Best HPL for Oil Burning Toyota 22RE

[AdmiralYoda]

I have a 1987 Toyota 4Runner with the 22RE. 4Runner has 98k miles, miles on the 22RE are unknown. I got it 25 years ago for dirt cheap since it needed body work and an engine as the head gasket let go and went full milk-shake. Put a junkyard engine in it.... I was 18 at the time and don't remember the mileage, probably at least 150k plus at this point. Maybe more.

I've always maintained it well with frequent synthetic oil changes but it has only been driven about 20k miles in the past 25 years, sitting for years at a time. I'm back to driving it regularly and it burns oil, as it always has. About a quart per 1k miles and the oil turns dark very quick. Not a scientific measure of the oil but it looks like it is overdue for an oil change at 1k miles.

99% sure its the rings. The oil rings are either stuck/coked up or the cylinders are worn. It runs great btw! Zero smoke at start up no matter how long it sits so I don't think it is valve guides.

• Did a 4 day B12 piston soak. The B12 drained into the crankcase very quickly. Kept adding B12 over couple of hours over 4 days. Not much change.
• Ran a can of BG EPR right before an oil change. Not much change though the oil came out looking like ink.
• Currently running a bottle of Rislone with the current oil change, just for fun.

I've used HPL's EC-30/40 on other cars and it worked well....but I only put 2k miles on it per year, tops. I'm thinking of jumping right to HPL's oil to try and expedite the cleaning of the piston rings (if that is indeed the problem).

So long story short....which HPL oil would be the best at cleaning? I know there is difference in Esters, AN's, PAO, etc. formulations for their different lines. Does one have the potential to clean better than another?

For example Supercar is waaaaaaaaay overkill for this engine, but if by nature its formulation has a tendency to clean a bit faster....I'll try it. Any thoughts?

 

[buster]

I'd use VRP first, since it's proven to clean rings. If that doesn't work, then it's not a ring issue. That will save you $ burning through HPL.

 

[Glenda W.]

R&P 4 full oci’s. Then move to HPL PCEO purchased during 4th of July sale!

 

[JavierH19]

I'd use VRP first, since it's proven to clean rings. If that doesn't work, then it's not a ring issue. That will save you $ burning through HPL.

It may take a while though. 3-4 5k changes may be needed given the results of others. Definitely faster than hdeo which took way longer for me.

 

[AdmiralYoda]

I'd use VRP first, since it's proven to clean rings. If that doesn't work, then it's not a ring issue. That will save you $ burning through HPL.

I did that on my wife's Mazda CX-5. An OCI with EC-30, an OCI with HPL Premium Plus, now an OCI of VRP since it is cheaper. Doesn't burn oil anymore.

But....22RE's are notorious for low oil pressure at idle by design and with years of wear I'm a bit nervous to put a 30 weight in there. The manual says use a 30 weight for 50F and lower, a 40 or 50W about 50F.

I put maaaaaybe 2k on this per year. Three to four 5k oil changes will take 10-15 years!

 

[The Critic]

At 2k/yr, it is going to take a long time for any product to work. A B12 soak would have delivered the most immediate results. Just refill with your usual oil and revisit in a year.

 

[Cujet]

Since you've already cleaned the rings, I'd move directly to M1, 15W-50. Although that may seem 'insane' its viscosity is on the lower side for a 15W-50 and it is known to work very well in engines that consume oil and/or have some wear. Along with providing good cleaning. Furthermore it has a remarkably low pour point and great HTHS. So it works in any weather. It is not 'too thick' like old school 20W-50's could be.

 

[AdmiralYoda]

At 2k/yr, it is going to take a long time for any product to work. A B12 soak would have delivered the most immediate results. Just refill with your usual oil and revisit in a year.

You are probably right...

But to satisfy my curiosity the question still stands. Does any one of the HPL oil lines have the potential to clean better than another?

 

[The Critic]

You are probably right...

But to satisfy my curiosity the question still stands. Does any one of the HPL oil lines have the potential to clean better than another?

It is my understanding that all of their oils clean equally well, but it takes time. Probably 20k to work, not 2K.

 

[AdmiralYoda]

Since you've already cleaned the rings, I'd move directly to M1, 15W-50. Although that may seem 'insane' its viscosity is on the lower side for a 15W-50 and it is known to work very well in engines that consume oil and/or have some wear. Along with providing good cleaning. Furthermore it has a remarkably low pour point and great HTHS. So it works in any weather. It is not 'too thick' like old school 20W-50's could be.

20W-50 is a common oil for these engines. Many would run a 5W-30 in the winter and a 10W-40 in the summer....when these engines were new! 40 years and 150-200k miles later I wouldn't hesitate to run 20W-50 in it during the summer.

It usually a toss up on what premium 10W-40 or 20W-50 synthetic is on sale at Walmart for my spring oil change.

 

[buster]

I did that on my wife's Mazda CX-5. An OCI with EC-30, an OCI with HPL Premium Plus, now an OCI of VRP since it is cheaper. Doesn't burn oil anymore.

But....22RE's are notorious for low oil pressure at idle by design and with years of wear I'm a bit nervous to put a 30 weight in there. The manual says use a 30 weight for 50F and lower, a 40 or 50W about 50F.

I put maaaaaybe 2k on this per year. Three to four 5k oil changes will take 10-15 years!

I see. I'd do with @The Critic suggested.

Or try Valvoline Premium Blue Restore for a bit.

https://partner.valvolineglobal.com/en/lp/premium-blue-restore/

 

[Mainia]

At 2k/yr, it is going to take a long time for any product to work. A B12 soak would have delivered the most immediate results. Just refill with your usual oil and revisit in a year.

I would say do the B12 soak AND put VR&P in, not his own oil. Your stopping the "process of cleaning" if you put in his old non known cleaning oil. We don't know if VRP will slowly soften the carbon on the rings and still work a small % by soaking/softening. $29 and Valvoline's top tier oils for a non-euro car. Doesn't hurt, but it could very well help, even with 2,000 miles a year.

 

[Patman]

If you’re only driving it 2000 miles a year it really doesn’t matter what you do. At this point you only need to top it up every 3-4 months. That’s not really a big deal in the long run.

 

[DirectRejection]

I did that on my wife's Mazda CX-5. An OCI with EC-30, an OCI with HPL Premium Plus, now an OCI of VRP since it is cheaper. Doesn't burn oil anymore.

But....22RE's are notorious for low oil pressure at idle by design and with years of wear I'm a bit nervous to put a 30 weight in there. The manual says use a 30 weight for 50F and lower, a 40 or 50W about 50F.

I put maaaaaybe 2k on this per year. Three to four 5k oil changes will take 10-15 years!

What a machine. Well worth preserving.

I put 450k miles on a 1988 Toyota truck 22RE (Fuel Injection). Then the head gasket went and I bought a new vehicle.

An old girlfriend had a 1987 4Runner 22RE like yours with a MT. She takes good care of it, last I heard. Convertible Hard Top. I told her to NEVER sell it, but if she did, to demand a premium price.

Massachusetts.
Your points about prior experience with HPL PP, and 22RE and low oil pressure...

I vote HPL PP 10W30. Now. Frequent filter change intervals at first.

 

[AdmiralYoda]

@DirectRejection Thanks!

And for all others...this is a pleasure vehicle and as such $$$ doesn't really matter as much. Considering I change the oil once per year I'm not too picky about the cost. I'll probably spend more on wax than I will any oil.

Considering I've already done a long soak of B12 and a run of BG EPR, it may not be coked up rings. The cylinder and/or rings may just be worn out. Since it runs great I'm not in a hurry to rebuild it...but if some high quality oil may help over time it is worth a shot.

I'm leaning towards HPL's PCMO 10W-50 or Premium Plus 5W-50. Just for fun.

Picture for everyone's thoughts so far...

 

[tired]

@DirectRejection Thanks!

And for all others...this is a pleasure vehicle and as such $$$ doesn't really matter as much. Considering I change the oil once per year I'm not too picky about the cost. I'll probably spend more on wax than I will any oil.

Considering I've already done a long soak of B12 and a run of BG EPR, it may not be coked up rings. The cylinder and/or rings may just be worn out. Since it runs great I'm not in a hurry to rebuild it...but if some high quality oil may help over time it is worth a shot.

I'm leaning towards HPL's PCMO 10W-50 or Premium Plus 5W-50. Just for fun.

Picture for everyone's thoughts so far...
View attachment 287438

Gorgeous truck. Never let it go.

I'd run HPL and do annual changes. Might need an early filter change around 500-1000 miles to make sure it's not getting clogged.

Even better would be to call HPL and talk to Dave and see what he'd recommend.

To answer your original question, my understanding is that as the price increases on the HPL offerings, it's just higher quality ingredients. More ester I believe.

 

[AdmiralYoda]

@tired One of these days I'll take the valve cover off to take a peek at how dirty it is inside. The 80's was the peak of emission gadgetry and this engine is covered in vacuum hoses, vacuum control valves and other doo-dads.

All of those hard and soft lines are now brittle as heck and most will have to removed to get the valve cover off. That means all new ones are going to go back on. It is on my to-do list.

Right then and there I'll have much better insight into the condition of the engine. If underneath the valve cover is clean than it is probably worn out rings and a rebuild is all that will fix it. If it is sludgy some cleaning might still improve things eventually.

Going to be time for a timing chain at some point anyways. This will dictate if it will be replaced with the engine still in the truck or on the engine stand.

 

[tired]

@tired One of these days I'll take the valve cover off to take a peek at how dirty it is inside. The 80's was the peak of emission gadgetry and this engine is covered in vacuum hoses, vacuum control valves and other doo-dads.

All of those hard and soft lines are now brittle as heck and most will have to removed to get the valve cover off. That means all new ones are going to go back on. It is on my to-do list.

Right then and there I'll have much better insight into the condition of the engine. If underneath the valve cover is clean than it is probably worn out rings and a rebuild is all that will fix it. If it is sludgy some cleaning might still improve things eventually.

Going to be time for a timing chain at some point anyways. This will dictate if it will be replaced with the engine still in the truck or on the engine stand.

Being in MA, how bad is the rust on it? Do you drive it in the winter?

 

[DirectRejection]

@AdmiralYoda beware of a plastic timing chain sprocket and possible burned valves from a warped exhaust manifold.

 

[AdmiralYoda]

Being in MA, how bad is the rust on it? Do you drive it in the winter?

This will take a minute to explain.

As I said above, I got this when I was 18. My father had an auto repair shop so we had access to a lot of vehicles people wanted to get rid of. This particular 4Runner had a TON of body rust and bad engine. I got it for $200 and put a junkyard engine in it. I had a 78 Camaro that I put together and had painted and my father didn't want me driving it in the winter...so this 4Runner was going to be my "winter beater".

I drove it in college but the body panels were just getting real bad. We ordered some Genuine Toyota full length quarter panels and front fenders as they were surprisingly cheap at the time. This was around 2002. As college kids do...I found another beater to drive and parked this behind my dads shop.

It didn't take long for it to be boxed in by other projects and junk parts where it got forgotten about until around 2013. My father was cleaning up the shop and told me to put a chain on it drag it out front to go to the junkyard.

As I was crawling under it airing up the tires and hooking up the chain I noticed that the floor and frame were mint. So since we already had all of the OEM body panels, I decided to fix it up and restore it. New rubber bushings, new weatherstripping, carpet, painted the interior panels and had the truck painted.

No rot, and no rust on anything important. The differentials have bit of surface rust and I treated everything with POR15. It doesn't get driven in the winter anymore since it was fixed up and now is a garage queen that goes out for trips when its nice out.

1st gen 4Runners hardly exist in the rust belt, and the ones that do are usually far gone. Believe it or not these are getting pretty valuable. Good examples on BringaTrailer bring north of $20k!