Oil when towing

This will be my first oil change at 5,000 miles. I tow my camper around in the summer time often. I ran royal purple in my old truck. Since others tow wanted to get some input on the type of oil others are using. Thanks

 

I look for the api donut on the cheapest synthetic on the shelf.

 

I don't do anything special other than focus on the transmission by making sure I'm not bogging it down.

Use tow/haul mode if necessary, take it out of OD if necessary. All of that depends on how much weight you're towing.

 

Buy OVTuning and tow like a pro...everything is better with OVT and Tundras...just keep using good quality oils and focus on temps like suggested above...

 

Schaeffers oil front to back with the only exception being ravenol on the transfer case

 

I like the slippery stuff.

 

Amsoil snob here....haha.

I run 5w30 in the summer and 0w30 in the winter. We can get down to -30 in winter months sometimes

I'm Amsoil diffs and trans and ravenol transfer case.

 

Same stuff that came in it. I tow 8K regulary.
Also, I have never heard of an engine failing in recent history because of brand of oil, as long as the brand meets the spec.
Also, let's be realistic. Unless your advanced degree is in Tribology, you nor I are going to understand the minute differences in the base stock or additive packages. All we have is marketing hype.

 

This. I'd be more worried about the tranny than the engine.

 

Mobil.

 

I agree with this statement , I also run 5W30 synthetic in summer months when towing , 0w30 or 0w20 for the winter , quick oil flow in sub zero temps is a must . Dont bother with those snake oil additives like lucas or stp

 

Just use the stock 0w20 recommended Toyota oil. No worries. However, as mentioned, look into adding a trans cooler

 

If you do your research you will find that in hotter climates such as saudi arabia , toyota recommends the use of 5w30 and even 10w30 in the 3URFE engine ,,,,, the 0w20 recommendation is used in north america strictly due to CAFE regulations .. not because of "tighter clearances" or any other excuse. Lots of people complain about noisy valve train in their 5.7 engines ,, alot of this is due to the use of 0w20 , running a 5w30 gives a little more film strength at operating temps .

 

Totally agree, but that does not change the fact that the 0w20 will be just fine.

 

you are correct that 0w20 will be fine ,, I run 5w30 synthetic to get rid of the valve train noises and in my opinion 5w30 is just a added piece of mind when towing my 7000 lb travel trailer in the summer heat ... and to comment on your trans cooler recommendation , yes you could spend the money and time hunting down all the parts needed to do the retrofit , however I chose to just service the trans fluid more often , its really not that difficult and I use amsoil signature atf which has the best heat resistance on the market , I do a drain and fill once a year and the fluid stays perfect .... another down side to adding the cooler is that it creates more points for potential leaks down the road .
I remember watching an interview with the tundra engineer and someone asked the question of why 2019 and up have no trans cooler , his response was that in their testing they found no need for a cooler, temps never reached the danger zone while doing the pikes peak mountain towing test . the engine coolant heat exchanger is apparently enough to regulate trans temps to "safe" levels . The factory fluid is nothing special , that is why i chose to upgrade to a fluid that will withstand extreme heat for longer .

 

Amsoil trans fluid is their best product IMO. Second best is the P.I. Use it every oil change

 

you know it , plus people say the factory fluid is synthetic , I have yet to see anything proving it is . Just because its " low viscosity" doesnt always mean its synthetic .

 

Toyota WS (world standard) ATF is synthetic.

 

Is it ? it says nothing on the bottle about being synthetic , Plus from the looks of the bottle Id say Mobil Makes it for Toyota , Mobil does make non synthetic fluids

 

No it is not. Every vehicle I own ran WS originally and all have been replaced with valvoline maxlife full synthetic. All have been flushed and get a drain and fill done every year. Overkill, but still cheaper than a new transmission.

 

Well I stand corrected. My bad. Looks to be a semi synthetic. I wonder why? Why not a full synthetic in a sealed trans? Now thinking about switching over to amsoil in the trans and be done with it.

 

I couldn't find the 3UR overseas manual, but I did find this from an owner's manual of the Aygo, a 1.0L gas car sold in Europe that uses 0w-20 oil. Definitely not the same engine, but interesting nonetheless:



This is all they give us in our Tundra owners manuals:

"The 20 in 0W-20 indicates the viscosity characteristic of the oil when the oil is at high temperature. An oil with a higher viscosity (one with a higher value) may be better suited if the vehicle is operated at high speeds, or under extreme load conditions."

I'm going to try the 5w-30 next time. I was in another Tundra with 5w-30 a couple weeks ago and it had so much less clatter it didn't even sound like the same engine.

 

I don't know why either. Toyota still uses dex 3 as a factory fill for their PS fluid too. But either way, it's a good idea to at least drain and fill the trans if you get these trucks. I just finished doing it on my 2020 and found that it came 1/2 quart underfilled. Probably not an issue, but after 1000 miles, I'm glad there's a little less break in fluid, and it's filled to the correct level. Gonna drain and fill every 5K miles until im confident that most the factory fluid is out. The 2020s dont have a factory cooler where I can just flush it anymore.

 

I get a weird slip sometimes on my 2020 and was thinking it may also be a little low. So what is the drain and fill procedure like? is it like the 4Runner where you have to have the trans at a certain temp and use an overflow hole, etc...

Also what fluid are you replacing your stock fluid with?

 

And if anyone's

Valvoline Maxlife Synthetic ATF. It's WS rated. But thats my choice. Amsoil is great too.

Same method. I just drain, then fill and start the truck up and use my scan guage to ensure that the trans is in the 95-115 deg range, then pop the check plug.

For anyone interested, I spent a lot of time on Tacoma World and learned a few tricks. A modded garden sprayer from walmart beats a hand pump when filling the transmission.

 

That sprayer looks awesome , I like it .

About how much fluid are you adding when doing the drain and fill ?

 

I added 1 gallon. After comparing the amount drained vs amount filled, I determined I was 1/2 qt low from the factory.