Oil change WTF (6 Viewers)

[Taco2Cruiser]

Yes that's correct, and no I don't.

I have an Amsoil account and have been using this grade of oil for many years with no issues.

I’ve seen this a few times, and don’t think it’s anything to worry about, and I don’t feel it’s as complex as others are saying.

Mine did the same thing, and it ran Toyota Dino 5w-20 for 80k and for 10,000 mile intervals according to records.

Once I put in Amsoil 0w-20 SS, I got a froth also. And I’ve seen this in 5 or 6 other high mileage cars. Basically the Amsoil pulled all the slim out of the motor from whatever low grade oil that was used for years that allowed the build up.

I doubt you’ll have nearly that much next time. Then after 2-3 oil changes it will be all done, and stay clean.

 

[KLF]

I actually did see some goo on the dipstick (first time, and I've checked the oil many times) but it is up high, maybe an inch or two ABOVE the full mark on the stick, not within the oil. I'm feeling OK because the oil looked fine to me.

I suppose it's worth a new PCV valve just for peace of mind, looks easy to get to, and it's a cheap enough part. Wish I had thought to do this when I was having the water pump done.

I almost dumped a quart of Marvel Mystery Oil in in exchange for one quart of engine oil, but chickened out. I had to do this when I first got my '87 with the 22RE, it was barely driven for several years and it had a lot of sludge in the engine. Had to do 2 quick oil changes to get it all out, then it was fine.

 

[Docboy]

Keep us updated OP on what comes about within the next few weeks and as you go about your next oil changes. I'm assuming your coolant levels are staying constant?

FWIW (and not to scare you, just a FYI).... there were certain model years on the 4th gen 4Runners V6 engines that were prone to engine gasket failure, and owners would start to see coolant loss and engine goo buildup. Definitely hoping this is not the case with your 200, as these machines are supposed to be dam near bullet proof, and that this is just an isolated case of condensation.

 

[SWUtah]

I actually did see some goo on the dipstick (first time, and I've checked the oil many times) but it is up high, maybe an inch or two ABOVE the full mark on the stick, not within the oil. I'm feeling OK because the oil looked fine to me.

I suppose it's worth a new PCV valve just for peace of mind, looks easy to get to, and it's a cheap enough part. Wish I had thought to do this when I was having the water pump done.

I almost dumped a quart of Marvel Mystery Oil in in exchange for one quart of engine oil, but chickened out. I had to do this when I first got my '87 with the 22RE, it was barely driven for several years and it had a lot of sludge in the engine. Had to do 2 quick oil changes to get it all out, then it was fine.

It's fine just keep doing the 5k OCI and prey for warmer weather.

 

[SWUtah]

I actually did see some goo on the dipstick (first time, and I've checked the oil many times) but it is up high, maybe an inch or two ABOVE the full mark on the stick, not within the oil. I'm feeling OK because the oil looked fine to me.

I suppose it's worth a new PCV valve just for peace of mind, looks easy to get to, and it's a cheap enough part. Wish I had thought to do this when I was having the water pump done.

I almost dumped a quart of Marvel Mystery Oil in in exchange for one quart of engine oil, but chickened out. I had to do this when I first got my '87 with the 22RE, it was barely driven for several years and it had a lot of sludge in the engine. Had to do 2 quick oil changes to get it all out, then it was fine.

It's fine just keep doing the 5k OCI and pray for warmer weather.

 

[linuxgod]

Next time you change the oil I would send a sample to Blackstone for analysis. You won't have a history for your truck but they can compare it to the average 5.7L with your mileage. As others have said it's most likely condensation, but even still the $30 for an oil analysis will give you an idea if there's any odd wear going on because of it.

 

[mooneywa]

This is a common occurrence on a the Ford Ecoboost motors, especially on the F-150 - mostly due to direct injection, somewhat due to air condensing in the intercooler and having no way to drain, and somewhat due to the vacuum system design. For me, I bought a catch can on my old F-150 that was tapped into the vacuum system and every 500 miles I'd dump out a more watery version what was seen above. Accurate statement in saying it's from condensation and an easy fix in our port injected, non turbo/intercooled engines is to change the oil and drive it hard.

On the F-150 this was building up on the valves causing some serious coking. The stuff under the oil cap was causing break down of the oil and the broken down oil was devastating timing chain tensioners and in some cases that was further damaging cam phasers. It was strange, some engines ran perfectly, had no issues with oil dilution even with 10k mile oil change intervals, and had no valve coking. Other engines (like mine) had a tremendous amount of that garbage floating around various parts of the engine and never ran right. I'd have very rough idles at stops and the dealer would say "yeah it runs rough, but the 'computer' says it's within tolerance." Hey everyone - check out my sweet King Ranch F-150 that shakes from rough idle at stoplights!

...in case there were any questions why I switched to a Land Cruiser!

 

[KLF]

62 miles on this oil change as of this morning before I left for work. Fill cap looks like this now:

It's hard to get an accurate measure, but I can't see that the coolant level has changed, I'm only checking it when stone cold in the morning for consistency.

 

[linuxgod]

For reference I checked my oil cap last night. I'm in Chicago and most of the driving my wife does is city where the truck often doesn't warm up, especially when the temps are single digit (either positive or negative). We've put about 1,000 miles on the truck since the last oil change in November. We use Quaker State full synthetic ("Ultimate Durability") 0w-20. Truck has almost 74k on it. My cap was basically clean, there were maybe a few droplets that looked like what you have there. Sorry no photos.

So none of the above necessarily tells you about your issue, but I imagine that my usage is pretty severe WRT infrequently warming the engine, so maybe it's a useful baseline?

 

[Docboy]

OP, my gut instincts tell me that oil "residue" in post #28 is not normal and warrant further investigation.

I personally would have a Toyota mechanic do an evaluation.

 

[KLF]

Well, part of the problem I have is that I don't have anybody I trust to look at it, to give me an honest and accurate diagnosis. Dealers will want to just replace everything because it's the easiest solution.

 

[ToyotaDon]

I don't disagree. Back in my trucking Halliburton days, we were taught that it's bad to let engines idle, especially petrol engines.

Not really a fan of Tesla, although I do follow their news feeds, mostly because I'm interested in the tech. But I could easily see us in an EV Rav4, something like that.

An EV Rav4 is a Tesla, sorta.

As to your sludge, I think it could be considered normal. I would do what others suggested and send a sample off for testing, and you could also find someone with an emissions analyzer to check for Hydrocarbons at the radiator cap.

It takes up 30 minutes of driving for all moisture to be removed from the crankcase once the engine is warmed up. Maybe you need to find a new restaurant 30 minutes away to have dinner at once a week.

 

[Emcd]

I checked mine in Colorado and my cap was good. We've had a mix of very cold and super mild weather. Most of my trips are short, 2-3 miles tops.

 

[TeCKis300]

KLF, what kind of humidity do you have in your region? It occurs to me that water accumulation would be a function of humidity. Living in CA, it's so dry that it's practically not a concern.

I personally would take this into the dealer. They would at least give you a much better sense of what's going on before consideration of any actions beyond that.

 

[tirewater]

I had a small bit of the yellow residue on the inside of my oil cap when I changed the oil this past weekend. I had 0-20w Mobile One w/ ~1500 miles - changed last August. Replaced it with Toyota 0-20w.

I was a little concerned, but it appears that enough Tundra 5.7 engines have the same thing that I'm not worried about it and believe it's due to condensation as I tend to just drive to drop the kids off at school and back in the morning. It's been abnormally humid/wet the past two weeks as well.

Seems we must have short term memories, as this has been documented as well:
Gunk in the oil filler cap

 

[KLF]

This is just weird.

I cleaned all the goo off the cap yesterday morning and in the fill riser, then just drove it to work and back (~14 miles total, in 2 trips). I'm reluctant to drive it much until I figure out that it is, for fear I'll cause serious damage on the internals.

This morning, the bottom of the fill cap was soaking WET with water. Not coolant, water. The coolant hasn't moved in the reservoir, so it's not using it.

I banged the cap on a blue towel, so you can see the water. That is water, not oil, not coolant.

WHY IS THIS HAPPENING?? I've never ever had this happen with a vehicle before. Our Highlander isn't having this problem.

Beginning to suspect the PCV isn't functioning, but not sure how hard it is to change, looks pretty buried.

 

[TeCKis300]

I'll say again, it's time to take her in. Dealers have tools to do a proper diagnosis. Dyes, pressure testing, etc. Ask them if they'll roll the diagnostic cost into the repair if you so choose to later.

It may be the PCV, but it may also be another issue along with the PCV. That much moisture in the system is not normal. Need to identify whether it's coming from the combustion chamber via the headgasket, coolant via the headgasket, or best case just a bad PCV. Either way, it's certainly not good for engine health to keep running and wondering what the root cause is, as that much moisture in the oiling system is not good.

Is there a lot of humidity in your region?

 

[Docboy]

/\Agreed.

Also agreed dealerships may over diagnose and want to replace everything. But I would at least hear what they have to say.

If not, hopefully other mudders here can chime in with recommendations on honest indy's in your area. Have you checked Google or Yelp to see if there any private trustworthy Toyota or Lexus certified mechanics you can take your truck to?

 

[luke27617]

What about after running engine or few miles drive remove the cap let things evaporate naturally overnight and then recheck against how much moisture after the next drive. If an issue amount of moisture would be the same. If less I wouldn't worry about.

 

[tominboise]

My personal opinion is that the engine is not getting driven enough to warm up and boil off the moisture from combustion. As mentioned, a 30 minute drive (or longer) wouldn't be a bad idea.