Switching Oil - what weight?
- Thread starter Noloc
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TranceKrayz
New member
i thought about 10w30 when i switched, but the manual said 5w30 so i went with that. We live in a colder climate, but it gets hot in the summer, so does anyone else have an opinion?
Hitman
New member
TranceKrayz said:
In theory, 5w30 and 10w30 should behave the same way in the hot summer temps.
It's the first number (before the w, which stands for "winter") that you should be concerned about in colder temps.
But I always say that there is no way we know more than the engineers that created the spec in the first place, so I'd stick with their recommendation, as printed in the manual.
TranceKrayz
New member
that's what i thought, thanks guys.
loudog2, how do you like the winter so far?
i'm ready for spring! i need to wash the truck and get it nice and shiny! as much as i like playing in the snow, i hate seeing it dirty. 
loudog2, how do you like the winter so far?
i'm ready for spring! i need to wash the truck and get it nice and shiny! as much as i like playing in the snow, i hate seeing it dirty. I actually just got back from the carwash. I know it is bad to use the cloth washes. I wash it by myself a couple times a week in the summer. But in the winter I go to Fuller's carwash. They are very good. I got a 6 month unlimited carwash card for $200. Last year I bought it for $200 and ended up spending well over $500 by the time the card expired. Plus I am also ready for spring, I want to go golfing.
TranceKrayz
New member
Fuller's? where is this located and is it a hand car wash or one of those machine operated ones? how much do they charge for the wash? sorry for hijacking the thread Noloc!
yeah, sorry noloc. They have places all around Geneva, westmont and others up in the burbs. It is a soft cloth wash, which I know people don't like, but it is too cold in the winter to wash it by hand. They charge $13.95 for a full service(vaccum, inside windows, soft towel dry all door jams included) plus they have more expensive ones also. I really only use it in the winter months till the card expires. They really do a great job!! www.fullerscarwash.com
Whyy not use 10W-30 Synthetic year round? I've used 10W-30 Valvoline SynPower for a few years now with not problems. Just a great year round oil, especially if you have severe driving conditions. I find myself in traffic jams, bumper to bumper traffic and a lot of stop and go traffic combined with lots of short trips. The 10w-30 holds up well and the engine turns right over with no problem in temps down to Zero degrees F.
I know people who use 5W-40 Rotella from Shell in their Toyota 4Runner engines with no problems year round.
I know people who use 5W-40 Rotella from Shell in their Toyota 4Runner engines with no problems year round.
CJ3Flyr
Super Moderator
True. The initial flow when you get down near the 0F isn't as good with the 10w as the 5w. Most engine wear occurs on start up. The 5w get to work a little faster than 10w in the cold weather. Most here seem to use a 5w-x in the 4th gens. Toyota released a TSB that allows for 5w-20 or 5w-30 in many of the 4th gens. Some do some don't. In other markets 5w-40 is the oil of choice.
There's lots of opinions and options on this one...
Great "oil stuff" here:
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Welcome and you dug up an old one! :bigok:
Koz
New member
My Gen 1V manual says use 5W-30 oil or 10W-30 in emergency and change back to 5W-30 as soon as possible. Maybe the new Gen V's call for 0W-30? One mechanic told me that you do want to pay attention to the manufacturer's recommendation for the thinner oil on newer engines, that with CAD machining, bearing clearances are so tight that you can starve the bearings with with previously "thin" 20W.
Caution for the Mobile 1 crowd: An experienced mechanic and racer told me that he used Mobile 1 for years without problems but they changed their formula a year or so ago and recently he got spalling on the camshafts and lifters on two engines he had just put that oil into... he won't use it any more. Anyone else heard anything about this?
As for Amsoil, sounds like that guy will sell you some, too! Their pyramid dealer guys are genuinely enthused about the product and it probably is better than petroleum oil, but I suspect about 1% more better than they claim! Some are nervous about synthetics running off the parts between engine runs and adding a lot of wear on cars that are not driven often, likely not a problem for most folks. That's a serious consideration for airplanes though and aircraft owners are strongly advised not to use Amsoil in their engines. Airplane engines are a different animal than car engines though and what's good for one isn't necessarily good for the other. Being 50 year old technology aircooled clunkers, aircraft engines have nowhere near the quality and performance of modern car engines, especially Toyotas! With the eight airplanes I've owned, I came to like semi-synthetic oil a lot better than the petroleum stuff and so like using it in the 4-Runner.
I used plain old Pennzoil petroleum oil in my '86 Toyota pickup, sold it at 256,000 miles, never had any engine work done on it and it still used no oil between 7500 mile oil and filter changes... with synthetic oil so vastly superior to petroleum oil, I guess your looking at least a million miles without engine wear, huh?
Caution for the Mobile 1 crowd: An experienced mechanic and racer told me that he used Mobile 1 for years without problems but they changed their formula a year or so ago and recently he got spalling on the camshafts and lifters on two engines he had just put that oil into... he won't use it any more. Anyone else heard anything about this?
As for Amsoil, sounds like that guy will sell you some, too! Their pyramid dealer guys are genuinely enthused about the product and it probably is better than petroleum oil, but I suspect about 1% more better than they claim! Some are nervous about synthetics running off the parts between engine runs and adding a lot of wear on cars that are not driven often, likely not a problem for most folks. That's a serious consideration for airplanes though and aircraft owners are strongly advised not to use Amsoil in their engines. Airplane engines are a different animal than car engines though and what's good for one isn't necessarily good for the other. Being 50 year old technology aircooled clunkers, aircraft engines have nowhere near the quality and performance of modern car engines, especially Toyotas! With the eight airplanes I've owned, I came to like semi-synthetic oil a lot better than the petroleum stuff and so like using it in the 4-Runner.
I used plain old Pennzoil petroleum oil in my '86 Toyota pickup, sold it at 256,000 miles, never had any engine work done on it and it still used no oil between 7500 mile oil and filter changes... with synthetic oil so vastly superior to petroleum oil, I guess your looking at least a million miles without engine wear, huh?
