Toyota 0w-20 SM, 6,762 km, 2010 RAV4 4-Cyl

[IanInCalgary]

This is my first oil analysis. Analysis was done by Ramatek in Calgary.

Oil and air filters are Toyota. Oil has been Toyota 0w-20 for the past 4 OCIs. Last oil change was 2011-09-02. Oil sampled 2011-12-15 at 61,020 km. No top-up oil and no apparent oil consumption. 90% highway, 10% city. The car is not used for commuting as I ride a bike year-round (it is usually faster and I get 40 minutes of exercise per day as a bonus). I drive gently for the most part, and never flog the engine until it has warmed up.

A bit of history: The dipstick has had a gasoline odour since the car was new - not raw gasoline, but a gasoline odour. I was concerned about fuel dilution. Someone I work with has the same car/engine and his dipstick also has a gasoline odour. I went to Ramatek to get a sample bottle and David, the owner, offered to draw a sample on the spot so I took him up on the offer. I was going to change the oil in a few weeks when the OCI reached 8,000 km and take a sample at that time. David's way was easier.

Toyota recommends 8,000 km OCI regardless whether the service is considered severe or normal. I've been using Toyota's recommended OCI.

I was surprised by the results. I obviously have an air intake leak problem. When I changed the air filter at about 44,000 km the parts counter guy said there were 2 air filters for the 4-cyl model and my VIN wasn't enough to establish which filter was correct. He looked at my filter then provided what I thought was the correct filter. I'll be getting a new air filter (probably both types) tomorrow and get the filter issue sorted out then change the oil. I'll do a thorough inspection of the air intake system to see if I can spot any potential leak spots.
Code:


Ag 0

Cu 0

Pb 0

Fe 33

Cr 0

Na 0

B 0

Al 5

Si 25

Zn 1,083

Sn 0

Ni 0

P 1,156

Ca 2,910



Viscosity 7.4

Fuel Dilution 0

Insoluble 0.1

TBN 5.6

Oxidation 0

Antifreeze 0



Condition: Abnormal

Remarks: High Silicon (Si). Dirt in lube oil.

Recommendation: Change out air filter.

Change out lube oil and lube oil filter




Ian

 

[Lead Shoes]

Not a terrible report, but certainly not good.

At least you caught this problem early, and it looks like you know exactly how to solve the problem, good luck!

 

[ARCOgraphite]

Thats an easy 10000km oil. Look at the TBN. Dirty AF usually filter BETTER not worse -its changing the filter that introduces the disturbed dirt into the inlet. (unless a rat chewed thru it

. Check you filter and connexions though. Good luck.

 

[Radman]

Have you thought about 8,000KM on a 5W30?

 

[INDYMAC]

I would try another lab next time. There are way too many zeroes on here where there should have been some reading with their equipment.

 

[steveh]

Originally Posted By: INDYMAC
I would try another lab next time. There are way too many zeroes on here where there should have been some reading with their equipment.
The Zn and P look too high for a SM oil also.

 

[IanInCalgary]

As a followup...I replaced the air filter on Saturday, drove about 250 km, then changed the oil on Sunday with Toyota 0w-20 SM (I bought a stash of it after the tsunami so have enough for a few more changes).

There is only one air filter available from Toyota. Two part numbers are listed: one for the Japanese-made filter; and one for the U.S.-made filter. The only filter available is Denso (U.S.). The air filter was fairly clean, and marks on the filter element where it was held by the air filter housing were consistent with the filter being installed correctly. Inside the air fitler housing on the downstream side of the air filter (clean side) there is a permanently installed smooth perforated plastic sheet with what appears to be a fine plastic mesh on the downstream side. I can't give much more detail as I cannot see the downstream side of the sheet due to the configuration of the housing and the presence of the air flow sensor. I wiped this sheet with a damp cloth and the cloth was clean. Don't know what the function of the sheet it. The rest of the air intake system up to the intake manifold has no apparent leaks or loose components. I'm at a loss as to why the silicon is high.

My plan is to run this oil for a bit less than the normal distance, change the oil, then do a typical 8,000 km run and analyse the oil when I drop it.

Ian

 

[Acroy]

I am in a similar boat - High Si and metals, while intake system looks CLEAN. Most members here say "go find a vacuum leak" while one or 2 say 'don't worry about it'. Good luck!

 

[Brons2]

My girlfriend has a 2010 also, it's a 4 cylinder. Averages about 25mpg with the AC off in mixed driving. In the summertime (hot!) about 23.5-24ish.

She takes it to the dealer and they use dino 5w30 every 5K. I am interested in the 0w20 and it's promised 10,000 mile OCI, but 33ppm iron doesn't look so great to me. And it's only 6762KM...aka 4202 miles. Hum. I'm gonna see about doing a UOA on the dino oil.

On a side note...I like to ride my bike too, but it gets COLD in Alberta in the wintertime! What do you wear for your bike commute in the wintertime? Me, I tap out around 25F, even with lobster gloves and full foot warmers on, it's pretty uncomfortable.

 

[IanInCalgary]

Brons,

5w-30 may be OK in a Texas summer, but cooler temperatures result in low oil temperatures in this engine where 0w-20 may be a better choice. This car has the lowest oil temperature of any car I've owned. I'm going to be putting a temperature sensor in the drain plug at the next oil change to get some real numbers for different operating conditions and will report back to BITGO after I've got some good data.

As far as winter bicycling goes, I wear very little - light boots, windproof cycling pants (no long johns), a dress shirt, light fleece jacket, and cycling rain jacket. The amount of head cover varies with temperature - I usually wear a balaclava to cover most of my face below about -15C. Everything fogs up much below -20C so goggles don't work, and glasses really don't work.

The coldest I've commuted is -32C three days in a row a couple of years ago. When it warmed up to -20C I was thankful. The bike takes a lot of effort to pedal at low temperatures (I think it is mainly due to the tires) which helps to stay warm. It's also partly mental - if you know it's going to be cold you just deal with it. I'm getting too old for really cold commuting so this year I set -25C as my lower limit. We'll see what the winter brings.

Ian