looking for approval on oil change habits

[celchlepp]

Hey all,

I have a question or two to run by you about my oil changing habits. I have a 1991 SR5 V6 4WD Xtra cab truck with 200k miles.

as per my toyota-only mechanic's recommendation, (he is the best there is in a very toyota laden place like Steamboat Springs, CO and has always driven a yota himself) I am using 15w40 Valvoline oil during the hot season(s) and probably 5w30 during the cold season. I just started using this the 15w40 oil this past january of 2005 prior to moving up here to Bozeman, MT.

he told me a heavier oil like this will help protect such an old engine better than thinner oils in the heat, and I also only use CarQuest oil filters. he told me that they are the best when you don't have stock toyota filters on hand yourself.

I change my oil and filter approx. every 5k miles. right now I have about 5500 miles on this last change and the oil still looks great, although I have had to add about 1.5 to 2 quarts over those 5k+/- miles to keep it up to the full mark on the dipstick. this truck is just solid as a rock and a dear friend for me, and I want to continue to always take the best care I know how. but any advice, suggestions, recommendations, instructions, etc. are very welcome for any place I could improve.

speaking of oil, from what I understand, Valvoline makes Napa brand oil, but do they also make CarQuest oil too? if they don't who does? is there a list somewhere of cross ref's for who makes what oil? I have read the pages found via google for oil FILTER comparisons, with cut-aways and lots of informative research done, but not on the oil itself.

Thanks a million! and thanks for being here. this forum is the best!
Chuck

[desertguy61]

5000 miles between oil changes is way too long for 200k. If the carquest filter has a check valve in it, it's probably ok to use. If it doesn't I would stock up on a few Toyota filters next chance. As far as different oil brands, it doesnt really matter. I have 150k on my 4runner and change the oil every 2500 miles. So I basically change my oil 4 times instead of 3 over a 10k mile range. This keeps fresh oil in the truck as well as keeping sludge from building up.

Originally Posted by celchlepp

Hey all,

I have a question or two to run by you about my oil changing habits. I have a 1991 SR5 V6 4WD Xtra cab truck with 200k miles.

as per my toyota-only mechanic's recommendation, (he is the best there is in a very toyota laden place like Steamboat Springs, CO and has always driven a yota himself) I am using 15w40 Valvoline oil during the hot season(s) and probably 5w30 during the cold season. I just started using this the 15w40 oil this past january of 2005 prior to moving up here to Bozeman, MT.

he told me a heavier oil like this will help protect such an old engine better than thinner oils in the heat, and I also only use CarQuest oil filters. he told me that they are the best when you don't have stock toyota filters on hand yourself.

I change my oil and filter approx. every 5k miles. right now I have about 5500 miles on this last change and the oil still looks great, although I have had to add about 1.5 to 2 quarts over those 5k+/- miles to keep it up to the full mark on the dipstick. this truck is just solid as a rock and a dear friend for me, and I want to continue to always take the best care I know how. but any advice, suggestions, recommendations, instructions, etc. are very welcome for any place I could improve.

speaking of oil, from what I understand, Valvoline makes Napa brand oil, but do they also make CarQuest oil too? if they don't who does? is there a list somewhere of cross ref's for who makes what oil? I have read the pages found via google for oil FILTER comparisons, with cut-aways and lots of informative research done, but not on the oil itself.

Thanks a million! and thanks for being here. this forum is the best!
Chuck

[celchlepp]

well when I finally got to changin' my oil 'fore headin' back up to MT from Craig, CO I was at a little over 6k on the last change and the oil looked pretty good coming out, not rich black or anything. seems a little extreme, but I'll try to keep it a bit lower than that for miles 'tween.

one thing neat though, I did feel a difference in performance of the engine with the new 5 qts of 15w40. I used CarQuest products exclusively this time for both filter and oil. ran so smooth for the next 800 miles straight north perfectly. that little truck just rocks!

Thanks for gettin' back with me here. I appreciate it. isn't education a wonderful thing anyway you can ever get it?

Chuck

[BeechStreet]

celch, u should check out http://theoildrop.server101.com/cgi/ultimatebb.cgi its a forum dedicated to oil and filters. ive done tons of reading there and have learned so much about what oils and filters are good for high mileage vehicles and how long each OCI (oil change interval) can be. u wont regret checkin out that site! hope it helps

btw, i have an 88 PU with the 22R, 208K miles, running 10w-30 TropArtic SynthBlend mixed with Chevron Supreme 10w-40, with an STP filter, OCIs at every 3K miles.

[redgtxdi]

I would highly recommend the 3/3000 rule. It's really a time-proven rule. (I recall my buddy's Toyota Starlet in High School and his owner's manual said something like 10,000 miles between changes.......kinda' high)

Anyway.............the MOST important thing is that you are CHANGING your oil. Whether you changed it 2,500, 3,000 or 5,000 mile intervals wouldn't be nearly as important as if you were one who skipped every so often & found yourself driving on the same oil for 12,000 miles........(don't laugh, I've seen it)..........that's where oil related problems occur!!!

And don't worry about synthetics. At this point, just continue doing what you've been doing. The truck's already long paid for itself, so simply enjoy 'til she just don't go no more.........(hopefully another couple hundred thousand miles or more from now!!)