Oil for 1998 Toyota MR2 w/ 3SGE Engine?

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Hiya everyone! First time posting so please go easy on me!

Anyways, I bought a 1998 Toyota MR2 a few months back. Previous owner had obviously not taken good care of it, paint was in less than perfect condition and everything was dirty. Engine ran ok, no leaks. Oil was on the low end of the dipstick, but PO said it had been a while since oil change, so it wasn't such a big deal.

Drive home, changed oil in next few days. Oil came out thick and gooey, inconsistent viscosity and completely black in colour. PO said that he had put in Castrol GTX 20W-50 about 15000km ago which was way too thick and way to long. Changed to thinner GTX 15W-40, but still thicker than manufacturer ratings, and ran for a few months.

It's time for its next oil change now, so I was wondering if I should put 10W-30 (manufacturer's rating) or continue to put in 15W-40. After running the 15W-40 for a few months, there is no oil on the ground, but I see maybe 2-3 drops worth of oil in the spark plug wells around the spark plug when I pull the boot off. Not sure if this happened with the 20W-50 as I didn't check. In 3000km, car has burnt 1mm of oil according to the 2cm shaded part of the dipstick- don't know how much this actually is. I'm assuming that it's not significant amount.


So... 10W-30 or 15W-40?

I'm from Australia if anyone needs to know.

Also, a question on air filters. Old man says they hardly ever need changing, hasn't changed it on his car for maybe 3-4 years. I don't feel like I can trust him enough, so any opinions/ advice/ horror stories would be nice. Filter is in a terrible position so I gave up trying to check the condition of it.

Thanks in advance
laugh.gif
 
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Change air filter every year or so depend on ins just wait for repco or super cheap au to to have a sale on the weekend just past they ran out shell helix ultra 5-40 full synth for $27 a 5l bottle perfect oil for your car . Ryco z386 are great filters also
 
If its not excessively worn a 10w30 would be ok though the temperatures you guys see out there might make me think abiuit a 5/10w40. 50 is likely too heavy unless you you want to track the car in the midday sun.

Air filters get more efficient with age, so leave it as is until you next service the vehicle.
HTH!
 
So how long do you recommend keeping the air filter? Thing is, I have no idea how old the filter is, so I want to be on the safe side. Last documented service was 20,000km ago...
 
20k km is 12ish k miles - a decent filter should last double that..but..of the history is patchy/missing/unknown you might want to throw in a new filter and clean any leaves/dust/mice out of.the filter.housing while. You're in there..


Personally I always replace all.fluids/filters whenever I squire a vehicle, just to put my mind at rest before I start on whatever schedule I decide on for that particular.vehicle..

HTH!
 
First off, buy yourself a car repair manual for the vehicle. Second, read the section about the routine maintenance for that vehicle and become familiar with the requirements.
Third, I would at least check the color and condition of all the fluids and filters. Especially since it has not been cared for like you said. And Olas gave some good recommendatons to change the fluids initially and then you can maintain it per recommendations.
If I knew my air cleaner was not recently done, I would probably change it out when I got one on sale.
And a good synthetic oil in the 5w40 range should be good for all seasons in Aussie land
 
Castrol has some decent oils, GTX other than very short oci ive found not to be a great choice.

Mainly cause of plaque, Id say you motor needs some through Deplaquing as a result. you should get an oil that doesn't use a waxy base.
 
Originally Posted By: Mackelroy
Castrol has some decent oils, GTX other than very short oci ive found not to be a great choice.

Mainly cause of plaque, Id say you motor needs some through Deplaquing as a result. you should get an oil that doesn't use a waxy base.


Is plaque another term for varnish? I only ever heard.dentists talk about plaque another before now, and never in the context of cars/engines!
Thanks
 
In addition to above, my recommendations are:
Mobil Delvac 1 ESP 5W40
Mobil Delvac 1300 10W30 or 15W40
Shell RT6 5W40
 
Thanks everyone for your responses, really appreciate it.

Does anyone have oil recommendations that are available in Australia?

I usually buy stuff from SuperCheap Auto so if someone can go on their website and pick out some good oils in their stock for my car, that'll be great. Thanks!!!

BTW, the store's website ----> www.supercheapauto.com.au
(Pref. something that's cheap as well)
(Australian oils are expensive as f)

ty all
 
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GTX 15w40 will be fine in that engine and its usually available for a reasonable price. Its quite a different oil to the likes of GTX 10w40 in the USA. If you want a 10w30 I would use Magnatec 10w30 over GTX in a neglected engine. If Mag 10w40 is cheaper, buy that as there is not a lot of difference.
 
Go to supercheap, grab some valvoline engine armour 10w40, grab a ryco filter (my filter only costs $7) and Bob is your uncle (as well as the oil guy)
How many Ks are on it?

If you really want to look after it or if it smokes, buy a little bottle of liqui-moly MoS2 oil additive, amazing stuff and has worked wonders in mine and my old mans cars. (It looks like gray paint but don't worry)

As for air filters I just stick a ryco one in every 6 months or so. Last time I didn't change it for over a year I was getting bad fuel milage and poor performance, was a new car after I changed it! I do a lot of driving though (50k a year) so if you don't drive that much it should easy go a year or more
smile.gif
 
Car has 240k kms on it.
Interested in the LiquiMoly stuff that you talk about. What sort of wonders have happened to your car after using it?
I'm kind of hesitant to put any sort of engine oil additives as from what I've heard and read, they don't do much and can sometimes even do some damage.
 
Originally Posted By: kev090997
Car has 240k kms on it.
Interested in the LiquiMoly stuff that you talk about. What sort of wonders have happened to your car after using it?
I'm kind of hesitant to put any sort of engine oil additives as from what I've heard and read, they don't do much and can sometimes even do some damage.


Yeah 10/15w40 will be fine then
And it runs a lot quieter, smoother, a bit cooler and I use less fuel
If you read through the site you find out quickly that many people have had the same benefits and is one of very few additives that everyone can agree on as being good and not a snake oil
There are even a few good reads on here explaining what it does and how it works which are interesting and worthwhile
Don't hesitate to try it out, if you don't notice a difference just don't buy it again but it has worked for many, mainly on engines with a few miles on them
 
I don't know why there's so many 40 weight oil recommendations.

Australia gets pretty much to the same temperature as Phoenix (118-120)

Yes it's hot but it's not earth shattering, but if the OP were in Phoenix everybody would be saying 5w30

Use a 5w30
 
Originally Posted By: Nick1994
I don't know why there's so many 40 weight oil recommendations.

Australia gets pretty much to the same temperature as Phoenix (118-120)

Yes it's hot but it's not earth shattering, but if the OP were in Phoenix everybody would be saying 5w30

Use a 5w30


The deserts of Australia get similar temps to Phoenix but the OP is from Melbourne I believe, and it's winter here so plenty of cool rainy days (snowy in some parts) and frosty nights!
Even a 15w40 would be good for well below freezing point so I wouldn't worry as I've ran this weight down to -10c (low 20sF)

After 240k and a diet of 15w40 or 20w50, it would probably drink a 5w30, and wouldn't see any extra benefit over a 40 whilst costing a fair bit more.
My car specs 5w30 but I find 10w40 perfect all year round
 
Thanks everyone for your replies, getting to understand all this a little bit more.

From what I've read so far,
Castrol GTX = not good, causes varnish
LiquiMoly = good, makes engine quieter, smoother, uses less gas

So for my next oil change,
Valvoline Engine Armour
+ LiquiMoly MOS2
+ air filter
+ check all fluids

Am I right?

Just another thing:
The previous two posts above me gives me the impression that the hotter the climate, the lighter the oil?
I always thought that it was the opposite.

And will there be any issues with a semi-synth causing leaks when I change?
 
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Originally Posted By: Nick1994
I don't know why there's so many 40 weight oil recommendations.


Cost. The guy has an old neglected toyota run on mineral oil.

Mineral oils in Australia are mainly 15w40 and 20w50, maybe the odd 10w30 but they are rare and will cost a little more. ACEA ratings are far more popular than API/Ilsac. There are virtually no "conventional" 10w40s 5w30s or 5w20s as found in NA, these all start as middle tier synthetic blend type products and are usually twice the price of our mineral products.
 
Originally Posted By: kev090997
Thanks everyone for your replies, getting to understand all this a little bit more.

From what I've read so far,
Castrol GTX = not good, causes varnish
LiquiMoly = good, makes engine quieter, smoother, uses less gas

So for my next oil change,
Valvoline Engine Armour
+ LiquiMoly MOS2
+ air filter
+ check all fluids

Am I right?

Just another thing:
The previous two posts above me gives me the impression that the hotter the climate, the lighter the oil?
I always thought that it was the opposite.

And will there be any issues with a semi-synth causing leaks when I change?


Should be good mate! And no it shouldn't cause any leaks. The liqui moly is good for stopping leaks, oil usage and smoke as well!

Correct! Generally the hotter oil gets, the thinner it gets, which is why 0w oils were invented for places where cars have to start in -40 :p
 
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