Road trip with 4k miles on oil already

Shucks18 said:
Hey guys I’m looking for someone to either calm my nerves or recommend some advice. Going on a roadtrip tomorrrow around 800 miles one way, I have 4k miles on my oil. It’s a 1994 Lexus ls400 v8, running Quaker state euro 5w40, with a fram enduro synthetic filter rated for I think 20k miles. I’m 4k mile oci guy, but the reason I switched to a euro 5w40 and fram enduro filter is to be able to run longer oil changes. What would you guys do? The majority of the 4k miles is from my road trip to Colorado from Illinois and some city miles. My trip is going to be high speed 85mph the whole way. Would it be fine if I just changed the oil but not the filter?? Thanks.
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You have one of the best cars ever made using oil that is far superior to what it was supposed to have back in 94. Drive on.
 
Shucks18 said:
Hey guys I’m looking for someone to either calm my nerves or recommend some advice. Going on a roadtrip tomorrrow around 800 miles one way, I have 4k miles on my oil. It’s a 1994 Lexus ls400 v8, running Quaker state euro 5w40, with a fram enduro synthetic filter rated for I think 20k miles. I’m 4k mile oci guy, but the reason I switched to a euro 5w40 and fram enduro filter is to be able to run longer oil changes. What would you guys do? The majority of the 4k miles is from my road trip to Colorado from Illinois and some city miles. My trip is going to be high speed 85mph the whole way. Would it be fine if I just changed the oil but not the filter?? Thanks.
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Sorry to be the last guy to the party. I would take the trip and not worry. Change your oil and filter when you get back. You'll be fine.

By the way, not that other types of driving would change my advice, but highway miles are the easiest miles an engine can do.
 
I'm starting my trip to TX. It's 1000 miles to GA (our approximate halfway point) from Upstate NY, and then another 815 miles from there to TX.

My 5k OCI change is "due" in 1249 miles so that kind of worked out because I'm doing my oil change after a piston soak while in TX, soon as we get there.
 
@MrBaumTastic What's a "piston soak"? I'm at an age where you might find me soaking any number of things. Last night, it was dried mulberries. Tonight, it's my feet (not with the dried mulberries). But I have never soaked a piston.

Merry Christmas. :)
 
Marrk said:
@MrBaumTastic What's a "piston soak"? I'm at an age where you might find me soaking any number of things. Last night, it was dried mulberries. Tonight, it's my feet (not with the dried mulberries). But I have never soaked a piston.

Merry Christmas. :)
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It's where you pour solvent chemicals in the cylinders through the spark plug hole to dissolve or break up carbon build up on the piston crown and in the rings. By many accounts, it works very well. But results will vary. I'm not expecting much, but if I could cut my consumption in half that would be a win. Anything less than that wouldnt be very noticeable.

So that would be 2.5 - 5 qts of oil use over a 5k OCI vs the current average of between 5 - 10qts.
 
MrBaumTastic said:
It's where you pour solvent chemicals in the cylinders through the spark plug hole to dissolve or break up carbon build up on the piston crown and in the rings. By many accounts, it works very well. But results will vary. I'm not expecting much, but if I could cut my consumption in half that would be a win. Anything less than that wouldnt be very noticeable.

So that would be 2.5 - 5 qts of oil use over a 5k OCI vs the current average of between 5 - 10qts.
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Did you check for any cylinder scoring?
 
dnewton3 said:
The OP should do what he wants. But reasonable examples exist to indicate that 4k mile OCIs in the 1UZ-FE using premium syns and top tier filters is a complete waste of time and money.



I've run ST and RK dino lubes way longer than many BITOGers would ever run a syn. And yet nothing bad ever happened.

I ran ST dino oil for 12k miles not long ago in my 2018 Taurus 3.5L n/a. UOA came back with very desirable results.
dnewton3

Thread 'Ford 3.5L at 31k miles / SuperTech 5w-20 at 11.8k miles'

Here's the first UOA on my 2018 Taurus; naturally aspirated 3.5L Cyclone v-6.
Mix of city/hwy driving. Was in the crankcase for about a year.

Rich (BB code): 
Veh Miles 31k
OCI miles 11.8k 
filter TG
oil brnd ST
oil grade 5w-20
oil base conv

Alum 5
Chromium 0
Iron 9
Copper 6
Lead 0
Tin 0
Moly 39
Nickle 0
Manganese 3
Silver 0
Titanium 0
Potassium 0
Boron 42
Silicon 38
Sodium 3
Calcium 1396
Magnesium 435
Phos 758
Zinc 876
Barium 0

Vis at 210F 54.0
Vis at 100C 8.49
Flash Point 440
Fuel  Antifreeze 0
Water 0
Insolubles .2

As you can see, conventional ST 5w-20 is more than up to the task. Nearly 12k...
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Here I ran RK dino oil in my two 4.6L MGMs (mine and my wife's) for 10k miles, and then Peak syn also for 10k miles. Absolutely no statistical difference in performance regarding wear control.
dnewton3

Thread '5w-20; Ford 4.6L engines; UOA testing'

Here are two UOAs from our cars at home. These are both 4.6L MGM cars; one an '05 and the other an '07, both identically equipped. My wife and I both drive nearly identical routes to work; about 32 miles each way and we only diverge in the last mile (she goes east and I go west). Because she occasionally works from home, I even drive her car to balance out the miles. One was run on dino oil; the other car was run on synthetic.

Tell me, if you can, which sample is the syn and which the dino oil? Which is a brand-name lube and which a house brand? Tell me, if you think you can discern from...

Back in 2013, I ran ST dino oil and a MC400 filter for 15k miles in my wife's Villager (Nissan 3.0L).
UOA came back fine: https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/threads/st-5w-30-15k-miles-villager-245k-miles.205991/


I am NOT saying that the OP should just blindly run 20k miles on his oil and filter. What I'm saying is that worrying about a 4k mile OCI getting "extended" by 1k miles, in one of the best engines Toyota ever made, using a fantastic lube and excellent filter should NOT, BY ANY STRETCH, be a reason to change oil before his trip. If dino oils can go up 10k-15k miles in other well-respected engines, there's no reason to believe that his situation would be anything but safe.

Again - he should do what he wants. But what he wants and what the engine needs are two completely different things.
Don't feed his phobia; we owe him a reasonable assessment of his question.
There is ZERO reason to change the oil before the trip.
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Your results likely pissed off those folks crying about conventional/syn blend causing varnish and “ring sticking.” According to them your cars should be burning a quart every 150 miles by now. ;)
 
OilStainedNapkin said:
Your results likely pissed off those folks crying about conventional/syn blend causing varnish and “ring sticking.” According to them your cars should be burning a quart every 150 miles by now. ;)
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What’s up with this thread hijacking. The answer to his concerns is just buy a 90s-2000s Toyota timing belt era engine not have to worry about covering up inherent engine flaws with oil typss
 
I have definitely matured as far as this topic goes. Got 7k miles on the oil, double the mileage I’d usually run in any of my cars and I’m feeling confident. Topped off with a quart of 10w40. Not sure if I should run till 10k or change the oil and filter, or just change the oil and leave the fram enduro filter that’s rated for 25k miles.
 
For the last tank of gas on the trip maybe redline si1 or techron since you will be changing the oil upon your return
 
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