Changing oil Options

[SoDo]

Depends on what your daily drive is like. If you do a lot of city driving, i would recommend changing it every 3000-5000 miles. If you do a lot of highway driving you can get away with changing it every 5000-7000. It also depends on what type of oil u are using. If you use full synthetic oil and a few ounces of SFR, you can get away with changing it every 10,000. You should always check your oil everytime you fill up with gas. My previous car was a 98 chevy malibu. I changed the oil every 10,000 miles since I only use full synthetic. When I got rear ended on the highway my chevy had 235,000 miles on the original motor and tranny. Not very common for a chevy. Only thing I replaced in that car was the water pump and alternator.

This post has been edited by SoDo: Oct 26, 2008 - 9:44 PM

[azian_advanced]

ok seeing that it is documented by sae then it should be fine. if im using full synthetic 10w30 oil, what would be the recommended oil change interval?
also, would replacing the oil filter every 3k (but keep the same oil) be a reasonable solution? then just top it off with new oil for the amount that leaked?

[bccentaur3]

well looks like I'll be changing my oil every 6000 miles. But I think I'm going to change my filter every 3,000.

[MaskedMan]

I'm in the habit of changing my oil every 3 months/5,000 miles since it's what we recommend at Toyota.

The drain plug is going to be a 14mm bolt on the oil pan. It's very easy to spot underneath the car. It would be a good idea to replace the drain plug washer too just to make sure that it seals well once tightened.

As for oil filters, I just use Toyota oil filters.

[GotToyota]

ok seeing that it is documented by sae then it should be fine. if im using full synthetic 10w30 oil, what would be the recommended oil change interval?
also, would replacing the oil filter every 3k (but keep the same oil) be a reasonable solution? then just top it off with new oil for the amount that leaked?

I would say 7-8k miles, if you do mostly highway driving then you can go up to 10k. You can keep the filter on for as long as the oil itself.

-Matt

[RickJamesBish]

So just a regular oil filter and 10w-30w oil?

[WWSideWinder]

What size is the oil Filter.

I'm looking to fit a "Sender Attachment for Oil Temp/Pressure" and it is avalable in


"Three Sizes Available
M18
M20 (out os stock) New stock coming in on the 24 Oct
3/4

Also would you suggest fitting this for the Oil Temp/Pressure or is ther a better palce on the 3S-FE motor to fit the sensors?

WWSideWinder

[chu808]

for oil filters, the oem is the best, but can be pricey, so you can use mobile 1. it is best to change your oil every 3000 cause if you notice after that when you start getting to 4000 or 5000 you the level will start going down. This is because the oil is being burnt off. What you can do is check it every time you wash your car. I'm sure you wash your car often. Just change it when it gets dirty or when the oil level is going down.

I use 10W30 mobile or castro synthetic, changing it every 3000 or around there. Oh yeah and another thing to consider, it's not a good idea to go to synthetic and then back to regular oil. Once you go synthetic stay synthetic. I wipe my car and truck down every friday when I get home from work, and it only takes 5 minutes to pop your hood and check to see if all your fuilds are good. Like bccentaur3 said if you keep up your regular maint. then your engine will last.

keep in mind changing oil also varies by the way you drive and if you drive in traffic, or use high revs

[MaskedMan]

If you go with an OEM toyota filter. The filter size is going to be the F2 filter.

[RickJamesBish]

F2 filter, got it. And what kind of oil? I have no idea what's in there right, I never bothered to ask the dealer.

[Bitter]

10w30 is fine, 5w30 if its super cold in the winter where you live. i prefer to run 10w30 synthetic year round and i use mobil1 oil and either purlator pureone filters or a mobil1 filter.

[RickJamesBish]

Thanks man.

[brk34]

I have an ST of the same year just make sure you have a good breaker bar to remove the drain plug. My ratchet was too short and I had to borrow a breaker bar.

[RickJamesBish]

What's a breaker bar?

[trdproven]

If I'm lucky, I can get 500 miles in 3 months but I still do an oil change because over time oil loses it viscosity or balance. You can say its 3 months first or 3,000 miles whatever comes first no matter how much you've driven it.

[Tigawoods]

What's a breaker bar?

like a bar (metal tube) to put on the ratchet so you get more leverage

[samir0189]

What's a breaker bar?

like a bar (metal tube) to put on the ratchet so you get more leverage

not to call you out or anything, but i always thought it was a bar that did not ratchet. Although that's a good way to improvise if you don't have a breaker bar. I believe it gets its name from being able to "break" free stuck bolts because of the added torque you can place due to the length of the bar.

Either way, I personally think that the drain bolt is a tad bit too tight if you need a breaker bar. Don't you risk breaking [no pun intended] the drain bolt and ending up with the threaded stud in the pan by tightening it so much?

[Remy]

I remember once I hadn't change my oil and it was up to 4k miles my car ran like crap and smoked alot through the exhaust until I changed the oil after that my car ran better/faster and stopped smoking what does that say ?? I don't know though it goes both ways experience and what you read, what can you believe these days ??

I only use mobil 1 5w30 w/ mobil 1 oil filter btw.

[azian_advanced]

doesn't it say on your oil cap what oil type you should use? mine says 10w-30, what about yours?

[MaskedMan]

doesn't it say on your oil cap what oil type you should use? mine says 10w-30, what about yours?

Yeah it should be printed onto the stock oil cap. Mine says 10w-30 too.

And a metal pole or attachment added to a ratchet for leverage is called a "cheater bar". A breaker bar is an actual tool that is just a longer non ratcheting version used to "break" loose harder to get bolts. You should not need to apply that much torque onto a drain plug bolt. If you need a breaker bar to remove it, it's either on too tight, or you are just very weak (that's not directed towards you personally haha, it's just another possibility for needing to use such a tool).

It doesn't take a lot of torque to strip the threads to the oil pan, so when you tighten it, just tighten it with enough force where the washer is sealed and you know it won't leak.

This post has been edited by MaskedMan: Nov 1, 2008 - 11:55 PM