Oil...conventional or synthetic

recently bought a 2001 4x2 owned by an 80 yr old guy for 10yrs in Mass I'm in NH...most of the trucks life has been down FL too till he shipped it up here,I mostly like buying from a private party,.....like some of these clowns that have a dealers license and sell a few vehicles on the side,I was concidering a 1st gen tundra,l asked if your a private party...sometimes they'll say yes but I sell a couple on the side,well I'm looking for something reliable I said,is this is reliable? He says "oh yes"...ok well how long have to had the truck?...his answer...3days...have a nice day pal I'm all set....so back to today my 2001 4x2 I'm doing my 1st oil change,if it had conventional oil in there which I don't know is it ok to put synthetic (5w 30) in?

 

Yes.

 

I would stick with dino or a blend.

 

I use synthetic in all my cars, including my 1995

 

those Tacoma (and other) flippers are unreal, aren't they lol your post got a chuckle with those clowns and 3 days
i wonder if that cash offer i got on mine at some random gas station this past week was from a flipper looking to trick a 50 per cent profit...

<<< convential oil here since the first change at 1k miles

 

Conventional, blend, or synthetic, it doesnt matter in the older trucks. Napa has 5 quarts of Blend on sale for $12.99 right now. I did that cause Im a cheap bastard, and its Valvoline oil according to the back of the jug.

 

Yes, it is safe to switch to synthetic oil

But there's one thing: Synthetic highlights worn out gaskets issues and because of that, you may see leaks appear. Since synthetic has smaller molecules than conventional oil, it can seep through little cracks and tears of worn out gaskets that conventional oil couldn't because of it's bigger molecules.

So, the myth saying that synthetic causes leaks is false. It does not cause leaks, it just highlights gasket issues. Issues that would have eventually resulted in leaks anyway, even with conventional oil

 

You're in the northeast? Just conventional oil will do. The frame and body won't last long enough for synthetic to matter...

 

I'll hope for the best and use synthetic,truck has no rust..(FL 10yrs)...thanks

 

155k no leaks anywhere no rust

 

this is interesting info to me, thanks

are you talking leaks in the oil pan and/or VCGs
or the other varied seals, etc.

 

anything you can put oil into and that has gaskets or seals, so yes, oil pan, transfer case, differential, etc...
Of course if your gasket is all good, it's not going to leak. It's only in case of old and worn out gaskets/seals. But old does not always means it is bad. When it is leaking is when it is bad, so no need to replace the gaskets everytime you do an oil change

 

if you don't use AMSOIL or Royal Purple your engine will explode

 

There are no downsides to using synthetic. Conventional oil is fine too, but you need to change it more often.

 

I use synthetic in my new engines, however If conventional has been use, stick with it.

 

Use Oil.

 

But if you want it to last for a bazillion miles consider only OEM Toyota motor oil. They keep the really good stuff exclusively at the dealerships...

 

My Tacoma has been running synthetic oil since new and only has 72k miles

 

If it were mine, I would run M1 5w30 High Mileage synthetic. It's got seal/gasket conditioners as well as a healthy additive pack and detergents. It's also on the heavier side of the 5w30 range with a viscosity of 12.7 vs M1 at 11 at 100°.

 

how did you know they have the very best stuff!
they always top it off with a sprinkle of fairy dust
and i always TRY to keep it under $30 or low $30s if at all possible, the $19.95 coupon days were always nice