Would like your advice...4 Runner

[smallsbag]

Hey folks...I'm new here so I'm going to follow the guidelines in the sticky and give you as much info as possible...

So, when you ask for advice, tell us about your car! The more details, the better. Here are the essential points:

1. What kind of vehicle you have?

07 Toyota 4Runner with the 4.0L six cylinder, purchased used a week ago. 38000 miles.

2. What your owner's manual says -- not just viscosity, but certifications (look for acronyms like API SM, ILSAC GF-4, etc.) and change intervals as well

ILSAC Multigrade, SAE 5w30 (10W-30 Can also be used in a pinch). The crankcase plus filter holds 5.5 quarts.

3. Where you live

NW Chicago, cold winters. Most of the time, the car will be in an attached garage that sees temps of around 22 at worst.

4. How you drive (easy? hard? fast? slow?)

I'm a very gentle driver. I take care of my stuff. I normally hyper-mile, with gentle take-offs and lots of coasting. During the winter, when the temps are below 30, I start the vehicle and allow it to idle for a minute to give the engine time to circulate some (synthetic) oil and begin the warming up process. I then drive gently until the coolant is at normal operating temperature. I have a Scan Gauge on my steering column, and I monitor my vehicle's condition religiously.

5. What your daily drive is like (short trips? long trips? city? highway?)

I drive in mostly light suburban to rural conditions, with very few lights, not much idling in traffic. That accounts for roughly 300 miles during the 5-day work week. Every other weekend, I make a trip of around 1000 miles round trip. It's pure freeway, cruise set at 65-75 mph. The 4Runner is geared tall, so the engine is turning at less than 2000 RPM for the trip. The coolant temp sticks right at 190 degrees Fahrenheit.

6. Whether your car has any known problems. No known problems.


The first thing I did after I brought her home, was change the oil. I did the same thing I did with my Mercury Grand Marquis...I changed the oil and filled it with Rotella Synthetic and installed a NAPA standard filter. For my Grand Marquis, I changed the oil every 10000 miles, always with the NAPA standard filter. I've used the NAPA Gold, but honestly can't tell the difference. They both appear to be solid oil filters. I put over 100K miles on the Grand Marquis. Oil consumption was nil. The original spark plugs, when replaced at 105K, looked brand new.

I would have kept the Grand Marquis forever, but I really didn't love the car. Never did. I LOVE the 4Runner and want to keep it forever.

My intent is to run the 4Runner on Rotella synthetic, with 10K mile drain intervals, NAPA standard filters, just as I did with the Grand Marquis.

My justification for the "long" intervals, is the nature of my driving. The oil is changed quarterly, as I put that many miles on the car in such a short period of time. Combine the short time interval with the nature of my driving -- low stress, gentle, not a lot of idling or towing, and the fact that I use synthetic oil...I'm thinking I'm on the safe side, and will end up with a truck whose engine will last a long, long time.

Do you all agree? Tell me what you think. Thanks in advance!

 

[casper]

as a past 4th gen owner and member of t4r.org....honestly, just put whatever you want in it. The 1GR and 2uz engines will run on anything.

Nice to see another 4runner owner putting alot of thought into it and the RTS would be a good choice.

 

[3Toyotas]

Low miler huh? Nice. What color did you get?

My wife has the same 4runner (shadow mica) with about the same mileage, and we've really liked it. Hiway mileage can yield about 21-22 mpg on a 4wd, if driven properly.
Ours now has Amsoil SG 75w90 in the diffs, 4 quarts of Amsoil ATL transmission fluid ( drain and fill ), all new Amsoil ATF in the PS system, and Amsoil ASL 5w30 and EAO42 filter.
What a difference the ATL transmission fluid made! Did the drain and fill this spring of which it needed it, and it shifts much firmer now. I would highly recomend this for you ASAP, as the Toyota WS fluid is not all that great. PS drain and fills also improved steering feel.

I live in Utah, and the wife drives it easy but most of her driving is around town. I've done one oil analysis this spring with the ASL at around 9k miles or so with OEM filter. Not so good, but yet it wasn't super bad. You'll want to keep an eye on your intervals closely, as Toyota's tend to run dirty for some reason.
No real problems to speak of, except the sunroof rattle which is taken care of via warranty. I beleive it's the ONLY rattle in the whole truck!
One thing i noticed when i changed to ASL motor oil, was the engine got much quieter than before. I don't know why, but it did.

Don't forget to change the plugs at 30000 mile intervals!

You may be alright with your intervals, but only due to your type of driving. Too many stop and goes really beats up the oil, but yet hiway driving doesn't.

I think you'll be fine, but whatever you do.....POST YOUR UOA results!!!!

 

[addyguy]

That engine will be under a warranty, and AFAIK, Toyo wants 5k miles OCI's for warranty.

Use whatever quality dino you can get on sale, and stick to the 5k changes.

 

[smallsbag]

3Toyotas, thanks for the info! My 4Runner is Driftwood Pearl (beige). I like it, but was really searching for a Shadow or Galactic Gray. The thing was, I also wanted the 3rd row seat (we have 5 kids) and a moonroof. From all my research, you couldn't have both in an 07. Then I stumbled upon my 4Runner, with both, at a Lexus dealership outside of Chicago. It's a factory roof. I don't know how. But it is. I had an aftermarket in my Grand Marquis. This one is bone stock. So I grabbed it.

About the transmission drain and fill, I've read the fluid is good for 100K and you need to take it to the dealer for the swap. But then I crawled under the truck and saw the drain plug. So basically, you're saying that's what you do? Just pull the plug and fill it at regular intervals?

For the PS, did you just pull the hose?

Thanks again!

 

[3Toyotas]

Sorry so late on the response. Haven't been on in a while.

That's what i did on the transmission. Just drained and refilled with Amsoil ATL fluid. Toyota CLAIMS the fluid is good for 100k miles; but one thing you should know is: They only warranty the trans for 60k miles,so after that you're on your own. Just ask some Mercedes & BMW owners how this situation went for them....... Blown transmissions shortly after the 100k mile service.
This will be my regime on the 4runner. Every year i'll just do a drain and fill, regardless of mileage. It takes like 3.5 quarts or so, so i figure it's worth not having the dealer do it later at a much higher cost. It's important to measure the exact amount you drained, so you fill it properly.

The PS...........all i did was use a shampoo bottle pump to pump the old stuff out of the reservoir, then refilled to the full line. To avoid air getting into the system, i just stop pumping just above the tube inlet. I've done it probably 5-6 times already, so i figure it's mostly new fluid now.

Oh, nice catch on the 3rd row seat model!

 

[Steve S]

4 Runners are real real nice.

 

[jstutz]

With your driving style, i think you probably made the same choice as i would have. I dont see any reason why your current habbit will not be great for your engine. The current rotella T6 is a little thinner than the old stuff making it even more perfect for gassers. There are plenty of options but the one you chose im sure will be very good.