3700 mile road trip M1 10-30...

[Amkeer]

Hello all!

I just finished a 3700 mile road trip with the family in my 4 Runner. The drive was great and the truck ran perfect!

My question to all of you would be the consumption of M1 on this particular trip. I used just about 1 quart of M1 during the trip. The oil was topped off as soon as the oil level reached 3/16 or 4mm + - below full line. There was 1000 miles on this oil interval before the trip consisting of 95% stop and go city driving. No oil was added in the first 1000. The 3700 miles consisted of 98% highway miles traveling on average 70-75 MPH using cruise control.

Is 1 quart M1 used in the 4700 mile interval high? Should I change this oil now?

All feedback, complaints, insults, etc. are welcome!

Thanks


Daily Drives
-2003 Toyota Tacoma PreRunner XtraCab, Impulse Red, Peppy 2.7 Liter 4 Banger, Running Mobil1 Synthetics SS 5W-30.
ODO 4300 Miles.
-1995 Toyota 4-Runner, Evergreen, 3.0 V6, Running Mobil1 Synthetic SS 10W-30.
ODO 80500 Miles.

 

[quadrun1]

Welcome back! Glad to hear you had a great time.

What's the vehicle's history? Was it running dino before? What kind of oil change intervals?

Some vehicles see an increase in oil consumption when first switched to synthetic, which might settle down later.

For some vehicles, 1 quart consumed/1,000 miles is "normal", while for others, no consumption over a 15,000 mile interval is normal!

So it varies widely; even two vehicles of the same year/make/model can have different rates of consumption. How was your oil consumption in the past? Maybe some other 4Runner owners can chime in..

 

[Al]

Yea-some vehicles use more oil at highway speeds. Either way that's not bad. Really no reason to change at this point. Unless you have some type of undiagnosed problem (mainly coolant leak) that oil is good to go and should be in excellent condition. And don't forget you already added a quart of new stuff which is all the better.

 

[Amkeer]

Quadrun I bought the truck with 57000 miles on it. I am sure the oil used prior was dino and the intervals were extended.

I ran several short dino changes to clean the internals and also ran M1 Drive Clean Blend before using the M1 full synthetics. For the past 20000 miles or so the M1 has been the choice. When dino was run there was no oil added between changes since the dipstick registered full.

Do you think that maybe the synth is still cleaning some residue, although the engine looks very clean.

Al no coolant leaks. I flushed the coolant in April and replaced it with Toyota Red and Distilled water. I did use the Redline SL1 fuel additive before the trip and the first tank full on the trip. I noticed a large increase in MPG. Instead of 17-18 on the highway I was getting 21-23 MPG!

Thanks guys! Any others want to chime in?

 

[buster]

quote:

---

Yea-some vehicles use more oil at highway speeds

---

FWIW, my car will use oil when driving at highway speeds greater then 75mph on any oil. Even a 40wt oil will get consumed. I think its just the nature of the engine, especially toyota's for some reason. M1 10w-30 has been the best I've used as far as consumption goes followed by Amsoil S2k.

 

[JohnBrowning]

First do not be alarmed. 1 qt. over 3000-5000 miles is not bad at all. On newer vechiles with low tension second ring some oil consumption will go up at higher RPM's. I know the 3.0V6 turns preety fast at hwy speeds. This might explain this some. As far as cleaning goes I would look into Auto-Rx or Nuetra 131. These engines while very durable have developed a reputation for being hard on oil the last couple of years. This is especaily true when extended drains with dino oil are used. I would get at least one bottle and do the treatment. This way you know that your engine is clean and your seals are clean and pliable. THis will clean your all parts of the engine and it is very very gentle. It can even clean the ring area and behind seals. This would assure that your consumption is not from sludged up valve seals or gumed up rings etc........

 

[jsharp]

I've never really seen Toyotas use any oil to speak of but everyone is different for sure. My 3.4L 4Runner uses none but your consumption is hardly high.

Mine had 23K miles on it when I got it and for the first few oil changes it seemed like the oil was getting dirty very quickly. Now at 52K with the last 30K using Mobil-1 it seems to have stopped that.

Amkeer - is your 3.0L on the list for head gasket replacement? Toyota has a recall for certain years of that engine. It's worth checking into if you haven't. Even if they're not leaking now, if it's one of the affected engines it probably will sooner or later...

 

[williar]

The oil SHOULD be OK, but unless you want to get a UOA, I recommend changing it out.

 

[Amkeer]

Thanks for the valuable input!

Buster and John the engine would crank up with RPM's with the cruise control on. It would hit about 3800-3900 RPM's at 75 mph until the speed would balance then it was back to 2800 rpm's. I need to mention the truck was loaded on this trip, 3 adults and 2 small children along with a slew of luggage. I guess it does make sense that the engine will consume more oil due to the higher rpm's.

jsharp no consumption problems around town just on this trip it seemed to eat the oil up. I never had oil cosumption issues with my Toyota's. My 85 Toyota 4x4 Turbo Diesel 2lt never used oil even on long road trips. I used Castrol GTX 20-50 in it until it blew at 137,000 miles. (I will get into that at another time since I am getting more info on it from the new owner)

The head gasket campaign isn't covered on my truck. We ran the VIN twice. It falls under the earlier models.

My oil looks pretty dark I guess I shouldn't be to concerned right?

 

[Amkeer]

Thanks all for the replies!

I will change out this interval at 5000-5500 miles.