Oil for Toyota Camry 2.4l

[ncirish]

The wife just bought new a 2006 Camry SE with the 2.4l engine. The manual gives a 5,000 mile service interval for oil. Does this sound right for a dino? I am skeptical to say the least. Also would M1 5w-30 be a good oil for this engine? When would the wisdom of the board say to switch to synthetic?

Thanks!!

 

[Pablo]

I say go synthetic. M1 or group 3 Amsoil XL 5W-30 or any good synthetic will work fine.

A good dino can go 5K....but your worry is valid. It will be close.

 

[LubeOiler]

I am not sure if the 5000 OCI applys to breakin. But do what you feel is right there.I too have a 2.4 Camry and would run about 3 OCI on dino at 3K till the engine breaks in some.If you choose to go longer then may be a good time.Since I switched to the Amsoil 5/30 (3000) the car seems to like it but M1 is good too.

 

[ChiTDI]

http://theoildrop.server101.com/cgi/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=011096;p=1

This site absolutely rocks!

 

[LubeOiler]

OK OK Engines don't show higher wear metal the first 10K than the rest of the cars life.

Cars today are manmade to perfection and the engines are prerun enough to not show any breakin wear anymore.

It is like the thick thin issue believe what you want. P.S. They don't recommend you drive differently for a while either.This is not a controversial post just a contraian view.

 

[JohnBrowning]

Between Ken4 and myself we have run everything from 5W30-15W50 and all of the oils have done just fine. In your climate I would think that Mobil-1 TSUV 5W40 or 0W40 would be ideal for year round use if you want a synthetic. If you want to use non-synthetic then I would recomend 10W30 and 10W40 from the following companies: Havoline,Chevron Supreme,Mobil 5000, and Mobil 7500. If you go with non-synthetic keep your oil changes to about not more then 3500 miles.

 

[IslaVistaMan]

The 2.4 liter 4-cylinder engine in the newer Camry is spec'd for a 5W-30. IIRC, the owner's manual should also say that a 10W-30 is acceptable, but that a 5W-30 remains the preferred oil.

Yes, the OCI for these engines is 5,000 miles, with first change at 5,000 miles.

JohnBrowning, are you saying you have run oils up to a 15W-50 in the newer 2.4 liter VVTi engine?

The reason I ask is because I'm interested in moving away from a 5W-30 and going to a 5W-40 in my 2.4 liter Toyota. Mileage isn't a concern, but protection is.

 

[Dad2leia]

FWIW IslaVistaMan, I own a Honda CR-V that specs 5w20 oil all of the time. The ONLY time that weight of oil was in my crankcase was from the factory, and I changed it at 1500 miles. I have NEVER left factory oil in any longer, no matter what that **** manual says.

I've had my share of vehicles and so far, none have went the way of the dodo by oil changing too soon.

 

[IslaVistaMan]

I hear ya, Dad2. I'm of the same opinion, and I've never had a vehicle suffer from a too-early change, either.

I live in San Diego, so my thinking is that a 5W-40 would perform better in the 2.4 liter Toyota engine. Valve actuation on this car is supported by buckets of varying thickness (similar to shim under bucket, but with no shim). No service interval is specified. It's warm enough here to where I think I can get away with a 5W-40 and benefit by it wear-wise.

Sure, running a thicker oil contrasts with the "thin is better" that some members have experienced, but I'd still like to hear from BITOGers who run vehicles in moderate to warm climates and have gone this route.

 

[ncirish]

The reason I asked is that this engine specs 5w-30 all of the time buts says that 10w-30 is ok. I want the warranty to stay intact so I figured a 30wt would be the best. Right now I have GC in my 1994 Nissan Hardbody but had heard that the new M1 5w-30 had been thickend up to around 11.0 cst and it is energy conserving and all of that rot. Here in NC 10w anything is generally a gracious plenty but we do drive to Pittsburgh some and it can get fairly cold there which is why I thought the 5w-30 M1 might be the best compromise.

By the way. The finance man at the dealership tried to explain that the sludge problem was due to faulty filters rather than a design issue. I smiled and nodded and called BS on him in my mind.

 

[daemonite]

i havent heard anything about sludge in the 2az-fe's of which you and i both have.

I've used GC with good results, Mobil 1 with excellent results and Havoline with excellent results.

I currently use a Motorcraft FL400S, 4oz of Valvoline Synpower Oil Treatment and 4 quarts of Havoline 5w30.

Oil changes were at 2500 miles, then 5000 and 10,000 and every 5000 after.

 

[Ken2]

ncirish,
5000 mile ODI is no problem with any top quality oil. Do be wary of off brand oil, especially quick lube shops that may buy lower quality oil in bulk just to lower their costs.


Ken

 

[SigShooter]

I have a 2005 Camry SE with the 3.3 L V6. I run Havoline 5w30 in it.The oil is barely discolored at 3000 miles. I would not waste the money on synthetic oil, and would stick with what the manufacturer recommends which is 5w30.

 

[Sumerduckman]

My 2003 Camry SE 2.4 with 5 speed manual trans has over 50k on it now, and has been fed 5w30 conventional and OEM filters at 3-5k oci since new. I have used whatever was on sale. It has seen Chevron/Havoline, Mobil, and Castrol with the Havoline going in next. I let it go to 5k in the summer, and shorten it up to around 3k in the winter for change intervals. It runs quiet, strong, averages 28-30 mpg and have not had a single problem with the car.

 

[The Critic]

Only the 3.0L and 3.3L V-6 engines are hard on oil, the other Toyota engines are quite easy on oil, for the most part.

I'd use Havoline 5w-30 and change it at 3-4K drains or 6 months, after dumping the factory fill at 1,000 miles. Chevron Supreme 5w-30 is also a solid choice at 3-4K drains as well, especially when its onsale at Kragen's for $0.49/qt after mail-in rebate. Both are very similar but the Havoline appears to be more robust.

Stick with the new, Napa Proselect ($2.50), Purolator Premium Plus ($3), or Supertech ($2) oil filters. No need to use the high-end filters such as the Wix, PureOne, M1, Amsoil, or K&N for drains less than 5,000 miles.

BTW John, why do you suggest a 10w-40 for every new Toyota? Any Toyota 4-cyl/6-cyl/8-cyl will work well on a 20wt or a 30wt, anything thicker than a 30wt in that application will give you no benefits and will reduce your fuel efficiency!

EDIT: A syn, changed at 5000 miles as required by warranty, would be complete overkill and would be a waste of money. Short drains of 3-4K with a quality dino is more cost-effective.

Michael

[ September 22, 2005, 06:59 PM: Message edited by: Michael Wan ]

 

[buster]

I agree their is absolutely no reason at all to run a 40wt in a Toyota.

Especially with gas prices going up.

 

[Bill in Utah]

A nice Dino oil or Blend changed every 4-5k would be the way i'd go.. (In fact I am with my 2005 Toyota...)

5w-30 is what I'm staying with. My UOAs show I'm doing ok and the MPG I'm getting is amazing!

Enjoy the 2006! (I'm thinking of selling my Truck and getting a Camry but the wife wants to keep it...)

Take care, Bill

 

[ekpolk]

quote:

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Originally posted by Michael Wan:
Only the 3.0L and 3.3L V-6 engines are hard on oil, the other Toyota engines are quite easy on oil, for the most part.
{snip}

---

While the 2AZ-FE is (was) a new engine, the previous Camry I-4 (5S-FE) also had sludge problems very similar to the then-comtemporary version of the still-made 1MZ V-6. I even saw one at my Toyota dealership, with its valve/head cover off. It was disgusting. The only shiny parts, and they were barely shining, were the lobes on the two camshafts. The rest looked like a giant mess of dark chocolate cake frosting. Amazing. I imagine the 2AZ was set up with painful awareness of the problems Toyota was then experiencing in the 5S engines. I have not heard a peep about sludge in this engine, so I'd be pretty confident with it. During wty, I'd run the max interval, unless you're doing UOA. Post wty, I'd run a 10k OCI or two with synthetic and a UOA and settle in on a permanent pattern based upon the results.

 

[asiancivicmaniac]

quote:

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Originally posted by Ken2:
ncirish,
5000 mile ODI is no problem with any top quality oil. Do be wary of off brand oil, especially quick lube shops that may buy lower quality oil in bulk just to lower their costs.


Ken

---

When you say top quality do you mean dino, blend, or synthetic? My mom has an 04 Camry with the 2AZ-FE engine and it gets bulk Pennzoil dino from the dealer every 5k so this thread is getting me to think about getting her to switch to synthetic for an extra $10-15.

 

[totttalled]

Regarding the Toyota sludge issue being filter related (as suggested by a dealer in an above post), consider that Toyota's OEM filters are of a radically different design than any other on the market.