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Question on 5.7 motor oil

8.4K views 41 replies 19 participants last post by  mxsjw  
#1 ·
I've seen it mention on this forum that the 5.7 comes with Synthetic oil and that the manual calls for Synthetic. Nowhere in the manual do I see Synthetic oil mentioned, only the 5w-20 or 0w-20 viscosity requirement. They do say to use "Toyota Genuine Motor Oil, or an equivalent ILSAC mulitigrade oil. Is ILSAC a synthetic standard?
 
#4 ·
OK, but is that standard required to be Synthetic?
No, the standard is NOT required to be synthetic. I'm not advocating or knocking either dino oil or synthetic, but here's what I understand about both:

Dino oil is fine, but you have to change it at the recommended intervals. This type of oil has improved dramatically from what it was just 25 years ago. Today's top shelf dino oils will protect your engine just as well as any synthetic within the interval window. This oil will, however, break down eventually if you allow it to go unchanged and you'll lose its lubricating properties, which come mainly not from the oil itself but from the additives.

Synthetic oil is also a great product. It's so good, that it allows you to go at longer oil change intervals than dino oil. Where dino oil must be changed at 5K, some synthetics can run 2 or 3 times that long before being changed. This is why you can justify the significantly higher cost of synthetic over dino oil, but there's the rub: If you buy synthetic, it makes no sense to change it at the intervals recommended for dino oil. If you do that, you're wasting money.

So either one will work fine. Neither one is a bad choice.
 
#6 ·
My owners manual says 0w20 will give best mpg. Where can I get 0w20 oil, and is there any 0w20 non synthetic available?
I know it says 0W-20 but Id never run that thin of oil. I mean, u might as well put water in the engine. Id use a synthetic 5w-30 or 0w-30. This is just my .02 worth.
 
#7 ·
I know it says 0W-20 but Id never run that thin of oil. I mean, u might as well put water in the engine. Id use a synthetic 5w-30 or 0w-30. This is just my .02 worth.
That is a real good way to fudge up the 5.7 engine!

Toyota recommends that if 30 oil has to be used in a pinch to swap it out as soon as possible. The engine was designed to use 20 and nothing else.

It does not matter wether you use dino or Syn, it's up to personal preferance. I think that the 5w-20 is available in dino or syn, but I have not been able to find 0w-20 in anything other than synthetic.

I buy my Toyota branded oil (made by Mobil 1) from Toyota parts.
 
#8 ·
I know it says 0W-20 but Id never run that thin of oil. I mean, u might as well put water in the engine. Id use a synthetic 5w-30 or 0w-30. This is just my .02 worth.
Your going to f up your 5.7. It was designed to run with a 20w, so use it. The cst of a 20w syn vs a 30w syn is not that big of a difference. Plus, that 5w30 you want to use, is going to shear down to a 20w eventually anyway. Until it does, your harming the engine.
5w20 Penzoil platinum for me.
 
#9 ·
Hey Tackleberry, here is a link you can use to E-mail Toyota. Send them an E-mail and ask them about it. It says 20w right on the oil fill cap, plus the Owners Manual. If you use anything else you can kiss your warranty goodbye.

Email Toyota

Here is what they wrote back to me:

Thank you for contacting Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.
Please be advised that '07 Tundra 5.7 liter engine is delivered with 0W-20 non-synthetic oil.
As per our Owner's Manual, we recommend either 5W-20 or 0W-20 oil grade viscosity.
We advise consistency regarding choice of synthetic or non-synthetic engine oil; i.e., stay with one type; we do not recommend switching back and forth.
Your feedback is appreciated. It is through comments such as yours that we are able to review and improve our products and services.
Your email has been documented at our National Headquarters under file #200704060595. If we can be of further assistance, please feel free to contact us.
Toyota Customer Experience
Customer
 
#11 ·
ILSAC is not a standard. ILSAC stands for International Lubricant Standardization and Approval Committee. It is an organization of auto manfacturers which includes GM, Ford ,DM, Honda, Toyota and others. They set the standards which are implemented by API - American Petroleum Institute in the US. The standards covers most all of the oils for sale in the US which includes the 5w-20, 5w-30, 10w-30, 15w-40- get the idea. Most of the 0w-20 and 5w-20 oils will meet the Ford 930 standard. It allows fewer high heat deposits, does not allow for the oil to shear or oxidize out of its respective viscosity range, and will protect your investment better than any other oil out there regardless of basestock. Other than some of the offshore oils, the only real synthetic available anymore is Redline. All of the others would be a dino synthetic and not worth any premium as they aren't any better than the oils meeting the 930 spec. Your money, your truck.
 
#12 ·
Slick,
Thanks for the info. I just wanted to clear up any confusion as I've seen it posted here that "the '07 comes filled with synthetic" and "the '07 requires synthetic". I didn't see any of that mentioned in the manual. The only reference is to the required weights.
 
#13 ·
Just went to dick dyer toyota in Columbia, SC, and was told by them that they Kendall 0w30 non-synthetic for oil changes in all 2007 Toyotas, including the 5.7 Tundra. Too bad toyota can't convince dealers to do what the Owners Manual clearly states. They only charge $29.95, but who wants to take a chance on messing up their engine?
 
#14 ·
Just went to dick dyer toyota in Columbia, SC, and was told by them that they Kendall 0w30 non-synthetic for oil changes in all 2007 Toyotas, including the 5.7 Tundra. Too bad toyota can't convince dealers to do what the Owners Manual clearly states. They only charge $29.95, but who wants to take a chance on messing up their engine?
If they are incapable of understanding the factory requirements, I would not do business there.
 
#15 ·
Just went to dick dyer toyota in Columbia, SC, and was told by them that they Kendall 0w30 non-synthetic for oil changes in all 2007 Toyotas, including the 5.7 Tundra. Too bad toyota can't convince dealers to do what the Owners Manual clearly states. They only charge $29.95, but who wants to take a chance on messing up their engine?
They are not the only ones. I had to go to three different dealers before I could find any 5-20w oil, and the first two were going to sell me a spin-on oil filter. Why can't Toyota get their dealers up to speed on the 5.7? If a dealer puts in the wrong oil, will they take the responsiblity for it when the engine fails and have to do the warranty work? Seems like their dealer training program needs a little work.
 
#16 ·
carefull at the dealerships. I saw an ad, 29.99 oil change on any toyota. so i called up and said I wanted to purchase the oil and filter at that price and went on to state I needed 7.5 qts of 0w20 synthetic(ad did not specify quantity, model, etc). He replied, no, that price is for 5w30 bulk oil, all toyotas use that and I cant do synthetic at that price.
This is why I dont go to dealers. well just for an oil filter.
 
#17 ·
I went and pulled my 1st oil change receipt, yup 5w30. I used the email toyota link in this thread and sent them an inquiry as to why cap and manual state specific oils and dealership uses own choice, which are not the afore mentioned 0w20 and 5w20 oils. To me that voids an engine warranty if you do not even use a recommended oil.
 
#18 ·
Before you guys go to beat up your dealers, you might want to know what your talking about first. Although you buy a Xw- 20 oil, it may not be the same viscosity at temp as another brand oil that is labelled exactly the same. The viscosity ratings that you are accustomed to seeing like 0w-20 or 5w-30 is the SAE grade. If you look at the actual viscosity on the Kinematic scale, a fluid of an SAE 20 can be in the range of 5.60 to 9.29. If the dealer is putting in an Energy Conserving Xw-30 oil, it will be on the thin end of the viscosity range. The range for the SAE 30 on Kinematic is 9.30 to 12.49. So if you have an Energy Conserving oil that is 5w-30, it going to be in the thinner part of the scale like 9.6. Most all of the xw-20 oils are on the thick end of the viscosity like 9.2. At temp there is not much difference. The important part of the Toyota specification is the Winter weight. A 5w or a 0w oil is going to get to the cams faster than a 10w or a 15w oil. These OHC engines need oil and fast or wear is accelerated. As long as the oil is a 5w or 0w, does not exceed a 30 at temp, and is Energy Conserving, your engine will never know the difference.
 
#19 ·
Slick.....most dealers use bulk oil, and probably only buy one type and weight. If the 5.7 requires a different weight oil that they don't have in bulk, it requires them to use the smaller containers just like we do. That means locating 8 containers of oil, unscrewing the caps and pouring them one at a time into the engine, and then having to dispose the unused oil. That takes time, time wastes money. The quickest solution for them is to put the bulk oil nozzle into the engine, set it for 7.4 qts and pull the trigger. Done deal before you could pour two bottles of the other oil. Let's get real. If the Owners Manual says x-20w oil, then that's what is going into my $30,000.00 Tundra. The book doesn't specify a brand name, or to use an "Energy Conserving" oil, it says 0-20w, 5-20w oil....period!
 
#20 ·
The book doesn't specify a brand name, or to use an "Energy Conserving" oil, it says 0-20w, 5-20w oil....period!

Here! Here!

May I add that the owners manual also states, if 30w oil must be used, change it for the recommended weight as soon as possible.
 
#21 ·
Here is Toyota's Response to my inquiry.

Thank you for contacting Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.
We appreciate your interest in properly maintaining your Toyota vehicle and apologize that the factory recommended oil viscosity was not used by Marietta Toyota at your first oil change.
Toyota changed to the 5W-20 and 0W-20 from 5W-30 weight oil because those viscosities provide better lubrication in a wider range of temperatures, provide less friction and assist in achieving higher fuel economy.
In the interest of customer satisfaction, we have contacted the Customer Relations Manager at Marietta Toyota to assist you with your concerns. The Customer Relations Manager will contact you by the end of the business day Wednesday, May 30th.



Today, I was contacted by my dealership and informed the above policy was already in progress. My next oil change would be more than the $25.99 due to cost of the recommended oil. She also indicated it will come from quart bottles and not a hose from the ceiling.
 
#24 ·
just stoped into my dealer to buy a filter because the place i get my changes from doesnt carry them yet and i inquired how much they get for a mobile 1 change. answer: $100 8 quarts x $9 plus filter and labor. then he asked why do you want to change the oil at 1500 miles? and told me that they come with synthetic from the factory. upon further delving they told me that one plant uses synthetic and the other uses dino, but they couldnt tell me which was which. anybody?
 
#25 ·
I've seen it mention on this forum that the 5.7 comes with Synthetic oil and that the manual calls for Synthetic. Nowhere in the manual do I see Synthetic oil mentioned, only the 5w-20 or 0w-20 viscosity requirement. They do say to use "Toyota Genuine Motor Oil, or an equivalent ILSAC mulitigrade oil. Is ILSAC a synthetic standard?
Yes it meets the requirements ISLAC! Guess the dino from factory myth has been solved read add!:DDetermining extended properties... synthetic oil is not mandatory ya do not have to use it, some choose to use it because its a superior product!! My 06 Manual says nothing about Synthetic but Toyota is OK with its use but they still wantyou to do the 5K oil changes!! Thats what they require while your truck is under warranty!! 0W20 Mobil 1 per Qt at walmart for 5.97+tax so around 48.00 for oil and 5.00 for filter!! less than 60.00$'s!! Toyota even has their own Synthetic they use at dealerships but i would watch them pour it if i paid for it!!
 
#26 ·
Hey Tackleberry, here is a link you can use to E-mail Toyota. Send them an E-mail and ask them about it. It says 20w right on the oil fill cap, plus the Owners Manual. If you use anything else you can kiss your warranty goodbye.

Email Toyota

Here is what they wrote back to me:

Thank you for contacting Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.
Please be advised that '07 Tundra 5.7 liter engine is delivered with 0W-20 non-synthetic oil.
As per our Owner's Manual, we recommend either 5W-20 or 0W-20 oil grade viscosity.
We advise consistency regarding choice of synthetic or non-synthetic engine oil; i.e., stay with one type; we do not recommend switching back and forth.
Your feedback is appreciated. It is through comments such as yours that we are able to review and improve our products and services.
Your email has been documented at our National Headquarters under file #200704060595. If we can be of further assistance, please feel free to contact us.
Toyota Customer Experience
Customer

Thanks...........I have an 02 and it calls for 5w-20 and thats what I run in it (synthetic of course). My only concern is, I live in miami where it gets realy hot, there so much stop and go traffic, (ie it takes2 hrs to go 21 miles in the afternoons). If someone uses a non-synthetic 0w-20 oil, toyota wants me to beilive that it will protect my engine under these driving conditions? For some reason I dont buy it.