Need Oil Recommendation

[mikesmith72]

I am buying a 2003 Toyota Corolla for my daughter, one of the first things I am going to do is change the oil. The owner has all the oil change records, she just took it to a quick lube place and had them change the oil with Pennzoil 5-30. The car has a 1.8 liter 4 cylinder, no signs of leaks and according to the owner, does not burn oil. The car has 135,000 miles on it. We live in Houston, so it's hot and humid most of the time. She will be driving in the city a lot, plus trips back home which is 30 miles of highway each way. I'm inclined to try Pennzoil Ultra since that is what I run in my '08 GMC Sierra and 2010 Mustang, but not sure if the switch to synthetic at this time is the right thing to do. Looking for input.

Thanks,
Mike

 

[J. A. Rizzo]

Originally Posted By: mikesmith72
I am buying a 2003 Toyota Corolla for my daughter, one of the first things I am going to do is change the oil. The owner has all the oil change records, she just took it to a quick lube place and had them change the oil with Pennzoil 5-30. The car has a 1.8 liter 4 cylinder, no signs of leaks and according to the owner, does not burn oil. The car has 135,000 miles on it. We live in Houston, so it's hot as h3ll and humid most of the time. She will be driving in the city a lot, plus trips back home which is 30 miles of highway each way. I'm inclined to try Pennzoil Ultra since that is what I run in my '08 GMC Sierra and 2010 Mustang, but not sure if the switch to synthetic at this time is the right thing to do. Looking for input.

Thanks,
Mike


Sounds like Pennzoil 5w30 has done well for this long, why not keep it up? I would use a better filter than the lube jockeys probably slap on there. Look for a Purolator, Wix, AC Delco, Motorcraft, or Toyota filter. There are plenty of good ones, but none of them are called Fram. You might consider a high mileage oil like Maxlife or similar. You can switch to synthetic safely if you like, but I don't think you'll see any advantages other than longer oil change intervals.

You also may want to consider bleeding the brakes and pulling in all new fluid to the wheels, spark plugs, coolant change, and ATF change if those haven't been done according to the maintenance schedule for the car. Assuming the maintenance has all been done pretty close to the recommended intervals, that should be a good car for your daughter for some time. Let us know what you do, and welcome to the forum.

Cheers!
John

 

[Gene K]

5w30 PYB at 5,000 miles or PU at 10,000 miles. I dont see anything wrong with either plan.

 

[Steve S]

Originally Posted By: Gene K
5w30 PYB at 5,000 miles or PU at 10,000 miles. I dont see anything wrong with either plan.
Perfect!!!!!

 

[Boomer]

+1 to Rizzo's recommendations on brake fluid, etc. Very important to do. Also make sure the radiator and heater hoses are in good shape. My son bought a used truck in great shape but after a year (about 95,000 miles) the upeer radiator hose blew while ascending a long steep grade at speed. Until he got pulled over, he had warped the head.

 

[Bill in Utah]

Any 5w30 changed at 5000 miles. I've tried a few extended OCI with the 1ZZFE with little luck. Even Amsoil does NOT recommend extended OCIs with their products. You have to change the filter a few times.

Personally (I have the same car) to be safe stick with the 5000 miles with any 5w30 oil. I'm doing longer OCIs but I think I'm going to back down to the 5000.

180,000 miles coming up and it still runs like new.

Take care, Bill

PS:

 

[Drew99GT]

Toyota rad hoses I've found are indestructible. Still have the originals on my 94 and their twice as thick as the ones on my mom's Impala.

The only thing I will add is, whatever you do, check the oil regularly and see if this Corolla is an oil consumer. I believe they had the issues fixed by 2003, but the 98-02 models were known for oil consumption. If you daughters ends up consuming oil, teach her how to check it and top it off.

Other then that, I'd keep doing what's worked before. IF you want to extend drains and it's not consuming oil, then I agree with Gene. 5,000/6 months with conventional (as per the owners manual), or bump it up a bit with synthetic.

 

[mikesmith72]

Thanks for the input guys. Definitely going to change the brake fluid, plugs, wires, etc. Probably all tomorrow as well after I pick it up. Just wanted to make sure another oil might be better for the high mileage, just keep doin' what has been done with a better filter.

 

[HTSS_TR]

Originally Posted By: mikesmith72
Thanks for the input guys. Definitely going to change the brake fluid, plugs, wires, etc. Probably all tomorrow as well after I pick it up. Just wanted to make sure another oil might be better for the high mileage, just keep doin' what has been done with a better filter.

Change all fluids, brake+transmission+coolant ... and spark plugs are good idea, but no need to change plug wires unless there are some cracks on the wires.

 

[mikesmith72]

OK, good to know, thanks.