hey. hopefully someone can give me some insight to the problem i am having. Sorry for the long read, im just trying to include as much info as i can.

I recently purchased a 90 4 runner with a 22re. When i went to pick it up, it had good oil pressure. And it did for all of the drive home (400KM.) when i got it home, it needed some work, so i decided to change the oil even though it didnt look to bad. The engine was cold, and the oil didnt appear to be to thick. I put 15w40 in which is what i've always used in all of my toyota's. As soon as i started it, i could tell something wasnt right, instead of the needle going right to the middle of the guage, it only went to 1/4. When it warmed up it was just shy of being on the "Low" Now usualy thicker oil means more oil presure, but since the old oil looked thin, i changed to 10w30. That made no difference at all.

I have found a reciept in the truck for the last oil change, it was done 2500km ago. Doesnt say what grade of oil they used though.




sooooo, anyone have any ideas ? or what oil i should run to give me better oil pressure. additives? synthetic?

 

no idea, but i remember on my old 4runner, my oil gauge went out. i ended up having it towed to the shop thinkin the oil pump went out, replacin the oil pressure sending unit, and then figuring out that it was the gauge... im not sayin thats ur problem, but the gauges do go bad.

 

do a search on oil pressure gauge, the toyota gauge cant be trusted (sometimes mine works sometimes it does'nt)

 

Oil pressure will be lower at an idle and higher while driving and accelerating. Was the vehicle at idle or were you driving at the point you noticed the gauge read "low"?

 

before: at hot idle needle was at 1/4 wen driving , 2500rpm needle was at half

now: hot idle, needle just above "low" 2500rpm, just above 1/4

i will be checking oil pressure sometime this week with a mechanic gauge. just seems wierd for it to act up right after an oil change????

 

Yeah, I would cross reference with a mechanical guage. Rule that one out. That is a weird problem. It's probably something simple, though.

 

i hope so, unless they had put 20w50 in there or something.... 80w90 maybe haha.


Hopefully i'll have time to check it tomorow

 

Aside for what may, or may not, be a problem, why in the world would you use 15wxx in anything ?



Fred

 

Believe it or not, Fred, when I bought my '86 22re, I'd called the dealership and spoke with a tech there. When he'd looked up the recommended oil weight for that year, 20w-50 was what was recommended. I'm guessing that was way back then, though. (You know how that goes) Why?....I don't know. He couldn't tell me. But, I do find MY vehicle likes lighter weight much better.

 

Which is why you should use a 0wxx or 5wxx (max) weight for the lower number and the lowest you can for the upper.
15 weight (as in 15wxx) is too thick to flow properly at any temperature on the face on the earth where you'd have the vehicle.





Fred

 

I worked at a volvo dealership and all of the cars up until '94 used 15w40. I've seen more then a few cars with 4-500,000km on the original motor. So obivously proper flow isnt a problem.

Not to mention all the diesils use 15w40, even up here in the Canadian winters. If flow was a problem they wouldnt use it in $25,000 motors.


Using thin oils is ok in newer vehicles, cause thats what they are designed for. I wouldnt use it in my toys with over 300,000km on them

 

- The ONLY way to tell if you should use a thicker oil is by installing an oil temperature gauge and an oil pressure gauge.
- We're not talking diesels here, are we.....
- 15wxx, especially somewhere as cold is most of Canada, is way too thick, no matter how old the engine.
- Using the correct oil will have extended the life of the gas engines a lot further, prevented wear which would have resulted in less oil consumption in those high milers.

You should spend some time and research what and how oil works, what almost all gas engines require, flow wise, pressure wise, and why. Also why manfs. used to recommed 15wxx oils.
If you knew that, you'd, most likely, be coming from the other side of the coin.




Fred

 

does it knock at all, especially at start up? If it does it could be a rod bearing.