2001 Toyota Camry 5s-fe Oil Suggetions

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Hello every body I have been gathering info from this forum starting a few months ago for my moms' and sisters' car's. but now its my turn.

I just bought a 2001 toyota camry today. it has 49,400 original miles. and the first, previous owner has all the oil change records proving that it was changed every 3,000 miles.

I'm pretty sure he was using Conventional (dinosaur) oil, but I want to use a full synthetic.

I have read this web-sights' motor oil university / motor oil 101-201 in full and i'm pretty sold on using a 0-20 weight.

my real question is... can a motor of this year run well with it. i have seen only one person here using a 0-20 in his 2001 camry... i sent him a PM to hear what he has to say about using it.

I would really appreciate a reply...
smile.gif
 
If TOYOTA backspecked that engine to use a 5w20 / 0w20 then you will be fine. I would however, be inclined to used the Xw20 weight in the winter and use 5w30 in the summer. Some engines are built to run on a Xw20, others are 'tolerant' of it per se. For instance, Hondas 2.3 that was used in the 1998-2002 Accord was speced for 5w30, but in 2002 Honda changed that spec to 5w20 even though nothing was internally changed on that engine. When Honda started producing the K24, different engine class all together, they originally spec'ed it to run on 5w20. So since your engine was originally specked to use a 30 grade, thats probably what I would stick to during the summer months, with a 20 grade in the fall/winter. JMHO.
 
This engine was not back-specced to a 20 weight oil, I owned a 97' Camry with the same engine that I sold this past summer. Had 197k miles and ran like a champ, you've got a great car there.

Run a 5w30 oil and a good oil filter. Have no worries with running a synthetic either. Drain plug is a 14mm.

My best tank in mine (automatic tranny) was 36.72 mpg, that was driving about 60-65 on a road trip.

I took it up to Montana from Phoenix doing mostly 80 mph (it didn't have much power in the mountains at all) but I pushed it hard that trip last summer and got 32-33 mpg average.

Do some drain and refills on the tranny every oil change for maybe 3 oil changes to get that old stuff out. It's a big Allen key on the transmission pan to drain it, and about 2 1/2 quarts comes out. I used Valvoline MaxLife ATF in mine.

It take ATF for power steering fluid. Do not use power steering fluid in it.

Replace the timing belt if it has not been replaced. You can buy a kit and change out the water pump and tensioner/ idler pulley at the same time. Not too hard of a job either. This is NOT an interference motor though.
 
Originally Posted By: Nick1994
This engine was not back-specced to a 20 weight oil, I owned a 97' Camry with the same engine that I sold this past summer. Had 197k miles and ran like a champ, you've got a great car there.

Run a 5w30 oil and a good oil filter. Have no worries with running a synthetic either. Drain plug is a 14mm.

My best tank in mine (automatic tranny) was 36.72 mpg, that was driving about 60-65 on a road trip.

I took it up to Montana from Phoenix doing mostly 80 mph (it didn't have much power in the mountains at all) but I pushed it hard that trip last summer and got 32-33 mpg average.

Do some drain and refills on the tranny every oil change for maybe 3 oil changes to get that old stuff out. It's a big Allen key on the transmission pan to drain it, and about 2 1/2 quarts comes out. I used Valvoline MaxLife ATF in mine.

It take ATF for power steering fluid. Do not use power steering fluid in it.

Replace the timing belt if it has not been replaced. You can buy a kit and change out the water pump and tensioner/ idler pulley at the same time. Not too hard of a job either. This is NOT an interference motor though.


Nick, I have to ask...why did you end up trading your Camry? It seems like you had a good car that was paid for. Just curious.
 
Originally Posted By: gregk24
Originally Posted By: Nick1994
This engine was not back-specced to a 20 weight oil, I owned a 97' Camry with the same engine that I sold this past summer. Had 197k miles and ran like a champ, you've got a great car there.

Run a 5w30 oil and a good oil filter. Have no worries with running a synthetic either. Drain plug is a 14mm.

My best tank in mine (automatic tranny) was 36.72 mpg, that was driving about 60-65 on a road trip.

I took it up to Montana from Phoenix doing mostly 80 mph (it didn't have much power in the mountains at all) but I pushed it hard that trip last summer and got 32-33 mpg average.

Do some drain and refills on the tranny every oil change for maybe 3 oil changes to get that old stuff out. It's a big Allen key on the transmission pan to drain it, and about 2 1/2 quarts comes out. I used Valvoline MaxLife ATF in mine.

It take ATF for power steering fluid. Do not use power steering fluid in it.

Replace the timing belt if it has not been replaced. You can buy a kit and change out the water pump and tensioner/ idler pulley at the same time. Not too hard of a job either. This is NOT an interference motor though.


Nick, I have to ask...why did you end up trading your Camry? It seems like you had a good car that was paid for. Just curious.
I sold the Camry because the transmission was mistreated by previous owners and was shifting hard, when I got it and did a drain and refill the transmission fluid what came out literally looked like 100% chocolate milk. I finally did some drain and refills and got the fluid looking good but it didn't help the shifting. It also had a suspected clogged catalytic converter not giving me much power, and the A/C compressor was going out after all those miles, it made a ton of noise and cut my power output and dragged a lot and also the rear control arm bushings were making a ton of noise. I really liked the car but the cost of all those repairs was not going to make much sense on a high mileage older car. I don't think the transmission was going to grenade really soon, but you can never be too sure, it shifted ok, just sometimes it was really hard and acted weird. My daily commute also increased and in town and some highway commuting only averaged ~23-24 mpg. I decided to sell it and put the money into fixing the flywheel on the Beetle and making it my daily driver getting nearly 40 mpg. It was my aunts car so there's no payment, it's paid for too. I really wished I could have made the Camry work out, I wanted to take it to 300k miles, that was the goal.

Oh, and I also bought it for $1,700 and sold it for $2,100
cool.gif
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: Nick1994
Originally Posted By: gregk24
Originally Posted By: Nick1994
This engine was not back-specced to a 20 weight oil, I owned a 97' Camry with the same engine that I sold this past summer. Had 197k miles and ran like a champ, you've got a great car there.

Run a 5w30 oil and a good oil filter. Have no worries with running a synthetic either. Drain plug is a 14mm.

My best tank in mine (automatic tranny) was 36.72 mpg, that was driving about 60-65 on a road trip.

I took it up to Montana from Phoenix doing mostly 80 mph (it didn't have much power in the mountains at all) but I pushed it hard that trip last summer and got 32-33 mpg average.

Do some drain and refills on the tranny every oil change for maybe 3 oil changes to get that old stuff out. It's a big Allen key on the transmission pan to drain it, and about 2 1/2 quarts comes out. I used Valvoline MaxLife ATF in mine.

It take ATF for power steering fluid. Do not use power steering fluid in it.

Replace the timing belt if it has not been replaced. You can buy a kit and change out the water pump and tensioner/ idler pulley at the same time. Not too hard of a job either. This is NOT an interference motor though.


Nick, I have to ask...why did you end up trading your Camry? It seems like you had a good car that was paid for. Just curious.
I sold the Camry because the transmission was mistreated by previous owners and was shifting hard, when I got it and did a drain and refill the transmission fluid what came out literally looked like 100% chocolate milk. I finally did some drain and refills and got the fluid looking good but it didn't help the shifting. It also had a suspected clogged catalytic converter not giving me much power, and the A/C compressor was going out after all those miles, it made a ton of noise and cut my power output and dragged a lot and also the rear control arm bushings were making a ton of noise. I really liked the car but the cost of all those repairs was not going to make much sense on a high mileage older car. I don't think the transmission was going to grenade really soon, but you can never be too sure, it shifted ok, just sometimes it was really hard and acted weird. My daily commute also increased and in town and some highway commuting only averaged ~23-24 mpg. I decided to sell it and put the money into fixing the flywheel on the Beetle and making it my daily driver getting nearly 40 mpg. It was my aunts car so there's no payment, it's paid for too. I really wished I could have made the Camry work out, I wanted to take it to 300k miles, that was the goal.

Oh, and I also bought it for $1,700 and sold it for $2,100
cool.gif



Ok, I got it. I hadn't been keeping track of all that, glad the VW is working out for you though.
 
I've got the 95 version. It is my DD and I second all that Nick said. Pretty easy car to work on. I've used Super Tech Synthetic 5-30 since I got it in 2012. I did run a few short OCI's PYB to clean it up. 50k plus miles since and all is good. I just had a UOA done. PM your email and I'll send it to you. Was very good with 7200 or so miles on the oil.
 
Originally Posted By: gregk24
If TOYOTA backspecked that engine to use a 5w20 / 0w20 then you will be fine. I would however, be inclined to used the Xw20 weight in the winter and use 5w30 in the summer. Some engines are built to run on a Xw20, others are 'tolerant' of it per se. For instance, Hondas 2.3 that was used in the 1998-2002 Accord was speced for 5w30, but in 2002 Honda changed that spec to 5w20 even though nothing was internally changed on that engine. When Honda started producing the K24, different engine class all together, they originally spec'ed it to run on 5w20. So since your engine was originally specked to use a 30 grade, thats probably what I would stick to during the summer months, with a 20 grade in the fall/winter. JMHO.


^ well reasoned answer, and worth listening to.
 
My grandson has a 2002 Camry V-6 190K and he uses M1 5-30 at 10K OCIs. The engine runs great but their has been many isues with the car as a whole.
 
Originally Posted By: bigt61
The OP is in Miami. Winter is not an issue unless he moves. I'd use 5W-30 year round.


+1, I've been to Miami in the winter and it's a heck of lot warmer than winter in NJ
smirk.gif
. My 1996 Zetec 2L Contour was not back spec'd for 5W-20 for a number of years after Ford back spec'd most of their pre 2002 engines. I still run 5W-30 and get 36+ mpg on trips doing 75+mph. Locally I get 28 mpg. That hesitation on back spec'g the Zetec engine did not give me warm and fuzzy feelings about using 5W-20 when they did finally back spec it. I however run 0/5W-20 in my two Ford trucks that were spec'd for that weight.

Whimsey
 
I would use Mobil I 0w-30. Mobil 5w-30 would be a good choice also, but 0w-30 will flow better at start-up even in Florida.. Both are readily available at Walmart in the 5qt jug. Use the whole 5 qts if engine calls for 4qts +. Won't hurt a thing and you won't have a partial jug sitting around. Regards
 
I used Mobil Super HM 5w30 on one oil change and then switched over to Pennzoil Ultra. Engine take 3.8 quarts but I always put in 4.
 
Hey you guys, Thanks for the input! I'm going to go with the 0-30 being that I do live in Miami so the oil wont start wearing down from the heat, and I wont have no unnecessary cold start wear.

Nick That is some great Mileage... I'm going to be saving gas with this car!!
smile.gif


If I were to install an oil cooler then i would use 0-20 but why go through all that when i could just buy 0-30...
 
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