I have been reading people using all kinds of oil and all weights. Don't mix synth. with petro oils, etc. Well, i have a "new" 97 T4R and i dont know what the previous owner/s have been using. Should i change the oil and use that Amsoil flush or something? Then what should I use? What about trans. fluid? Some say dont mix with that either, but if you dont know what you have in it?

 

Change the oil, and use what ever oil you perfer. Theres only really one thing important when it comes to oil, change it.

 

On a "newer" vehicle that is a dd, put a high quality synthetic using the manufacturer's recommended weight in it wherever possible (tranny, diffs, engine, etc) and forget about it. Change the engine oil once a year and check them all periodically.

I use RP in my 4Runners and I'll think about changing my engine oil every 7500 to 10K miles or at least once a year. The rest I'll check periodically and don't worry about them. The important thing is checking and changing on a regular basis.

This has been covered at least a gazillion times and you won't get a "definite" answer made for you, you'll have to make it for yourself.

Good luck.

 

Mobile1 Synthetic 5w-30. 5quart jugs @ walmart is around $18-20.
You can't buy a better oil that's easily avalible, hard pressed to buy a better oil period, and won't find a better deal year round.

 

Amsoil makes a synthetic that you change every 15-20k? It also has a filter that you change every 6 months.

 

There is no synthetic that will last you for 15k-20k a year without a bypass system. A good synthetic will last you 8k-10k tops, anything after that is crap and puts more strain on your engine than need be.

I use Mobil 1, because it's so readily available and it's not that much worse than Amsoil. As someone said, $20 a jug at wal-mart and then another quart to fill 'er up. Or go to Costco and get a box of 6 quarts for like $25.

 

Nonsense.

I am a synthetic user and a regular user of oil analysis systems. 15k-20k is easily attainable with a Toyota engine in good repair.

 

Amsoil is very good oil and there new oil filters last a year.

 

Yeah, Bob_98SR5 had his oil analyzed after 18k and the analysis said he could go another 5k. BTW, he uses Amsoil but I'm not sure if he has a by-pass system. I have Amsoil in my 3rd gen and I'm planning on annual oil changes w/ the Amsoil 25k filter. I'll let you know how it goes in a year.

 

Aggressive with the filter changes and conservative with the (synthetic) oil changes does well every time

 

Rob, how often in a year do you change out the filters and what filters are you using? Also, what kind of mileage do you do a year?

Thanks.

 

I use Amsoil Series 2000 0W30 oil and an Amsoil SDF 34 filter, which is the over sized filter. I change the oil annually and the filter every six months or less.

For 2005, that meant 18,000 miles. I did not do an oil analysis this time, but every other time, since I got the truck, it has come back with a bit of increase in the viscosity and the suspended silica, but the TBN and metals have always been "suitable for continued use".

 

Looks like the synthetics will go a long way but that just means that the small bits of metal from normal wear will be in the engine longer. I think this is what people forget, part of changing the oil is to remove an particulates, not just degraded oil. Hence I i prefer a 5k oil change with regular oil most of the time.

 

No. Small "bits" metal shouldn't be there to begin with, bit will end up in your filter if they do exist. Stuff that is too small for that is part of the oil analysis and is part of what they figure into whether the oil is suitable for continued use.

Changing the oil at 3k or 5k is wasteful, not cost effective and doesn't really benefit anyone but Jiffy Lube.

 

I agree, 3k mile changes are wasteful.

 

I also consider the time the oil is spending in your motor and a 15-20k interval might take between 2-3 years for me and I think age of the oil and filter could be an issue. 15k interval might be fine if you rack that up in a year but I wouldn't feel secure leaving the same oil in my engine for a couple of years. 8k works for me which is about every 10 months.

 

Agreed. I tend to think that 15-20k or annually, whichever comes first, is the best approach.

 

Hey Rob, what viscoscity changes did you find with your Amsoil oil analysis? I saw that little test they did on the Camaro using amsoil and the oil appeared to change viscoscities relatively significantly over the course of it's long run. Doesn't this alarm you a little?

Also, why do you run 0w30 ? Did you let Honda get a hold of your engine?

 

The worst viscocity change that I saw was approaching a 50w. That was at the end of a long run that was particularly harsh. Otherwise, it has stayed shy of 40w, so I am not too worried. I will up the change interval to as little as six months if I am using the rig hard, but 8-12 months seems to be a good balance for me according to the analysis.

I read a lot before I chose the 0w30 and it seemed to offer the best balance of protection against cold starts as well as normal driving in my 3.4. I asked around amongst those who know oil better than me and they seemed to agree, so I went with it.

 

Rob, Do you think you could potentially do a write up with regard to your expieriences with oil changes, maintenance, etc.? If you feel this strongly about it perhaps you could influence others, hence a write up about your oil analysis, results, oil changes intervals, oil filter intervals, etc. Write ups, if you have some technical merit behind them (which you seem to offer) are often about saving money and doing things right, so yours would further the cause so to speak. Also, have you tried Mobil1 in your truck? Or considered it? Maybe run it for a change and reference oil analysis to contrast and compare. I'm fond of Mobil1 because it is readily available, it is good stuff, and it faired well in the tests on the Camaro. I also like the fact it doesn't change viscosity as readily. The interesting thing is Mobil1 10w30 pours a -45 Celsius, where as 5w30 pours at -42 celsius.