Did my valve covers recently and thought I would post pics for you guys to judge. I picked up this 1998 Toyota 4Runner a few years ago with 300,000 kms and I am now at 360,000 kms. Service history was unknown prior to me, but the truck seemed to be well looked after with some records of major work being done at the dealer. There appears to be minor discoloration, but doesn't seem too bad and no real obvious wear on the moving parts. I did notice some "gritty" parts in some of the crevasses, not sure if that's normal.
Due to the discoloration, I am assuming this truck may have previously been using conventional oil. During my ownership, I've only been using 5W30 Pennzoil Platinum @ 8000 km intervals. I'm guessing I shouldn't expect any further "cleaning" from this oil as that's what this engine has been on for the last few years.
I also checked all the valve clearances. Only 2 shims were slightly out of spec/borderline so I replaced those, so now everything is perfect. My last oil analysis has also been positive so hope to keep this truck going for years to come!
Due to the discoloration, I am assuming this truck may have previously been using conventional oil. During my ownership, I've only been using 5W30 Pennzoil Platinum @ 8000 km intervals. I'm guessing I shouldn't expect any further "cleaning" from this oil as that's what this engine has been on for the last few years.
I also checked all the valve clearances. Only 2 shims were slightly out of spec/borderline so I replaced those, so now everything is perfect. My last oil analysis has also been positive so hope to keep this truck going for years to come!