Best oil for 1994 Toyota Land Cruiser

[ELW]

Hello all. I'm interested in your opinion of the best oil for:

- 1994 Toyota Land Cruiser (FZJ80 1FZ-FE)
- Mileage: 205,000
- Location: mid-Atlantic region with average January low of 25F and average July high of 90F.
- Usage: Daily driver. Mostly short trips with city driving. Occasional long 1,500 mile road trips with highway driving. No off-roading.
- Known problems: Burns about 1 quart every 1,500 miles with conventional 10W-30. Some oil leakage from valve cover gasket.
- Conventional oil is fine and probably preferable to reduce cost vs. synthetic. Store bought or online ordering is ok.
- Will do my own changes.
- Currently using a K&N HP-3001 filter. (Similar to: Champion Labs Performance; Mobil 1)

Owner's manual says:
- Type: API SH or ILSAC multigrade.
- Viscosity: 10W-30 for temperatures above 0F. 5W-30 for temperatures below 50F.
- Change intervals: 7,500 miles / 12 months for regular use. 3,750 miles / 6 months for severage use.
- Oil capacity: 7.8 quarts

 

[ThirdeYe]

I would use any name brand conventional 10W-30 year round, personally. Buy based on price, Mobil Clean 5000, Pennzoil, Quaker State, Valvoline, Castrol GTX, they're all good and should work just fine in your Land Cruiser.

Even though your manual says 7,500 miles, how often do you tend to change it?

Welcome to the forum.

 

[levi]

If it were mine, with those miles and the usage you're experiencing, I'd go with a conventional HDEO 15w40. Pick the color of the bottle or jug you like best, or just go with the cheapest. You'll be okay with it in your climate, and it may help slow down your consumption a bit.

JMO.

 

[RTexasF]

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=1664795#Post1664795

 

[ELW]

Originally Posted By: ThirdeYe


...Even though your manual says 7,500 miles, how often do you tend to change it?



Hi ThirdeYe; thanks for your response. I tend to change the conventional oil and filter at 5,000 miles / 6 months.

 

[ELW]

Originally Posted By: levi
If it were mine, with those miles and the usage you're experiencing, I'd go with a conventional HDEO 15w40. Pick the color of the bottle or jug you like best, or just go with the cheapest. You'll be okay with it in your climate, and it may help slow down your consumption a bit.

JMO.


levi, thanks very much for your recommendation. I see Valvoline makes a Premium Blue Engine Oil in 15W-40, which I think is an HDEO. I also see they make a Premium Blue Extreme Engine Oil in 5W-40. What do you think of the 5W?

http://valvoline.com/products/brands/valvoline/diesel-motor-oil/10

Some folks seem to like the Chevron Supreme oils. What do you guys think of the Chevron Supreme High Mileage 10W-40 for my vehicle and usage?

 

[GhostFlame]

I may as well put in my 2 cents.

seeings how you could see 0 degrees from time to time in the winter, I would stay away from 15w40. I would suggest 10w40 Kendall (for price), QState or PP, full synthetic with 7500 mile oci. the engine will last another 200K.

 

[mcrn]

Shell Rotella 5W40 or their 10W30 if you can find it.

 

[lipadj46]

+1 Rotella 5w40 or Mobil 1 5w40 tdt. If you want conventional go with Rotella 15w40.

 

[Petrou]

im gonna +1 on the rotella. with 205k on the clock there will no problem with these oils. high amount of zddp and other cleaning agents for long runs, wont be a problem. oh and if you use the 10-30 rotella its cheap. keep the filter though

 

[ThirdeYe]

I should mention that if you can find it, I feel Rotella T 10W-30 would be ideal for your SUV. I have a hard time finding it though, I can only find it at a place here called Menard's. I don't think they have those in Maryland unfortunately. If you can find it though, grab some and I bet it'll work great.

 

[ELW]

The US Owner's Manual recommends either 10W-30 or 5W-30, depending upon outside temperatures.

However, the US recommendation is restricted by US CAFE fuel economy regulations.

The Australia Owner's Manual recommends the following oil viscosity, based solely on the performance requirements of the engine, unrestricted by US regulations:

Fahrenheit
19 to 100___20W-50
14 to 100___15W-40
0 to 100____10W-30
-22 to 46___5W-30

Celsius
-7 to 38___20W-50
-10 to 38__15W-40
-18 to 38__10W-30
-30 to 8___5W-30

Based on the more realistic Australia recommendation, I believe 15W-40 would work well for this 15 year old, high mileage vehicle, not only in summer but also in winter. Alternatively, I could run 15W-40 in summer and 10W-30 in winter.

Thoughts?

 

[ThirdeYe]

Keep in mind it's not just because of U.S. regulations but because in Australia the thicker grades are less expensive and more easy to come by from what I've heard (could some of our fellow Aussies help confirm that?)

 

[ELW]

Thanks very much for all the comments received so far.

For this vehicle and usage, I think we've narrowed it down to three final candidates for summer:

- Chevron Delo 400 15W-40
- Chevron Supreme High Mileage 10W-40
- Chevron Supreme 10W-40

Interested to know which you would pick, and why?

 

[ELW]

In this thread I am referring to Delo 400 Multigrade, not to Delo 400 LE (low emission).

 

[levi]

Originally Posted By: ELW
Thanks very much for all the comments received so far.

For this vehicle and usage, I think we've narrowed it down to three final candidates for summer:

- Chevron Delo 400 15W-40
- Chevron Supreme High Mileage 10W-40
- Chevron Supreme 10W-40

Interested to know which you would pick, and why?

Because I've previously used an HDEO 15w40 for many years in a climate similar to yours - and with no ill effects at all - I'd go with the 15w40 year round.

It is a 'heavier' oil, per se, and that engine with those miles and consumption issues you are experiencing, the 15w40 will serve you well, IMO.

 

[ELW]

thanks very much levi.

Any other opinions on choosing between the three oils for my vehicle and usage?

 

[csimon01]

I have the same rig and rotella syn works best for me. 5w-40?

 

[dnewton3]

Of the three you've offered, I'd choose the Chevron ...

Why the smarty-pants answer? Because you're splitting hairs where it makes no difference.

The sump capacity is huge on that engine. You can put a FL-1A or equivilant full flow filter on it and get excellent filtration. And those engines are reknowned for their longevity, as are most inline sixes.

My friend has a LX450 (Lexus equivilant of your LC). He got it used from his in-laws. Has had dino oil most of it's life. At around 200k miles, he pulled a UOA at my suggestion. Everything came back fine. He's now got close to 250k miles on it, with no signs of stopping.

You can pick from the three oils you offered, and be fine. Although, it seems you're caught up in the "thicker is better" rationale. Not so at all. Thicker oil does not always assure "better" wear protection. And many UOAs show this to be true.

I would still suggest a 10w-30 HDEO year round. The big three (Delo, Delvac, Rotella) all offer that grade. You might have to order it at retail prices from your local autoparts store, but it can be found without much difficulty.

Best of luck with your final decision. That is an awesome vehicle; one of the last true heavily built off-road vehicles with body on frame, and excellent capabilities.

 

[lipadj46]

Use what ever HDEO that is most easily accessible in your area. For me that would be Rotella 5w40 or mobil 1 5w40 TDT in the winter and Rotella 15w40 in the summer. I believe the Delo 15w40 you have listed above is a better oil, you would probably not see a difference though. Mobil 1 15w50 is also a good choice for summer.