Switch to synthetic?

[importcar]

Car: 2001 Camry 5S-FE 180,000 miles
Oil: Supertech 5W30 dino for the last 150,000 miles
OCI: 5000 miles
Filter: Supertech (changed every 2500 miles)
MPG: 27 avg (75% hwy, 25% city)

I added Sea Foam to 4000 miles old oil the other day and changed the oil after 75 miles.
I did not notice any sludge and the oil did not get much blacker than usual.

Would it be wise to switch to syn and extend the OCI to 8,000?

I thinking of using Supertech Syn 5W30 or Mobil Super Syn 5W30.

If I use Mobil 1 5W30, can the OCI extend to 10,000+ miles?

Oil filter will be changed every 2500 miles.

[Chris Crash]

I would switch and do a shorter OCI at first (maybe 1,000 miles for the first 3 changes? then step it up)

[fenixus]

I would switch to synthetic too, that's what I'm using on both cars for most of time (except when sea foaming the crank case).

when was the last time the timing belt was replaced, along with water pump, crank+cam seals, oil pump seals and such?

have you ever removed the valve cover to replace the gasket? how did it look like under it?

all those seals may start leaking after a few thousand miles on fully synthetic oil if you have never replaced them before. synthetics carry strong cleaning package, change the oil+filter frequently at first ... oh, and get some decent filters too, like Purolator Pureone, Napa Gold (WIX), Toyota OEM, Denso, Bosch Distance Plus - those are all decent filters, Mobil1 EP filter is not bad either, but it's not superior to them.

you can get either regular size or the larger size (2.4L filter mounts on 2.2L with no issues).

if doing mostly city driving then I'd stick to 5k OCI, maybe 7.5k if you send the oil sample for analysis with TBN and it check out fine.

if doing mostly highway driving, then feel free to try 7.5k OCI (a decent filter is a must) and you could try 10k OCI after oil analysis checks out.

HTH.

[importcar]

Originally Posted by Chris Crash

I would switch and do a shorter OCI at first (maybe 1,000 miles for the first 3 changes? then step it up)

Sea Foam should have cleansed the engine well enough to skip the initial short OCI. I plan on doing the first change at 5000, then extend it after that.

Timing belt n water pump was replaced at 90k at the dealer. I don't know about the seals. The car was serviced at the dealer at 30k, 60k, and 90k. I've never removed the valve cover. As for leaks, the sparkplug chamber next to the timing belt has a minor leak above the sparkplug. It leaks a few drops every 3k miles.

I want to switch to syn because I want to extend the OCI to 6 mos or 8k-10k mi, whichever comes first.

[JohnGD]

I think OP can switch to 10W-30 and that should be fine. I wouldn't use Dino for more than 3000 miles in these engines. With synthetic blend like the Motorcraft 10W-30 you should be able to go 5000 miles without problems. But in a known sludge maker I'm not sure even Mobil-1 0W-40 (MB 229/BMW LL01 rated) should go above 7500 miles without an oil analysis.

But clearly OP is doing fine with the oil changes so far. So maybe switch over to Motorcraft syn blend 10W-30 and do an oil analysis at 7500 miles and see. But you should know that Toyota's official OCI is 5000 miles on these sludge maker engines according to a TSB.

http://www.blackstone-labs.com/free-test-kits.php

[importcar]

I didn't know the 5SFE was a sludge maker. 3k OCI seems like overkill but I must admit, I was doing that up until 3/2009. That's when I went to 5K OCI but changed the filter every 2500. It seems to have worked because I've never detected any sludge and my mpg has not suffered. I've also never seen shiny metal shavings in the oil.

But one thing I noticed about 5k OCI is it consumes 1/2 qt between oil changes.

I plan on using Supertech Syn and Supertech filter and extend the OCI to 7500. I know good filters like Pure One can filter down to X microns but I'm not concerned about particles that small doing damage because most of it is removed at oil changes. I can also get a magnetic drain plug.

[fenixus]

see. burning oil in as little as 5k miles could be a problem in extended OCI. I suggest you do an UOA with Blackstone at first 5k or 7.5k OCI, whatever oil you choose (I would recommend full synthetic if your seals are good, dino oils will screw you over at such OCI).

you DO want the best filter you can get when doing an extended OCI, all those microns DO make a difference when going that far with an engine that normally cooks dino oil after 2.5k miles.

Originally Posted by importcar

But one thing I noticed about 5k OCI is it consumes 1/2 qt between oil changes.

I plan on using Supertech Syn and Supertech filter and extend the OCI to 7500. I know good filters like Pure One can filter down to X microns but I'm not concerned about particles that small doing damage because most of it is removed at oil changes. I can also get a magnetic drain plug.

[importcar]

I understand the benefits of a good filter but I believe Supertech is good enough because I change them out every 2500 miles. I also think a new Supertech is more effective than a 3000 miles old PureOne, OEM, Wix, etc. I don't have any scientific data, just common sense.

As for UOA- I'll just rub the oil between my fingertips and feel for any grit. If I feel anything at all, then the filter isn't doing its job.

[Stillrunning]

Originally Posted by importcar

Would it be wise to switch to syn and extend the OCI to 8,000?

Originally Posted by importcar

I want to switch to syn because I want to extend the OCI to 6 mos or 8k-10k mi, whichever comes first.

Probably OK but you won't really know unless you do UOA with TBN.

Originally Posted by importcar

I know good filters like Pure One can filter down to X microns but I'm not concerned about particles that small doing damage because most of it is removed at oil changes.

Originally Posted by importcar

I understand the benefits of a good filter but I believe Supertech is good enough because I change them out every 2500 miles. I also think a new Supertech is more effective than a 3000 miles old PureOne, OEM, Wix, etc. I don't have any scientific data, just common sense.

As for UOA- I'll just rub the oil between my fingertips and feel for any grit. If I feel anything at all, then the filter isn't doing its job.

Not much "common sense in that line of thinking. Filters actually get more efficient with use until they by-pass or cause too big a pressure drop. If you feel "grit" between you fingers you're feeling rocks not microns. Better micron filtration is better than going synthetic. It is false economy to want longer OCI but not also use better filtration. UOA is only way to KNOW what you're oil (and filter) is doing.

[JohnGD]

The oil consumption may be from old valve stem seals. That's a known problem as well. I think when Toyota cranked up the cylinder head temps the old seals that worked fine in Gen 3 just can't handle the heat any more. Many have the blue smoke on startup problem. You can always dig into it on the next timing belt change if you DIY and have the necessary tools. The seals are like a couple of bucks each when purchased in a Fel-Pro premium seal set.

The SuperTech filters don't have a real spring-loaded bypass valve. I'd rather use a Motorcraft filter. I think it's FL910S, the standard size for V6. The size is used on Toyota T100 2.7L 4-cyl as well. But if you swap the SuperTech out every 2500 miles that may be ok too.

I think SuperTech Syn is fine for 5000 miles. Not sure if more, like 7500. But give it a try or order an oil analysis for sure.

Originally Posted by importcar

I didn't know the 5SFE was a sludge maker. 3k OCI seems like overkill but I must admit, I was doing that up until 3/2009. That's when I went to 5K OCI but changed the filter every 2500. It seems to have worked because I've never detected any sludge and my mpg has not suffered. I've also never seen shiny metal shavings in the oil.

But one thing I noticed about 5k OCI is it consumes 1/2 qt between oil changes.

I plan on using Supertech Syn and Supertech filter and extend the OCI to 7500. I know good filters like Pure One can filter down to X microns but I'm not concerned about particles that small doing damage because most of it is removed at oil changes. I can also get a magnetic drain plug.

[importcar]

Originally Posted by JohnGD

The oil consumption may be from old valve stem seals. That's a known problem as well. I think when Toyota cranked up the cylinder head temps the old seals that worked fine in Gen 3 just can't handle the heat any more. Many have the blue smoke on startup problem. You can always dig into it on the next timing belt change if you DIY and have the necessary tools. The seals are like a couple of bucks each when purchased in a Fel-Pro premium seal set.

The SuperTech filters don't have a real spring-loaded bypass valve. I'd rather use a Motorcraft filter. I think it's FL910S, the standard size for V6. The size is used on Toyota T100 2.7L 4-cyl as well. But if you swap the SuperTech out every 2500 miles that may be ok too.

I think SuperTech Syn is fine for 5000 miles. Not sure if more, like 7500. But give it a try or order an oil analysis for sure.

What and where are valve stem seals? I don't see any blue smoke on startup, just your typical white smoke sometimes due to condensation/moisture on cold mornings.

What is the advantage of using 10W30 over 5W30 for high mileage engines?

[nitronate33]

definitely switch to synthetic. unless you have serious sludge problems, which is unlikely, switching to synthetic will eventually clean anything out over time. i recently switched our solara to synthetic at 130K miles and dropped the pan to replace the seal at the same time. pan was clean as a whistle, not a bit of sludge.

[fenixus]

10W-30 is for non-Winter (above 0F) use only. it's a little thinner than 5W-30 and provides worse lubrication at cold start than 5W-30 does.
10W-30 *could* provide a little better MPG than same type/brand 5W-30. not always the case, especially if you compare dino to synthetic or use HM version of one and not the other.

anyways, lubrication properties for hot operation temperatures should be similar.

[importcar]

I'm set on switching to syn but should I go with high mileage syn instead?

Costco has $10 off Mobil 1 starting tomorrow, too good of a deal to pass up. Supertech syn will have to wait.

[fenixus]

Given the mileage and possibility of slight seeping from old seals, I would try High Mileage version of Mobil1 Full Synthetic 10W-30, you're in socal, so below 0F temps are unlikely unless you travel way up north often.

synthetic HM oils carry a cleaning package (as most synth oils do) along with seal conditioners (to prevent possible leaks from weak seals).

Try non-HM version in Summer if you like, but be prepared to fix the seals when the time comes (could take a few weeks or months for seeping to start).

5s-fe takes 3.8qts with new empty filter. some people just fill it up with 4 qts and call it a day, however I don't like to see the oil level above FULL, perhaps it's just me.

anyways, Walmarts sell 5qts jugs of M1 FS HM (5w-30 and 10w-30) at $24.50, but it's hard to use on 5s-fe as you need to know when to stop pouring (1mz-fe takes the whole jug).