 1k on it now but I heard the first oil change should be done quicker than normal. I wanted to get some input from you guys on it.

Much appreciated
GuardianBU

 

[Thai]

Hey All,

I have a dumb question - I recently bought a 2007 SR5 and was thinking about oil changes. I only have a little over 1k on it now but I heard the first oil change should be done quicker than normal. I wanted to get some input from you guys on it.

Much appreciated
GuardianBU

Not needed...you can read ALL of this thread to get an idea. Wait till your scheduled oil change.

 

[GuardianBU]

Thanks Thai - appreciate it . . . a couple of more questions -

1. How much do scheduled maintenances cost? Just to get a ballpark figure so that the dealer does not take me for a ride!

2. Also, how much punishment can the stock 4Runner take (with no upgrades) - NYC roads are not very kind although I try to avoid potholes, bumps, sinkholes to the best of my ability and realize this is an off-road vehicle.

Maybe I need to sit down with the mayor =)

Thanks in advance for your input

 

[Thai]

1. Most places will do oil changes for $20-30. 30k mile service at Toyota dealer should cost you no more than $100-120. Just follow what your OWNER'S MANUAL says, NOT what your service man says. Your service man will include a lot of bullshit services that you do not need. Just show them the owner's manual and tell them to follow it...no more, no less.

2. You should not need to make any upgrades for the urban jungle. Don't worry about it. If you want, then upgrade to some tough all-terrain tires (BFG AT KO or Goodyear Wrangler SilentArmor). These tires should be able to take on a pothole without blowing.

Good luck.

 

[GuardianBU]

thanks again Thai - appreciate the advice

my mind is more at peace =)

 

[72bird]

Dealerships relie on 80% of the business from maintenance service from return customers such as oil changes, now do the math you buy into the 3k oil change intervals at a minimum the dealer gets 20 bucks for herding the cars in and out, thats 300 bucks for every 15k on your car compared to 60 bucks if you change the oil every 5k, thats 240 dollars more for throwing away oil the dealer just made several thousand dollars for the day and paid some kid not even 100 bucks, but cause you feel better good for you

Step up to Lexus or BMW and the oil changes vary from 60 to 100 bucks, yeah it's pure profit.

If the oil companies start to advertise 5k, 7k or even 10k they would loose millions, people bring their cars in like clock work to change the oil.

Toyota advertises 5k and 7.5k on dino oil so whats the problem, if they decided to make a 3L sludge engine that supposedly sludges up with routine oil changes thats their fault, the extreme heat in the head with the oil being sheared is what sludged it up, is 1 of many reasons I have been told but yet I've heard from people who changed the oil frequently and still needed new engines.

Both my 4Runner and ES will get changed ever 5 or 7.5k on dino.

People will change their oil every 3k and neglect every other fluid in the cars, thats brain washing the public, at least the car makers are changing the standard with longer intervals :

Thanks,
It's my money and I'll change my dino oils myself at 3k like I have been doing for 40+ years. And... I check my blinker fluid as often , thank you Being an engine builder and racer for 30+ years, I think I have seen a few engines failures from motor oil break down. It's hot here in the summer and heat is a killer. As a basic rule of thumb, using the standard engine oil recommended by your cars manufacturer and changing it about every 3000 miles will afford you all the protection you'll ever need. It's CHEAP insurance. But if you feel better knowing you have more protection than you need or, if you like the extended service-life feature, there's certainly nothing wrong with using a premium grade synthetic blend lubricant and stretching it to 5k. :biggrin2:

 

[4R_in_Uzb]

Guys, I just bought my 92 T4R. May need to change oil soon.
How much oil does 3VZE take?

 

[Uneek]

Guys, I just bought my 92 T4R. May need to change oil soon.
How much oil does 3VZE take?

Congrats on your purchase.

I had '90 2WD pickup with the 3.0 V6 and I put 5qts even. I'm not sure if there's a difference between 2WD and 4WD for the 3VZ, since the current 2005+ Tacoma PreRunners/4WD take more oil than their 2WD counterparts. The PreRunners/4WD have a deeper oil pan given the extra ground clearance.

 

[4R_in_Uzb]

Thanks for the tip, Uneek!

I am having another difficulty now, I posted the note about it in the Problems section.
The lower radiator pipe seems to be cold all the time. I'm not sure what is the problem or if it s a problem at all. I heard there may be a second thermostat which is closed...

 

[4R_in_Uzb]

OK, there is only one thermostat and it IS down there at the lower hose. Sorry for my dumm question about a second thermostat.

 

[05v8]

Mechanics opinion

As a former grease monkey and mechanic of four years...
I say if you plan on keeping you car, change it every 3000 miles. 3000 is severe driving cond. (what we all drive). That is with, or without synthetic. I think one could go a little longer with synthetic, but not to 5000.
If you drive 10+ miles to work without stopping once. Then you may qualify for less severe driving conditions.

3000 is the way to go.

 

[simple]

I checked my reciept for my last oil change...and those turds only put in 5quarts. I have a 04 sr5 v6... is that bad? I checked the oil dipstick, and its right in the middle of the two dots. Should I fill more? And if I ask for 5.7 quarts, how do I know I'm getting 5.7 quarts?

 

[Uneek]

I checked my reciept for my last oil change...and those turds only put in 5quarts. I have a 04 sr5 v6... is that bad? I checked the oil dipstick, and its right in the middle of the two dots. Should I fill more? And if I ask for 5.7 quarts, how do I know I'm getting 5.7 quarts?

It should be ok. Without a filter change it's 5.25 quarts, with filter change it's 5.5 quarts. So the variance there is .25 quarts with the filter. I don't think there is a huge difference between .25 quarts. The dipstick isn't exactly super accurate or easy to read, but if you're between two dots you're ok. Also, oil gets consumed a bit in gasoline engines, so unless you're pushing the intervals way past recommended, I don't see a problem. This is my opinion.

You don't know if you're 5.7 quarts, 6, 5 or no (it's happened before) quarts for that matter. It's all up to the honesty of the mechanic doing the work.

 

[CRDNLPLT]

06 4Runner (1 Owner):
M1 5w-30 4.0l V6
OEM D3 every 5k
Oil and filter every 10k

00 Tacoma (1 Owner):
Amsoil 0w-30 3.4l V6
OEM D3 6 months (5-6k)
Oil and filter every May (11-12k)

 

[orbit]

why does the highest interval on voting thing say over 10,000 or whenever? This implies that people that wait longer than 10,000 miles to change their oil don't care or do it when they get around to it. The fact is I wait 25,000 miles or one year to change my oil, it is because I use a combination of the AMS Oil nanotechnology filter and their fully synthetic 5W30. They guarantee this combination for 25,000 mi or one year.

 

[Jacobzky]

i just use amsoil and forget about it and be good till next year.

 

[peter78]

why does the highest interval on voting thing say over 10,000 or whenever? This implies that people that wait longer than 10,000 miles to change their oil don't care or do it when they get around to it. The fact is I wait 25,000 miles or one year to change my oil, it is because I use a combination of the AMS Oil nanotechnology filter and their fully synthetic 5W30. They guarantee this combination for 25,000 mi or one year.

In another forum, someone had a problem going over 20,000 miles with Amsoil oil, they had a problem and guess what, Amsoil did not step up to the plate and help him.

To me it is amazing that we still argue over changing oil on a regular basis. I have met people that do not change oil on a regular basis and they get sludge in their engine.

I started this thread and yes, I think going over 10,000 miles is crazy, but there are companies like Amsoil and BMW, which pays for oil changes, which like to go longer.

Changing oil on a regular basis is a sound practice. Here is a new thread in the 3rd generation forum. Someone bought a 97 and ..... well, take a look for yourself.

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=33135

 

[72bird]

OUCH! on the '97.

"Rode hard and put away wet"

There's no magic formula to supercede regular maintenance.

 

[cweta37]

Every 5000 miles (8000 kilometers) or 6 months on 5/30 synthetic.

7500 it too long even for synthetic, 3000 is a waste of money, synthetic oil is better and cleaner.
5000 is perfect for a synthetic oil change.

 

[achen]

I recently had my oil change couple days ago and the oil that was drained out was black. is it always black? could it be the oil filter is bad and need to get a better brand? the time interval was little over 3 months and 3k miles. the oil didn't look clean when it was drained out. do you recommend changing to synethetic oil and what are the benefits if there are any? thank you!