fo_runner

Well, i'm due up for an oil change on my 2000 4Runner. Ever since i bought her (oct. of last year) i've been changing her oil with M1 synthetic every 4K km's. I just recently Seafoamed the 3.4 a few months ago which has made it run a little smoother to say the least, but I only poured it in the gastank and intake. Now i feel like i want to cleanse the 3.4 little further to keep it running good and long.

For the past week, i've been reading about different engine flushes that i can do to the engine (she currently has 145K km's on the dot). I hear news about using kerosene, diesel, AUTO-RX, seafoam etc. in engines to clean them out. But what hits me the most is using ATF in the engine oil, which is supposed to clean the inside of the engine (considering i have some handy). I'm geussing this method of flushing has been around for years. What i have read is that ATF is a highly refined oil, contains detergents and by pouring in at least one quart to the crankcase and letting the engine idle is enough for it to "flush" out its dirtiness (well not entirely).

Im just wondering if flushing the 3.4 with ATF is safe, any inputs will be appreciated.

toy_tek

Theres an entire industry built around chemicals for this and that. I have never used them, because I never felt I had to. I'm a non-believer. Why do you need to flush? Does the factory maintenance schedule say something about it? I've had engines go 200k, and never needed a flush.

My guess is if ATF was good for the engine, Toyota would say "put ATF in the engine".

I hope I never buy a vehicle that somebody put crap through an engine just because they believed a sales pitch.

Just my opinion. Good luck.

waskillywabbit

iTrader: (-1)

Only thing you are flushing is your money down the toilet.

Adam F

Put a little seafoam in the oil

Texas_Ace

Will ATF clean the crank case? Yes, not as well as some of the others but it will do it.

I used to do it on my really old junkers and it did help but they were also already leaking oil.

The real prob with the flushes is that they can make an old engine start leaking oil. and that is not something you want. I also have a 2000 4runner with 120 on it but i am not going to flush the crankcase because right now it does not use a drop of oil and i want to keep it that way. If it leaked already i might put something in there but no way with it not leaking.

What i do is put some Z-Max in there. That stuff really does work and it cleans it out a little as well but it also helps it run better and get better gas millage. which i have verified, i drove 30K a year and MPG is a big deal so i kept careful notes. and after changing the oil without it i was getting about ~27mpg on my little civic, but after the next change with the z-max it went up to ~29-30mpg with the same driving. Later i changed the oil again without it and it dropped back down to 27.5mpg (notice a little improvment fomr doing it) then after the next change with it it went back up to ~29.5-30mpg.

So now i always spend the extra to get the z-max and i put it in the tranny and gas a well.

SoCalWheeler71

If you've been using Mobil 1 all along as you say, there's no need to flush it. M1 has a lot of detergent in it, and has such a higher flash point that there isn't much sludge buildup with it, if any at all. Look inside the valve cover through the oil fill, it should look nice and clean still. That's what you're paying for by using M1, along with almost zero engine wear.

Yoda

One of the "fix" for stuck oil rings on a Saturn, involes the use of Mobile 1 to clean the oil system. This is per a GM bulletin.

M1 has a lot of detergents in it. I started using it on my (ahem) Taurus at 110K miles. I change it at 10K intervals. The internals of my engine were bright and clean when I pulled my pan to change the gasket and do the timing chain at 145K.

I have used ATF in the past, but I wouldn't recommend it. A lot of the new ATF's have friction modifiers in them....you don't want friction in your engine?

86tuning

If the oil on your dipstick is clean (with mobil1) after 3-5,000 kms, then there is NO NEED to flush anything in your engine. Especially the 3.4L which seems to be one of the better Toyota v6 engines.

With modern engines and modern synthetics, most techs (and lube engineers) will tell you that your intervals are on the obsessive side.

Ironmike4x4

Thread hijack: Hey Yoda, do you happen to know the bulletin number? I work for a Chevy/Cadillac dealer as a tech and would be interested in a fix. I know certain Cadillac Deville's have a bulletin out for oil consumptions in which we have to use top engine cleaner kits to free the stuck rings. Thread hijack off:

Kaydon

Would it kill some of these non-believers to provide dyno sheets or some form of data that these things are a waste?

I don't buy anything but STP treatments, and that's only once in a blue moon, but I think they work.

86tuning

See for yourself!

Put a single drop of synthetic oil on your fingertip and smear it, like snapping your fingers... and feel how slick it is.

Now repeat with non-synthetic oil.

Try again with the oil that's currently in your engine (from your dipstick).

With engines that have run synthetic oils for a while, the oil on the dipstick stays cleaner, and feels more slippery even when it gets dark.

just my 2cents.

fwiw, all of my fleet use synthetic oils for engine and transmission.

mkgarrison5

i ran mobil 1 5w30 syn for over 40k miles in my taco and my dipstick has abosolutely NO varnish once so ever. i run it 5-6k miles.. my girlfriends dipstick in her 2005 corolla was loaded with nasty varnish. i had to use fingernail polish remover (hers of course haha) to get the stuff off and i am keeping a close eye. she has had nothing but dino in hers. she has 84k miles and i have 92k miles. i switched her over to GTX with super tech filters from walmart and no varnish at all since i cleaned the stick.. she goes 5k miles on dinos..

mkgarrison5

btw- i dont run M1 anymore. i have durablend in it now. its much quieter than the M1, idles better and same gas mileage and everything and less $$... btw those supertech filters get great UOA's. they are made by champ.. not champion like the spark plugs. for the $ they are the best.

toy_tek

Prove otherwise. Independent results only, please.