Older Toyota Camry Oil Recommendations

[oil_noob_guy]

Peeps,

I have a 2004 Toyota Solara (Camry) v6 3.3L with 260,000 miles. The engine has a leak, probably from the block. So I add a quart sometimes.

I do food deliveries, driving, stopping, for hours at a time. So my car gets mileage.

I’m looking for recommendations of the best oil brand and filter. I know it’s speced for 5w 30. I’m not concerned about money, I just want to put the best possible oil and filter.

Thanks for your time and advice.

 

[DV0993]

2005 RX330 3000 miles M1 FS 0w40

Hi All, Here are the results of one of BITOG's favorite oils - M1 0w40 in a Lexus RX330 - Regularly short tripped by my wife (and semi-regularly full-throttled by me). 3000 miles, (5000km) in 8 months. This is a "new" used vehicle; and the purpose of the UOA was to confirm that there were no...

bobistheoilguy.com

Heres my UOA - Same engine but in an AWD SUV which would likely place more work on the engine.

Make sure you get the timing belt done, if you have not done so already.

 

[Oro_O]

This is how I deal with that engine, and it works really well:

https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/threads/high-mileage-section.365283/#post-6674164

A 10w-30 in your climate would sure be smarter than a 5w-30 or other wider viscosity grade spread with higher VII content. The M1 10w-30 HM is good out to 7,500 or 8k miles with no problem per UOA I have done. The Fram XG3600 is also a smart choice for a high mileage car; you can go 20k miles on it, and filter changes on these are above-average annoying and the engine is pretty hard on cheap ones. This is a great engine; we bought another one just last week (RX330) since it’s not as problem-ridden as the successor 2gr fe.

The oil is usually lost from the back bank valve cover gasket. They need to be done about every 150k.

 

[VTECOverRated]

Pretty sure its 5w or 10w 30 in the manual, so as others said, that would be the best bet, or you could try 0w40, since it will be abundant and cheap. If its leaking oil, buy the cheapest oil you can and keep a qt in the car. You won't stop a leak using oil.
Buy what ever available fram filter or cheap filter from autoparts store. Not worth overthinking it mate.

 

[JavierH19]

15w-40

 

[michaelluscher]

I also daily a high mileage 3MZ (203k)

Are you leaking oil, or just burning it?

Any 5w30 should be fine, what's your location/climate?

 

[RyanY]

IMO it is worth exploring the location of the leak before doing anything. Thicker oil (or HM oil) will do nothing if you have a large gap, but may slow the leak if a gasket has hardened.

Clean the entire engine with degreaser and/or brake cleaner and watch for seepage over the next few days. As @Oro_O said the leak is possibly from the rear valve cover gasket, so I would pay close attention there. If no leak, the oil may be getting past the rings.

 

[BobsArmory]

2nd vote for mobil1 high mileage 10w-30 or valvoline maxlife 10w-30

 

[JeffKeryk]

Fix the leak and run 5w30.

 

[oil_noob_guy]

I’m in Los Angeles.lots of traffic and Stop and Go driving. I ran my car for 5 hours yesterday.

The leak is in the back bank valve cover gasket. The engine is mounted sideways so it’s an expensive job to change a gasket. Have to tear down a bunch of parts to get to it. Wayyyy cheaper to buy a quart as needed.

I’m definitely going for either the mobil1 high mileage or valvoline maxlife per suggestions.

My motor is spec at 5w-30, but will 10w-30 offer better benefits? Someone mentioned 15w-40.

Also is the Fram XG3600 better than the Fram Ultra?

 

[ARCOgraphite]

10W30 - and see if the leak is easy to fix. I recommend QS FS

 

[Oro_O]

My motor is spec at 5w-30, but will 10w-30 offer better benefits? Someone mentioned 15w-40.

Yes. M1 10w30 HM is on the borderline of 40 weight so gets great wear protection with minimal additives.

Also is the Fram XG3600 better than the Fram Ultra?

That is the Fram Ultra (XG is the code for ultra). 3614 is the specificied one. 3600 is the same but slightly taller. It is easier to remove/install and holds a little more oil, usually zero price difference so use it if possible.

The negative about leaving the Back bank leaking is that a) it just gets worse, and b) it leaks on the the PS pump and it softens the hoses into it and creates PS hose leaks. Which are even harder to replace.

 

[facility1]

any good 5w-30 hm oil,,or recomend vavoline EP high milage,and fram or wix xp filter,also check/pcv valve,,,you may only need to tighten valve cover as gaskets can shrink.

 

[kschachn]

any good 5w-30 hm oil,,or recomend vavoline EP high milage,and fram or wix xp filter,also check/pcv valve,,,you may only need to tighten valve cover as gaskets can shrink.

Sometimes. The Toyota ones I’m familiar are shoulder bolts that bottom out, so when the gaskets get old you can’t really just crank it down some more.

 

[facility1]

you maybe correct,the one im familiar with is the 22r engine had a rubber gasket that sat in a groove with acorn nuts on top of cover,it worked but eventually a new gasket will be required.

 

[mdocod]

For that climate and leaking situation with lots of continuous use in traffic I would probably lean towards a cheap 10W-30 HM or 15W40 HDEO oil on a high mileage engine. For an engine that is leaking I wouldn't waste money on top shelf stuff.

Wal-Mart...
Supertech 15W40 is ~$13/gallon.
Supertech 10W30 HMFS is ~$19 for 5 qt jug.

Either would work, and both have a chance of slowing down leaks for different reasons but I wouldn't bet on it, especially for a valve cover.

Get the leak fixed- then consider putting better oil in it. I would do PPHM 10W30 or Edge HM 10W30 as these can be found for ~$5/qt at the walfart.

 

[addyguy]

Maxlife 10W-30 every 5k would work well in that engine.

 

[oil_noob_guy]

Peeps,

Thank you for your advice and for taking the time to share your opinions.

In the end, I decided to go with the Mobil1 HM 10w-30 oil and the Fram XG3600 filter. That filter is a bit taller. I figured that the engine would hold more oil and the additional filter media should in theory clean better.

I came across an interesting post about a similar Toyota engine where the M1 effectively put an end to a leak.

Valvoline MaxLife Syn vs. Mobil 1 High Mileage Syn

Which do you recommend? Car is a 1999 Malibu with 151,000+ miles on her. Car is driven on highway and in stop and go city traffic, no significant leaks as far as I can tell, and the car runs strong. Which of these oils will condition the seals best, and which has the better additive pack? Price...

bobistheoilguy.com

Thanks

 

[Bill7]

Peeps,

I have a 2004 Toyota Solara (Camry) v6 3.3L with 260,000 miles. The engine has a leak, probably from the block. So I add a quart sometimes.

I do food deliveries, driving, stopping, for hours at a time. So my car gets mileage.

I’m looking for recommendations of the best oil brand and filter. I know it’s speced for 5w 30. I’m not concerned about money, I just want to put the best possible oil and filter.

Thanks for your time and advice.

To treat the oil seals to prevent or minimize oil leaks,
I would recommend either an Ester based oil or a High Mileage Full Synthetic oil.

Best possible oil and filter: $115:
HPL Euro 5W-30, Fram Endurance oil filter.

Best value (High quality at a low price) oil and filter: $22:
Walmart store brand: SuperTech High Mileage Full Synthetic in 5 Quart Jug for $18.98 - $1 (5% off discount with Walmart credit card) = $17.98 + tax. It's marketed as a 10,000 mile oil and has the Dexos 1 Gen 3 approval, Fram Extra Guard oil filter (Efficiency: 95% @ > 20 microns): $3.50 from Amazon with subscribe and save.

 

[BrendanC]

a euro 5w-30 or 5w-40 with a 3600 sized filter. preferably an endurance.