Oil Recommendations and Discussion Thread for FAQ (1 Viewer)

[Cruiserdrew]

When I bought my 97 40th Anniversary last year, it had 137k miles and when I did the first oil change I put pure synthetic in it, and every 1500-2000 miles it seems to come up 1-2qts low on oil. Do these 1FZs burn synthetic more than conventional? Or should I be concerned about something else?

I'd say something else. Mine has 175K on it, and doesn't use any appreciable oil in a 5000 mile interval. And that's on Mobil1.

 

[Montana Cruzr]

General Oil Discussions:

( The below items are highlights of 3 years of posting by Cary and RavenTai)

• Mobil 1 10w-30 is to thin (thinner than ideal).

• There is really no point in running 20w-50, it is slow to lube on startup and is thicker than needed. The general idea is run the lightest oil that provides adequate protection. It appears in most cases that the heavy 30 weights/light 40weights hit this mark best, providing the lowest wear numbers in most motors, protection of the cams and bearings in all circumstances, while not unduly lowering fuel economy and power output

• The EPA requirements are even more strict than what you were told. The EPA now requires that manufactures 1) fill the autos with the oil that they are tested with, 2) list the weight used as the recommended weight, and 3) sign a sworn statement (I don't know what the penalty is for violating it) that their dealers will use the weight of oil recommended.

• After all of my research I have come to the conclusion that we should look at what the Europe/Austrailian recommendations are for oil weight when the same engine is used worldwide. I will note again that he Aus spec says you can use 10w-30, 15w-40, and 20w-50 up to 100F.

• Mobil 0w-40 appears to be the best choice for worldwide use. My only potential concern (and this is the footnote to a footnote) is that it takes more viscosity modifiers to make a 0w-40 synthetic oil than a 5w-40 or 10w-30. It is the viscosity modifiers that break down over time and can leave sludge. Given that the 0w-40 is a high quality base stock, and this oil is used by Austin Martin, Mercedes AMG, Porsche, and others as their factory fill oils, I don't think this is a real world issue. . (Note that Raventai and cary differ slightly here as I do not believe that the 0w-40 Synthetic oils made today have any risk of sludge problems.)

• It is also worth noting that generally, for low RPM, hi stress engines you want a slightly heavier oil, this is why the 5w-20 seems okay for the Honda's.

• I have been shying away from the Mobil Xw-30 oils because they are formulated on the light side of 30 weight, almost being 20 weight. If you are looking for a Xw-30 weight, look at Redline, Amsoil (I never thought I would recommend Amsoil), or others. I truly believe for any climate that a Xw-50 oil is overkill for the Landcruiser.

• The idea that synthetics targeted at diesel's use a better base stock than synthetics made for combustion engines is not true. The difference between diesel and combustion oils is the additive and detergency packages. Diesels pollute the oil in different ways than gas engines. Example, Delvac 1 and Mobil 1, same manufacture, both made with Group IV & V base stocks, different additive package.

• Synthetic blends- DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME. The synthetic “blends”; are a waste. Why, first they usually made by the same companies that call their group III+ base stock oil “Synthetic (Castrol Syntec (except the German stuff), Valvoline). They then take a blend of their “synthetic” and mix it with Group II base stock standard oil. The really crummy part is often the “synthetic” part of the oil is only 10-25% of the mix. I would either stick with a good mineral oil (Chevron) and change it every 3000-4000 or switch to synthetic and go 6000-7500.
  If you insist on going this route, consider using a hi mileage oil instead which will likely have a higher proportion of Group III or Group IV base stocks than the “blends”.

• Delvac 1 reports have been good. Mobil has just released their Mobil 1 5w-40 Synthetic SUV oil. Ignoring the name, is appears, and Mobil reps have unofficially confirmed that it is in fact repackaged Delvac 1. This is a great deal because delvac 1 is only available in 1 gallon containers and runs $6 a quart v. the new 5w-40 sells for $4.00-$5.00 a quart.

• • The Delvac 1 is considered a great oil. That said, the view is that for Gas engines that the Delvac has to many additives. The oil won't harm the motor, but other choices may be better. IF YOU HAVE A DIESEL this is the stuff to use. Also, a reason to avoid Delvac 1 is that it isn't exactly easy to find. A reason I tend to shy away from boutique oils.

• Concerning 15w-50, there is really no need to run it. The big factor in oil breakdown is its High Temperature High Shear (“HTHS”) performance at 150c (closely replicates running conditions at the cam and bearings). Generally, Synthetics will have a much higher HTHS than minerals for the same weight. If you look at the specs for cars in Europe, especially Germany you will see gradual change. It used to be that they all recommended 20w-50 for temps above 32f. The reason was that 10w-40 and other lighter oils would shear down under hard running conditions and cause accelerated bearing and camshaft wear (exception the 15w-40 mineral oils which were recommended by Porsche for years and were used as factory fill in 911's from the 1970's until the 1990's). Now German cars used in Europe mostly require that the oil used meet ACEA A3 (some new VW and Audi's are moving to lighter weight A5 oils). The predominant requirement of A3 is that the HTHS be over 3.5, which M1 0w-40 (3.6), M1 5w-40 (4.1), and M1 15w-50 (5.1); note none of the Mobil 1 30 weight oils meet that standard. Note that all 15w-40 oils have an HTHS of at least 3.5.

• The A3 rated oils simply provide better lubrication properties, both at startupcam and bearing protection at high temperatures,temps than 20w-50 mineral oils. At the same timenon A3 rated oils also provide better mileage and lower operating temperatures.. Note that A3 is mutually exclusive of A1 and A5. A1 and A5 oils have an HTHS of less than 3.5, so you cannot have an oil that A3 and A5 or A3 and A1 rated.

• Bottom line is that you want to run the thinnest oil that provides protection. Reason is that as you get to heavy, wear rates increase again. Also heavy oils increase oil temperatures and do not transfer heat as rapidly. On average the sweet spot for low wear rates on oils appears to be at the high 30weight low 40 weight range (i.e. Mobil 0w-40, German Castrol 0w-30, Amsoil 30 weights, Redline 30 weights). Also note that some of the newer cars (specifically Hondas and the Big Ford V-10 engines) that specify 5w-20 oil from the factory are turning in incredibly low wear numbers on those oils.

• Concerning using Mineral (Dino) oil and changing it every 2000 miles. Don't waste your time and money. The mineral oil is good for at least 4000 miles before it breaks down. If you live in a warmer climate (temps above 40f), run Chevron Delo 15w-40 ($1.25 quart) and change it every 6000.

• There is no reason to change oil every 3000 miles, except to waste money. If you look at the UOA's on Mineral oils, you will see with the rare exception of certain motors that are very hard on oil that Mineral is good to 4000-6000 miles. The LC with an 8 quart sump easily allows for 4000-6000 mile changes on mineral.

• You can run Rotella T synth out to 7500 with no problems, unless you are in artic conditions, very short trips where the motor never warms up.

• The 5w-30; 10w-30 recommendation are because of US CAFE mileage standards. Same engine overseas recommends 40 & 50 weight for warm and hot weather. That said, you will not harm the motor using 30 weight oils, but will likely lower wear slightly and give an increase margin of safety under hard running conditions with a 40 weight.

• I have also heard that synthetics need less polymer Viscosity Index Improvers, but for large spans most still need some, VII’s are the first portions of oil to degrade, Delvac 1 is suppose to be extremely sheer stable witch would indicate that is does not have any VII’s I am not sure how Exxon/Mobil did it, I am still waiting to see A virgin oil analysis over at bitog to be sure that the M1 suv is Delvac 1. if so it would be a great deal cheaper no driving to a truck stop to get it and in quart instead of gallon bottles, I have a similar climate to you and right now it looks like I will be running D1 when I get the new cruiser, before I decided to sell my truck I was going to use it in it. But I am going to stick with M1 in it

• You will have no oil related problems if you change with dino every 3k, synthetics oil is better oil in almost every way except cost but will it pay off for you? No one can tell you how much longer your engine would last with synthetic vs dino, also you are more likely a head gasket, wreck, run out oil, transmission failure or the 1000 other things that can happen or just age of the body will cause you to get rid of it before the engine internals wears out, in witch case the extra expense is wasted, but for me the engine cleanliness improved gas mileage (very small but offsets some of the cost) longer drains and most importantly “that warm fuzzy-I'm doing something good for my car-feeling.” Make synthetic worth it for me

• According to an article from BMW CCA Golden Gate Chapter, where the chief chemist from Redline Oils in a 3 hour product demonstration flat out stated that under normal conditions where oil is changed regularly, it is questionable if there is any increase in engine life by using synthetic. Advantages of synthetic are cold start, longer change intervals, and protection at the margin.

• Synthetics may increase engine life (note that newer motors are getting much more demanding on oil and many REQUIRE synthetic because of their longer change intervals and need for high hths oils with moderate weights) but for most properly maintained motors, at what point? A LC motor with mineral oil changed every 5000 miles will go 300,000+ miles, so will the Synthetic stretch that to 350,000 miles? Does it matter? My only thought is that perhaps the synthetic will keep the motor running better longer through less wear. For example my Nissan Pathfinder has 185k and starts and runs like a champ. Is this from the lower wear by Mobil 1 or that I am anal about all maintenance?

• .. For reasons unknown, even among the same motor design, some engines work better with one oil than another. There are those who have had great luck with 0w-40 and those who their truck sucks it down at 1 quart every 1000 miles. Same goes for the Rotella Synth. Try one of the above, if you have high consumption, then switch. Personally, I don't worry about the start up rattle, I have it and my UOA's were fabulous. As a guy at the local parts place said "all Toyota's do that, even our parts truck that has been doing it for 500,000 miles."

• Amisol is a great product and I wouldn't hesitate to use it. I don't recommend it for a few reasons. 1) It is more expensive than Mobil 1, 2) in the UOA's I have seen, it doesn't perform any better than Mobil 1, and 3) it can be difficult to get for many

• Based on the information I have seen there (bobistheoilguy.com), I will add a few more comments/suggestions.

1) Mobil 1 tends to be blended on the thin side of the weight scale. So their 10w-30 tends to be closer to a 10w-20, and the 0w-40 with a cst @ 100 of 14.3 is on the borderline of a 30w oil. Given that I would feel entirely comfortable running the 0w-40 in all climates and not be worried about it being to thick.

2) Mobil 1 formulas vary depending on the continent they are from. The sole exception to this is the 0w-40 which is a worldwide oil.

3) Castrol is now importing Syntec 0w-30 from Germany to the US and Canada. Unlike the Syntec which has been sold in the past in the US, this is not a Class III crude refined but a top grade Class IV PAO/Class V Ester stock oil. In addition this oil runs thick for a 0w-30 with a cst at 100 of 12.1 (compare that to the Mobil 1 30w with a cst of 10.0). The talk on the lists is that this may be the best 30weight oil available in the US. BE AWARE THAT YOU HAVE TO LOOK CAREFULLY TO GET THE CORRECT FORMULA OF THIS. The proper syntec (as opposed to the garbage) will be 0w-30 with a red label and on the back will say "Made in Germany.”Do not buy any other syntec besides this.

4) Amsoil is regarded as anything from snake oil to pretty good. Most of the oil lab testing doesn't show it to be anything spectacular; and

5) For those of you looking for heavier than Mobil 1 0w40 (which you shouldn't need), the new Redlineconsider Mobil 1 Truck and SUV 5w-40 with, which is slightly thicker and has a csthigher HTHS of 154.1 at 100, looks to be very promising according to the initial tests. This oil is made (to the best of my knowledge) from only Class V ester based stocks which are generally considered the best.

6) All of that said, the reason that most of the guys on the bobistheoilguy forum do oil testing (besides seeing how well is performs) is to see at what point the oil starts breaking down and should be changed. For the synthetics, it appears between 7500 and 15,000 miles is the proper interval. Factors that influence this are 1) oil capacity, the more the engine holds the further between oil changes, 2) driving conditions, 3) quality of the oil, and 4) the condition of the engine.

7) There is also an interesting consensus concerning oil weight on that board, and it is essentially that as a motor gets older and starts to burn oil, it is okay to go to a heavier weight even though the manufacture may not recommend it.​

What a great write up, thank you. Still pretty new to the LC and lots to learn.

 

[BillyGoatMTB]

When I first got my Land Cruiser about 3 years ago I ran 5W30 after some reading and burning oil quite a bit I switched to Chevron delo 400 15w40 I can't say enough amazing things about this oil and the reduction of oil being burnt.

I've sent my oil to Blackstone from day one for analysis and by far everyone including my 80 series landcruiser is happy with the Chevron.

I viewed the Chevron as a temporary fix for when I would rebuild or build a new engine. Recently I blew a head gasket that turned into a full rebuild essentially the motor is like new.

I've got about 5,000 mi on this new rebuilt motor I did and have burnt zero oil. Although I love the Chevron delo 400 15W40 I think I'm going to switch to what I have in the rest of my fleet which is Lucas 10w30 and a splash of Lucas heavy oil stabilizer, I'll report back.

I also use Lucas diff /Tcase oil

Of course I always use a Toyota filter. With the 41010 being nla I switched to the Toyota recommended yzzd3.

 

[Dave 2000]

I cannot read the whole of the thread sorry, but something that recently came to light was about engine oil. In my HDJ 80 I have always used 10/40 mineral oil, always do a sacrificial oil and filter change and rarely go over 6000 miles. Some of the off road stuff I do is around mountain tracks, the 80's width often putting you on the edge of a track, 2000 + metres up, so watching the dashboard all the time is IMO pretty stupid, as I do more off road than on I fitted an oil pressure light and buzzer, with the adjustable oil pressure switch set to 20 psi (I use a master gauge) the light and buzzer will come on at anything less. Last year before losing my licence for an unspecified period (brain tumour removal) I had changed the oil and used my usual Repsol 10/40 'dino', also doing my sacrificial drain and refill, change the oil filter and run for ten or fifteen minutes, let it cool and repeat. After this I went to the petrol garage and jet washed off the car and engine. On the way back as I slowed to turn into the track that leads to my house the low oil pressure buzzer came on as did the warning light. A dip of the clutch and shut down the engine, of course I could not have tightened the oil filter, no it had to be the sump plug....no I must have picked up one of the containers of the wrong oil (I have a couple of shelves of different oils in my workshop to suit different customers cars. Looking under the car no oil, no trail of oil up country road...nothing?

A dip of the oil showed the sump was full, no sign of any leaks anywhere, so I chanced a restart and watched the oil pressure gauge, and at idle it was definitely lower. keep in mind the oil pressure gauge on thees cars can be calibrated (the sensor wears) to show the correct pressure as opposed to it sitting at the bottom of the gauge.. Well mine rose when the engine was running just above idle so I drove up the track and got home. I looked at the two empty containers and yep Repsol 10/40 mineral oil, and then I saw down on one corner in font -10 the words 'Synthetic Blend'! I returned to my supplier and he went through his stock and they were all like that. Looking around it seemed I could not get a decent brand of mineral oil, I knew this was pretty much the end of mineral oil. So having heard of horror stories of 'lumps' of oil mineral stuck on the inside of engines being washed off and blocking the filters in the same vain as putting cooking oil in diesel fuel tanks has the same affect blocking the fuel filter in very short order. Based only on the fact that I have done my own repairs/maintenance for the last 11+ years and knew the inside of my engine was pretty much spotless I have had to go with it. After whatever period it was perhaps just a few months ago I switched to fully synthetic again doing the sacrificial oil and filter change. FWIW my oil is always spotless, pretty much as clean as it went in, and not the typical black you see coming out of a diesel engine.

So in a nutshell, synthetic oil does lower your oil pressure despite the rating being the same as your previous mineral oil. And if you normally use mineral oil I would start now using a semi synthetic and perhaps change the oil filter after say three thousand miles and obviously again at the six thousand mile change again with semi synthetic oil. this way you are getting the engine cleaner and not risking blocking oil filters. You can read about it in more detail on my long running thread of around eleven years here: Builds - My LC 80 thread. - https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/my-lc-80-thread.365673/

It is possible old reserves of mineral are going to be around for awhile but the brand being 'El Cheapo', so pays your money and takes your choice.


FYI, 1994 HDJ 80 284,000 UK miles.

Never ever burns any oil whatsoever.

Regards

Dave

 

[Crush 4]

Dumb question but to confirm the Chevron Delo 400 is diesel oil correct. Ordering for my 95 LC and want to make sure that is still what is highly recommended?

 

[COYS]

Every xyz car enthusiast forum has an oil thread just like this one. It's always 99% opinion/hearsay, the rest hubris. lol

What I do.

Read the manual. Follow what the engineers who designed the thing recommend. I use a factory engine oil filter and a 5K mile interval on my rides. Then I drink my high fiber smoothie most weekdays, hit the weights and bump up against 190-200bpm every day except when hungover or sick.

Routine. Bankable.

/endtmi

 

[Crush 4]

Every xyz car enthusiast forum has an oil thread just like this one. It's always 99% opinion/hearsay, the rest hubris. lol

What I do.

Read the manual. Follow what the engineers who designed the thing recommend. I use a factory engine oil filter and a 5K mile interval on my rides. Then I drink my high fiber smoothie most weekdays, hit the weights and bump up against 190-200bpm every day except when hungover or sick.

Routine. Bankable.

/endtmi

A man of your knowledge was have a favorite oil ?

 

[COYS]

A man of your knowledge was have a favorite oil ?

Not really.

On my 1FZ-FE, I've so far used Toyota 5W-30 conventional as part of the break in process 2x, then a Valvoline synth blend because cheap for a short interval and now Pennzoil Ultra Platinum all same weight per what it says on my factory manual + oil cap. Zero oil consumption whatever the flavor over 9K miles now on the engine.

I wouldn't hesitate to use any of these oils from the menagerie of multinational mega corps, but I choose the Walmart sourced $25/5q Pennzoil synthetic because it gives me the warm fuzzies based on a Youtube engine oil showdown. Amsoil and Redline look interesting, but they're more expensive and relatively difficult to source. Nothing more, nothing less.

On my other car, I use the OEM fill and filter. Keep it simple sillygoose.

 

[BillyGoatMTB]

Dumb question but to confirm the Chevron Delo 400 is diesel oil correct. Ordering for my 95 LC and want to make sure that is still what is highly recommended?

Ran delo 400 15w40 2 years, Blackstone tested awesome.

Before this rebuild I was burning every oil I tried which based on my mud reading got me into the Chevron delo.

1fz refresh complete and broke in, zero oil burn and I have switched to what I used on the other 3 Toyotas in the fleet, 90's Tacoma, Sequoia, and Tundra all get Lucas 10w30 with a shot of Lucas hd stabilizer. Super happy with it and zero burn.

Similar to the info @COYS offered, the manual recommends 5w or 10w SJ or better, this is a lengthy multiple thread Mud subject with some sitting 15w40 and 25w50 being world spec. It's a lot of opinion.

I ran Delo 400 15W40 2 years and the 80 loved it, huge reduction in oil burn and Blackstone had me at 7500 miles between changes and was recommending 10,000 miles.

BillyGoats 2 cents, if my motor was older and still burning oil I would stick with the Chevron delo 400 now that I refreshed my motor and I have a brand new oil pump and I'm no longer burning oil the lighter oil for me makes more sense.

Additionally and it's arguable if it's measurable but heavier oil means more heat as well as reduction in fuel economy but the trade off with the heavier oil is less burn.

Always use a Toyota filter, the factory spec replacement for the coveted 41010 is the yzzd3 which is what I run. I recall there being two other oil filters popular here on mud.

Hope this helps

 

[Crush 4]

Ran delo 400 15w40 2 years, Blackstone tested awesome.

Before this rebuild I was burning every oil I tried which based on my mud reading got me into the Chevron delo.

1fz refresh complete and broke in, zero oil burn and I have switched to what I used on the other 3 Toyotas in the fleet, 90's Tacoma, Sequoia, and Tundra all get Lucas 10w30 with a shot of Lucas hd stabilizer. Super happy with it and zero burn.

Similar to the info @COYS offered, the manual recommends 5w or 10w SJ or better, this is a lengthy multiple thread Mud subject with some sitting 15w40 and 25w50 being world spec. It's a lot of opinion.

I ran Delo 400 15W40 2 years and the 80 loved it, huge reduction in oil burn and Blackstone had me at 7500 miles between changes and was recommending 10,000 miles.

BillyGoats 2 cents, if my motor was older and still burning oil I would stick with the Chevron delo 400 now that I refreshed my motor and I have a brand new oil pump and I'm no longer burning oil the lighter oil for me makes more sense.

Additionally and it's arguable if it's measurable but heavier oil means more heat as well as reduction in fuel economy but the trade off with the heavier oil is less burn.

Always use a Toyota filter, the factory spec replacement for the coveted 41010 is the yzzd3 which is what I run. I recall there being two other oil filters popular here on mud.

Hope this helps

Good info. I don’t have any leaks or burn as my 80 has 58k original miles, that’s why I was asking. Assuming it has always had Dino should I switch to syn?

 

[80 Life]

Just hit 1,000 miles on rebuilt 1FZFE with a brand new short block from Japan.
Only “conventional” 5w30 I could find was STP Pro Formula. I put conventional in parentheses because it was the only one in all of Autozone and on the back it says “STP conventional motor oil contains a premium additive package scientifically formulated to help insulate your engine from the damaging effects of wear.”
“Conventional” and “premium additive package” in the same sentence is weird to me.
Any one have any thoughts on using this for my first couple oil changes until synthetic? I called the shop who rebuilt the motor and they recommended I look for Castrol, but I don’t see any conventional 5w30 they sell. Someone above mentioned Toyota conventional oil, but again all I find is synthetic.
Pic is of the conventional oil at Autozone.
TIA

 

[COYS]

Just hit 1,000 miles on rebuilt 1FZFE with a brand new short block from Japan.
Only “conventional” 5w30 I could find was STP Pro Formula. I put conventional in parentheses because it was the only one in all of Autozone and on the back it says “STP conventional motor oil contains a premium additive package scientifically formulated to help insulate your engine from the damaging effects of wear.”
“Conventional” and “premium additive package” in the same sentence is weird to me.
Any one have any thoughts on using this for my first couple oil changes until synthetic? I called the shop who rebuilt the motor and they recommended I look for Castrol, but I don’t see any conventional 5w30 they sell. Someone above mentioned Toyota conventional oil, but again all I find is synthetic.
Pic is of the conventional oil at Autozone.
TIA

View attachment 3409413

1.5 to 2 years ago, I was able to readily source Toyota conventional 5w-30 at my local dealership when I, too, was breaking in my new 1FZ-FE.

After a couple of swaps, I went Valvoline synthetic blend then all in with Pennzoil Ultra Platinum 5w-30 ever since. 20K+ miles later, ZERO oil consumption and more power than the og engine that tapped out at 279K.

 

[80 Life]

1.5 to 2 years ago, I was able to readily source Toyota conventional 5w-30 at my local dealership when I, too, was breaking in my new 1FZ-FE.

After a couple of swaps, I went Valvoline synthetic blend then all in with Pennzoil Ultra Platinum 5w-30 ever since. 20K+ miles later, ZERO oil consumption and more power than the og engine that tapped out at 279K.

Any thoughts on the STP Pro Formula posted above? Thanks

 

[COYS]

Any thoughts on the STP Pro Formula posted above? Thanks

No, other than I'm sure it won't make a lick of difference year 2023 which major brand engine oil you decide to use. Off topic, but Americans regularly stuff processed junk down their throats without giving a 2nd thought. If peopled fretted about food intake as much as engine oil decisions, the world may be a healthier place.