Welcome!
Congrats on learning to change your own oil! Any good API SL, SM, or SN 5W-30 will suffice as long as you're changing it often enough. Valvoline MaxLife is a good suggestion, but personally I would use Quaker State Defy or Pennzoil High Mileage, or even the plain conventional Quaker State or Pennzoil (I'm a fan of Pennzoil/Quaker State oils). SuperTech (Walmart oil) is fine too, as are most of the parts store brands.
I really like Wix oil filters for your particular application, but Fram will work fine too. Fram Ultra filters would be good for 2x oil changes or 1 year, but I'd continue to change filters at every oil change while you still think you're having sludge issues.
If you are still having sludge issues, I would stick with 4 mo/4k mile oil changes. After a year or two you'll probably be able to safely extend that to 6 mo/6k mile changes. I like doing mine in April and October, when the weather is decent.
If you really want to extend your oil changes beyond 6 mo/6k miles, I highly recommend first doing a couple of normal oil change intervals with Pennzoil Platinum or Pennzoil Ultra (two of the best 'cleaning' oils in existence, in my opinion).
BTW, nice van! I enjoyed reading your other thread, it was informative and well written. Keep up the writing/blogging!
Looking for recommendations. Teach me!
- Thread starter Dapple
- Start date
- Status
I would stay with the Valvoline Max Life HM 5w-30 you have been using, and change it at 5000 mile intervals (as per the engine maintenance light). Toyotas are generally good vehicles. I looked your van up on CarComplaints.com and yours gets the "Seal of Pretty Good", which (I think) is their best rating. I read your other thread on how you've adapted it for a living space... ingenious! Hope your van takes you anywhere you want to go, for as long as you want it to.
Dapple, Welcome !!! and nice van.
Congrats on your first oil change, well done.
Your basic plan of a 5W30 semi-synthetic like Valvoline MaxLife (Red bottle), Castrol Magnatec, or Pennzoil Gold sounds good to me.
The 5K intervals are easy for those synblend oils above and should help clean things up slowly. As hinted by Toyota, 7.5K miles is not too much of a stretch with these good oils. But for a conventional mineral like Castrol GTX or Valvoline White Bottle (VWB), I would stick to 5K miles. Probably not worth getting a full synthetic like M1 or Edge or SynPower 5W30, unless you get a great price, then I would go the full 7.5K mile oil change interval (OCI).
Many here watch the sales, and stock up when cheap. Not so easily done in a van as space is limited, and an oil spill very messy. That's why I mentioned a few options above, so as to give you a few more choices if the store is out of one particular product.
I've never lived out of a van, but I did hitch through large amounts of the Australian bush with nothing but a pack and a sleeping bag (no tent). I did it for about a year, and I remember looking at people living in a car/van/truck and thinking they had a mansion on wheels. I thought I was doing it tough, until I joined the army and they sent me away to jungle warfare training, that's when life in the bush got even tougher. Still you can only get so wet, then there is nothing more to get wet.
Best of luck to you.
Thanks for all the replies! Glad you all like my van lol
Here's what it looks like under the cap: https://goo.gl/photos/7HWmsCCkUYCBjorUA
What I just put in there is MaxLife 5W-20. I had a few 5 quart jugs of it lying around from a really good sale, and someone had told me the viscosity of it would be fine. After reading the advice in this thread, I'm thinking I'll use up the rest of what I've got and then switch back to 5W-30? Or is that a bad idea?
The filter I put in was "Bosch 3330 Premium FILTECH" filter, which was said to match my 2004 Sienna. Definitely looking for filter recommendations too. (Thanks danthaman1980!)
More than I just did? I think it's your turn. :P
I had never heard of this before, thank you. I'm looking it into it now and plan to get right on that.
Originally Posted By: SatinSilver
What oil did you just put in there for the oil change and what filter?
Originally Posted By: SatinSilver
Please tell us more about yourself or PM is fine. Thank you!
Originally Posted By: SilverFusion2010
Change the PCV valve as soon as you can. Since you have some sludge, you probably have a clogged PCV which may be contributing to your oil leak.
OK, that isn't sludge under the fill cap I do not believe. My 1st generation Sienna has a baffle under the fill like you are showing, and mine has a black gritty coating that everyone thinks is sludge. It isn't. That baffle in your pic (on a 2nd gen Sienna) looks just the same. On the XMZ-FE engine there is no way to check for sludge except for pulling the valve cover off or removing the oil pan. You can't see the engine internals as that baffle is in the way.
I looked on the net a bit and yes, the 3MZ-FE also has a baffle with the coating.
Originally Posted By: Dapple
I'm thinking I'll use up the rest of what I've got and then switch back to 5W-30? Or is that a bad idea?
The filter I put in was "Bosch 3330 Premium FILTECH" filter, which was said to match my 2004 Sienna. Definitely looking for filter recommendations too.
Last edited:
"After reading the advice in this thread, I'm thinking I'll use up the rest of what I've got and then switch back to 5W-30? Or is that a bad idea?"
That's a good idea, IMO. Your van's engine has some years and miles on it now, so a 5W-30 oil (higher viscosity) rather than 5W-20 would be a good idea. The 5w-20 won't hurt a thing, just might leak or use a tad more than the 5w-30 would.
Maxlife SB is a good oil and a good choice for you and your vehicle.
I posted a stellar UOA from my old BMW in August 2012 using this oil.
Congrats on changing it yourself.
Many who like to call themselves men can't perform this simple but vital task.
You live in a place where the climate is moderate with neither real heat nor real cold.
A 10W-30 would therefore work just fine and if you find it at a deal, Maxlife 15W-40 would be fine for the warmer months of the year.
Just keep up with 5K drains and you and this old Toy should do just fine for some time to come. These V-6s seem to hold up very well over many miles.
I also wish you the best of luck in getting back on your feet.
Many of us don't seem to appreciate just how easy things are for us.
Originally Posted By: Dapple
Thanks for all the replies! Glad you all like my van lol
Here's what it looks like under the cap: https://goo.gl/photos/7HWmsCCkUYCBjorUA
What I just put in there is MaxLife 5W-20. I had a few 5 quart jugs of it lying around from a really good sale, and someone had told me the viscosity of it would be fine. After reading the advice in this thread, I'm thinking I'll use up the rest of what I've got and then switch back to 5W-30? Or is that a bad idea?
The filter I put in was "Bosch 3330 Premium FILTECH" filter, which was said to match my 2004 Sienna. Definitely looking for filter recommendations too. (Thanks danthaman1980!)
More than I just did? I think it's your turn. :P
I had never heard of this before, thank you. I'm looking it into it now and plan to get right on that.
Originally Posted By: SatinSilver
What oil did you just put in there for the oil change and what filter?
Originally Posted By: SatinSilver
Please tell us more about yourself or PM is fine. Thank you!
Originally Posted By: SilverFusion2010
Change the PCV valve as soon as you can. Since you have some sludge, you probably have a clogged PCV which may be contributing to your oil leak.
Oh and 5w-20 is fine. If you're concerned take this opportunity to do a 3k change which will help that cleaning process along.Originally Posted By: Dapple
Originally Posted By: SatinSilver
Hi there, can you post a picture of the converted van that you live in so we know you're not making all this up? Thank you in advance. And welcome back, it's been a while.
But I've found I differ too much from the vandwelling community's subculture to care for that label.
Those curious (or needing more proof, whatever floats your boat) might want to check out these pictures of my very first conversion, a 1980 2-door Toyota Corolla. Please excuse the haphazard website.
I never imagined a recommendation for oil would go this direction! I guess you all have had problems with other folks or something? I got nothing to hide, and nothing to gain by giving you false information.
That looks like Van life. But being mobile is good. Adventures await
10W-30 is fine in Seattle So much water around it hardly ever freezes hard there. Snohomish is another matter 
10W-30 is fine in Seattle So much water around it hardly ever freezes hard there. Snohomish is another matter - Status
Similar threads
