Oil recommendations for 1995 Lexus LS400 w/ 75k

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I should be picking up the aforementioned car shortly, and assuming its been maintained fairly well, what type of motor oil should I use to provide the maximum protection (5W30)? Assume that money is a secondary concern, since I'd like to pamper her as much as possible. Also, what filter do you recommend I use with the oil? I have heard great things about the OEM Lexus filters, but I'm open to any and all opinions if someone knows of a better product. Thanks in advance!

Scott
 
I am not one of the real experts in this forum, but based on what I've read here so far, there seem to be very few ways you could go wrong so long as you keep a reasonable OCI and stick to the vehicle's specifications. Assuming money is no concern, and based on my own (limited and relatively uneducated) experience, I'll make 9 recommendations:

Sythetics: Amsoil, Redline, Pennzoil Platinum, German Castrol, Valvoline MaxLife Synthetic, Syntec, and Mobile 1. (Not necessarily in that order.)

Dinos: Havoline and Castrol GTX

You'll probably get a hundred different answers to your question, but my guess is those are the names you'll see most often recommended. (Not that you should necessariy base the decision on rec. frequency, either.)

As for filters, the ones I see most often recommended are PureOne, Wix, M1, and Motorcraft. Again, it's probably hard to go wrong, except maybe with Fram, which everyone seems rather down on.

None of that is very specific. What exactly does the owners manual specify?
 
I don't yet have the car in my possession, so I can't comment on what the owner's manual says, but I know it specifies to use 5W30 oil. If I remember correctly, the oil change interval is rather long (too long, IMO), so I'd probably be sticking to 5k mile oil changes. I appreciate your post very much, but it would help me even further if you or someone else could narrow down the choices a little
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Thanks,
Scott
 
That Toyota V8 is bullet proof. It may be the best engine ever put in a vehicle. Versions of that engine are in the 4Runner, Land Crusher, Sequoia and Tundra, besides sereral Lexus models. The auto versions have an alum block and the truck/suv engines are cast iron. I have a 4Runner that sees some offroad and towing and with 5k oil changes the oil comes out looking brand new.

We have one of these engines out of a wreck turning a ball mill at a gold mine that is a weekend hobby. That engine gets brutal treatment, running full throttle and full load, just able to hold 5k rpm turning that mill against a big load. It just keeps on running, never a problem and after a day's work, it idles like a Lexus when unloaded. We try to keep the oil changes under 100 hours with a Hobbs meter. We've checked the valve clearances on the mechanical lifters, but they never need changing. Good think, because it looks like a pain to do. I don't know how many miles were on the engine when we got it but we have put almost a thousand hours on it, so far. I am way beyond impressed with the Toyota V8 engines.
 
sonyman, my mom has a '95 LS 400 with ~150k miles. A good friend of my family who is a Lexus mechanic recommended that my parents stick with a decent conventional oil, like GTX 5w30, and any good quality filter (PureOne, Wix/Napa Gold, etc). The main problem he has with those cars is that they're too boring to work on because nothing goes wrong with them. His dealership has a customer with 300k miles on her LS with nothing more than scheduled maintenance performed on the engine.

The car had about 78k miles on it when my parents bought it a few years ago and it still runs great, although it needs new cats and one of the exhaust manifolds seems to be leaking.
 
If you stick to 5k changes, many (most?) would say synthetics are a waste of money, and go with Havoline or GTX.

If it were MY vehicle, and money were no object, then I'd use either Redline, Amsoil, or German Castrol. If you don't want to fool with online ordering and shipping costs, then German Castrol, Maxlife Syn., or Penz. Plat. I don't use Mobile, but that has nothing to do with the quality of the oil, which I have no doubt is a very fine product.

I use PureOne filters on both a Toyota and a Honda, and have no reason thus far to change.

Again, with 5k changes, it's hard to go wrong. Enjoy your new ride. Wish I had one.
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I have had a number of these cars. I ran Mobil 1 either 5-30 or 0-40. OCI at 5K miles should allow the car to run forever.

Good luck, these are great engines.
 
Thanks for all of your advice. I've decided to go the synthetic route, provided you don't feel the piston rings will object, because I want this car to last forever and at 3 oil changes a year the cost is not that much greater. I've used Mobil 1 in the past, but some people seem to feel it is not a good oil to use (noisy, thin, etc.). Also, I've used Pure One filters in the past, but am a little concerned about their reduced flow. With all of this in mind, would I see a benefit choosing Red Line, or Amsoil over Mobil 1? Or another oil? What about the filters? I've gathered that the Mobil 1 filter is very good, but is it better than the OEM Lexus one? Thanks in advance!

Scott
 
Scott, you have to understand that many of the posters here are... um... obsessed with oil changing. Obsessed beyond all reason with exactly what type of oil, from what country, with what filter and how often. The reality is that if you follow Toyota's recommendations and use basically any of the major brands, with an appropriate change interval for the usage the vehicle sees and the type of oil you've selected, your engine will be just fine.

Don't drink the BITOG Kool Aid, Scott.

FWIW, and I don't include myself among the self-styled 'experts', I've fed my BMWs nothing but M1 5W-30 (bought in quantity at WallyWorld) for many years. The engines consume no oil, they don't make mysterious 'noises', they start when it's cold, run happily when it's hot, and are pristine clean inside. For filters I've used either BMW OEM or M1 depending on the application. Same deal.

Remember, Scott -- Kool Aid. It's only sugary stuff for kids.
 
quote:

Originally posted by GeneralEclectic:
Don't drink the BITOG Kool Aid, Scott.

What an asinine post. Anyone who doesn't want to go "the extra mile" with motor oil doesn't need BITOG. So why are you here? To make snide remarks about people who take oil changes a little more seriously than you do?

And where in this thread do you see anyone giving this person anything other than sound advice about what oil to use in his Toyota?
 
See what I mean, Scott?

Exactly how "seriously" is one supposed to take oil changes? Good grief.

To answer your question, I visit here occasionally to read about the many subjects, other than oil changes, that are covered here. Changing engine oil is about as interesting as watching grass grow, and about as difficult to do properly as cutting it.
 
My 1994 LS400 is more than 160k miles, few things went south with the car: coolant reservoir leak - don't know how to fix and dealer wants too much $ for a small plastic part, power steering leak - bought stop-leak at Pepboys and it is fixed, engine consumes about 1/2 quarts every 4-5k miles with Mobil1 5-30, changed to Mobil1 5-40 last 2 years and no oil was added between OCI of 1 year or 15k miles.

PS Instrument display went south too, had it fixed on Ebay for about $150 plus shipping.
 
I've found that cutting the grass is far less interesting, more difficult, and not really relevant to the longevity of my cars.
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Let's chill out and just help sonyman make a decision for his car.

One huge advantage to M1 over Redline and Amsoil is that you don't have to order it online. Some have reported increased noise with it, but that doesn't necessarily mean it is causing any damage to your engine. I don't know enough to say more than that. Do a search here for posts/threads regarding that. There are also plenty of UOAs posted that you can read. General opinion of this oil seems very high.

Redline generates all kinds of controversy here, but it seems that very few who have used it report any problems. It uses a different primary base stock than M1 and Amsoil. I have it in my Honda and love it. My Toyota will get it probably next week, and if you are interested, I'll let you know if any problems arise.

I haven't read quite as much about Amsoil, but think it would probably be just as good a choice as the other two. Like M1, general opinion of it is very high.
 
The latest M1 5W30 (API SM) is much thicker than the previous version of M1 5W30(api SL). You may want to check out Mobils web site to confirm. I am betting that this newer, thicker formula will be much quieter than the previous formula.

Mobil, Amsoil, Redline, all good oils. If you want more data to help you choose, try each one and do a UOA after each change, then pick your favorite.

I do not believe Pure One filters are too restrictive.
 
Unless I missed it, I'm surprised no one's mentioned doing an Auto-Rx clean and rinse. At 75,000 miles, it's the perfect time to get what little grunge there may be in the engine out.
 
If it were my Lexus, I would do a 3k mile OCI with Valvoline Maxlife Dino. Keep an eye on possible oil consumption.

Then for the next OCI go 6k miles with the ValMaxLife Synthetic version with either a Toyota, Bosch Premium, or Wix filter.

I like ValMaxLife Syn b/c it has worked well for me, and carries multiple ACEA, BMW, VW, and MB specs

WalMart seems to be the best place price-wise, especially in the 5-qt jugs, for MaxLife.

Since you are a new owner of the vehicle, before you change the oil, I would recommend de-carbonizing the combustion chambers with SeaFoam, and install a new PCV valve and fuel filter.
 
I'll vote for M1 in this engine. Until switching to GC, I had used M1 exclusively in our 2UZ V-8 (the 4.7L iron block/aluminum head truck version of the same engine). We got great results and never noticed any untoward noise. IMO, Toyota engines and M1 are an especially effective combination. Search through the UOA secton and see for yourself.
 
quote:

Originally posted by IslaVistaMan:
Unless I missed it, I'm surprised no one's mentioned doing an Auto-Rx clean and rinse. At 75,000 miles, it's the perfect time to get what little grunge there may be in the engine out.

I agree...But what would I know. I'm a little over the edge...
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