Need Reccomendation.....OLD Toyota w/22RE.

[AdmiralYoda]

Okay....here we go. So I've had a 1987 Toyota 4Runner with a 22RE since 1999. In 2000 it got parked as it had some significant body rot. I had always intended to fix it but never got around to it. Well I finally did and now its on the road! Fully restored!

The motor in it is a 1985 22RE with about 100k on it.

So after 14 years of sitting it is running great.....but its a little dirty on the inside. Not sludge, gunk, or chunks....just a bit of the black oxidized coating from sitting for 14 years. This engine has a flat tappet cam and they are known for being a bit noisy. Normally I go for Rotella T5 or T6 for engines that need the extra zinc and phosphorus content.

Considering its age and dirtiness a High Mileage like Maxlife would be a great idea for the extra detergents and seal conditioners. Not to mention that they have much higher levels of calcium and moly for anti-wear/anti-friction.

Short of going to Redline which has everything I'd ever want in an oil....is there a good high detergency, high zinc/phosphorus, anti-wear, high mileage oil out there that I'm just not finding?

This is a daily driver now covering about 300-350 miles per week. It doesn't burn any oil but does have a couple minor leaks. I generally run 5W-40 or 10W-40 depending on the season.

Thanks in advance for your help!!!

 

[Doog]

Rotella T6 5w40 synthetic will do just fine. 100k is nothing on that engine. Oh wait you have a leak? Then Maxlife 10w30.

 

[AdmiralYoda]

Wow you guys are quick. The leak is minor enough to call it rust prevention...I'm not too worried about that.

I want the Rotella to quiet the noisy cam down and I want the HM to give me detergency, anti-wear, and Moly.

Why don't they make a Rotella T6 High Mileage??? That would be awesome.

 

[Bandito440]

Maxlife 5w-30 or 10w-40 it is then. If you've been using 40-weight oils without issue and would prefer to go that route, the 10w-40 will be just fine.

 

[AdmiralYoda]

According to the VOA's, does the Maxlife have enough Zinc and Phosphorus? The Maxlife seems to be in the 700's for both while the Rotella seems to be in the 1100-1200's.

I suppose if I were to think crazy....I could get the best of both worlds by using the Maxlife and adding some ZDDP right?

 

[cknight49090]

Quaker state defy 10w40 would be ideal.

 

[Bandito440]

Does this motor need higher levels of ZDDP? I don't know.

A shot of Red Line break-in addative in Maxlife 10w-40 would do the trick if need be.

 

[Bandito440]

Oh, and how about some photos of your newly-restored truck?

 

[AdmiralYoda]

Originally Posted By: Bandito440
Does this motor need higher levels of ZDDP? I don't know.


Well, not officially. But this engine was designed in the late 70's and was virtually unchanged through 1997 except for EFI in 1985 and some extra emission equipment along the way.

The cam and valve train is a flat tappet design and I assume the oil in the 70's and 80's had much more zinc/phosphorus in them to help keep them quiet. The Toyota crowd seems to love HDEO and Redline oils as they really quiet down the noisy 22RE. I suspect it is because of the higher zinc and phosphorus.

I want all that plus the benefits of a high mileage oil.

 

[AdmiralYoda]

Originally Posted By: cknight49090
Quaker state defy 10w40 would be ideal.


Just checked out the VOA's on this and was underwhelmed. Quaker state claims 25% more zinc for 30wt and +50% for 40wt. Is there something I'm just not seeing? Seemed low on detergents too.

 

[expat]

You need not worry about using high zinc oil with that engine, it will run practically forever on whatever you put in it.
They do run a little noisy, I personally I use 15w-40 during the summer, it just seems to run smoother.

Are you sure the noise is not the timing chain?
This IS an issue with this engine.

Where is the leak comming from?
If it's the front cover, I'd be inclined to do the timing chain and be done with it AND fix the leak at the same time.

 

[Bandito440]

Originally Posted By: AdmiralYoda
Originally Posted By: Bandito440
Does this motor need higher levels of ZDDP? I don't know.


Well, not officially. But this engine was designed in the late 70's and was virtually unchanged through 1997 except for EFI in 1985 and some extra emission equipment along the way.

The cam and valve train is a flat tappet design and I assume the oil in the 70's and 80's had much more zinc/phosphorus in them to help keep them quiet. The Toyota crowd seems to love HDEO and Redline oils as they really quiet down the noisy 22RE. I suspect it is because of the higher zinc and phosphorus.

I want all that plus the benefits of a high mileage oil.

Looking good! The Maxlife 10w-40 plus Red Line break-in might be just the thing.

 

[AdmiralYoda]

Thanks again for all the help everyone! The leak isn't bad. Its just a weepy valve cover and oil pan. Nothing major, hardly worth mentioning.

The timing chain is good....for now. I'll be keeping a close eye on it and its on the list of things to do in the future. I'm pretty sure the cam is just a bit noisy.

I basically want an oil like Redline 10W-40 with some of the high mileage benefits but without the pricetag.

 

[threeputtpar]

Mobil 1 HM would be what you're looking for. The M1 10W-40 is loaded with what you want and it's CHEAP!

 

[AdmiralYoda]

Not to derail but I was looking at Rotella T6 VOA links and came across this link someone had posted a while back:
PPI-America March 2013 - HDEO VOA Comparison

I had never considered the Delo 400 LE. It seems like it has everything I would want in an oil. The TBN seems a bit low but otherwise looks like a great product!

 

[anndel]

I have a 1993 Toyota 4x4 with the 22 RE engine at 157,000 miles. It has several slow oil leaks but not enough to drop below the full line on the dipstick and looking to replace the timing chain soon. I use whatever is recommended in the owner's manual, 10W-30 since I bought the truck brand new in 1993 till this day. Either I use Mobil 1 high mileage 10W-30 or Pennzoil Ultra Platinum 10W-30, whatever Wal-Mart has in stock.

DC

 

[ElastoHydro]

anndel and the OP, Once you start using a High Mileage oil like maxlife, M1 HM, whatever brand, don't go back to using normal oil. Seals get used to the swelling with the HM oils, so you don't want them to shrink again. With that many miles, go to a 10w-40 high mileage oil to fill the big clearances.

 

[Tmiller3063]

PYB or Penn Plat

 

[expat]

Some thoughts;

I have owned 22R powered Toyota trucks for the last 30 years, I'm now on my third truck, an 84 Extra cab, my first truck an 81 had over 500k when I gave it away!

I used 20w-50 in that truck exclusively.

Something 'rang a bell' when you mentioned "Leaky valve cover" and valve noise. My first truck had noisy valves, no matter how I adjusted them they rattled.
I desperation I went to see a Toyota specialist, He Backed off the nuts on the valve cover and the noise stopped instantly!

I had over-tightened then to prevent a valve cover leak.

This was often the case with the old, pre 84, round valve covers, but it could also apply to you.

A new valve cover seal 'O' ring solved my problem.

Also check or replace the PCV valve, this can also cause leaks or oil consumption.

 

[artificialist]

I'm not so sure how much you need extra ZDDP. Typically I only read stories of cam failure if there is an OHV engine with a high performance cam and heavy valve springs. The other stories I hear of cam failure are when the manufacturer didn't build the part properly, or didn't design the part well, and premature failure is unavoidable. In the second case, extra ZDDP might not help you.

I'm used to seeing the 22R engine last with just basic oil changes, and other basic maintenance needs.