Update about the sludge in oil filter

I wanted to post update about the sludge issue in the oil filter cap back in March.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/oil-sludge-7k-after-the-last-oil-change.598209/

I went to the dealership and asked what was the problem and they insisted it’s normal. The manager actually showed me another one with the same kind of sludge inside the cap. He said he would contact Toyota tech department but never got back to me.

I bought a new metal filter cap for Avalon/Tundra and changed my oil with Mobil 1 full synthetic myself. After 6000 miles driving I replaced oil again and was pleased to see the oil was very clean this time. Engine runs much smoother after oil change. No sludge in the oil filter cap anymore. I guess either the free maintenance was not done properly at the dealership or they didn’t even change the filter. I would also suggest the first oil change should be around 2-3 k right after break-in period. I think I will do the oil change myself from now and stick to 6-7 k interval as oil is not expensive.

 

Oil filter cap the manager from the dealership showed me from a similar year Tacoma they were working on last time. Same stuff like my previous one.

 

My old cap assembly in the last oil change

 

Mobil 1 is no longer a 100% synthetic motor oil thanks to a lawsuit brought on by Castrol. It still sells well thanks to the brand name. It’s like Fram oil filters, rated as one of the worst filters on the market.


https://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1265711

 

At least it worked well for 6k - maybe the oil in my truck was made with the old formula several months ago ...

 

That thread is 12 years old...is it still true today or maybe they've changed their formula since?

 

A number of people, including myself, have caught dealerships not doing filter changes during the 'free service' intervals (and just changing the oil). So, you are likely right that the filter was never changed.

 

100% unethical behavior by a dealership employee. Another reason why customers call them stealer-ships.

 

Brand of oil doesn't really matter bud

 

Are you trying to tell me that 7-11 brand oil is just as good as Mobil-1?

 

C'mon man you are smarter than that. If it's the proper viscosity and meets the specs it doesn't matter what color the bottle or wrapper is buddy.

 

Sludge? This is Toyota sludge

http://www.toyotaproblems.com/oil-sludge/

 

I remember that lawsuit. Helps reinforce why I religiously change my oil and filter every 5k miles.

 

lol

 

Frankly, I'd be more concerned if there WASN'T grime in my oil filter cap. Isn't that where it's supposed to be caught up by the filter???

 

In US hydro-cracked Group III can be called fully synthetic. Said that, there is practically no brand left that uses Group IV or V only with the exceptions of a few European brands.

 

Motul (France) and Redline (Phillips 66, Houston) and maybe Amsoil (don’t do multi level marketing)

 

Not all Motuls, only 300V series. I buy Ravenol for my German cars. Really good oil.

 

same here. You could stretch it more but 5k / 6 months for me is good enough.

 

Mobil 1 was never a full synthetic, there are no true 100 synthetic car oils available to mass market. There are a couple for race use and they cost 3-4x what Mobil 1 is.

The lawsuit was over what the definition of synthetic is and it is still not resolved, definition wise I mean