Synthetic Oil

[genlrony]

I will agree that synthetic oil is superior to conventional oil, however it is much more expensive. What is the point of using this oil? Toyota does not specify it, to me seems like a waste of money. If your keeping the vehicle for over 150,000 miles maybe it would be worthwhile. But by then the 4Runner would be so improved, your old vehicle would seem like a obselete scrap heap. At more than 5 times the cost of conventional oil, the money will add up fast. So if this is the last car you ever plan on owning, and need it to last as long as possible, I don't see the point of this extra expence.

I think this whole Dino Vs Syn has been done several times. There are a lot of threads here on it. IMO my 89 T4r is no scrap heap but not near as luxurius as an 06 I would just really feel bad about the paint on an 06 with the trails I have been down in my runner. I have been told I would have problems with my seals if I run Syn in my high mileage vehicle so I run Castrol Gtx in it and my wifes newer car gets Syn.

 

[Dijital357]

in your original post you say that synthetic oil costs 5 times as much as dino oil. synthetic lasts 5 times longer! so you actually save money running it. amsoil lasts 25k miles... dino lasts 5k.

 

[peter78]

in your original post you say that synthetic oil costs 5 times as much as dino oil. synthetic lasts 5 times longer! so you actually save money running it. amsoil lasts 25k miles... dino lasts 5k.

I think going 5,000 miles on dino oil is not much of a strecth. Most manufactures recommend 7,500 miles. But I think going 25,000 miles on anything is a bit risky. There are so many variables. AND if you have a problem with your engine running 25,000 miles on amsoil, Toyota will not honor the warranty and Amsoil has a warranty. So which warranty would you rather have Amsoil or Toyota?

I think it would be a good policy to change your oil on a regualr basis, not matter what you use. With high powered engine of today doing all sorts of hard work, I feel you need a clean oil just as much as in the olden days. Just ask all the Toyota Sienna owners that had sludge in thier engines.

 

[RonMAIDEN]

I use M1 syn with a M1 filter and I change mine about every 8k miles and my opinion it matters how long the oil in your engine is there than just miles.
If I changed my oil every 25k it would take me three years to hit that and there's no way I would leave oil in my engine that long but if you put 25k on a truck in a year then maybe but that still a big maybe with me. My Runner only sees roughly 10,000 miles a year so 8k is a good change point for me.
I would at least change oil once a year regardless of mileage since engine oil is subjected to alot of hot/cold cycles and driving conditions warrant changing oils at different given intervals and I think alot of people forget that part.

 

[NCSCOTT]

5 Times More!! MY A$$

Jiffy Lube
$38.00 Signature service w/dino oil (Up to 5 Quarts) and cheapest filter they can get. Addition charge for 1/2 quart of oil. Idiots that cross thread your drain plug.

DIY 4th Gen V-6
Walmart - $21 - 5 Quart Jug M1 5w30, Extra quart to get 5.5 quarts total. divide between 2 changes $2.50 ea.
Ebay - case of OEM Oil filters $36 shipped or $3.60 each.
30 minutes in my driveway. A job done right.
Total
$21 + $2.5 + $3.60 = $27.10 and peace of mind.

V-8 6.5 quarts
2-5Quart jugs M1 oil, 1 jug divide between 3 changes $7.00 for each change. $28.00 per change oil.
case of filters - $36 $3.60 each

Total
$28 + $3.60 = $31.60 and peace of mind.

You do the math!!!!

 

[3rdGENrunner]

high mile switcheroo

I've got a '99 with 136k/mi on it. I was thinking about switching to synthetic. The only thing I know that would be a side effect of that might be a small oil leak due to the smaller molecules in synthetic that give the improved lubrication to engines. Can anyone else think of any problems I might encounter? The car has always been maintained at the stealership before it was put in my possesion, and has had penzoil dino oil in it until now. Oil change needed in about 500 mi, any ideas, thoughts, what have you?

 

[NCSCOTT]

Re: high mile switcheroo

I've got a '99 with 136k/mi on it. I was thinking about switching to synthetic. The only thing I know that would be a side effect of that might be a small oil leak due to the smaller molecules in synthetic that give the improved lubrication to engines. Can anyone else think of any problems I might encounter? The car has always been maintained at the stealership before it was put in my possesion, and has had penzoil dino oil in it until now. Oil change needed in about 500 mi, any ideas, thoughts, what have you?

If it were me I would do it. If you don't have any leaks now you may be fine. But don't quote me on that thou. I would do an engine flush before switching over. Follow the direction on the bottle of flush. Drain it, change the filter, Dump in some cheap dino oil. Drive it for a day or 2. Drain the Dino oil. Put on the filter you want to use and pour in the synthetic.

I would do the Dino change after the flush and before the syn oil just to make 99.9% sure the engine flush is out of the motor. It may be over kill. Flush is cheap and 5 quarts of cheap dino oil and a filter is around $10.

I am sure you will get a couple more opinions. One of the Amsoil dealers on the org might have a better suggestion.

Good luck and many more years of (Hopefully) trouble free driving.

 

[Koz]

If you have any leaks, synthetic oil will be more expensive to replace. The only problem you may have is based on how often the dino oil was changed. If sludge is in your engine, synthetic may dissolve it and cause some filter problems. If you could pull a valve cover and see what's doing it might be worth it. If there is sludge there is a very good product call AutoRX (flush) that works great! If you can't determine if sludge is present you may want to change the oil filter sooner and cut it open to see what's doing.

Koz

 

[Bluto]

Search here to find out if and how to switch a high mileage engine.

http://theoildrop.server101.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php


Also search on yotatech. You could damage your engine.

 

[3rdGENrunner]

thanks for the insight fellas. I appreaciate the help from someone worth asking. I'm sure you know how hard it is just to find decent help these days, let alone GOOD help.

 

[zumogo]

Syn oil was made so ppl can go between oil changes for a longer duration (generalizing...).

If you plan to change your oil every 3k miles then I don't see the point in using syn oil. But if you plan to change your oil every 7.5k then I'd say syn oil is a good idea.

Btw this is almost similiar to the thought of using premium gas vs regular gas. Both works but some just prefer to use the best for their vehicles. It just comes down to personal preference on how much you want to baby your vehicle. Some owners are happy w/ the bare minimum to keep it running while others like to spend a few more. Nothing wrong with either end as it'll still be running for ALONG time

Good luck

Premium gas is for higher piston compression vehicles like European cars. Has nothing to do with quality.

 

[zumogo]

Switching to Mobil 1 with 32,000 miles should be fine. I have 2 older cars, one with 143,000 miles and one with 194,000 miles and I am sticking with the regualr Castrol GTX. I think I might cause more problems if I change with that amount of miles. If you are keeping the 4Runner, I would say go for it.

Also, I feel the engine runs better. Maybe it is just that "warm fuzzy" feeling 'no1sportz' was talking about.

Uou can do synthetic blend then full synthetic.
That s what I did 145k

 

[TheeMikeB]

Wow.. resurrecting a 5 year old thread! I love synthetic vs dino oil fights.

 

[batcave4]

For 30 bucks I can get 5qt of Mobil 1 and a premium filter on sale at advance...for my experiences with the stuff that's a bargain I won't pass up.

 

[truc.karl]

To me, synthetic and regular oil are good. I think it depends on personal preference and the interval of oil change.