0w40 is a great weight and the only difference you will notice per se' MAY be gas mileage. since its a synthetic using it in winter shouldnt be an issue. now if it were dino i would say only run it in the summer. i feel better about 40wts for M1, they have shown better #'s than the 30wts. over all.. use with confidence. keep in mind, dont run it to 10k miles on the oil. keep it between 5-7k tops

 

valvoline synpower uoa's have shown really good wear #'s as does penzoil platinum. use both with high confidence. they both on average show better than M1.

again keep an eye on advance auto and visit thier site often bc about once every couple of months they have Valv syn on sale for buy one get one FREE (BOGO).. GREAT DEAL! i stock up a years worth

 

Sounds good! How many qts does the 3.4 hold anyway? I am pickin up a runner soon, good info to know lol.

 

Just FYI, I was driving by a local Checkers Auto (all part of the CSK Auto Company, and noticed that they had a sale on Valv. syn. for 99 cents with MIR. Don't know if it's a local thing around here or not, but might be worth a look.

EDIT: Nevermind, you're in NC...

 

5.5 qts with drain and oil filter change.

http://4runners.org/writeups/oil/index.html

 

THANKS. never heard of changing the drain plug gasket? should this be done everytime? can I get them any auto place?

 

Technically, yes, you should. Personally, I just inspect the old one and make sure it's not severely deformed and reuse them. Haven't had a drop of oil leak yet. Pretty sure you can get it at the auto-stores. My dealership just gave them to me for free.

 

Thanks for the info!

 

5.5? i put 6 qts in and its perfectly level in my taco 3.4.. you have to make up for the empty oil filter too

 

Weird, because I checked mine and it was right at the top dot. My 98 4Runner took about 5.7, and the same with my 02 4Runner. This Tacoma took 5.5. Don't know what the variance is. I check it in my level driveway, too. Maybe it's the difference in oil filter sizes? I used OEM before, but just switched to Amsoil Ea.

 

i dont know to be honest.. i just know that 6 qts gets me perfect with a new oil filter and my dad's driveway is pretty level. hmm funny

 

Maybe slight differences in the lenght of the dip stick?

 

i dunno..atleast if i burn a little oil over 6-7k miles ill have enough to cover it.


keep an eye on advance auto parts in your area or check online bc they should run valvoline synpower at BOGO.. $2.47 per qt for a quality syn is a GREAT price

 

I am somewhat new to running synth oils in my vehicles. I have only run Mobil1 Synth for about 2 oil changes now. I thought the stuff was great compared to what I was running, but now I see there is even better options out there. I'll give the valvoline synpower & penzoil platinum both a look. I am due for an oil change real soon. (Probably should do the diffs and x-case while I am at it too.)

As for filters go, I have been running the Mobil1 M1-209 oil filter. At my last oil change, I switched over to a Purolator PureOne. Part # PL10241. Although the M1-209 is a good filter, the PureOne not only claims better results over the M1, it also is half the cost of the M1. Check out this quote I found posted by YT member Speedy who did some research on both:


Here's the numbers I got directly from the engineers at Mobil1 and Purolator:

Purolator PureOne Efficiency:
30 micron 98%
20 Micron 96%
10 Micron 85%

Mobil1 Efficiency:
30 Micron 97%
20 Micron 85%
No rating for 10

You can judge for yourself how much better the Purolator is.

-Speedy



I recently purchased the P. PureOne for $5 at my local Advanced Auto. I plan to run these for quite a while:

 

i dont buy nothing but purolators.. great filters as is WIX filters. if you run your oil out to around 7-8k miles a purolator should be fine. anything more i would use those extened OCI filters just to be on the safe side.

 

Amsoil Ea filters are at 98.7% at 15 microns. Seems like good construction, too.



They are a bit spendy, though (~$14). Puralator seems to be a great option.

 

I agree, for the price & results, the purolators are great. With synth oil, I switched my OCIs from every 3k, to now every 6k miles. Have had really good results doing so.

You mentioned earlier about sending off some used oil for a UOA. Where can I find more information on how to do this with my own oil?

 

Rock Slide - I've always used Blackstone Labs. $20 per analysis. There are other places, too, but I believe Blackstone is the most popular.

 

i was told that amsoil filters are made by WIX, whether thats true or not i dont know. so call it speculation

blackstone labs would do a uoa like han said. they will send you the container for free.

 

Thanks. I'll check blackstone out.