Help me choose an oil!!!

[mmmmike]

Which oil is right? Well that guy said people on here love details and helping figure that out so hear you go... help me decide.

I have a 2005 Toyota Highlander 4 cyl., automatic, front wheel drive, plain jane and I live in NC. Oil & filter were changed aprox. every 3,000 miles from new with 5w-30 Castrol GTX or Walmart Super Tech.

I heard about Auto-RX so thought I'd try it.
At 95k miles I changed the oil and filter and added one 12oz container of Auto RX. (clean)
98K - Oil and filter (rinse)
101k - Oil, filter, Auto RX (clean)
105k - Oil, filter (rinse)
109k - Oil and filter, Auto-RX maintenance dose (3 oz.)

So I am at 112k and I now consume about one qt. (maybe a little more) every 3,000 miles. I have been told on the Auto-RX forum that maybe I cleaned off some sludge from the rings and oil is getting by among other explanations. Could be that I'm over 100k and it is "normal" consumption. I find it interesting I didn't consume before Auto-RX.

There are NO leaks at all. Yesterday I noticed I got on the gas real hard pulling out of an intersection and I could see a real light cloud of "smoke" in the headlights of the guy behind me.

The fact is this... I now consume oil as stated above. I would like to use an oil that is less prone to consumption. One guy recommended Valvoline Maxlife High Mileage. I've also heard good things about Pennzoil Yellow Bottle and Pennzoil High Mileage.

I have no problem changing the oil every 3k and after using Dino oil for the entire life of car since new I have no prob staying with Dino. I heard in my situation there may not be a real advantage to going synthetic. That being said I'd go synthetic if it helps consumption. I just want an oil that will less or stop consumption whether it is Dino or Synthetic.

Thanks!
Mike

 

[Quest]

Have you ever consider checking/cleaning/replacing your PCV valve?
If not, make that your first priority and see if it improves on your oil consumption afterwards.

Quest

 

[Hokiefyd]

Mike, welcome (from a fellow tarheel)! I see no problem in trying either Valvoline MaxLife or Pennzoil High Mileage Vehicle oil. Some on here tend to recommend against these high mileage oils, but I've found some value in them. They've helped external leaks on some of my vehicles before, though I've never determined a decrease in consumption. I doubt you'd see an improvement with using synthetic oil, though they often do have slightly better NOACK volatility numbers.

Bottom line: I like trying either the Valvoline ML or Pennzoil HMV in your situation. Your Highlander probably takes 5W-30, and I'd use either that or 10W-30. Either would be a good choice with our relatively mild winters.

 

[mmmmike]

Sorry to leave that out. I just replaced the PCV for the 3rd time. I keep up with all maintenance regularly including throttle body cleanings (with Seafoam, love the stuff) and the like. I also have a K&N filter in it that was cleaned and retreated about 15-20k ago.

It is possible I've got a bad PVC valve. I did have a bad one once. Maybe I'll hit the dealer and get a factory one to play it safe. I know the PCV sucks off moisture but how can that lead to oil consumption?

Regarding 5w-30 vs. 10w-30 I had planned on going to the 10w-30. I also read an article saying the the closer those 2 numbers are the "stronger" the oil. Something about less chaining or whatever needs to be engineered into closer in number oils vs say a 0w-40. Just thought I'd throw that out there

 

[mmmmike]

I also see you are a Hokie

While I'm not my friend is and Lane Stadium is a great place to see a game!

 

[s2krunner]

Anyone know if thicker oil will help in this case?

 

[cryption]

Try a high mileage oil like Valvoline Max Life or Mobil 1 High Mileage. Stick with the 5w30

 

[qdeezie]

As far as the smoke goes, it's your valve stem seals that are probably worn out and causing the oil consumption. From my personal experience, Pennzoil decreased my oil consumption dramatically. That made me a believer in brands have an impact on oil consumption. Also, you have to keep in mind that when you change brands, for the first oil change, you might have a bit of abnormal consumption, then the consumption goes away after that initial brand change has occured. I can't really give a rhyme or reason as to why, but it happens. I would say to try Pennzoil (Either type, regular, hi mi, or plat) and see what it does for you.

 

[silvert4r]

I would try Valvoline Maxlife 10w30 for 2 OCI's and see how it goes. Top up as needed.

1 quart every 3K is not horrible but I wouldn't be happy about it either.

Good luck.

 

[Gary Allan]

Whatever you switch to next time, run it a couple of oil changes in a row, regardless of consumption. It's not always going to occur, but you can get some transitional consumption if there's different base stock components. It has only happened twice in my lifetime ..but I've always done extended drains ..so it's going to show up for me. I used 2 quarts in the first 6+/- months of my 14+ month OCI with Amsoil HDD. Not a drop for the back end.

Is the consumption linear or progressive? Or does it have no consumption up to some mileage and remain flat from there on out? There you can see the difference in one oil over another depending on driving habits and engine requirements. It doesn't happen often to your bread and butter NA domestic too much, but can occur.

I might have missed it, but what's the length of your normal OCI where you would detect quart/3k consumption? One of the oddities here on BITOG is when someone breaks out of the 3k/3m prison ...and then complains that they started using oil. Sometimes they were always using it, they just never drove long enough to perceive it before.

 

[jorton]

Originally Posted By: Quest
Have you ever consider checking/cleaning/replacing your PCV valve?
If not, make that your first priority and see if it improves on your oil consumption afterwards.

Quest


+1 and I would add checking/replacing any vacuum hoses associated with the pcv.

Exxon Superflo 5w-30 and Valvoline Durablend 10w-30 have very low volatility numbers, and one member posted he eliminated oil burning by running Mobil 1 0w-30.

 

[uart]

Originally Posted By: mmmmike
I have a 2005 Toyota Highlander 4 cyl., automatic, front wheel drive, plain jane and I live in NC. Oil & filter were changed aprox. every 3,000 miles from new with 5w-30 Castrol GTX or Walmart Super Tech.

I heard about Auto-RX so thought I'd try it.
At 95k miles I changed the oil and filter and added one 12oz container of Auto RX. (clean)
98K - Oil and filter (rinse)
101k - Oil, filter, Auto RX (clean)
105k - Oil, filter (rinse)
109k - Oil and filter, Auto-RX maintenance dose (3 oz.)

Re the oil. Valvoline Maxlife is a good oil and worth giving a try. It definitely wont do any harm.

Re the original problem. Honestly I don't think you ever had any kind of serious sludge problem to begin with. Seems that everything was well maintained, no problems with the crankcase ventilation and 3k oil changes, that engine would have been in great condition just as it was. I don't know what the obsession is with some of these cleaning products, I wouldn't use them unless I was trying to fix a known problem.

 

[mmmmike]

guys thanks for all of your input. i went with penzzoil high mileage yesterday and will see how it goes. the oil consumption appears to be linear but does seem to increase a tiny bit as the oil is more used. i am in the 3k prison. i was told that it is normal when you break out of this prison that oil consumption can increase because the oil chains are breaking down and becoming less stable.

regarding auto-rx... i drank the kool aid. i can't help but wonder if it removed some varnish or deposits from around the valve stem seals since i never noticed consumption until i used it.

btw... i set my profile to notify me when i get responses to these posts but it doesn't seem to work.