thook

Hello All,
It's time for me to change the oils in my vehicle. For convenience and avoidance of shipping costs I've decided to go with brands I can easily get locally at parts stores, i.e. O'Reilly or Auto Zone. Mobil1 in the motor and Slick50, Lucas, and/or a generic brand called Stay Lube gear lubes in the diff's, TC, and M/T. All synth, as I prefer synth and not having to use additives. I would go with Mobil1 all around, but these folks only stock their motor oil. So far I have not been able to locate Schaeffer's GL, but I will continue looking. I have read good things about it on bobistheoilguy. In the meantime, does anyone have any experience or helpful info with any of these other brands? I intend to further research these brands on other forums as well. Just wanted to gather everywhere I can. I have already done a search on this forum and couldn't find much on what info I am looking for.

tc

Can't they order the other Mobil1 products for you?

I've heard not so good things about Slick50, some good things about Lucas, but nothing (about either) I would place a whole lot of stock in.

Redline is available at Advance and AutoZone.
O'Reilly and NAPA have Royal Purple

thook

Thanks! Yeah, they can order the products. I thought I would just research what they keep in stock. It's more convenient. But, if the stocked products suck or are just inferior, then I will go through the minor hassle to make an order and plan maintenance around that to get products that are worth it. I will look into Redline and Royal Purple as well. Do you or anyone else know much about them? Just collecting data.

youngbuck

Here is my highly recommended resource for excellent information on all things lubrication:

http://theoildrop.server101.com/cgi/ultimatebb.cgi

EDIT:

The following pretty much sums up the best brands out there, in no particular order:

Amsoil
Redline
Schaeffers
Motul (hard to find)
Synergen (hard to find)


You can also include Mobil 1, Royal Purple, and German Castrol (hard to find).

But yes, if you really want to know what is best for your needs, read up on the aforementioned forum.

4Crawler

iTrader: (3)

Here is what I use:
- http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/index.sh...ntheticGearOil

Check Redline's dealer page (link on the page above) and see if there is a local dealer. Many small race shops carry Redline. Or order from Summit Racing if getting a lot, they have a flat $8.95 shipping/handling fee on any size order.

thook

Thank you Youngbuck and 4Crawler. I have been doing search and read on this forum and have read some info posted about Redline after tc mentioned it. I'm still looking into all of these brands: Redline, Schaeffer's, Mobil1, Royal Purple. I have used Amsoil in the past for all lub's. Never any probs. Just difficult to get. Longs drives or added shipping costs. I am trying to cut my effort and expense as much as I can. Not to mention I recently viewed some tests (bobistheoilguy)that were ran on Amsoil compared to Shcaeffer's GL's and the results on the Amsoil were not at all impressive. But, I have heard this from different sources before. I was impressed by the Schaeffer's (sticks to the gears like the Redline) but I am not sure how available it is in this area. I have not tried NAPA or Bumper to Bumper yet. Won't be open til tomorrow. And I have not ruled out Lucas GL yet. I have not read enough info on it. But, Lucas is quite available and I have heard good things about their other products, i.e. brake fluid and additives. I did find out that the local Auto Zone has Mobil1 80w-90 and 75w-140 in stock. The 75w is more than I can even pay. Plus, I believe 4crawler mentioned Mobil1 is a GL-5, and like the sound of GL-4's peformance in the m/t. Nevertheless, I'd like to see more studies on Mobil1 GL's and just become more informed in general. I will check out theoildrop in addition to more of BITOG site. And though, as I have discovered, this topic has been discussed more than I know on this site I appreciate the feed back and your willingness to post about it again.

*Just realized after clicking the link oildrop is bob! Thanks! We be on the same page, man!

thook

Okay, after reading alot on BITOG and searching to find what everyone around here (NAPA, O'Reilly, Auto Zone, Wal-Mart, Bud's Foreign Auto, and a couple others) carries, what is available is RP (NAPA), RL (Bud's), Lucas (O'Reilly), M1 (Auto Zone, O'Reilly, and Wally World), and Castrol Syntec (O'Reilly, AZ, and those couple of other places). I have read the tests and some threads on all of these, including Amsoil and Schaeffers. It seems to be a matter of preference and opinion on what everyone uses, as far as brand is concerned, taken into consideration application and mechanical specs. And then there are additives to consider in the mix. Now, with a 4Runner, are either of the diffs LS? I can't find any info on it in the Hayes manual. Does anyone here use RP? It available, as I said, locally and the price is far better then RL locally. And do you find you need an additive? I ask because after looking at a comparitive test on Bob's I wonder if RP sticks to the gears like the Schaeffer's. For reference, here is the test......
http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/gearoiltest.htm
And as far additives are concerned, what would anyone recommend if I need one?

4Crawler

iTrader: (3)

Diffs are open or e-locker'ed from the factory, look up your vehicle's axle code to be sure:
- http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/ToyVIN.shtml

rocket

iTrader: (1)

Auto-RX www.auto-rx.com

thook

Isn't that a cleaner? I have treated every major component possible with ARX already. That's actually why it's time to change my fluids. Good stuff isn't it?

Thanks 4crawler! Will hop outside to check the #'s as soon as the rain let's up. Incidentally, thanks for the tip on redline. It's looks like awesome stuff. Bud's wants $14/qt for it here. I think I'd rather have an enema than pay that.

BeachRNR

Jegs has free 2 day delivery right now I think

BeachRNR

$7.99 a quart also

thook

I found a Schaeffer's dealer and the price is right. I think I will go with it. Also, the diffs are open. Thanks for the link 4crawler and your input BRNR. See you on BITOG, youngbuck.

thook

Well, went back to the drawing board after price discrepancies with the Schaeffer's. So, I'm looking back to the RL. I looked at the shockproof, but it appears to be listed for LS diffs and racing apps only. Is this the case, 4crawler? What would you recommend for the open diffs and stock tranny in the '86? I'm asking for a more educated suggestion than my own. I do haul and tow frequently and my drive out of my property usually requires low 4 on a cold start.

4Crawler

iTrader: (3)

For the tranny, any GL-4 oil is what you want for best operation. I run Redline MT-90 as listed on the page I posted a link to earlier. The shockproof oil simply contains the additives need for clutch-type limited slip diffs, in fact many GL-5 gear oils do. This does not preclude their use in an open differential. For an open diff, any GL-5 oil will work, conventional, synthetic, limited slip friction modifiers or not. Take your pick, they will all work. I chose the heavy weight shockproof based upon the characteristics listed on the RL web site. It is as thin as 75W90 oil, but the additives in it give it the ability to absorb shocks in the gears and it clings like nothing else I have seen. Sure, crawling over boulders with 200:1 gearing may not seem like "racing", but you can have incredible forces applied to the gears and it can take 15-20 seconds for the teeth on the ring gear to leave the pool of oil in the bottom of the axle housing until they make contact with the pinion gear teeth. I would rather have an oil that sticks to those teeth instead of one that runs off.

thook

Thanks for responding! And I have read eveything you mention. The characteristics you describe are exactly what I am looking for in a gear oil myself. So, not just anything will work for me because I do not see that all gear oils are equal and exhibit the same characteristics. However, I am still researching the larger than I imagined world of lube technology. Sure, crawling boulders or even my driveway is racing, in the way you describe it. So, a gear lube that does what RL or from what I've seen with Schaeffer's is the only thing for the job. Cling is the thing! And, again, thanks for the tip! I've always found your info, well, informative!!!!

4Crawler

iTrader: (3)

I can vouch for the cling of the heavyweight shockproof oil. When I swapped front axles, I drained the old housing of that oil and it lay face down in my back yard for about 4 years before I finally sold it. And even after 4 years of sitting upside down, there was still a visible film of red oil on the inside, you could wipe through it with your finger and leave a track in it. And I have had that same oil in my rear axle for about 6 years now and it is still working fine. Getting ready to swap to a wider rear axle, so I'll finally drain that stuff out and put in a fresh fill with the new housing.

javadoody

fyi--in order to cut the cost you could do as i do and become a amsoil dealer for abot 10 bucks/6 months. i ordered cases of oil, filters, air filters, etc., enough for a couple of years for both vehicles. with the discount the cost savings was unbelievable! even with the shipping. i'm about ready to fire it up again for just the lubs you're talking about (pick p 5-10 gallons, whatever works), besides, need to look for oil changes this year.

thook

Thanks Java! I am glad the deal is working for you. I already explored that and the PC route when I discovered Amsoil and full synthetics over three years ago. It's the initial costs upfront that puts the seat of my pants in a pinch. I know the oils are good and never had any quams with quality. It's just more effort to get the lubes than I want to deal with right now. I know it would save in the long run to order that way in that quantity, but I have a '92 runner I'm trying to get a motor in so the funding is tight for that sort of negotiations, to say the least. And besides, I don't necessarily want all of Amsoils products. OH! And on top of that, for the price of motor oil and it's advertised performance it's not worth it for me in the sense I have to dump in a year when I typically only drive 7.8k-8k mi/yr. 20w50 was around 7$/qt. if I remember correctly. I can get M1 15w50 for around $6/qt with the ease of being able to get it when I need a court dispersing my costs according to my budget. I don't know what it is, but NW Ark seems to be void when it comes to choices. I've looked all around within a 50mi radius and some of the best oils you can't find or are more than what others are paying for on this forum and others I've been on, unless of course you mail order. I think it's heavily controlled by Wal-Mart and what they are offering being that Bentonville, AR ( 30-40mi North of me) is home office. This is Wally Land! That's just a guess. Anyway, for what I am looking for in gear lube and considering costs, it looks like I will have to mail order what I want despite my desire to be able to just go to a local store and get it without paying someone to get good prices or paying to have it shipped or come up with a minimum order. Oh well, life could be worse! So, RL it is. It's cheaper than what I would pay for RP locally and seems to be better in performances than some of my other choices at only slightly lower prices. Thanks for all the input you guys! Besides the red will match the color of my 4runner!

thook

Hey 4crawler! I was rereading the info on the link you posted above (http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/index.sh...ntheticGearOil) and am confused by this statement:
You want to avoid running a GL5 oil in the transmission. The EP additives in a GL5 oil can attack the brass synchro rings on transmissions not rated for GL5 oil (the Toyota transmissions are rated GL4/GL5) and they can make the oil too slippery for proper synchro operation (shifting will feel sluggish - and this does apply to Toyota transmissions).
If the m/t is rated GL4/GL5 why wouldn't a GL5 work? Doesn't that mean GL4 OR GL5? Why would they say that if there were components in there that were not compatible with GL5 oils? Also, because I don't know and can't find the info that will tell me, how would the tranny and tran case oils mix?