Yet another towing thread...

Good morning everyone. I apologize for adding to the plethora of towing threads, but for peace of mind, I needed to make my own.

I am the second owner of a 2014 Platinum that I've own since 2017. There are 99,7XX miles on the truck, 66,XXX of which I put on. I have towed a few times with this truck since owning it but only with a uHaul utility trailer and a uHaul transport. Currently, I am towing a V-nose 8.5 x 20' enclosed auto transport for the first time. The car inside weighs about 2600lbs. So, I'm guessing the total weight is around 6,000lbs maybe?

I started my trip in Pennsylvania and am currently in Florida. Traveling mostly down 81 and 85. At the beginning of the trip, everything was fine. The ride was much smoother than towing with a uHual transport and having brakes on the trailer made things easier when slowing down or coming to a stop. The problems starting in the Carolina's through Georgia and Alabama. I'm not sure if it was the long hills @65-70mph (4,000+ RPMs), but I looked down at some point and noticed the oil pressure gauge was pointing to L. Now, I know not to worry too much about the factory pressure gauge but since this is my first time towing with so much weight and for such long periods up and down hills, I worried. I pulled over, checked the oil level, and despite the engine being thin, hot, and reading high, it appeared to be normal. I even checked it the next morning before driving again, and it was reading normal. I have always run 0-20 oil but thought maybe with this type of towing, and with the hills, I should've maybe switched to 0-30 to help the oil from thinning as much. Especially, because the top end seems to be chattery in these 5.7 engines. Lifters, valves, cams, maybe? Could my oil pump be going out? Or, am I just such a noob that I am worrying about everything?

Misc details: Probably irrelevant, but I thought I'd add them just in case.

I was running 87 octane until about 500 miles ago (halfway through the trip) when I switched to premium (91-93), and the truck seems to like the higher octane. I know, I know, they are designed for 87 but after noticing the pressure gauge and worrying, I decided to see how it would react to it. It didn't shift as high or as often on the long hills. Mentally, it made me feel better, but that could be placebo.

Engine:
Flex engine. However, I have never used flex-fuel in this truck.
P3 brake controller
TRD Intake
TRD Exhaust
TRD swaybar
33" K02's.
King suspension with external reservoirs. 4" lift, maybe? Diff drop, etc. installed by the previous owner.

Transmission, front, and rear diff oils changed @ 75,000 miles. Trans with Toyota fluid and diffs with Mobil 1.
Oil changed @ 95,000 - oil changed every 5,000 miles.

Any thoughts and or opinions are welcome. Perhaps everything I am experiencing is normal while towing, and you all can put my mind at ease. After all, I would like to keep this truck for the long haul - and even thought about getting a Magnuson or Whipple since I plan to tow frequently to and from different race events in the summer. I figured the extra power will make towing that much easier and put less stress on the engine overall. I'm wanting one more so after seeing how long the RPMs stay high on long hills. Today, we will be dropping off the car and trailering with an empty trailer back home.

Thank you,
Judd

 

91 octane gas allows the ecu to advance timing resulting in increased torque and power. The engine has knock sensors and the ecu monitors the sensors. When knocks are detected, the ecu will pull back ignition timing so as not to damage the engine. I have a tune on mine for on use on 91 octane.

Regarding supercharging a flex fuel Tundra, please do a lot of research on that before you purchase a supercharger. A specific tune is required for truck to run properly.

 

but I looked down at some point and noticed the oil pressure gauge was pointing to L.

This just a tad subjective so I shall ask a question: the needle was pointing directly at L or was indicating somewhat lower than normal? Was this reading at an idle or whilst revving down the highway?

 

The needle always sat right in the middle on the oil pressure gauge. The needle is currently pointing just above the bottom tig mark.

 

That's a solid load for the Tundra, but it should be able to haul it. With that much wind resistance you're going to run up the RPMs, but you can take some strain off the truck by slowing your tow speeds from 65-70 to the 60-65 range.

Are you in Tow/haul mode?


Seconding @hagrid 's question.


If it's pointing at the L on the pressure gauge I would have done the same thing you did. When you pulled over to check did you look underneath, or crawl under to see if you were leaking oil anywhere? Was there any smoke coming from your exhaust while driving?

 

No smoke and no oil from what I could see.

Yes, I have had the truck in tow haul mode.

Even at idle or in neutral the pressure gauge is reading the same now. Prior to this trip the needle was always in the middle and just moved ever so slightly with the increase in RPMs

I will certainly slow my speeds. I was just worried I was going too slow since every other truck towing was blowing by me - haha.

 

I'm a visual learner. Your needle was where the red arrow is?

 

My needle is just above the bottom line, to the left of the L.

I have been towing empty for the past few hours since unloading the car and the needle is still in the same spot.

thanks

 

Maybe the gauge failed? I am not a mechanic, but I would think that kind of pressure loss would have to have other issues if it were legit. DON'T GO OFF MY OPINION! Wait for smarter guys to weigh it.

Tagging our resident Toyota tech @Ruggybuggy

 

The first step would be to verify you actually have an oil pressure problem. If it was possible I would connect to techstream and check the data stream and see what oil pressure was then follow up with a mechanical pressure gauge. It's probably not practical in you situation unless you you want to bring it into the dealer. Another step and cheaper would to have the oil changed again and use a good quality 5w30 or 10w30 oil. Is it possible the the 0W20 that was used was poor quality? If an oil change is not possible you could add some lucas oil treatment to thicken up the existing oil. A increase in oil pressure would indicate a that the previous oil was a problem. Much less likely issues would be worn oil pump, defective oil pressure relief valve or worn bearings or journals but you should always verify with a mechanical gauge test.

 

Can you get the needle to move with the throttle at all?

 

Thank you @Ruggybuggy for the information.

I know we shouldn’t judge people by the actions of one, but I stopped going to the Toyota dealer because the one by my house that I would go to tried recommending wiper blades to pass inspection this past January. I asked if they even looked because I replace them every 6-months and just did the day before bringing it in, literally. It only takes o e bad experience for me to say, “not coming here again.”

I ended up taking it to the Nissan dealer for the most recent oil change. Perhaps I will find a Toyota dealership on my current route and get the oil changed again and we can go from there.

And no, the gauge isn’t moving at all when I rev it. So, either the gauge is broke, the senders bad, or something else entirely. First, I’ll look at getting the oil changed and report back.

Thanks.

 

Completely understand not going to your dealer. They are an independent business and pretty much do as they please and sometimes will give Toyota a bad name. It will be interesting to see the result after the change. Use a 5w30 and not a 0w30. The 5W30 is a more common oil and everyone will have it. The 5.7 ran 5w30 for years without issue until Toyota went 0w20. Same engine.

 

I concur,

I run 5w30 synthetic in the summer months when towing my 6000lb camper , not because I'm concerned about oil pressure , I run it because I feel it will offer better protection when working the engine under extreme heat and load . A bonus is that the motor has way less chatter !

 

Pics of Smae engine, plz.

 

By chance are you a teacher?

Years of wrenching have left my fingers fat and squared off and the buttons are sooo small. ...and the dyslexia doesn't help either..

 

My lab techs say I'm an excellent teacher because I 'splain technical concepts in ways they can easily digest.

What they cant see is that it slowly erodes my soul, so Spraynard is definitely not a teacher.

I do seem to has teh nascent ability for pattern recognition and a keen eye for things that "don't belong there". For some reason I can spot grammatical issues from orbit with the naked eye.

 

I just picked up the truck from the dealer here in Jacksonville and they told me the oil level was good and everything looked fine. They put new 30w in for me and off I go again.

The gauge is still reading the same so the sending unit might be bad. I will get it looked at once I am back in Pennsylvania since I plan to get a bunch of service at 100k

Maybe I was worrying too much.

 

30W?

 

Glad it's working well for you and not a major issue. Safe travels.

 

5-30 * I asked to have the thicker oil put in since I was still towing my empty 20' enclosed trailer back to PA.

On another note, and while I have a few minutes, I'm by no means an expert tower (obviously) and as mentioned in my original posting, I was used to trailering small uHaul utility and auto transports before getting this enclosed trailer. Is it me or does the Tundra require more power? Going up those long hills really felt like it was working too hard. Granted I was fighting the steep inclines, the wind, tractor-trailers passing me, etc., but the butt dyno thought it would've done it a little more effortlessly. Now, I don't know exactly how much weight I had with the car and trailer, I was only guessing 6,000 lbs, which is still a lot, but if the truck can tow 10,000lbs I was expecting less of a struggle. Perhaps this comes from my lack of real-world towing experience and the fact that this is really my first truck. However, I'm not sure I'd want to push it to the limit (near 10,000lbs). Also, there are so many trucks out here pulling 16, 20, and 24' enclosed trailers flying right by me. I'd have to guess they are going 80+. Not all appeared to be diesels either.

 

Generally speaking, the numbers advertised for towing are not feasible. Just about every truck, and every half ton will run out of payload way before you ever hit that max tow number. Those max numbers are for the brochures, and usually only apply to the stripped down, single cab, 2x2 truck. The decked out trims are always rated lower. I think my SR5 Crewmax is rated at 9800 or something?

Lots of people also hook up to trailers and just mash the pedal up to the speed limit with out thinking about anything else. They don't make sure their trailer tires are rated for the speed limit, they don't read their manuals to see how the vehicle is designed to tow, etc. Manual on the tundra recommends towing at 65 MPH below. You're gonna get passed doing that, and that is perfectly fine. Mods will cost you some too. You're not overboard, but running the KO2s you probably gained some weight, and rotational mass eats power. You'll feel that some as well.

Finally, gas motors run up the RPMs way more than the diesels, and cannot compete towing either. Gas vs Gas displacement and gearing are king. Those other trucks with big trailers that blow by are likely newer (the 5.7 tundra is a 2007 design) so they have transmissions with more gears to handle it better, and they probably have a bigger engine. Couple that with them demanding speed limit speeds or better, and they are always going to pass you. Just because they are going faster than you doesn't meant it's easy for their truck or that they are smart. In a moment of anger I crushed my gas pedal and was doing 85 MPH with 3-4K lbs behind me. The Tundra CAN tow fast, but it's not meant to. Neither are theirs.

 

Good choice on the oil weight. I also use 5W30 when towing in the heat of summer. Very curious what they find with the oil gauge showing low.

The Tundra will easily pull your load up to 85mph. Just mash the pedal but why would you want too. Most trailer tires are only rated to 65mph. It's going to take longer to stop if something happens on the road. You will burn more fuel. It just not worth the risk.

 

Do you run 5W-30 year-round or do you switch to 0W-20 or 0W-30 in the winter?

 

I switch to 0w20 in the winter because its fricken cold up here.

 

You and me both brother!

my bets bad sender. I’ve had to replace a couple of them in the past year on 5.7s

 

I was considering trying to run 0W-30 in my truck to see if that would quiet the diesel-like tick when it's warm while not making it any harder to start in winter.

 

I'm thinking that as well but want to make sure he gets it diaged properly first.

 

For sure. Don’t need to be throwing parts at things Willy nilly.



I deal with the cars that get that treatment when they come back and the tech that did it doesn’t want to fix it