Hopping a 737 Today. Haven’t Flown Commercially since 2002.

[john_pifer]

I think very soon I’ll go ahead and use the M1-AP 5W-30 I have in the garage that I got during the Auto Zone clearance sale last year. I’ll probably just leave it in until the truck hits 10,000 miles. That’ll make oil changes and tire rotations easy.

 

[SZR48207]

I think very soon I’ll go ahead and use the M1-AP 5W-30 I have in the garage that I got during the Auto Zone clearance sale last year. I’ll probably just leave it in until the truck hits 10,000 miles. That’ll make oil changes and tire rotations easy.

Factory oil spec should be 0W20 @ 10K intervals, though, right?

FWIW I see no reason why you can't run 5W30 since this engine has been spec'd for that in the past.

 

[john_pifer]

Factory oil spec should be 0W20 @ 10K intervals, though, right?

FWIW I see no reason why you can't run 5W30 since this engine has been spec'd for that in the past.

Yes, and I’ve been running M1-EP 5W-30 in my Tacoma at 10K OCIs for years. And the 4Runner actually holds more oil - 7 qts vs. the 5.5 qts in my Tacoma. That could be due to them spec’ing 20W in the 4R, despite the fact that it’s virtually the same engine.

The manual seems to allow for some discretion when it comes to viscosity if you’re driving at high speeds (who decides what constitutes high speeds?) or extreme loads (again, no specifics are given).

I’ve attached the page from the manual.

It seems to me to be deliberately ambiguous. And that’s fine by me.

Running the same oil in both trucks makes things easy.

 

[02SE]

Regarding your 4Runner feeling sluggish, that's mostly due to the DBW programming. Having a soft response improves the MPG. Of course you can deliberately put your foot down and it will accelerate respectably. It's never going to accelerate like a Sportbike...

There are products such as the Pedal Commander, Sprint Booster, etc. Which you can install between the gas pedal and the the wiring harness, which will make the gas pedal action more responsive.

As for the 1GR-FE in the Tacoma and the 1GR-FE in the the 5th gen 4Runner being virtually the same, they really aren't. Despite sharing the 1GR-FE designation, the Tacoma is Single VVT-i, and the 5th gen 4Runner is Dual VVT-i.

It doesn't sound like much difference, but the 1GR-FE W/Dual VVT-i in the 5th gen 4Runner has a different block, crankshaft, pistons, cylinder heads, intake, and exhaust, etc.

Part of the reason that allows the specing of 0w20 on the Dual VVT-i 1GR-FE, is due to improvements in cooling in the block, and less friction in the valvetrain due to roller rockers, with hydraulic valve lash adjusters. However, the same engine is approved up to 15w40 in Puerto Rico, and 20w50 in the Australian market.

Our 0w20 spec is CAFE and EPA driven.

Re: Embraer Regional Jets. I've been on thousands of flights in those, and I'm still alive. Please keep up the good work...

 

[john_pifer]

Regarding your 4Runner feeling sluggish, that's mostly due to the DBW programming. Having a soft response improves the MPG. Of course you can deliberately put your foot down and it will accelerate respectably. It's never going to accelerate like a Sportbike...

There are products such as the Pedal Commander, Sprint Booster, etc. Which you can install between the gas pedal and the the wiring harness, which will make the gas pedal action more responsive.

As for the 1GR-FE in the Tacoma and the 1GR-FE in the the 5th gen 4Runner being virtually the same, they really aren't. Despite sharing the 1GR-FE designation, the Tacoma is Single VVT-i, and the 5th gen 4Runner is Dual VVT-i.

It doesn't sound like much difference, but the 1GR-FE W/Dual VVT-i in the 5th gen 4Runner has a different block, crankshaft, pistons, cylinder heads, intake, and exhaust, etc.

Part of the reason that allows the specing of 0w20 on the Dual VVT-i 1GR-FE, is due to improvements in cooling in the block, and less friction in the valvetrain due to roller rockers, with hydraulic valve lash adjusters. However, the same engine is approved up to 15w40 in Puerto Rico, and 20w50 in the Australian market.

Our 0w20 spec is CAFE and EPA driven.

Re: Embraer Regional Jets. I've been on thousands of flights in those, and I'm still alive. Please keep up the good work...

Good information. Thanks.

I had read about some of those differences in the single vs. dual VVT-i versions of the engine. I did not know that there had been improvements to cooling.

@02SE - As a Toyota mechanic, in your opinion, do these changes made to the ”Gen 2” 1GR-FE contribute significantly to either reliability, longevity, or both?

I’ll tell you this - it certainly has a different sound, in nearly all regimes of operation, from when it starts (must have a different starter?), to idle, to acceleration. Actually even seems a bit noisier or possibly more “mechanical”, at some times, if that makes any sense.

I’ve wondered if it will quiet down a bit when I put 5W-30 in.

 

[02SE]

Well, I haven't been a Mechanic at a Toyota dealer in a long time. Still have friends and former colleagues who are though.

I think all of the improvements to the Dual VVT-i 1GR-FE, do make it a better, more powerful, and more efficient engine. The original Single VVT-i 1GR-FE, had some headgasket issues. Those were addressed in the redesign of the Dual VVT-i version. The Dual VVT-i version came out in late 2009. It's been around for 11+ years now with a good track record. Good enough that I bought one too.

The valvetrain does make some noise. But I have yet to hear of a failure. A higher viscosity does seem to dampen the noise.

 

[john_pifer]

Well, I haven't been a Mechanic at a Toyota dealer in a long time. Still have friends and former colleagues who are though.

I think all of the improvements to the Dual VVT-i 1GR-FE, do make it a better, more powerful, and more efficient engine. The original Single VVT-i 1GR-FE, had some headgasket issues. Those were addressed in the redesign of the Dual VVT-i version. The Dual VVT-i version came out in late 2009. It's been around for 11+ years now with a good track record. Good enough that I bought one too.

The valvetrain does make some noise. But I have yet to hear of a failure. A higher viscosity does seem to dampen the noise.

Must have been corrected by the time I got mine. I’ve never had a problem with my 2007.

 

[02SE]

They had a headgasket revision. But the biggest change was the cooling improvements to the block in the Dual VVT-i version. That's not to say that headgasket issues were common, just that under heavy use the Single VVT-i block was more susceptible to overheating.

Keep the cooling system maintained so it doesn't overheat, and change the coolant periodically so it's not allowed to become acidic, and headgasket issues are unlikely.

 

[OilUzer]

I've wondered if it will quiet down a bit when I put 5W-30 in.

fyi, my Tundra became much quieter after 7 or 800 miles and still with the factory 0W20 oil. It was hard to believe. It just got smoother sounding with quieter ticks and less of a diesel engine sounds.

 

[john_pifer]

They had a headgasket revision. But the biggest change was the cooling improvements to the block in the Dual VVT-i version. That's not to say that headgasket issues were common, just that under heavy use the Single VVT-i block was more susceptible to overheating.

Keep the cooling system maintained so it doesn't overheat, and change the coolant periodically so it's not allowed to become acidic, and headgasket issues are unlikely.

Oh, I see.

Do you know if the improved block cooling changes were ever implemented in the single-VVT-i version? That engine continued to be installed in the Tacoma up until 2015, the last year for that body style truck (As I’m sure you’re aware).

I did do a coolant swap on my 2007 Tacoma once, in October 2012, when the truck had about 90K-100K. It‘s time to do it again. Actually, overdue. I think the SLLC is 7-year or 100K.