Based on averaging this 5 mile round-trip per day how often should I take an extended drive to keep the LX 570 loosened up and working correctly?
average driving 5 miles a day advice needed
- Thread starter SWUtah
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AussieHJCruza
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Personally, once a week, but once a month at a minimum IMHO
Taco2Cruiser
Crazy American Off Road
All depends on how long your motor has at operating temperature.
When a motor is turned off and fully cools, it creates condensation inside and that water sits in your oil sump. When you fire your motor back on, heat will burn that water off. The issue with short tripping is that if you don’t get your motor at operating temps for long enough to burn the water off, then you simply keep adding more water to your oil. This “thins out” your viscosity along with a whole host of other things that would take us down a rabbit hole. I’m not using the corrects terns right just to make it simple for everyone.
I remember a while ago, reading a study from Valvoline where they found the average motor, over a 5,000 mile oil charge, would see 2,000 gallons of water come and go in the sump.
There are two really great ways to prevent damage from short tripping. 1) don’t 2) change your oil more often.
Simply send off your oil for analysis and you will know, based on your motor and the conditions you are putting through, how much oil life you are getting. That will tell you when you need to change. After some time, you’ll build some averages, and won’t need to do oil analysis that often.
Inside an ICE is a pretty crappy place. It’s very acidic, and filled with deposits. Oil is not just for friction mitigation but it also does a majority of the cooling from heat transfer. Not to mention regulates valve timing (at least for our 5.7s with hydraulic lifters. Oil is cheap, land cruisers and their motors are not.
People get all weird about 20 weight oil. But oils today are sometimes more robust than they used to be (sometimes). Yesterday’s 30 weight would shear more easily down to 20 weight, but people slept good at night because they didn’t know. So don’t go down a road of trying a more robust oil viscosity. While minute, the thinner the better for all the start ups you are putting that motor through.
But the same still applies today. All you need to to do is ensure you don’t have oil that has fallen out of grade in you motor. Easy.
Easy things like the battery not getting charged back up enough are mitigated by a good charge once a week or so. I like CTEK chargers personally.
When a motor is turned off and fully cools, it creates condensation inside and that water sits in your oil sump. When you fire your motor back on, heat will burn that water off. The issue with short tripping is that if you don’t get your motor at operating temps for long enough to burn the water off, then you simply keep adding more water to your oil. This “thins out” your viscosity along with a whole host of other things that would take us down a rabbit hole. I’m not using the corrects terns right just to make it simple for everyone.
I remember a while ago, reading a study from Valvoline where they found the average motor, over a 5,000 mile oil charge, would see 2,000 gallons of water come and go in the sump.
There are two really great ways to prevent damage from short tripping. 1) don’t 2) change your oil more often.
Simply send off your oil for analysis and you will know, based on your motor and the conditions you are putting through, how much oil life you are getting. That will tell you when you need to change. After some time, you’ll build some averages, and won’t need to do oil analysis that often.
Inside an ICE is a pretty crappy place. It’s very acidic, and filled with deposits. Oil is not just for friction mitigation but it also does a majority of the cooling from heat transfer. Not to mention regulates valve timing (at least for our 5.7s with hydraulic lifters. Oil is cheap, land cruisers and their motors are not.
People get all weird about 20 weight oil. But oils today are sometimes more robust than they used to be (sometimes). Yesterday’s 30 weight would shear more easily down to 20 weight, but people slept good at night because they didn’t know. So don’t go down a road of trying a more robust oil viscosity. While minute, the thinner the better for all the start ups you are putting that motor through.
But the same still applies today. All you need to to do is ensure you don’t have oil that has fallen out of grade in you motor. Easy.
Easy things like the battery not getting charged back up enough are mitigated by a good charge once a week or so. I like CTEK chargers personally.
RET2
SILVER Star
The Valvoline water figure is incredible if not all most impossible to believe? At 12MPG thats 400 plus gallons of fuel produces 2K gallons of water. I believe their figures to be off by a bit? I know our ethanol based fuels in Ca. suck but not that much.
What blasphemy is this? It is abuse to only take her out 5 miles/day.
I love my Bruiser need to take her out and stretch her legs much more often imo. I don't know anything about motors/transmissions but I would drive her minimum 100 miles per week to keep her in line.
Taco2Cruiser
Crazy American Off Road
I was pretty shocked myself. And to this day, I have never found another study that had anything like that, and who knows if I'm remember incorrectly or not as it was a while ago.
But... when a motor gets a plugged PCV, it can form that terrible light brown goo at the top end end of the motor in no time at all. That is the water vapor not being able to escape. So it's kinda interesting to believe when we think of how big a motor is, and how much wall space you can have.
Think of how much condensation forms from a 12 oz can. And that is just a temp swing of what? 50 degrees. Imagine a whole motor with a swing of 150 degrees. Crazy right? Not like a motor is completely filled with oil, there is a ton of volume that is just open. All a motor is, is just a big air pump anyway.
RET2
SILVER Star
Would be interesting to see if they stand behind that figure. If so, cruising around the desert and aiding in reforestation could be in my philanthropic future, oh wait such activities could be dangerous to ones health, but I gather you know that. 
- Thread starter
- #8
My last well analysis 7000 mile oil change interval shorter trips
- Thread starter
- #9
Maybe my oil analysis results are so good because it just always stays pretty warm here in Florida so I’m not dealing with cold temperatures? I will take your all‘s advice and at least driver for 30 to 45 minutes once a week.
I was going to say walk.
Or........ship your LX to Utah........
I'll drive it !
I'll drive it !
Puts helmet on.
So I was just about to post something similar except the "5 miles" was 5 kms...
In my case however it is all downhill with plenty full stops. What's the thoughts on gearing down vs normal braking? Max speed would be 60kms back to stop...rinse and repeat all the way down the damn hill.
So I was just about to post something similar except the "5 miles" was 5 kms...
In my case however it is all downhill with plenty full stops. What's the thoughts on gearing down vs normal braking? Max speed would be 60kms back to stop...rinse and repeat all the way down the damn hill.
Taco2Cruiser
Crazy American Off Road
Then you have solid setup right now. It might be a short mileage trip, but you are getting the motor hot enough during that short time to not cause any issues.
In other words, don’t change a thing, and enjoy your super reliable truck.
- Thread starter
- #17
Thanks guys for the input.
32cls6speedmt
SILVER Star
Swutah
Are these oil changes completed at your lexus dealership? Did they use Phillips Full Synthetic motor oil?
Are these oil changes completed at your lexus dealership? Did they use Phillips Full Synthetic motor oil?
- Thread starter
- #19
It’s full synthetic Kendall 0W 20
