New member introducing self

[kwaapia]

Howdy peeps,

first of all, as a Detroiter, the Tigers are waiting to maul whoever.

Next, I own a 1996 Cruiser, which I think is the best vehicle I have ever owned, and I hope to get plenty of tips on how to fix stuff, like the noisy alternator and the consumption of oil (1 quart every 3 weeks).

 

[alkaline747trio]

Welcome

About the alternator, replace with OEM (it is probably a cheap Napa/Advance part in there) from CruiserDan (CDan). On the oil, plenty to read about that on here, but it seems to be an issue with what oil you choose.

 

[kwaapia]

I am going with pennzoil 5w-30 with the weight as specified by the oil filler cap. Of course, if something works better, I'll gladly give it a try. I don't know how much work the oil pump is rated for, and the minimum oil pressure for the 1FZ-FE but if a higher viscosity oil will stop the leaking, I will try it.

 

[alkaline747trio]

You could try 10-40w Rotella Synthetic, or plain dino 10-40w.

 

[kwaapia]

I presume this oil is fine in Detroit, we had snow last thursday!!! It will get much more colder come january.

Is this oil ok when it gets really cold, like at 0 degrees F?

 

[alkaline747trio]

There is nothing wrong with any particular oil, and it depends on your personal vehicle which oil is right for it. Just play around with a few different ones doing 1500-2000 mile intervals untill you find one that doesn't get guzzled as much.

 

[jditom]

Howdy peeps,

first of all, as a Detroiter, the Tigers are waiting to maul whoever.

Next, I own a 1996 Cruiser, which I think is the best vehicle I have ever owned, and I hope to get plenty of tips on how to fix stuff, like the noisy alternator and the consumption of oil (1 quart every 3 weeks).

As others well also agree Rotella 5/40 will cut down on usage. Every 3 weeks seems high. How many miles are you driving inn 3 weeks?

 

[Brentbba]

First a Mud Welcome!

Second, how does it feel driving a Japanese truck in Detroit? Did some audits back there in the early 80's and it was almost devoid of foreign cars in the American Auto capitol of junk!

 

[Elijah]

How many MILES are you driving in those 3 weeks?? If you're running a thousand miles every 3 weeks, then 1 quart of consumption is considered "normal" by Toyota. I should specify anything up to 1 quart every thousand miles. Most of us seem to use less than that though. How many miles are on the rig??

 

[cary]

Welcome, read the oil FAQ, that is why it was written.

https://forum.ih8mud.com/showthread.php?t=79305

 

[Truckasaurus]

Hey, bud. Welcome aboard.

I'm up in Clarkston. Where are you?

I run Mobil 1. 0W-40 during the summer, and 5W-30 during the winter. I've had my truck for just over a year, and it burns a quart every 1500-2000 miles or so. (Just like the owners manual says...)

I haven't had any oil pressure issues with either. No serious leaks. No plumes of blue smoke.

Oh, and you're measuring the oil level with the engine warm, like the manual says, right?

Have a good one!

 

[fzj80kidpen]

Welcome
As to your oil questions, listen to Cary

 

[cary]

I run Mobil 1. 0W-40 during the summer, and 5W-30 during the winter. I've had my truck for just over a year, and it burns a quart every 1500-2000 miles or so. (Just like the owners manual says...)

Why would you run an oil that is THICKER when cold in the winter? It's like putting on a t-shirt in the winter and a parka in the summer when you first go out.

 

[woody]

I run Rotella Synth 5w-40 in WI all year round, with a NAPA Gold filter. No problems. Rotella is avail at WallyWorld, so getting more is easy enuf.

with 160k on my 80, I use 2-3 quarts every 5000 miles...guaranteed 3 if I'm towing...

either way, the Bears still suck...

 

[DTAYLOR]

Welcome!

First, props to the Tigers.

Second, I wish I could say we had a descent baseball team, but the hapless Texas Rangers will always be second fiddle (at best) to the greatest team in the NFL. Yes, the DALLAS COWBOYS have the best GMs (Schramm, Jones) the best coaches (Landry, Johnson, Switzer, Parcells), the best quarterbacks (Meridith, Staubach, White, Aikman), the best running backs (Hayes, Hill, Dorsett, Walker, Smith), the best receivers (Rentzel, Pearson, Irvin, Owens), the best safeties (Renfro, Watters, Harris, Williams) etc, etc, etc.

Oil Leaks:

Tighten the valve cover, then clean all the oil sludge top to bottom and check the distributer o-ring, rear oil pan sealant (must remove the rubber cover). Also give a good look to the oil pressure sending unit.

Oil usage:

As Truckasaurus said, some consumption is normal. Depending on maintenance and miles, you could have a valve stem seal issue. Check for a puff of blue smoke out the tail pipe on cold starts. This is better repaired when you do a head gasket job and include a valve grind for good measure. The valve stem seals come with the gasket set you need to do a head gasket and or vale job.

How about some pics of your new rig?

Good Luck!

DTaylor
Go Cowboys!

 

[kwaapia]

I am in New Boston, MI. south of metro airport towards Monroe.

I drive the truck about 100 miles each week. 2 weeks ago I had the oil level warning light come on while driving. I go to the nearest autozone 5 miles away and put in a quart.

I checked the oil again yesterday, dipstick was showing oil on the last 3mm. In between I have driven about 250 miles.

This thing not only drinks gas like a soccer fan in a british pub, it likes to drink or spill oil as well!!

No blue smoke, no burning oil smell. Methinks it is a leak. I am planning on cleaning the engine with a power washer, and then I can see clearly where the leak spots are. Unfortunately, it is getting too cold to do my own crawling around underneath.

I will keep you guys posted.

 

[Truckasaurus]

Cary,

I run 5W-30 in the winter because they don't make a 0W-30. That would be my preference.

And I wear shorts in cold weather, too!

kwaapia,

That's some kinda leak! Good luck!

 

[cary]

Cary,

I run 5W-30 in the winter because they don't make a 0W-30. That would be my preference.

You do understand at temperatures below 20f the 0w-40 is actually thinner than the 5w-30!!! There is no point in running the 5w-30 if you use the 0w-40, as the 0w-40 is thinner at low temps and thicker at operating temp.

 

[sseaman]

welcome, just to add have you change the pcv recently?

 

[Truckasaurus]

You do understand at temperatures below 20f the 0w-40 is actually thinner than the 5w-30!!! There is no point in running the 5w-30 if you use the 0w-40, as the 0w-40 is thinner at low temps and thicker at operating temp.

(In my best Johnny Carson)

I did not KNOW that...

Huh! Who knew this was some magical elixir that gets thickerer when it gets warmer, and thinnnnner when it gets colder.

(I could have lied and said there was a great deal on 5W-30, but hey, this is better information that I hadn't gleaned from reading all sorts of posts and FAQ's, etc. I was just working off the 40, that it was thicker than I'd need in our nutty winters up here, so go down to 30 weight instead.)

Thanks, dude!