Oil questions, and any downside to 0W30 oil in Gen1 Tundra

My oil looks clear on the stick, but when I drain her its dirty brown/black in the bucket. Mobil5w-30 with Yzzd-3 Filter.

 

Can somebody here please explain to me why at the very very bottom of this thread, in the traditional "Products Discussed in" box................we get this???

 

Uh, just for grins...What brand/vis motor oil are you using?

I've decided I will grab an oil sample at my next change, and let Blackstone tell me about it. The experts' mantra is that color is no indicator of oil condition, and I'm committed to that position. For the record, I'm using Mobil1 5W30 Extended Performance, which has slightly more anti-wear additives than entry-level Mobil1 Advanced Fuel Efficiency. EP costs a few bucks more per five-gallon jug, but it makes me "feel good".

From my career, I know Mobil has always made superior lubricants with comprehensive documentation for those that are interested. There's never been anything special about their gasoline.

 

After some thought and careful consideration of that product, I have decided that if you have to ask "Who would use this?", then, you probably don't have a "Need to Know".

 

The two things that affect oil color are heat cycles and soot. Heat cycles will turn oil amber or dark brown eventually. Soot particles are so small that they are not individually harmful from a friction standpoint, but can build up over time. You want the soot to end up in your oil, but you want to make very little soot. It's a sign of incomplete combustion. The only vehicle that really blackened oil quickly that I've had recently was a 2010 Saturn Outlook with the 3.6L GDI engine. Ran great, no failure issues (other than a water pump at 80k, classic GM) but the direct injection is a flawed design. Needed a 7th injector in the intake manifold like some Toyotas have had. Too much EGR fouling up the intake and valves. Color alone is not a good indicator of when to change your oil. If your still using dino oil, change it early and often. Conventional oil is quite crude and breaks down quickly with heat. Over time it begins to thicken into a sludge that deposits itself in your engine. Synthetic is the way to go for sure. Regardless of engine mileage. It has incredible resistance to heat breakdown at engine temps so it doesn't lose it's lubricating properties and doesn't sludge up like conventional oil. That means longer engine life, still gets dirty, so better/more filtration is needed for extended oil change intervals.

EDIT: It's really more PCV dumping oil in the intake than EGR causing the filthy intake conditions.

 

And the best news of all about "full synthetic" motor oil is that market forces on refining technology have resulted in synthetic oil being nearly as cheap as conventional motor oil. There is little financial incentive to chose conventional oil anymore, even if conventional motor oil could provide the lower viscosities desired for modern engines.

 

HMMMMM. The words toe and pan are present. Perhaps alignment or transmission pan dropping conversations? Oddly, the garment seems to be accentuating the toe of the camel effect, extending it even. Puzzling for sure. And why is it suggesting the model that's 2 years old? maybe we need to be previewing the latest in unsightly anatomy visual blockade garments. Really disappointed in you fleabay. If you're gonna eavesdrop, step up your game.

 

Part is engine design require different oil weights and especially in the US, the trend is to use lighter weight oils for improved fuel economy.

 

I'm a simple man. I use Mobile 1 full synthetic high mileage and change it every 4500-5000 miles which is around once per year.

 

Have any of you ever sent a sample to Blackstone? I did many years ago with the 4runner. The sample was taken at 5k and they said it looked great and I could go more. I settled into 6-7k changes because that has worked well with my life. I'll be switching the tundra over to synthetic and 5k changes and then send a sample in, in a few more oil changes.

 

I've sent 2 into blackstone and reported the findings here.

 

I've not sent any samples in. I've sent 1 vehicle to 455k miles, 3 to 200k plus miles and have all 100k plus mile vehicles in the fleet now. All in great working order.

 

I say keep it simple and stick to what the manual says, all those engineers that designed it can't be wrong. If you are using 5-30 synthetic, you already have easier starting and better protection.

 

Not an expert on this, but my thought is lower viscosity (0w20) oil is "thinner" then 5w30, therefore more likely to burn/consume. More protection at cold, but less protection at temp where you spend 99% of the time. If your engine wasn't designed with tolerances for these lower viscosity oils then running them might not be a great idea...

Don't have any sources, just what I learned at some point and it stuck. Probably old school thinking from when I worked at an auto parts store back when I was in college.

In my 05 I've always done 5 qt jug castrol gtx 5w30 (under $20 at HD) and 2 qts 5w30 full synthetic to create a syn blend. Oil change every 6 months (usually 3-4k), comes out with some golden oil color still evident.

 

Not sure what the advantage of this "blend method" would be, but for the same money, you could run full synthetic. Just buy 2 5qt sytnetic oil jugs at wally world for between $21.88 and $27.88 depending on your preferred brand and save the left over for the next oil change when you only have to buy one jug. The individual quarts of synth are $$$

 

Syn blends used to be a popular thing. Not sure they are anymore, haven't looked. My thought is I get some of the benefits from synthetic, perhaps better cold startup, additives, etc.

Overall it probably has no real benefits. But I've been doing it for 8 years and old habits die hard.

You are correct synthetics have come way down in price. But when I started this method that wasn't the case.

Also learned from old timers that you never run full synthetic in higher mileage vehicles. I'm sure that's been disproven, but truck wasn't designed for full syn so my 2 qt blend is as high as I'm willing to go.

 

It has been disproven. Newer synthetics are perfectly safe to use in any age vehicle. They even have higher mileage blends of synthetic with additives to keep seals conditioned.

 

Yeah, I believe it. My wife's Camry was designed for full syn and will always get it. My next vehicle will probably be new enough it was designed for full syn and will get it. But my truck is an old girl that was designed for conventional and I think she likes our current arrangement so I'll stick with it. Haha.

 

You do you I always tell my employees. My truck is a 2000 and has had synthetic since the day I purchased it. My 1992 E34 BMW 525 also got full synthetic up until the day I sold it with 455,000 miles on it.

 

My syn blend method actually started when I won a case of full synthetic oil as a door prize at golf tournament. Using 2 qts per oil change made that case last a few years. Didn't want to run full syn, didn't want to let free oil (schaeffers $$) go to waste, so came up with this method and been doing it ever since.

 

I had an 88 4runner in family with 400k on conventional. I honestly don't think it makes as much difference as regular oil changes and maintenance. How many vehicles, especially toyotas, end up dead from engine wear with proper maintenance? Not many. Far more likely to wreck, rust out, be neglected or have multiple problems that put them in the junk yard.

 

22RE I'm assuming? any rebuilds on the motor? 400k is strong for a non-rebuild motor

 

Still love me a good old 'Oil Thread'.
I'm a believer in quality 5 / 30 Synthetic & an OEM filter for my 06 DC Tundra.
When I'm towing my boat across the Mojave Desert and it's 110+ degrees out and I'm 50+ miles from anything, it's peace of mind knowing she's got the goods.
That heat off the asphalt is like a friggin furnace.
I try my best to drive at night or super early in the morning to avoid the peak heat . . . but it's not uncommon for it to still be over 100 at night.

 

No 3.0 v6! For as bad a reputation that engine has it was solid. Gutless though.. brother rolled it.

I had 22r in my 87, 225k miles before I rebuilt it. Had a busted valve (still drive able), but rebuilt the whole thing anyways. Sold it not long after.

 

3.0 had head gasket issues I believe. Solid run for the 6 for sure.

 

I like oil threads more then tire threads... Neither one is very productive. Everyone has their opinions and not likely to have them changed. But still fun to participate! Haha.

Desert environment and towing is definitely testing your oil ratings. Glad to hear you're not experimenting with 0w20

 

It's the real world data that's shared in these that make them interesting reads. Hearing how things actually happen in the real world for different folks. Helps us all make decisions that aren't commercially driven.

 

Yes it did. We replaced them once if I recall. Long time ago, quite a few yotas in my family last 20 years I have a hard time keeping them straight.

It may have been rebuilt at one point before we owned it. given the rural area it spent it's life and the fact this was 20 years ago I can say with certainty it never saw synthetic oil though. Haha.

 

I'm gonna bring back synthetic blend popularity! Haha