There's no oil in my tundra! someone explain...

[Big_Al1]

Originally Posted by Ltning/QC10nomas

Suggest you re-read all post before taking it to the dealer and volunteering that you have been running the oil 15k ( even though Toyota's B.S. recommendation is only 5k) and you finally checked it the other day at 9.5k for some reason and it was barely on the stick and you want to know what the heck is going on. It could depending on your dealer give them the opportunity to void your warranty while laughing at the same time.
Example #1 I bought a new 93 Aerostar van that consumed 1 quart of conventional oil between changes (3500 miles) or if you put a quart in and ran it to 4.5k it would drop another quart regardless of oil used.
This disturbed me greatly at first as a new vehicle should not do this and the dealer would do nothing about it except assure me it was considered normal oil consumption.When the van was traded in 97 with 70k+ miles on it the oil consumption was the same 1 quart every 3.5k if changed at that time or more if ran farther.
Your truck used about 2 quarts in 10 thousand miles.
This is not abnormal, only irritating if it does not increase in the future.
If it had a problem it would have been empty long before that and you would have been on the side of the road wondering what that funny squealing noise was.
Please change your oil and check the consumption rate from this point.

Are you sure they filled it up to start with as I assume you did not check their work when it was originally changed?

Yes please don't go to dealer and tell them you waited 9.5k miles to check your oil.The buck will stop there.It will be your problem.Good luck.And word of advise I would check it at least once every other week.I do mine like once a week.That's just me though.

[Venom760]

Originally Posted by Big_Al1

Yes please don't go to dealer and tell them you waited 9.5k miles to check your oil.The buck will stop there.It will be your problem.Good luck.And word of advise I would check it at least once every other week.I do mine like once a week.That's just me though.

Of course I wasn't going to take the truck in like that and tell them "oh yeah, I've been running my truck with the same oil for the last 10k...whats wrong with it?". For starters, I already changed my oil, so it has new oil in it. I was thinking about taking it in now that it has the new oil in it and tell them that the truck has been consuming more oil than what I would think is normal. I remember checking my oil right before I had my previous oil change, and it was perfect...running it for the same amount of mileage and didn't have a problem with it having very little oil. But my mistake was not checking the oil level once I had it serviced, so maybe the guys at pep-boys didn't do what I paid for. But that was my bad, for not checking. Thanks for all the replies & thoughts on this guys.

[HOGWILD]

Owners Manual page 356 Max allowed oil consumption says 1.1 Qt per 600 MILES? hopefully a TYPO? because that means it could use all 7 Qts before the next service interval of 5K miles or 6 MONTHS ? Makes no sense but that's what Owners Manual states and thats what they will tell you also, when you take it in. BTW the 2 dots on the dipstick represent 1 1/2 Qt not 1 Qt, i called and talked to Toyota and they told me this! Good Luck, If it were mine i would trade it tomorrow!! Even if something is claimed on warranty they wanta see reciepts and records and dates which will also void engine warranty on the 'TIME " interval requierments of 6 months if they were not met! Good Luck with finding reciepts cause they will probably ask for them.
Toyota Parts and Service
Pep Boys could explain your problem but oil should be checked along with tires "WEEKLY" never know when something can go wrong as you now know!

[Puffnstuff]

Well it's the op's truck and his money so if he wants to roll the dice and take a chance well it's up to him. I would never run any vehicle for such extended periods without changing the oil and filter. He's aweful defensive about his choice but when he chose to void the warranty by not changing his oil/filter by the required schedule he shouldn't come crying to us. He caused excessive wear on his engine and now it's beginning to show through consumption. All lubricants breakdown and synthetic is no exception. All I will run is synthetic however I will not exceed the factory specified mileage in order to keep my warranty in force and I keep my receipts.

[kcstott]

Looks like you're getting the same general answers.
Here's a little insight in oil change interval. For one never exceed the manufactures recommended mileage interval. As stated before it's a bad idea when it comes to warranties. Two, did you perform an oil analysis to know how much and of what kind of contamination your oil is receiving? Three was the engine broke-in properly. Poor brake in leads to poor ring seating and oil blow by and excessive oil consumption. And Four, What on gods green earth were you thinking?
All engines are not equal they all wear a bit different and they all use a more or less oil then the other engines. it's just something they do. and even with the engine built to near perfect specs it will still burn a bit of oil over time.
I trust no oil past 5K and only 2K in my bike.

Kerry

[Venom760]

Originally Posted by HOGWILD

Owners Manual page 356 Max allowed oil consumption says 1.1 Qt per 600 MILES? hopefully a TYPO? because that means it could use all 7 Qts before the next service interval of 5K miles or 6 MONTHS ? Makes no sense but that's what Owners Manual states and thats what they will tell you also, when you take it in. BTW the 2 dots on the dipstick represent 1 1/2 Qt not 1 Qt, i called and talked to Toyota and they told me this! Good Luck, If it were mine i would trade it tomorrow!! Even if something is claimed on warranty they wanta see reciepts and records and dates which will also void engine warranty on the 'TIME " interval requierments of 6 months if they were not met! Good Luck with finding reciepts cause they will probably ask for them.
Toyota Parts and Service
Pep Boys could explain your problem but oil should be checked along with tires "WEEKLY" never know when something can go wrong as you now know!

Yeah, I took a look at the owners manual and it does say that and honestly that HAS to be some sort of mistake because I've never heard of any type of car or truck using that much oil in so little time/mileage. Especially on a truck like ours! It just doesn't make sense. And yeah, I'm gonna keep checking the oil weekly now just to make sure. I did the oil change myself this time and let me tell you, yes it did have very little oil BUT to my surprise the oil wasn't pitch black like I expected it to be, in fact it was in pretty good shape for 9,500k...regaurdless, just to be on the safe side, I put regular mobil 1 syn. this time and will just start doing oil changes at 3.5k to 5k from now on. And about the dealer asking for reciepts for pep-boys...what about those guys that do the oil changes themselves? Let me guess, they want a reciept saying you bought so much oil and certain auto part store on certain dates right? oh well. Maybe I won't take it in. Like I said, there is no problem with my truck, still runs fine, still feels the same in power, no weird noises...I just wanted to know why it used so much oil, thats it. Maybe it didn't, maybe it was just pep-boys who did me wrong. I'll find out soon enough. thanks for your advice hogwild.

[Venom760]

Originally Posted by Puffnstuff

Well it's the op's truck and his money so if he wants to roll the dice and take a chance well it's up to him. I would never run any vehicle for such extended periods without changing the oil and filter. He's aweful defensive about his choice but when he chose to void the warranty by not changing his oil/filter by the required schedule he shouldn't come crying to us. He caused excessive wear on his engine and now it's beginning to show through consumption. All lubricants breakdown and synthetic is no exception. All I will run is synthetic however I will not exceed the factory specified mileage in order to keep my warranty in force and I keep my receipts.

puffnstuff, I really don't want to start an argument with you or have anything against you so I'm only replying this once to your post. It's annoying how you think I'm being defensive and how you said I came to you guys crying. First off, its the net...how did you get any indication that I was mad, upset or defensive? Did you see me in person? Did you hear me yelling and screaming? Last time I checked, your just reading words on a screen... I mean, if I was cursing everybody out than I'd understand how you could come to that conclusion. But I don't see in any of my posts how I could've come across as "defensive".

About the "crying"...how am I crying? Just because I was curious on why my truck consumed so much oil and so I came to a FORUM where people are known to ask QUESTIONS about things they don't know, are curious about, etc. etc. I don't see how that was crying. Now, if YOU saw it that way, than why did you even bother to reply to my thread if all you read was some guy crying? And in that case, why do you reply to a lot of threads if apparently asking questions is crying, a lot of people on this forum cry then. You remind me of SOME of those guys that have been here on the forums forever and than start bashing on the new guys who ask the simple questions that have been asked and answered 100 times before but since they are new, they don't know about the search option. Instead of telling them nicely without making them feel stupid, they got to say some smart-a** remark about using the search option. NOW, like I said, SOME guys on here are like that, NOT all, because I have met some really cool and down to earth people on here. But next time you think someone is pissed off or "defensive", take the time to ask first, before you assume.


Lastly, I didn't VOID my warranty...I decided I just won't take it into the dealer until I see some real problems because like I told HogWild, there is nothing wrong with my truck. No loss of power, strange noises, or anything failing. So maybe pep-boys did me wrong because I didn't check the oil after I picked it up last time they did my oil change. But that was my mistake and I admit to it. I think I'm just going to start doing my own oil changes from now on. But I didn't do any type of excessive wear on my engine, I'm sure of it. I think it would show some sort of sign besides JUST oil consumption and it hasn't and it still runs perfectly. But like I've said before, everybody is entitled to his or her thoughts and opinions. Thanks for your input Puffnstuff.

Oh and just to make things clear, I said ALL this in the most calm and relaxed mood you can imagine, and no I'm not being sarcastic. I am not upset or mad so please don't think I'm lecturing you, or being defensive.

[kcstott]

Venom760
That's the web man. You have know way on knowing the mood of the writer just the same as the writer doesn't know the mood of the reader. It's the typed word thats to blame. If some one is reading a perfectly melow post but is a bit cranky well then what they read may come off cranky as well.
And being that it's the typed word, being a bit direct can often be misunderstood as being upset. Go figure
Kerry

[Puffnstuff]

Well by putting this information about yourself up on the web did you stop to think that maybe toyota might read this thread? It's your truck and you can do with it as you please but if you choose to operate it outside of the manufacturers specifications then you should be responsible enough to accept the consequences of your actions.

[ericb]

Oil change interval discussions are like religious discussions. You will never get a consensus on what is optimal. Many are still stuck in the 60s & 70s mode where the engines were not built to close tolerances and oil technology had not evolved to where it has today, and think anything past every 3000 miles is insane. And, of course, there is the opposite extreme that thinks 25000 is okay. And for those who say they are hard on their trucks, do they mean they push them hard (which isn't necessarily hard for the engine) or that they only drive them for 2 miles at a time in stop and go traffic, which really is hard on a vehicle. If you were to drive 300 miles/day on interstates, 25000 mile intervals may not be that unreasonably provided the oil filter is changed at 10-12k as the oil would be changed every few months. But the short tripper should probably never go beyond 5000 as the oil never gets hot enough to burn off contaminates. I read an extended interval test where the guy tried Mobil 1 and Amsoil 25K, and had the oil tested every 1K. In both cases, the tests showed the filter needed to be changed at about 12k, the Mobil 1 was still good at 15K and the Amsoil started to changed viscosity (thicken) after about 12k or so. Based on those results and, say 10 mile each way trips, it would be safe to go 10K between oil/filter changes. That is the standard in Europe where petroleum costs about twice what it does here. However, the oil level still needs to be checked on a regular basis.

[Venom760]

Originally Posted by ericb

Oil change interval discussions are like religious discussions. You will never get a consensus on what is optimal. Many are still stuck in the 60s & 70s mode where the engines were not built to close tolerances and oil technology had not evolved to where it has today, and think anything past every 3000 miles is insane. And, of course, there is the opposite extreme that thinks 25000 is okay. And for those who say they are hard on their trucks, do they mean they push them hard (which isn't necessarily hard for the engine) or that they only drive them for 2 miles at a time in stop and go traffic, which really is hard on a vehicle. If you were to drive 300 miles/day on interstates, 25000 mile intervals may not be that unreasonably provided the oil filter is changed at 10-12k as the oil would be changed every few months. But the short tripper should probably never go beyond 5000 as the oil never gets hot enough to burn off contaminates. I read an extended interval test where the guy tried Mobil 1 and Amsoil 25K, and had the oil tested every 1K. In both cases, the tests showed the filter needed to be changed at about 12k, the Mobil 1 was still good at 15K and the Amsoil started to changed viscosity (thicken) after about 12k or so. Based on those results and, say 10 mile each way trips, it would be safe to go 10K between oil/filter changes. That is the standard in Europe where petroleum costs about twice what it does here. However, the oil level still needs to be checked on a regular basis.

I agree...
Thank you EricB

[HOGWILD]

Originally Posted by Venom760

Yeah, I took a look at the owners manual and it does say that and honestly that HAS to be some sort of mistake because I've never heard of any type of car or truck using that much oil in so little time/mileage. Especially on a truck like ours! It just doesn't make sense. And yeah, I'm gonna keep checking the oil weekly now just to make sure. I did the oil change myself this time and let me tell you, yes it did have very little oil BUT to my surprise the oil wasn't pitch black like I expected it to be, in fact it was in pretty good shape for 9,500k...regaurdless, just to be on the safe side, I put regular mobil 1 syn. this time and will just start doing oil changes at 3.5k to 5k from now on. And about the dealer asking for reciepts for pep-boys...what about those guys that do the oil changes themselves? Let me guess, they want a reciept saying you bought so much oil and certain auto part store on certain dates right? oh well. Maybe I won't take it in. Like I said, there is no problem with my truck, still runs fine, still feels the same in power, no weird noises...I just wanted to know why it used so much oil, thats it. Maybe it didn't, maybe it was just pep-boys who did me wrong. I'll find out soon enough. thanks for your advice hogwild.

The Dealer can turn you down for warranty work! unless you can prove you have been doing ALL Regular and scheduled Maintenance and that is to include documenting it in the service book that came with the owners manual oil change intervals 5K or 6 months and if ya have a 4x4 ya need to lube it also! If they see you have reciepts and have documented this service book the DIY maintainers will not be turned down for warranty work, thats exactlly what my Service Writer told me! Keep all reciepts for oil, filters , lube and like i mentioned earlier they can get ya by the Time interval if they wanta be a PITA! I think your problam started at Pep Boys but you allways check behind these guys! If they have rotated tires ya gotta check the lugnut torques cause most of them over torque them, even at dealership! It is your truck and make them show you they torqued your wheels correctly, if they say no or refuse ya might wanta find a better shop!

[Ltning/QC10nomas]

Originally Posted by Venom760

Of course I wasn't going to take the truck in like that and tell them "oh yeah, I've been running my truck with the same oil for the last 10k...whats wrong with it?". For starters, I already changed my oil, so it has new oil in it. I was thinking about taking it in now that it has the new oil in it and tell them that the truck has been consuming more oil than what I would think is normal. I remember checking my oil right before I had my previous oil change, and it was perfect...running it for the same amount of mileage and didn't have a problem with it having very little oil. But my mistake was not checking the oil level once I had it serviced, so maybe the guys at pep-boys didn't do what I paid for. But that was my bad, for not checking. Thanks for all the replies & thoughts on this guys.

I always watch the process being done if I don"t do it myself.
Have had one stripped drain plug in an aluminum pan.
Stopped the kid from adding the 9th quart to the wife's car one time!
It holds 7.5 quarts.
My friend and I watched the guy drop the oil then come up get in my car start it with no oil,,back up and get the driver side closer to the pit so he could get to the oil filter. He looked too young to punch so I talked to his manager who assured me it could probably be driven a short distance down the road without hurting it. I invited him to take off and we would come after his dumb *** in a little while. He then adopted a more professional approach and also backed up a little. I did not think the 20 seconds at idle had actually hurt it with the residual oil in the bearings but it was the wrong thing to do and I was just looking for an apology which I got.

Guess who gets to change the oil in most shops.
The kid who doesn't know anything or the adult who can't be trusted to do mechanic work so he changes oil.

Pep Boys in Miami put a fuel filter on my sons car because it was partially stopped up.
Came by my house a couple days later complaining it still had the same problem.
Got under it and it had the old filter rust and all still on it.

Trust yourself,your wife, and your kids but still check on them too

[Ando140]

After seeing that it was Pep Boys, I'll bet it didn't burn/leak a drop. What probably happened was they put a new filter on and refilled the oil to the top mark, but didn't let it run for a couple minutes then re-check it. When I change my oil, I fill it to the top mark, then run it for a few minutes, shut it down and let it sit for about 5 minutes, then top it up to the top mark again. It usually takes almost a whole quart to top it up.

[vincenzo]

Originally Posted by Ando140

After seeing that it was Pep Boys, I'll bet it didn't burn/leak a drop. What probably happened was they put a new filter on and refilled the oil to the top mark, but didn't let it run for a couple minutes then re-check it. When I change my oil, I fill it to the top mark, then run it for a few minutes, shut it down and let it sit for about 5 minutes, then top it up to the top mark again. It usually takes almost a whole quart to top it up.

I follow the same method when changing oil. I agree that is probably what happened when they refilled with oil... OR they followed some spec sheet that told them (incorrectly) exactly how much oil to put in.