LX470 Motor Oil, tune-ups.. (1 Viewer)

[LXJake93]

Hello again

Recently purchased my first LX/LC ever. Not a certified mechanic but I know how to perform certain things like oil changes and fluid flushes. Car runs great, due now for oil change and I want to get spark plugs and air filters done too but don't want to spend $100+ if I can do that work myself.

I want to know your opinions on what type of oil to use? Should I just keep using what the PO was using (have to call and find out from Express)? Should I switch to my favorite? (Mobil1 Full Synthetic) Tell me!!

I've changed sparkplugs before in a Subaru Outback with an H6 and boy lemme tell yah... that sucks donkeys.. are these THAT difficult? I can easily see them when I open the hood, right on the top-sides, right? Tell me what kind to use whether OE or otherwise and why.

Work done by PO within last 20K miles
-Diffs serviced
-Air filters + Snorkel
-Antifreeze flushed
-PS fluid flushed
-New rack bushings
-New control arms and ball joints
-Regular Oil Changes
-New Mickey Thompson M/T's
-AHC fluid flushed (I think; works fine)

Lemme know! Thanks!

 

[thebeedeegee]

oh no....an oil thread. I use Mobile 1 full synthetic myself. I am of the opinion that it doesn't matter that much as long as the oil is the correct weight and you change it often enough though.

Spark plugs are pretty easy to change. There are some things you have to get out of the way on one side if I remember right, but I definitely wouldn't pay anyone to do it. I think there is one plug that is kind of a bitch to get out, but you just need the right tool (which I believe came in the trucks tool kit)

 

[geanes]

My 98 LX gets Mobil1 Synthetic 5w30 oil with Toyota OEM D3 filter every 5k miles. I don't use the High Mileage version (despite having over 240k on mine). It gets Mobil1 75w90 LSD gear oil in the front/center/rear diffs (generally every 30k). Spark plugs are easy on our 2UZ motors. I change plugs on the 90k Timing Belt/Water Pump interval. I keep 3 plugs and 2 coils in my "spares" kit for trail replacement if necessary. Toyota Red coolant only (diluted 50/50 with distilled water). I just use the Fram air filters (no need for expensive ones IMO). I use the OEM Toyota cabin air filters (have to remove glovebox to access and requires 2 filters).

Based on what you're indicating has been serviced, you'll likely not need to worry about any fluid, filter or plug changes for a good while.

 

[thebeedeegee]

Also, check out this thread about plugs...

Ticking time bomb TICK TICK TICK: Spark plugs Alert Alert Alert!

@dwh13 The back plugs were indeed kind of a pain in the butt to reach. Not as bad as my German car days though. One of the things I did when I changed my spark plugs on the 100 was to remove and document (take a picture of) each spark plug and boot/coil together while noting which 1-8 well it...

forum.ih8mud.com

 

[LXJake93]

@thebeedeegee & @geanes Thanks for the advice. I'll probably just leave the spark plugs until the timing belt and water pump get done which will hopefully be soon. Having record of it being done at 98k and she's sitting at 229k now (roughly 130k miles on OE replacement belt) so she's just hanging out in the driveway till that gets done, unfortunately...

 

[Travis Bickle]

The cheapest 5w30 you can find, toyota oil filter and Denso spark plugs.

 

[half k cruiser]

If you switch to whatever oil your using in your other rigs, it makes it that much more simple to keep the right stuff on hand, or if you do all of your oil changes at once. It's the reason all of our stuff runs on 0w-30 Mobil 1 including the lawnmower.

 

[MJK]

M1 full synthetic 5w-30 motor oil, a Toyota 90915-YZZD3 oil filter, a Purolator A35305 air filter (project farm review) and NGK IFR6T11 plugs are what mine got. All are very easy to DIY. The toughest thing on the list are the spark plugs, but IIRC removing the lower air box (p/s) and a couple brackets (d/s) made everything very accessible. Do torque them down per the link above.

If you are planning on DIYing the timing belt, most use the Aisin kit. OTRAMM has some excellent videos on Youtube. As a matter of baselining, I would check every fluid (level, color), all the rubber bits you can see (sway bar cushions, suspension bushes, hoses, belts, boots), and change any filter you don't have a recent record for. I don't see trans fluid, transfer case fluid, brakes, wheel bearings or fuel filters listed above - so use your best judgement there.

 

[OwnerCS]

Depends on the number of oil leaks. When I buy one with leaking front or rear main seals, they get Valvoline High Mileage Syn-Blend (Red Bottle) until I can stop the bleeding. I've used it to clean up and slow some leaky messes until I can take the right corrective action.

 

[2KLX]

Been using the amazon basics 5w30 synthetic blend for a year and a half now and never ran into issues. Subscribe & save is great too, I get a couple of gallons at my door every 3 months. Not a bad deal at $17/gallon.

 

[suprarx7nut]

I like to run full synthetic and do long oil change intervals. Brand really does NOT matter in 2020 (but I'm still a die-hard Castrol Syntec/Edge guy!). Even the cheap stuff is pretty damn good. Do an oil analysis through Blackstone Labs if you want to learn something. None of us can tell you anything better than what Blackstone can tell you for $30.

I used to run ~10k-15k changes with a filter in between. Now, based on Blackstone's feedback specific to my exact motor and usage, I aim for about 6k-7,500 miles on my 99. I'll do an analysis on my new 06LX and see what they say.

Without doing an analysis on the oil we are better off discussing our plan for when aliens invade.

Oh, and more importantly, welcome to the community! Sounds like you bought an excellent LX.