Curing oil leaks and valve noise with the right oil
01-06-2015, 06:21 AM
#1
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Curing oil leaks and valve noise with the right oil
I've had my '85 22RE 4Runner for a year, during which time I went from whatever oil the PO had in there to
1. Pennzoil (10W-40?)with Marvel Mystery Oil, Wix filter to
2. conventional Valvoline (10W-40), Wix filter to
3. Valvoline Maxlife 10W-40, Wix filter - May 2014
4. Valvoline Maxlife 10W-30, Toyota filter - Jan 2015
Some observations that I found interesting, thought I'd share.
I started getting a rear main seal leak very soon after getting the truck in Dec 2013. Maybe it was already there, but it got worse. One possible reason is the MMO cleaning things up a bit and a cleaner worn RMS leaks more than a gunked up worn RMS. The switch to Maxlife helped this leak a lot and although I still have to top off 1/2 qt every other week or so, 6 months on Maxlife made a big difference for this leak. Since I'm no longer seeing oil puddles, I assume the continued need to top off is due to plain 'ol consumption on a 280k motor.
In the hottest days of summer I was getting rod knock for just a second on a hot restart, so I decided to swap my usual go-to Wix filter with a Toyota to see if I got any improvement in startup oil pressure. "The hottest days of summer" only last a few weeks around here, so I didn't get to swap over to the Toyota filter until yesterday. Time will tell if this helps, all my starts are cold starts these days as it is 15deg here right now.
Valve train noise got really loud at some point last spring while on the Maxlife 10W-40. It was as loud as a diesel when under load, before the motor was thoroughly warmed up when it was then less noticeable. Yesterday I switched to 10W-30 (still Maxlife) and a Toyota filter and the valve train noise is immediately significantly improved. I assume my motor likes this viscosity of oil better, I can't imagine a filter having anything to do with it as the oil pressures (according to the dash gauge) look to be about the same. Anyone want to guess what the cause/effect is here??
So there you have it, interesting oil effects on a really old 22RE
1. Pennzoil (10W-40?)with Marvel Mystery Oil, Wix filter to
2. conventional Valvoline (10W-40), Wix filter to
3. Valvoline Maxlife 10W-40, Wix filter - May 2014
4. Valvoline Maxlife 10W-30, Toyota filter - Jan 2015
Some observations that I found interesting, thought I'd share.
I started getting a rear main seal leak very soon after getting the truck in Dec 2013. Maybe it was already there, but it got worse. One possible reason is the MMO cleaning things up a bit and a cleaner worn RMS leaks more than a gunked up worn RMS. The switch to Maxlife helped this leak a lot and although I still have to top off 1/2 qt every other week or so, 6 months on Maxlife made a big difference for this leak. Since I'm no longer seeing oil puddles, I assume the continued need to top off is due to plain 'ol consumption on a 280k motor.
In the hottest days of summer I was getting rod knock for just a second on a hot restart, so I decided to swap my usual go-to Wix filter with a Toyota to see if I got any improvement in startup oil pressure. "The hottest days of summer" only last a few weeks around here, so I didn't get to swap over to the Toyota filter until yesterday. Time will tell if this helps, all my starts are cold starts these days as it is 15deg here right now.
Valve train noise got really loud at some point last spring while on the Maxlife 10W-40. It was as loud as a diesel when under load, before the motor was thoroughly warmed up when it was then less noticeable. Yesterday I switched to 10W-30 (still Maxlife) and a Toyota filter and the valve train noise is immediately significantly improved. I assume my motor likes this viscosity of oil better, I can't imagine a filter having anything to do with it as the oil pressures (according to the dash gauge) look to be about the same. Anyone want to guess what the cause/effect is here??
So there you have it, interesting oil effects on a really old 22RE
01-06-2015, 07:03 AM
#2
MMO was great for quieting noisy hydraulic lifters, but the 22RE doesn't have those, and MMO might have thinned out the oil. I used to use Slick-50 in my Toyota before they changed the formula. It ran smoother, cooler, and 50 miles more per tankfull. Slick-50 is no longer the same PTFE formula it used to be and does not do what it used to.
I usually use Castrol 20W-50 with Fram oil filter and never had any problems, but the last oil change I put 10W-40 in my truck with a Bosch oil filter and now it cranks over weird when it's cold. Still trying to figure that out, it cranks over really fast like it has no compression, but when the oil pressure comes up it cranks at a normal speed and starts right up. The truck only has 65000 miles. I'm going back to the Castrol 20W-50 and fram to see if that problem goes away.
I usually use Castrol 20W-50 with Fram oil filter and never had any problems, but the last oil change I put 10W-40 in my truck with a Bosch oil filter and now it cranks over weird when it's cold. Still trying to figure that out, it cranks over really fast like it has no compression, but when the oil pressure comes up it cranks at a normal speed and starts right up. The truck only has 65000 miles. I'm going back to the Castrol 20W-50 and fram to see if that problem goes away.
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