Toyota 5W/30, ~6200 Miles, 2004 Toyota Echo

[lndshark]

This is the first UOA I've done on our 2004 Toyota Echo 5-Door. We've owned it since new and it's always received oil and filter change intervals of approximately 5,000 miles. Blackstone got a bit confused with my oil slip as this is a Canada market car and its odometer reads in kilometers. Regardless, I think this oil ran around 6200 MILES, not kilometers as they stated in the narrative portion of the report.

My wife bought this car before we were married and had the oil changed religiously by the dealer (who at the time used Toyota 5W/30 oil exclusively) and I've continued that service regimen along with Toyota OE filters (90915-YZZF2). This car is driven daily, about 5 miles each way on rolling country roads with very little stop and go. Average speed is about 40 MPH. My wife tends to jump in the car and go...no mercy for this little Echo but in her defense (she's a great driver), if she didn't drive that way on her commute she'd get run over by the other commuters on this particular stretch.

I say that the oil interval on this sample is approximate because (stupid me!

) I forgot to log the miles and date of the last oil change. Ooops. Hopefully Blackstone's reminder stickers will prevent that brain lapse in the future. Their comments are below. I welcome any comments, especially about the fuel dilution and low viscosity (unless it really isn't a big deal).

I posted earlier about the use of the Toyota oil and got great feedback and it looks like this report confirms what everyone said. Seems to be a good oil choice for this car so I plan to use it in our new Subaru Outback 2.5i unless the group says otherwise. I get this oil for about $2/quart and filters run me less than $3 each (I'm a Toyota employee).

Thanks everyone for having a look!



Jim: After 6,000 km (sic) on the oil, wear looks great in your Toyota's 1.5L. Universal averages are based on ~10,000 km. All metals read in proper balance suggesting the internal parts are wearing normally. The only things out of line with this oil were a bit of fuel dilution and the subsequent low viscosity. Typically fuel under 2% so we doubt this amount poses an issue. The viscosity isn't a problem either. The TBN was good a 2.1%, showing plenty of active additive left. A TBN of less than 1.0 is too low. Try 9,000km next time.

Code:


Miles on Oil 6200 (approx)

Miles on Unit 83, 313 (134,377 km odometer)

Sample Date 03/12/2011

Make Up Oil 0 qts



Aluminum 2

Chromium 0

Iron 10

Copper 2

Lead 0

Tin 2

Molybdenum 16

Nickel 0

Manganese 0

Silver 0

Titanium 0

Potassium 0

Boron 8

Silicon 13

Sodium 240

Calcium 1653

Magnesium 7

Phosphorus 563

Zinc 636

Barium 1



SUS Visc 52.3

cSt Visc 7.97

Flashpoint 335

Fuel 1.5

Antifreeze 0.0

Water 0.0

Insoluables 0.5

TBN 2.1

 

[simple_gifts]

What is a 5 door echo?
Ah, I see.

 

[odie]

Looking good . Would think the dealer oil through the years to present would be MOBIL Clean(?) . We test drove a 4 door ECHO w/ the 4 speed auto years ago and liked it . Peppy . Ended up with a Corolla CE w/ 4 speed auto if I remember right . Thanks .

 

[Brons2]

Quite a bit of shear, 7.97cSt, flashpoint is low at 335, insoluables high at 0.5. Neither the oil or the filter appear to be anything special, although your car didn't seem to mind judging from the wear numbers.

I'd try a Group III syn and a Pure One and compare against this regimen. If you want to stick with what you have now then keep the intervals around what you did in this OCI and no more. $0.02.

 

[lndshark]

Originally Posted By: Brons2


I'd try a Group III syn and a Pure One and compare against this regimen. If you want to stick with what you have now then keep the intervals around what you did in this OCI and no more. $0.02.


Is there a Group III synthetic in particular that you would recommend? I'm not at all against changing oil (or filter), it's just convenient for me to source it. We'll see how this oil performs in the Subaru.

Any ideas on where the fuel dilution would be coming from? Leaky injectors? Marginal O2 or A/F sensor(s)? The car gets excellent fuel economy - 32 MPG in hard, in-town driving and close to 40 MPG on the highway.

Thanks for the input!

 

[greenjp]

Originally Posted By: lndshark
Is there a Group III synthetic in particular that you would recommend? I'm not at all against changing oil (or filter), it's just convenient for me to source it. We'll see how this oil performs in the Subaru.

Any ideas on where the fuel dilution would be coming from? Leaky injectors? Marginal O2 or A/F sensor(s)? The car gets excellent fuel economy - 32 MPG in hard, in-town driving and close to 40 MPG on the highway.

Multiple 5 mile trips daily could certainly contribute to fuel dilution.

Honestly there are many group 3 synthetic options that would work fine, the differences in an application like this would be splitting hairs. Keep an eye out on the Pep Boys/Advance/etc advertisement next time you're coming due for an oil change and get whatever their current "oil change special" is. This will typically be something like 5 quarts of Pennzoil Platinum/Quaker State syn/Mobil 1/Castrol Syntec and a Pure One or Mobil 1 filter for $20-25.

jeff

 

[goodtimes]

Same basic 1.5l engine as my Prius except Atkinson cycle head. If I was an employee and got good prices I would stick to your present plan, but use the longer Camry 4cyl filter, and the TRD variant if possible.Same exact filter except longer. The TRD is US made and appears very much like a Royal Purple filter. My 2 cents.

 

[lndshark]

Thanks for the replies everyone. I think I'll stick with 8,000 km (~5,000 mi) change intervals with this oil, maybe switching to Pennzoil Platinum the next time just for funzies for one run, and look into using the larger filter from the 2AR/2AZ Camry.

 

[JOD]

If you can get it at cost, you may want to consider the Toyota 0W20 oil and stretch the OCI out a bit. It's back-spec'd for your car, and it's certainly going to be a more robust oil. I'd agree this oil is looking a little used up, based on the amount of shear and the FP.

The 0W20 should get up to operating temps more quickly, and based on the short commute that may help the oil out as well.

 

[lndshark]

I won't see any ill effects from running a 0W20, will I? Sorry for what may seem like such a stupid oil question...my area of experience is powertrain tuning and not engine mechanical...no issues with running that weight in our hot, humid Michigan summers? Again, apologies for my lack of viscosity knowledge...I'm still reading all of the oil FAQs. Thanks again for the input!