1997 4Runner, 283k miles - MaxLife or Restore and Protect?

[fofojoe]

(accidently posted this in the mechanical thread. can't delete it, but I'm reposting here)

I'll try and keep this brief. Looking to buy my neighbor's 1997 4Runner. 283k miles.

I have records of full synthetic oil changes from a Toyota dealership over the last 40k miles or so.

It doesn't smoke on start up, but I wouldn't be surprised if it's burning a little oil. I did top it up while inspecting it (with my neighbors permission) and it took maybe 1/2 a quart to get above low on the stick.

I use 5w-30 Valvoline MaxLife Semi Synthetic in my other vehicles already and typically buy it in bulk when it goes cheap. I've got 3 or 4 bottles left currently, so I'll be looking for another bulk buy soon.

This 4Runner would be just for fun and would not be a daily driver, so it wouldn't accumulate miles quick. I plan on changing the oil every 3k-5k miles, probably closer to 3k as it will take awhile to even drive that.

Given that situation, do you guys and gals think it's worth getting Valvoline Restore and Protect or should I just carry on with the MaxLife?

My goal is to take good care of this truck, but not overspend too much. I just "finished" my last project so I've got the itch to get dirty again, and this popped up.

 

[Hall]

If you like Maxlife and have plenty of it, keep using it.

 

[Kira]

I have records of full synthetic oil changes from a Toyota dealership over the last 40k miles or so.

Any maintenance and repair records over the preceding 243,000 miles? Common wear out could be your specter.
Good power on hills, etc.? Likely nothing wrong with your valves.

If the vehicle was maintained well, you mightn't have need of piston ring cleaning.

You could benefit from a compression test; both dry and wet.
Measuring your oil pressure could be revealing.

 

[fofojoe]

That's what I'm leaning towards. I figure just the shorter OCI's would help clean out any gunk anyways.

The valve covers were done by the dealership too, but if they hadn't been I would change them and use the opportunity to get a look inside.

My wife's 99 RX300 (1UZ-FE) has about 240k miles and was a little grimy inside, definitely dark with varnish. Been running MaxLife on shorter OCIs on that as well and it runs super smooth. That, and she drives so little that it takes a long to hit even 3k miles.

 

[fofojoe]

Any maintenance and repair records over the preceding 243,000 miles? Common wear out could be your specter.
Good power on hills, etc.? Likely nothing wrong with your valves.

If the vehicle was maintained well, you mightn't have need of piston ring cleaning.

You could benefit from a compression test; both dry and wet.
Measuring your oil pressure could be revealing.

Yeah I'm thinking about doing a compression test too. Fortunately I have all the time in the world to check it out, as my neighbors been really cool about the process. It's been sitting in my driveway all weekend and I've been crawling around and underneath whenever I have time lol.

No real records of the prior miles. The current asking price is $2k, and it's a fully loaded limited so I figure even if I enjoy it for awhile and something does go wrong, I could part out the rest and make my money back.

Good idea on oil pressure too. I'll look into how to do that on these engines.

 

[Kira]

I'll look into how to do that on these engines.

Which engine is it?

Ohhh....and don't forget a transmission drain & fill....or two...or three.

 

[fofojoe]

Which engine is it?

Ohhh....and don't forget a transmission drain & fill....or two...or three.

3.4L, 5UZ.

And for sure, I intend on changing all fluids actually. I've done a ton on the RX300 and so there's some familiarity already with Toyota's of this gen.

I'd add a transmission cooler down the road (done on the RX300) and run Valvoline Dex/Merc on multiple drain and fills until it comes out looking like it goes in. Plus I'd add a magnafine inline filter and change that every 2-3 drain and fills.

I might use MaxLife ATF on the transmission in the future, that's actually what I use on the RX300.

But Dex/Merc is a little cheaper, so I figured during the initial drain/fills I'll use it since it'll only be in there for a couple thousand miles at a time.

Same oil filter and crush washers as the RX300 too, so I've got a bunch of OEM Toyota filters ready to go.

Same Toyota red coolant too, so I've got that ready as well.

Same PS fluid (Dex III) and so on.

 

[fantastic]

Might as well use the Valvoline Restore and Protect since these Toyota's won't mind. I'd give it a try while keeping track of the progress. However, if you're needing a good seal sweller for your other vehicles you'll probably need to stick with the HM.

 

[Kira]

Does this vehicle call for a Toyota T-IV fluid? Valvoline MaxLife Dex/Merc LV is the match for a T-IV ATF.
However, the names of these things and the mixtures themselves are always subject to tweaking.
Good luck with your purchase decision whichever way it goes.

 

[JeffKeryk]

I use MaxLife in our '01 Tundra and other older Toyotas. Having said that, T-IV is not very expensive on Amazon or even the dealerships.

 

[fofojoe]

Does this vehicle call for a Toyota T-IV fluid? Valvoline MaxLife Dex/Merc LV is the match for a T-IV ATF.
However, the names of these things and the mixtures themselves are always subject to tweaking.
Good luck with your purchase decision whichever way it goes.

Pretty sure this calls for Dexron III, but I'll double check.

 

[fofojoe]

I use MaxLife in our '01 Tundra and other older Toyotas. Having said that, T-IV is not very expensive on Amazon or even the dealerships.

Yeah the RX300 Aisin seems to love Maxlife. Been running great for a couple years now.

 

[Bob in Utah]

Had a ‘98 Tacoma with the 3.4L

Sold it with 186K on it years ago

Great truck/motor…wish’d I still had it

Used K&N HP oil filter with one inch nut welded to it

Wobbler socket made it easy to remove on LF fender well

 

[fofojoe]

Had a ‘98 Tacoma with the 3.4L

Sold it with 186K on it years ago

Great truck/motor…wish’d I still had it

Used K&N HP oil filter with one inch nut welded to it

Wobbler socket made it easy to remove on LF fender well

This is also in Utah (for now..) and I've always casually wanted one of these. Just never enough to pay the crazy prices people want. But I figured even with the high miles, for $2k I can't lose that much money if things go south.

 

[fofojoe]

I am currently towards 1 oil change with MaxLife because I don't know the age of the oil. Then drive around on that oil change and see if it's burning any, and based on that result most likely switch to Valvoline Restore and Protect.

I might be fixing a minor oil leak as well, so I'd rather sort that out before the Valvoline Restore and Protect goes in.

 

[Japanese]

I did top it up while inspecting it (with my neighbors permission) and it took maybe 1/2 a quart to get above low on the stick.

My guts don't like that. It tells me also that the engine burns oil and it was not keeping eye on it.
Bringing the oil above min. by topping it up means the last time the vehicle was driven the oil was below the min. which is not very good.

 

[fofojoe]

My guts don't like that. It tells me also that the engine burns oil and it was not keeping eye on it.
Bringing the oil above min. by topping it up means the last time the vehicle was driven the oil was below the min. which is not very good.

Yeah I do agree with you, but the history of dealership oil changes tells me it at least had the right amount of oil some of the time.

And to me it's relative to the price - for $2k I think I'm willing to gamble on that.

This will be my 2nd project car (I'm a sucker for pain lol) so if I get some enjoyment out of this, then it dies and I part it out and move on I'm ok with that.

 

[tired]

My guts don't like that. It tells me also that the engine burns oil and it was not keeping eye on it.
Bringing the oil above min. by topping it up means the last time the vehicle was driven the oil was below the min. which is not very good.

Yeah I agree that's not a great sign. The 5VZ isn't an oil burner.

I would 100% run Valvoline Restore and Protect. Literally zero downsides and the benefit of cleaning up the engine. It's obviously losing oil. Nice you already got the valve cover gasket changed.

And with an engine that looks "a little grimy" (the RX300), you're still sticking with what got it grimy?

I feel like people look hard for a reason to not run Valvoline Restore and Protect. Just clean up the engine. It's not even expensive.

Anything else wrong with the truck? That's a really good price on a 4Runner....

 

[fofojoe]

Yeah I agree that's not a great sign. The 5VZ isn't an oil burner.

I would 100% run Valvoline Restore and Protect. Literally zero downsides and the benefit of cleaning up the engine. It's obviously losing oil. Nice you already got the valve cover gasket changed.

And with an engine that looks "a little grimy" (the RX300), you're still sticking with what got it grimy?

I feel like people look hard for a reason to not run Valvoline Restore and Protect. Just clean up the engine. It's not even expensive.

Anything else wrong with the truck? That's a really good price on a 4Runner....

On the RX300, I got that with 230k miles so the grime comes from before. Similar situation, paid $2500 and it's already ran great for years so I've easily gotten my money's worth. I've had the valve covers off since then and it's varnished, but not caked with grime or anything. I'm just used to my Crown Victoria that was pristine under the valve covers at 170k

I've dropped the pan and cleaned it out thoroughly, + short OCI's to keep it clean.

Maybe I'll switch to Valvoline Restore and Protect there too

And trust me, I'm looking for a reason *too* run Valvoline Restore and Protect that's not the novelty of a new product. Just making sure this would be a good use case rather than me falling for the hype.


Overall the rest of the 4runner is in good shape.
There is an oil leak somewhere that could be contributing to the drop in level as well. Not enough to put a drop on the ground, and it could be left over from other fixed leaks. But fixing that won't be a problem.

Paints a little rough but all there, mechanically everything seems to work. Some rust on the underside, but I've posted that around other forums and the consensus was good.

The way I see it, this could sell for $3500-$5000 all day long because it's a 4runner. I get it for $2k, enjoy it for however long I want, then sell for $3k and get my money back.

 

[tired]

On the RX300, I got that with 230k miles so the grime comes from before. Similar situation, paid $2500 and it's already ran great for years so I've easily gotten my money's worth. I've had the valve covers off since then and it's varnished, but not caked with grime or anything. I'm just used to my Crown Victoria that was pristine under the valve covers at 170k

I've dropped the pan and cleaned it out thoroughly, + short OCI's to keep it clean.

Maybe I'll switch to Valvoline Restore and Protect there too

And trust me, I'm looking for a reason *too* run Valvoline Restore and Protect that's not the novelty of a new product. Just making sure this would be a good use case rather than me falling for the hype.


Overall the rest of the 4runner is in good shape.
There is an oil leak somewhere that could be contributing to the drop in level as well. Not enough to put a drop on the ground, and it could be left over from other fixed leaks. But fixing that won't be a problem.

Paints a little rough but all there, mechanically everything seems to work. Some rust on the underside, but I've posted that around other forums and the consensus was good.

The way I see it, this could sell for $3500-$5000 all day long because it's a 4runner. I get it for $2k, enjoy it for however long I want, then sell for $3k and get my money back.

I’d run it in both. No downside. Only benefit.