PUP 5W30 quieted Toyota 2.5L startup rattle completely

A

apollo18

Joined
May 27, 2023
Messages
381
Hey all got a 2.5l 2ar-fe in my vehicle and it had that bad startup rattle that Toyota says is normal. It would go away within 1-2 seconds and hasn’t effected anything. Originally was running 0w20 so I went to m1 afe 0w30 and I still had it. It may have slightly reduced with 0w30 compared to the 0w20 but it was still prominent.

So this oil change I found ultra platinum 5w30 on sale and decided to try it out. It’s been 3 days in a row and haven’t had any \ very minimal startup rattle. I honestly think pup 5w30 is perfect for this engine as something about the formula makes the rattle practically non existent.


Any ideas ? Or has anyone experienced similar effects?
 
A couple things to maybe consider…where do you live and how are the temperatures there right now? Have the temperatures gone up recently? I find that as soon as the weather starts to get a little warmer, little things change in my engines. Fuel economy goes up noticeably, and oil usage goes down. Engine start ups become quieter/smoother, and the overall performance of the engine seems more snappy. If that makes sense.

But yeah, it might just be the oil. I personally have switched to 5W30 in my Toyota that calls for 0W20 and although I don’t have the start up rattle in mine (yet), I have noticed no negative effects from switching to the 5W30…fuel economy has not gone down, oil usage has been the same (almost nothing). I want to try the PUP for my next interval, the only place I can find it is Amazon.
 
Normally I would point to the filter first, but since you left it on you could be onto something with the PUP. Could be the esters in it. The old Castrol Magnatec had a reputation for quiet start ups and was also thought to have some esters in it.
 
apollo18 said:
Hey all got a 2.5l 2ar-fe in my vehicle and it had that bad startup rattle that Toyota says is normal. It would go away within 1-2 seconds and hasn’t effected anything. Originally was running 0w20 so I went to m1 afe 0w30 and I still had it. It may have slightly reduced with 0w30 compared to the 0w20 but it was still prominent.

So this oil change I found ultra platinum 5w30 on sale and decided to try it out. It’s been 3 days in a row and haven’t had any \ very minimal startup rattle. I honestly think pup 5w30 is perfect for this engine as something about the formula makes the rattle practically non existent.


Any ideas ? Or has anyone experienced similar effects?
Click to expand...
Does that engine have a VVT-i setup on it?
Edit: So I looked it up and it does have the VVT-i setup. On my 1ZZFE, it has it also and I also get a rattle at startup that dissipates after 1 second…….tried everything and the issue continues. I also was told that it is normal (?)…….time will tell.
 
Last edited:
apollo18 said:
It’s been 3 days in a row and haven’t had any \ very minimal startup rattle. I honestly think pup 5w30 is perfect for this engine as something about the formula makes the rattle practically non existent.

Any ideas ? Or has anyone experienced similar effects?
Click to expand...
The rattle is coming from the VVT-i, as @incognito_2u pointed out. There are seals inside of the VVT-i that shrink over time just enough for the oil to leak back down to the pan when the engine is off. This is not a condition unique to Toyota engines, I've seen it in other makes as well. Pennzoil Ultra Platinum does not use a Dexos additive package as Pennzoil Platinum has, and therefore it has as much seal conditioner as Euro oils (more or less, they're not all equal). You will find that if you use something like Mobil 1 FS 0W-40, it will have a similar effect.

If you want the rattle to completely go away, without even minimal noise at startup, then use Mobil 1 EP High Mileage 5W-30. I found it to have the optimal amount of seal conditioner and base oil selection to completely eliminate the noise in engines with similar startup rattles.
 
Similar cold startup rattles?
Seal Conditioners in M-1 EP High Mileage Synthetic that eliminates cold start-up rattles?..... new one to me.

That does it! This oil now becomes Quad Action instead of Triple Action. Watch the News at 11:00PM for a Special Report.

If this is true, it becomes a game changer, especially for those with the HEMI cold start-up Rattle.
Could be Bye-Bye expensive Red Line for them. (y)
 
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doublebase said:
A couple things to maybe consider…where do you live and how are the temperatures there right now? Have the temperatures gone up recently? I find that as soon as the weather starts to get a little warmer, little things change in my engines. Fuel economy goes up noticeably, and oil usage goes down. Engine start ups become quieter/smoother, and the overall performance of the engine seems more snappy. If that makes sense.

But yeah, it might just be the oil. I personally have switched to 5W30 in my Toyota that calls for 0W20 and although I don’t have the start up rattle in mine (yet), I have noticed no negative effects from switching to the 5W30…fuel economy has not gone down, oil usage has been the same (almost nothing). I want to try the PUP for my next interval, the only place I can find it is Amazon.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the reply! I’m in the south and temps have been the same. To keep it a fair test I’ve been listening to the startup rattle when the engine is coldest whether it’s morning or late night and it’s very minimal now. And yeah I got it from Amazon !
 
where was a AC delco in there (cartridge type),,was replaced by a fram ultra,less restrictive flow perhaps?
 
Triple_Se7en said:
Similar cold startup rattles?
Seal Conditioners in M-1 EP High Mileage Synthetic that eliminates cold start-up rattles?..... new one to me.

That does it! This oil now becomes Quad Action instead of Triple Action. Watch the News at 11:00PM for a Special Report.

If this is true, it becomes a game changer, especially for those with the HEMI cold start-up Rattle.
Could be Bye-Bye expensive Red Line for them. (y)
Click to expand...
Is what he said complete BS then? Because I have the same engine as the OP with 1 second cold start rattle wonder what going on
 
Invisible said:
The rattle is coming from the VVT-i, as @incognito_2u pointed out. There are seals inside of the VVT-i that shrink over time just enough for the oil to leak back down to the pan when the engine is off. This is not a condition unique to Toyota engines, I've seen it in other makes as well. Pennzoil Ultra Platinum does not use a Dexos additive package as Pennzoil Platinum has, and therefore it has as much seal conditioner as Euro oils (more or less, they're not all equal). You will find that if you use something like Mobil 1 FS 0W-40, it will have a similar effect.

If you want the rattle to completely go away, without even minimal noise at startup, then use Mobil 1 EP High Mileage 5W-30. I found it to have the optimal amount of seal conditioner and base oil selection to completely eliminate the noise in engines with similar startup rattles.
Click to expand...
Can anyone else confirm the cold start rattle in a Toyota vvt-i is shrunken seal leak down?
 
My last Camry started getting blue smoke at start up when it was about 17 years old, switched to high mileage oil and it stopped and never came back for the remaining 5 years I had it. My current Camry is only a 2017 but if high mileage helps this cold start rattle 🤔
 
any toyota owner with the 2.5l 2ar-fe
you GOTTA try this pennzoil ultra platinum 5w30
i think our engines love it

it sounds amazing essentially no rattle on startup + sounds quiet af at idle and so smooth

the last oil i used was m1 afe 0w30 and this def beats it out of the water on a noise basis
 
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