Proper oil level ??

T

Traveler74

New member
MY 1996 T4R is new to me. I have no history on it.
2 weeks ago the T4r broke down on me (electrical failure). I had the battery recharged and I managed to limp home. But on the way, I noticed the oil light came on. Thinking that I also had an oil problem, I added 2 more cups of oil. The oil light stayed on BUT ONLY in idle. At slow city speed the oil level light turned OFF.

The other day, while working on the vehicle, I checked the oil level (engine off and on a level surface.) It was about 3/4 inch above the highest mark on the dip stick

I have read that an over filled oil level can damage the T4R.
Should I drain some out OR leave it alone ?
 
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I’d get it in the proper range myself. That’s quite a bit over.

FYI- the light is an oil PRESSURE light. It does not indicate levels. If it’s coming on at idle then you have low idle oil pressure. A 20$ harbour freight oil pressure gauge will tell you what is going on.
 
As far as overfill of the crankcase, easy enough to unscrew drain plug, count to three and reinsert.
Check level, repeat if necessary.
Hopefully you have a faulty oil pressure sending unit which is easily replaceable with a $20 purchase at Auto Zone/Advanced Auto or double/triple that through your favorite Toyota online parts source.
The alternative may be a failing oil pump which isn’t a pleasant experience.
 
So if you are going to replace the sender(which is an easy place to start) have the gauge on hand. It screws into the sender port and you start the engine and presto you know the answer and no more guess work is required.

It’s good practice to troubleshoot problems and you gain experience in the process. It’ll also give you some idea of the health of your engine.
 
Right you are. The harbour freight one does not have the correct adapter. It has NPT rather than the needed BSPT but it is close enough to get a couple of turns in and get your reading. No wrench needed, just hand tight for a couple minutes test.
 
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Kanoe said:
I’d get it in the proper range myself. That’s quite a bit over.

FYI- the light is an oil PRESSURE light. It does not indicate levels. If it’s coming on at idle then you have low idle oil pressure. A 20$ harbour freight oil pressure gauge will tell you what is going on.
Click to expand...

96RedRunner said:
Could be sender acting funky, or engine, is not good having light on off idle. Worth it to start digging.
Click to expand...


One thing I'm not at all clear on. You guys know a hell of a lot more than me , but it doesn't make sense to me for the oil light to come on ONLY IN IDLE. I was sitting at a stop light, and the oil light was on, however as soon as I stepped on the gas, the oil light went out. Plenty of oil. In fact overfilled a bit.

If the problem is a clogged oil pump filter, wouldn't it be still clogged at higher RPMS ?
If the sending unit is bad, wouldn't it be still bad at higher RPM's ?
if the oil pump itself is bad or failing, wouldn't it still be failing at higher RPM's ?

Seeing as I was having major electrical problems (the alternator or some relay had failed), might that possibly be a factor ?

PPS: I had just changed the oil and filter the day before using 10W-40. (to help get passed the California smog test) and a filter from Auto zone. Maybe the wrong filter ? possible ?

Please school me.

,
 
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The oil change is interesting. I’d get a Toyota filter and some good 5w30 in there, probably not a coincidence.

The oil pressure light tends to come on at idle since that’s when Oil pressure is Lowest. Pressure builds quickly as rpms rise.

The psi that makes the pressure sender trip is around 4 to 5 psi so when you see the light on you have VERY low oil pressure. You should get this solved before you drive your truck further.

I don’t think i have ever heard of anyone on this forum having a bad sender. Could happen I guess but I’ve never heard of it. They do tend to get leaky and need replacing though. I wouldn’t bet on your issue being a bad sender without checking oil pressure first.

Oil pressure has little to do with oil level. Your oil pressure should remain the same until oil level gets low enough for the pump to starve for oil. The light is not an indication of oil level.
 
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You said you were limping it home, how bad was it running?
On vehicles I've owned and worked on in the past, when a engine is struggling to idle and its below 500 or so rpm, sometimes the oil and battery light will come on because there isnt enough rpm for the oil pump to make pressure and the alternator to charge.
 
[MENTION=582693]Traveler74[/MENTION], you didn't answer the question, What is engine rpm at idle.
you say oil light on in traffic, idle rpm's or higher. Two important things to check.
Did you pick filter or did parts guy/girl ? either could have picked incorrectly.
I use Toyota 90915-YZZD1 filter, 6 qt puts it on full mark of Rotella T4.
 
Twisted Sid said:
You said you were limping it home, how bad was it running?
On vehicles I've owned and worked on in the past, when a engine is struggling to idle and its below 500 or so rpm, sometimes the oil and battery light will come on because there isnt enough rpm for the oil pump to make pressure and the alternator to charge.
Click to expand...

At 2am, the T4R broke down on the I-805. Lost all power. Not even any lights. CHP was kind enough to have me towed off hwy. Next morning, I carried the battery to Auto zone to recharge the brand new battery. Replaced the battery and I drove it to Auto Zone and they tested the alternator at the battery terminals. It was reading 12.1 volt with the T4R running. They said no question that the alternator was bad. I managed to drive it back across the border into Mexico where I live. Maybe 20 miles. That was when I 1st noticed the oil light had come on. Thinking it was low on oil , I added 1/2 qt of oil. Curious because I had just changed the oil and oil filter with 10W-40. Oil light stayed on when at idle. When I was driving at city speed the oil light went out. The T4R was struggling to run at idle. And it stalled 3 or 4 times at every red light. Finally, just 2 blocks from home, it would not re-start again. Again, not even any lights. I ran the new battery down again. :mmph:

Prior to the initial breakdown on the I-805, the T4R ran like a scalded cat. Great power, no problems what-so-ever. Then disaster.

6 nights later, I fell into a hole in a Tijuana sidewalk and ripped the tendons in my right wrist, had to have surgery. Won't be able to do any repairs on the T4R until they heal. Ha Ha a bad couple of days.
 
96RedRunner said:
[MENTION=582693]Traveler74[/MENTION], you didn't answer the question, What is engine rpm at idle.
you say oil light on in traffic, idle rpm's or higher. Two important things to check.
Did you pick filter or did parts guy/girl ? either could have picked incorrectly.
I use Toyota 90915-YZZD1 filter, 6 qt puts it on full mark of Rotella T4.
Click to expand...

Prior to the initial problem the idle speed was aprox 750 when cold and 500 when it warmed up. At that point no oil light was coming on.

AFTER the breakdown, and as I was on my way home, I noticed the oil light came on at any red light when at idle. I didn't think to look at the idle RPM's . I was busy just trying to keep from getting hit by the crazy drivers in Tijuana. I did however notice the engine temp was a bit high BUT NOT PEGGED.
The guy at the Mexican Auto Zone picked the oil filter.
The 1st person to pick the filter was a Mexican girl and she handed me the smallest oil filter I ever saw. I complained to a guy and he chose another one.
 
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Fix your charging problem and see what happens with the idle.

On the 3.4 it should idle at 750rpm in park or neutral.

If you have an automatic it should idle at 600rpm in gear.

Where you live I’d run a 10w30 or 5w40.


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Too much oil can damage any car. Fill it up high enough and your crank will whip it up and create cavitation
Sarki said:
As far as overfill of the crankcase, easy enough to unscrew drain plug, count to three and reinsert.
Check level, repeat if necessary.
Click to expand...
Highly recommend you have some oil on stand by too, when you're real overfilled it tends to come out in a hurry - drained the oil on a Forester XT last week that was filled up with nearly twice the oil it should've had, and it came out so fast it knocked the plug right out my fingers!
A decent shop would do it for free, too
 
Just general information.
Because California is a real bit*h to get passed their smog test, I read up on many, many youtube videos that I should : run CRC emission system cleaner though a tank full of gas and drive it until nearly empty, then refill gas tank, change oil to 10W 40 with a new oil filter, check all vacuum hoses for leaks, replace PVC, clean MAF with CRC MAF cleaner, change spark plugs, new air filter, just before going to take smog test, drive at hwy speeds for 1/2 hour, take test on a cool morning,. I did all of the above and was ready to take the test when the T4R broke down.

How tough is California ? They will fail you for a gas cap that does not pass a pressure test. Even the CAT is a special one just for California, and costs 2-3 times as much as the other 49 states.

Many different guys on youtube said that with a high mileage vehicle (mine is 195K) the heavier oil would be less likely to get into the combustion chamber. Mine had NO visible emissions and was running great prior to the breakdown.
 
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