1MZ-FE, cold weather and short tripping

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Hi everyone. This is my first post on a forum that I can honestly say is one of the most informative forums I've ever browsed. I never thought I'd read so much about oil but it's interesting.

I've researched a lot but would like opinions on how I should approach maintenance for my specific situation. I have a 2001 Camry with a 1MZ-FE "sludge" motor, live in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan where it's cold most of the year with frigid winters (-15 to 3x°F), and I short trip. I know these things aren't good together but it's what I have.

My drive to work is only about 1.5 miles or 3-4 minutes of driving. I'm not riding my bike and public transportation is not an option. I only live about 10-15 minutes from most of my stops in town when I'm running errands. Sometimes I go straight home from work and sometimes I have errands to run after in which case, the car gets up to full temp but there aren't any 60MPH stretches.

I bought the car last March with 101,xxx miles on it and it was a one owner car in excellent condition. I called a dealer and it sounds like the car was well maintained and saw it's scheduled maintenance.The first time I changed the oil it was with MC 5w-30 and I was nervous about going to full synthetic with 101,xxx miles. About 2,3xx miles later I changed the oil to PYB 5w-30 and I liked it a little better. The engine seemed smoother and a little quieter. The car didn't burn, leak or drip a single drop of oil with the MC or PYB. I replaced the PCV valve when I put the MC oil in but the the PCV valve that was in the car WAS NOT plugged. Recently I changed the oil to QSUD after feeling more confident that the car wasn't losing oil. So far it seems to run a lot like the PYB did, probably a touch better. So I like it. I haven't looked under a valve cover but I'm pretty confident that engine isn't all sludged up. Eventually I'll take a peek.

My plan is to change the oil and filter every 3k miles or every 3 months regardless of which oil I use. I'd like to stick with SOPUS since I like how they're running in the car and they are highly praised. I'm also just going to stick with a Denso "factory" filters since they are cheap and should do fine. I like the car, plan on keeping it and feel it can easily last 3xx,xxx miles if properly maintained. The price difference between a jug of PYB or QSUD is of no concern to me.

Given my variables and driving conditions, am I on the right track with 3k/3 month oil changes? If the car doesn't lose oil with QSUD I plan to go with it instead of the PYB but if the PYB proves to be better or is recommended more vs the QSUD, I'll happily go that route also. My thinking is that the QSUD might be better for my winter conditions and might resist sludge buildup better. Plus it's not the cheapest full syn nor is it the most expensive, middle of the road. I'm also planning to take the long way to gas stations when I fill up a couple times a month so the car guaranteed gets some highway time.

Any input is appreciated and thanks in advance!
 
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Toyota owners with sludge motors will tell you they changed oil on a regular basis....probably every 20,000 miles whether they needed to or not. On another forum a Toyota tech mentioned that they have seen sludge motors with 20K on the clock and the factory installed break in filter still on the car...usually a minivan. Toyota was eating those engines, which amazed the tech.
 
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I would extend your run to 5k miles given your driving circumstances running the Quaker State Ultimate Durability. I have a 98 Camry 2.2L motor. I think these motors are very good overall if well cared for. Like HerrStig mentioned that was not the case with some other owners.
 
As a fellow Michigander, I'll say to run a full synthetic during the coldest part of winter. Supertech, Mobil 0w30, Castrol 0w40, Rotella 0w40, whatever you find cheap and available. I like 0w-whatever oils that I pick up during the Advance Auto clearance sales every Nov/Dec. You won't believe how it makes a difference on those -5 degree days. Starting my car in Rudyard after being outside during the night was never a problem. A strong battery and a good oil makes all the difference.

The Fool
 
Originally Posted By: bbhero
I would extend your run to 5k miles given your driving circumstances running the Quaker State Ultimate Durability. I have a 98 Camry 2.2L motor. I think these motors are very good overall if well cared for. Like HerrStig mentioned that was not the case with some other owners.


I'm not sure if I read it or not but I wonder if that's why ToyotaCare? It's probably more for marketing but maybe they figured 2 years of free oil changes would get negligent car owners in the shop?
 
Originally Posted By: bbhero
I would extend your run to 5k miles given your driving circumstances running the Quaker State Ultimate Durability. I have a 98 Camry 2.2L motor. I think these motors are very good overall if well cared for. Like HerrStig mentioned that was not the case with some other owners.


I was thinking 3k/3 months might be too soon for the QSUD but I'm not sure how bad fuel dilution can affect the full syn. I wanted the opinion of others. I use to be the one with remote start and letting my car run 5 minutes on the single digit or negative mornings but now I won't do that. I'll consider myself educated and corrected.
 
Originally Posted By: Spartanfool
As a fellow Michigander, I'll say to run a full synthetic during the coldest part of winter. Supertech, Mobil 0w30, Castrol 0w40, Rotella 0w40, whatever you find cheap and available. I like 0w-whatever oils that I pick up during the Advance Auto clearance sales every Nov/Dec. You won't believe how it makes a difference on those -5 degree days. Starting my car in Rudyard after being outside during the night was never a problem. A strong battery and a good oil makes all the difference.

The Fool


If I go with a 0W oil I'll probably stick with a 30 weight. I tried to find out if my 2001 1MZ-FE was back specced for 5w-20 but couldn't find anything. Maybe I'll look into the 0w stuff but like how my car is running on SOPUS.

If it wasn't for the short tripping I wouldn't be so concerned about my OCI but I want this car to last and I just like to take care of my stuff.
 
Bet you are right about the Toyota care part.. a bit of prevention is better than a new motor to be put in.

I think you will be fine running the QSUD for 5k miles. If you wanted to change it every three thousand miles I would not knocking you for it. Hey, it is your vehicle. Getting under a vehicle every three months is not a totally bad idea really. Especially one that is older.
 
This is one of the few cars that requires 3k oil changes. I'd use any full synthetic for 3k. Napa often has their house brand synthetic for $3-4/qt.
 
Would it be beneficial for me to base my OCI off the number of months passed vs miles? For instance, not only am I close to work and town but I've been doing way more motorcycle riding than driving my car. I got this Camry in March and have only put a little over 3k miles on it. I bought my motorcycle in the middle of May and already have about 4,300 miles on it. I put 1,700 miles on the previous bike between March and May so about 6k miles of riding this season. I still have another couple months of riding left. That's why I was thinking I should change my oil every 3-4 months regardless of what oil I'm running.
 
Originally Posted By: ndfergy
PYB 5W30 would be my choice of the two. That engine is older tech with bucket tappets where conventional might be more beneficial.


I was pleased with how PYB performed in my car and would have no problem going that route. I was expecting QSUD to run quite a bit smoother but honestly, it's, almost too close to call. I just figured full synthetic might be a better choice cold weather. It's August and it was 39 degrees when I left work this morning. We have a lot more colder months than warm.....
 
Originally Posted By: Goodkat
Originally Posted By: ndfergy
PYB 5W30 would be my choice of the two. That engine is older tech with bucket tappets where conventional might be more beneficial.


I was pleased with how PYB performed in my car and would have no problem going that route. I was expecting QSUD to run quite a bit smoother but honestly, it's, almost too close to call. I just figured full synthetic might be a better choice cold weather. It's August and it was 39 degrees when I left work this morning. We have a lot more colder months than warm.....


If your winter temps are a sustained -15F or colder (burr) then a synthetic would be my choice. Otherwise, the difference will be marginal.

For reference, Ford doesn't recommend an 0w oil unless the temperature is at or below -22F
 
Originally Posted By: ndfergy
Originally Posted By: Goodkat
Originally Posted By: ndfergy
PYB 5W30 would be my choice of the two. That engine is older tech with bucket tappets where conventional might be more beneficial.


I was pleased with how PYB performed in my car and would have no problem going that route. I was expecting QSUD to run quite a bit smoother but honestly, it's, almost too close to call. I just figured full synthetic might be a better choice cold weather. It's August and it was 39 degrees when I left work this morning. We have a lot more colder months than warm.....


If your winter temps are a sustained -15F or colder (burr) then a synthetic would be my choice. Otherwise, the difference will be marginal.

For reference, Ford doesn't recommend an 0w oil unless the temperature is at or below -22F


November and December are usually in the 10F-3xF range. In January and February we get closer to sustained single digits during the day and below zero through the night. It typically doesn't last into March though. Burr is right.
 
Well I just happened to notice that NAPA has an August special for Mobil 1 oil so I reserved 5 quarts of 0w30 for $30 after tax. I'll give that a try in a few months once the temps really drop and I can finish running the QSUD.

With full synthetics like Mobil 1 and QSUD hold up ok against fuel dilution caused by short tripping in cold weather?
 
I'm in the same boat as you- my daily is a 2001 Camry 2.2 with 138,028 miles on the odometer and lots of short trips. For instance, my last oil change was on 3/15/2017 at 136,676 miles. I've only added 1,352 miles since then.

I'm in NW Illinois, so not quite as cold as the UP. My drive is 1.3 miles to work and the car doesn't see much else mileage. I'm currently running my dealership's bulk 5W-30 with a NAPA ProSelect filter. I have Valvoline MaxLife 5W-30 and a Fram TG4967 on my shelf and I'm getting the itch to change it.

Welcome to the forum!
 
Run a full synthetic. I had a 98 Sienna. Minor sludge in the corners of the upper corners under the front valve cover. I used the oil filter for two OCI using an over sized Napa gold filter.

You can extend the OCI to 5000 miles, but don't push it past that limit IMO.


You need to remove the front valve cover to see the condition and check for sludge. It will probably have some varnish.
 
I'd run a full synthetic. I'd use the brand I felt good about. I don't think that the brand makes a tremendous difference. I swap around but I always go back to this one brand because I have confidence in that brand. Even though my brain tells me different. I just feel better using a particular brand.

I believe the key to protecting your investment is in your OCI. You aren't driving many miles but you have a lot of really short trips do I'd change my oil every 6 months. Change it in sept-October and again in February-March. That way you could run a 0w-whatever in winter and a 5w-something in summer. (I'm not a big fan of 0w-something as they don't make me "feel" goog
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