Oil Questions, Dealer uses 15W40? huh!

[Haoleb]

Im planning on doing my own oil changes from now on and while looking through the paperwork from when i had my truck serviced with the 75k mile maintenance it says they put 8 quarts of 15w40 oil in there. Huh! Now i know it doesnt take 8 quarts, and i thought the tundra V8 uses 10W30 or 5W30.

I also plan on using Mobile 1 synthetic and Im not real sure if it would be better to buy the 5W30 or 10W30, The oil cap says 5W so I assume that would be best. But being in hawaii im not worried about the oil being too thick when its cold because it just doesnt get real cold. I have searched the arcives but never found anything real definitive.

I believe in the haynes manual it said to replace the seal on the drain plug, is this something that needs to be done? And where would i get one.

Thanks For the help. This might be beaten to death already but hopefully we'll get some good info for future searches.

[Pitbull]

I would go with the Mobil 1 5w30, have no idea why the dealer would use 15w40 not the right oil for the 4.7 V8. If you want to know how much the 4.7 V8 likes the Mobil 1 5w30 check out the used oil analysis on other Toyota 4.7 V8's at www.bobistheoilguy.com You will see that the Toyota V8 is very easy on oil.

[mitchr]

Originally Posted by Haoleb

Im planning on doing my own oil changes from now on and while looking through the paperwork from when i had my truck serviced with the 75k mile maintenance it says they put 8 quarts of 15w40 oil in there. Huh! Now i know it doesnt take 8 quarts, and i thought the tundra V8 uses 10W30 or 5W30.

I also plan on using Mobile 1 synthetic and Im not real sure if it would be better to buy the 5W30 or 10W30, The oil cap says 5W so I assume that would be best. But being in hawaii im not worried about the oil being too thick when its cold because it just doesnt get real cold. I have searched the arcives but never found anything real definitive.

I believe in the haynes manual it said to replace the seal on the drain plug, is this something that needs to be done? And where would i get one.

Thanks For the help. This might be beaten to death already but hopefully we'll get some good info for future searches.

I use Mobil1 10w30 in the summer months and 5w30 in the winter months. Either one would be ok. If I lived in Hawaii I think I would stick with 10w30 though.

Mitch

[Stooge]

Many fleet organizations use 15W40 in everything (gas, diesel, even lawn equipment) with great success and long engine life. Many will state (including many at BOBSTHEOILGUY) that 15W40 diesel oil is too heavy, not right and question why. I would look at the results of many fleet owners (such as Utilities) with many cars, trucks, heavy equipment - everything gets the 15W40.

[KLS]

Valvoline's Australian web site recommends 20W-50 in our 2U-ZE engine. I have very good results with 15W-40 in my Tundra in the summer here. You could use either Mobil 1 10W-30 or 5W-40 with 10,000 mile oil drain intervals with very good results. If you're still under the warranty, stick with the longest drain interval shown in the manual.
http://www.valvoline.com.au/servprodguide.cfm


Ken

[ekunst]

Originally Posted by Haoleb

Im planning on doing my own oil changes from now on and while looking through the paperwork from when i had my truck serviced with the 75k mile maintenance it says they put 8 quarts of 15w40 oil in there. Huh! Now i know it doesnt take 8 quarts, and i thought the tundra V8 uses 10W30 or 5W30.

I also plan on using Mobile 1 synthetic and Im not real sure if it would be better to buy the 5W30 or 10W30, The oil cap says 5W so I assume that would be best. But being in hawaii im not worried about the oil being too thick when its cold because it just doesnt get real cold. I have searched the arcives but never found anything real definitive.

I believe in the haynes manual it said to replace the seal on the drain plug, is this something that needs to be done? And where would i get one.

Thanks For the help. This might be beaten to death already but hopefully we'll get some good info for future searches.

I think your dealership has knuckleheads working at it. FIND A NEW DEALER! they apparently dont know a thing about motor nor do they follow what toyota specifies which is 5w-30. 5w-10 is clearly marked on the fill cap and that is the "heaviest" weight it should have. i say "heaviest" because you could technically use a zero weight type (0w-30) and provide your engine with a little better oil flow rate at start-up. the manufacturer basis its engine oil lubrication on the dynamics of the lubrication system and using too "heavy" of a motor oil could cause your engine damage at start-up.
if you are going to switch to synthetic, i would first consider how many miles you have on the the engine. if you have an excess of 20k i would be reluctant go to synthethic because the engine seals have already seated and have been seasoned by the conventional oil. an engine that is swapped over to synthetic oil later after this seasoned period is prone to oil leaks. if this does not apply to you , go with the synthetic and use the 5w-30.

finally i would only change the seal washer at every 5th oil change or when they begin to seep. and if your the anal type, do it everything you change the oil, it will only add a buck to the price oil the oil change.
good luck and stay out of the snow

[Haoleb]

the truck has 78k miles on it now.

The whole thing about not switching to syn on older cars etc seems to be pretty controversial because i read it doesnt matter and ive read it does. or, that the oil system needs to be flushed or some nonsense when switching over to synthetics. Regardless, im pretty confident that I will have no problems going to syn. Hopefully

[Pitbull]

I switched to Mobil 1 5w30 at 50K miles and never had a leak. Mobil 1 even states on the label that switching does not cause leaks. I think you will be OK, if you want to switch.

[KLS]

Makers of cars & light trucks sold in the U.S. are pressured by the EPA to do everything to reduce fuel consumption. Lighter viscosity oils do reduce consumption a percent or so. The owner's manual for my '01 allows either 10W-30 or 5W-30 except in frigid weather, but says that 5W-30 is "preferred." This allows Toyota to use that oil in their fuel mileage testing and show those slightly better results.

Ford, Honda, and Dodge are recommending 5W-20 in some or all of their engines now. The same engine sold overseas will have a higher viscosity oil recommended for it. Often, 5W-20 is not even available at those overseas dealerships. Folks talk about lighter oil getting to the top of the engine faster, but I haven't seen any documentation. BMW requires 10W-60 synthetic in some of their overhead cam engines. 20W-50 is used in our V8 engines in other countries. No top end problems noted in those cases. My preference is still to use the highest viscosity oil permitted by the owner's manual, or maybe even one viscosity grade higher if the engine is worked hard and hot.


Ken

[Vu]

Originally Posted by Stooge

Many fleet organizations use 15W40 in everything (gas, diesel, even lawn equipment) with great success and long engine life. Many will state (including many at BOBSTHEOILGUY) that 15W40 diesel oil is too heavy, not right and question why. I would look at the results of many fleet owners (such as Utilities) with many cars, trucks, heavy equipment - everything gets the 15W40.

I use 15w-40 or 20w-50 for my trucks for years now. I always used 20w-50 for my 2.7 4 cyl t-100 and it ran fine. Same for my tundra.

I switch from synthetic to regular oil all the time. Don't worry about that leak myth.

[akauth]

Since you're in such a warm climate, 15w40 is fine. I'm running 5w40 synthetic myself to see what numbers I get, but I'd not hesitate to use 10w30, 10w40, or 15w40 where you're at. If you're running synthetic it's practically a moot point.

You really don't need the 40 weight that much though since it gets warm but not really that hot there. Unless you're towing or mountain climbing.

I'm in California and have even run 20w50 year round since it only get down to 30 degrees here unless you head to the mountains in winter. That's too thick when you get down to 0 degrees though.

You can just as easily run 10w30 there as you could 15w40. I'd run both in your engine, measure the wear number and then use whichever one causes less wear. Unless you run synthetic, I wouldn't drop down to 5w oil though. It's just too warm there year round.


alan

Originally Posted by Haoleb

Im planning on doing my own oil changes from now on and while looking through the paperwork from when i had my truck serviced with the 75k mile maintenance it says they put 8 quarts of 15w40 oil in there. Huh! Now i know it doesnt take 8 quarts, and i thought the tundra V8 uses 10W30 or 5W30.

I also plan on using Mobile 1 synthetic and Im not real sure if it would be better to buy the 5W30 or 10W30, The oil cap says 5W so I assume that would be best. But being in hawaii im not worried about the oil being too thick when its cold because it just doesnt get real cold. I have searched the arcives but never found anything real definitive.

I believe in the haynes manual it said to replace the seal on the drain plug, is this something that needs to be done? And where would i get one.

Thanks For the help. This might be beaten to death already but hopefully we'll get some good info for future searches.

[ekunst]

The first number in the oil designation, before the "W", ie 5W-40, is the "winter weight" of the oil and it directly correlates to the oils viscosity "cold" or at start-up. (the lower the "W", the easier an oil will pour or flow.) The winter weight number has little to do with the viscosity of the oil when it is fully warmed up. The second number (-40) reflects the "operating temperature" viscosity which represents the oils ability to resist "shearing" when squeezed thru a small oirfice or bearing journal.
regardless of hot or cold climate, it is always an advantage to have a motor oil with a lower "W" weight because this oil will flow with greater ease to the vital parts at the top end of the engine. this characteristic is also crucial to start up lubrication in most if not all engine made today, as the tolerance of moving parts in the valvetrain and the like are very small and lack of oil will most definitely shorten their life. this is another reason why 5w type oil is recommended by the manufacturers. additionally if you live in the northeast, like me, you definitely notice the difference lower winter weight oil makes when it is cold out and the engine strains to turn over.
so if you live where the morning temps get down below 40 F, you may reconsider using that 20w or 15w weight oil. you may be damaging that expensive-to-repair motor at every cold start-up. just some food for though...

[akauth]

The bottom line is wear numbers. That's pretty easily analyzed. It's what I base my suggestions on.

What your saying is true, but you have to realize that engine don't operate only between the spec ranges for oil. You also have to realize that those spec ranges are for *new* oil. Not oil that's just been run for 7,000 miles.

Too, manufacturer in recommending oil are looking out for their interests, not necessarily *your* interests. While any manufacture that is not taking your best to heart is not going to remain in business (or flourish), you also have to realize that they are going to do what makes sense for them. It's a compromise.

The best way do decide what oil works for you is to run a couple different grades and do an oil analysis on each. Pick the one that give you the least amount of wear. Because once you've worn away metal, there is nothing you can do to put it back. So minimizing how much metal you pull out of the engine with each oil change is the only way to go.

That is not going to happen with 5w20 oil. Which is where manufacturers hear are heading to shave off a mile per gallon (and more) to meet overall epa regs across a couple million cars.

In europe and other parts of the world where they worry more about engine wear, they recommend much thicker oil than they do here. More along the lines of what they've been putting in engines since the early 20s.

While technology has advanced, the basic laws of physics haven't changed. Probably the biggest threat to oil in toyota engines is that they have hot spots and they tend to shear the oil pretty well too.

For example, if you don't change your oil properly on the v-6 engines you
have a major headache on your hands because the oil will gunk up on you.

When selecting oil you have to look at the minimum and maximum ranges you'll see. For above 50 degees minimum, 20w oil if perfectly fine. As I mentioned with synthetic, it's less of a difference because the oil is more stable from low to high - even without additives. Plus they use much better (and more) additives so the performance is all that much better for all that much longer.

But you can certainly get great performance from syn mix oils as long as the additives are top notch. Short of good base stock, the quality of the additives are hugely important.



Alan

Originally Posted by ekunst

The first number in the oil designation, before the "W", ie 5W-40, is the "winter weight" of the oil and it directly correlates to the oils viscosity "cold" or at start-up. (the lower the "W", the easier an oil will pour or flow.) The winter weight number has little to do with the viscosity of the oil when it is fully warmed up. The second number (-40) reflects the "operating temperature" viscosity which represents the oils ability to resist "shearing" when squeezed thru a small oirfice or bearing journal.
regardless of hot or cold climate, it is always an advantage to have a motor oil with a lower "W" weight because this oil will flow with greater ease to the vital parts at the top end of the engine. this characteristic is also crucial to start up lubrication in most if not all engine made today, as the tolerance of moving parts in the valvetrain and the like are very small and lack of oil will most definitely shorten their life. this is another reason why 5w type oil is recommended by the manufacturers. additionally if you live in the northeast, like me, you definitely notice the difference lower winter weight oil makes when it is cold out and the engine strains to turn over.
so if you live where the morning temps get down below 40 F, you may reconsider using that 20w or 15w weight oil. you may be damaging that expensive-to-repair motor at every cold start-up. just some food for though...

[KLS]

Originally Posted by Vu

I use 15w-40 or 20w-50 for my trucks for years now. I always used 20w-50 for my 2.7 4 cyl t-100 and it ran fine. Same for my tundra.

I switch from synthetic to regular oil all the time. Don't worry about that leak myth.

15W-50 or 20W-50 is for engines built with loose clearances or engines with clearances worn well beyond what they should be. In a tight engine I think you'll find that you'll get higher internal friction and slightly worse gas mileage with no benefit.


Ken

[Haoleb]

Thanks for all the replies to the thread.. But I have one more stupid question.

Does anyone know offhand what the diameter of the OEM filter is? I was going to get one of those band type wrenches at sears and just wanted to make sure i get the right size.