All,
I’ve been lurking around this website since 2005, looking to glean every bit of useful information I could regarding just about every topic covered here. Recently, I registered as a user. Anyway, I want to first thank you all for the information and help you have unknowingly provided me since 2005. All of the opinions, statistics, facts, and laughs your posts have provided have given me enormous amounts of help and entertainment, so thank you.
Ok, now for the reason for my post. I currently own and operate a 2006 Toyota Corolla LE with the 1ZZFE engine. I bought the car new in Oct 2005, it was my first new car ever, and my first oil change was at 507 miles with Valvoline conventional (5w-30). My second oil change was at 2,338 miles, during which I changed over to AMSOIL TSO (remember that?), SSO’s predecessor. Following the replacement of TSO by SSO, I used SSO. Obviously, while the car was under warranty, I (wastefully but dutifully) changed the oil at 5,000 mile intervals, until I hit 57,516 miles. I understand that doing such short OCIs was wasteful, so rebuke me if you will, but I did it to be safe.
In 2009, at 57,516 miles, I fell under the Auto-Rx spell and ran a ~2,500 mile clean interval with a follow-up rinse interval at 59,932 miles. During the Auto-Rx treatment, I used Castrol conventional (5w-30). Following the treatment, below are the oils I used along with the respective mileage at the time of the oil change:
62,907 miles / AMSOIL XL 5w-30 with 4 ounce Auto-Rx maintenance dose
65,367 miles / AMSOIL XL 5w-30 with 4 ounce Auto-Rx maintenance dose
70,504 miles / Mobil 1 0w-30 with 4 ounce Auto-Rx maintenance dose
75,797 miles / Pennzoil Platinum 5w-30 with 4 ounce Auto-Rx maintenance dose
79,748 miles / AMSOIL XL 5w-30 with 4 ounce Auto-Rx maintenance dose
82,754 miles / AMSOIL SSO 0w-30
(Different oil filters, OEM sized and oversized, used during the oil changes.)
As I stated before, I understand that many of my OCIs were short and wasteful, having not fully exploited the extended OCI capabilities of the oil itself. As such, lesson learned, I got it, and I will now at least be doing 10,000+ mile OCIs.
Between 65,000 miles and 82,000 miles, I began to have small amounts of oil seemingly weeping from around the oil pan gasket and from rear main seal area of the engine. Upon switching back to SSO, however, the oil leak at both locations completely stopped. Obviously, my first thought was that the switch, and resulting change in chemistries, from TSO/SSO to another oil may have contributed to the development or emergence of the leak, but I wanted to ask the experts. Any thoughts or similar situations for any of you all?
FINALLY, LET ME SAY THAT I AM NOT ACCUSING ANY OIL OF BEING BETTER THAN ANOTHER, NOR AM I INSINUATING THAT ANY PARTICULAR OIL THAT I USED CAUSED, OR CONTRIBUTED TO, THIS APPARENT LEAKING. THAT IS NOT THE PURPOSE OF THIS POST. I only wish to say that I noticed an oil leak during the aforementioned time frame, and am curious if the actual change in oil chemistries contributed to the development or emergence of the leaks.
I’ve been lurking around this website since 2005, looking to glean every bit of useful information I could regarding just about every topic covered here. Recently, I registered as a user. Anyway, I want to first thank you all for the information and help you have unknowingly provided me since 2005. All of the opinions, statistics, facts, and laughs your posts have provided have given me enormous amounts of help and entertainment, so thank you.
Ok, now for the reason for my post. I currently own and operate a 2006 Toyota Corolla LE with the 1ZZFE engine. I bought the car new in Oct 2005, it was my first new car ever, and my first oil change was at 507 miles with Valvoline conventional (5w-30). My second oil change was at 2,338 miles, during which I changed over to AMSOIL TSO (remember that?), SSO’s predecessor. Following the replacement of TSO by SSO, I used SSO. Obviously, while the car was under warranty, I (wastefully but dutifully) changed the oil at 5,000 mile intervals, until I hit 57,516 miles. I understand that doing such short OCIs was wasteful, so rebuke me if you will, but I did it to be safe.
In 2009, at 57,516 miles, I fell under the Auto-Rx spell and ran a ~2,500 mile clean interval with a follow-up rinse interval at 59,932 miles. During the Auto-Rx treatment, I used Castrol conventional (5w-30). Following the treatment, below are the oils I used along with the respective mileage at the time of the oil change:
62,907 miles / AMSOIL XL 5w-30 with 4 ounce Auto-Rx maintenance dose
65,367 miles / AMSOIL XL 5w-30 with 4 ounce Auto-Rx maintenance dose
70,504 miles / Mobil 1 0w-30 with 4 ounce Auto-Rx maintenance dose
75,797 miles / Pennzoil Platinum 5w-30 with 4 ounce Auto-Rx maintenance dose
79,748 miles / AMSOIL XL 5w-30 with 4 ounce Auto-Rx maintenance dose
82,754 miles / AMSOIL SSO 0w-30
(Different oil filters, OEM sized and oversized, used during the oil changes.)
As I stated before, I understand that many of my OCIs were short and wasteful, having not fully exploited the extended OCI capabilities of the oil itself. As such, lesson learned, I got it, and I will now at least be doing 10,000+ mile OCIs.
Between 65,000 miles and 82,000 miles, I began to have small amounts of oil seemingly weeping from around the oil pan gasket and from rear main seal area of the engine. Upon switching back to SSO, however, the oil leak at both locations completely stopped. Obviously, my first thought was that the switch, and resulting change in chemistries, from TSO/SSO to another oil may have contributed to the development or emergence of the leak, but I wanted to ask the experts. Any thoughts or similar situations for any of you all?
FINALLY, LET ME SAY THAT I AM NOT ACCUSING ANY OIL OF BEING BETTER THAN ANOTHER, NOR AM I INSINUATING THAT ANY PARTICULAR OIL THAT I USED CAUSED, OR CONTRIBUTED TO, THIS APPARENT LEAKING. THAT IS NOT THE PURPOSE OF THIS POST. I only wish to say that I noticed an oil leak during the aforementioned time frame, and am curious if the actual change in oil chemistries contributed to the development or emergence of the leaks.
