1997 Toyota Rav4 - Kreen and oil recommendations

[Matt_V]

I have a 1997 Rav4 I just purchased and would like some recommendations.

A little background on the car. It has 205k original miles, only two previous owners. Very well maintained by the previous owners with a folder of receipts for everything that had been done maintenance and repair wise. Oil was changed every 3000 miles at either Toyota or their local auto garage.

The car runs well, however the previous owner mentioned that the car "consumes oil." The Rav4 has the 3S-FE which from what I understand is known for oil consumption and PCV issues.

After sifting through the maintenance records, I saw no mention of the PCV valve ever being replaced. Immediately I changed out the PCV valve with a genuine Toyota OEM part and the oil. The oil was very dark in color, couldn't say at what mileage it was changed at but the dipstick was at the half mark prior to the change.

I work at a Toyota dealer so I used our bulk 5W-30 we use from our pour guns, I believe Toyota oil is either Valvoline or Mobil. My goal is to reduce the consumption as much as possible. I ran a clean interval of 5W-30 for 30 mins then did another drain and fill. I like to think of it as a poor mans flush. The oil, again, was dark but not nearly as bad as before.

I did research on some ways to help with oil consumption and engine cleaning, people really seem to like Kreen. I ordered a bottle and put 16oz (1 pint) into the fresh oil change. I plan on running it for 1000 miles and then doing another change with 8oz of Kreen to follow up the original dose.

My question is after I do these Kreen cleanings what oil I should use. I am debating between Mobil1 HM 5W-30, Pennzoil Platinum 5W-30, Rotella T6 5W-40 or maybe even Mobil1 0W-40.

Any advice would be much appreciated. Thank you!

-Matt

 

[Matt_V]

Also forgot to note, at cold starts the engine would emit a "groaning" noise that seemed to be coming from the top of the engine. It would go away after running for 2-3 minutes.

I assumed this was from a failing water pump, and planned to replace the water pump soon. However, after a day of having Kreen in the crankcase the cold start groan has disappeared. So I'm wondering what the noise was. Stuck lifter or valve?

 

[CT8]

You work at a Toyota dealer and you are asking BITOG?

 

[Matt_V]

I'm merely trying to ask members their advice on the oil I should use.

 

[krismoriah72]

205000 miles and wanting to clean? I would go with pennzoil yellow bottle or rotella 5W40 skip the high dollar synthetics. Buy two extra quarts and keep it stashed in the vehicle and keep a log of consumption. Dont drive yourself crazy trying to fix a manufacturer defect with solvents.. just keep an eye on the oil level and add as needed.

 

[Bluestream]

Originally Posted By: CT8
You work at a Toyota dealer and you are asking BITOG?

 

[camrydriver111]

Originally Posted By: CT8
You work at a Toyota dealer and you are asking BITOG?


Following manufacturer recommendations is like following general nutrition guidelines.

Asking for advice on BITOG is like seeking a nutritionist and designing a nutritional plan based on your needs.

 

[zach1900]

That engine doesn't have hydraulic lifters.

 

[Matt_V]

Oh yes, good call. Looks like it's shims/buckets.

 

[ArrestMeRedZ]

Matt, if you find something to slow the oil consumption, I'd like to hear about it. My wife has a '96 Rav with 181k miles on it, and it consumes more oil than I'd like. I've learned to live with it, and just try and catch it before the wife runs it dry.

The engine is not picky about oil. I change at the Toyota recommended 5k miles (I can remember those increments on the odometer). It is the quickest and easiest car I've ever owned to do oil and filter changes, providing you've allowed the exhaust manifold to cool down.

I normally use PP 5W-30 because I've gotten lots of it on sale. I would feel comfortable using just about any modern oil of that weight. If you use the bulk from your dealership and keep the interval to the recommended 5k miles, I don't think you'll have a problem. I'd stick to the 5W-30 instead of going to a 5W-40 though.

With previous changes done every 3k miles, I suspect you don't need to clean the engine, but hey, if it works, let me know.

Do your maintenance records show a second timing belt change? The recommended interval is 80k miles. My first one failed at 103k miles (non-interference engine), so unless you are willing to drive to failure it should have been done.

 

[Matt_V]

The timing belt and water pump were done 3 years ago at about 175k miles.

If I find a way to reduce the consumption I will let you know. Going to post progress of the Kreen cleaning when I do my next change in 1000 miles.

 

[oilslick44]

We have a 96 rav4 that we bought new that we keep in Florida. I personally have changed the
oil every time since new. I have always used 10-30 like it says on the cap. At 99000 miles
it uses a little oil between 3 to 4 thousand mile changes. Did have to replace pcv vslve to
stop smoking at startup. Original timing belt, but thinking about changing it this fall. A suggestion about changing oil. Let it sit over night so engine is cool and you can spin off
the filter without getting burned and oil dripping all over. Good luck with it. I love the
car, can't seem to let it go.

 

[mongo161]

I've had great success with using Kreen in the past. I have a 97 4Runner SR5 with 320K on the odometer.

I only ran conventional oil for the first 120K. Then decided on trying to clean up the engine since I used my vehicle for lots of short trips and lots of stop and go traffic.

I used some blends of HD engine oils with synthetic for short intervals with quality filters before starting with Kreen.

When I started with Kreen, I only added it to the last 1K miles of a 3K interval with a pint in the oil and a pint in the gas tank filling up. I used Kreen for 2, back to back, long, high-speed trips and changed the oil at the end of each interval.

The oil came out filthy on each of those 2 OCI's. For the last OCI, the used Kreen in my normal routine of stop and go traffic and short trips. One pint in the gas....One pint in the sump for 2K miles. When the last treatment was emptied with a 2K OCI, the oil was much cleaner.

Since the final treatments of Kreen, I've been mostly using my own blended mixes of synthetic/conventional in the summer and winter mostly synthetic.

I never had a consumption problem with my oil and rarely needed to top off. However, in the 4 years + since using the Kreen treatments, still no consumption and the SUV runs real quiet and smooth. I still make up my own blended mixes of conventional and synthetic and use a quality oil filter for back to back OCI's.

All I know is that since Trav recommended Kreen and my using the product, my Toyota engine has been running smooth. This product is not snake oil, and it really works.

 

[bvance554]

I like to keep the outside of my engine, and the engine bay clean, but I will never understand the obsession of cleaning the inside of an engine. Especially to the point of adding solvents to the crankcase.

 

[SteveSRT8]

Originally Posted By: mongo161

All I know is that since Trav recommended Kreen and my using the product, my Toyota engine has been running smooth. This product is not snake oil, and it really works.


Many folks simply haven't had their cars long enough to appreciate a product like Kreen. Few here know it is also an excellent fuel system cleaner. A great product with real results, and an ironclad warranty...

 

[Branson304]

I would use a high mileage oil for sure. My first pick would be Mobil 1 High Mileage Full Syn 5W-30. Second choice would be Valvoline MaxLife Synthetic Blend 5W-30 or Valvoline Full Synthetic w/MaxLife 5W-30. Pennzoil High Mileage or Pennzoil Platinum High Mileage are also great options... there are many options to choose from but I would definitely pick something high mileage.

 

[Matt_V]

Originally Posted By: oilslick44
We have a 96 rav4 that we bought new that we keep in Florida. I personally have changed the
oil every time since new. I have always used 10-30 like it says on the cap.

That is strange, your cap says 10W-30? Mine says 5W-30. Maybe 97 was the first year to change over.

 

[Matt_V]

300 miles or so on the Kreen treatment so far. My commute is probably 60/40 city to highway mileage so it may take a while to clean as well as someone who is mostly on the highway. However, the oil has gotten much darker in the last week.