5w-20 VS 5w-30

**EDIT **

Sorry, I forgot to mention that we have a four cylinder 2009 Tacoma.


Hi Everyone,

We have a 2009 Tacoma and the specs call for 5w-20. If we put 5w-30 in it will that be OK? I've read different answers on this topic.

Thank you in advance!

 

It'll be fine. My 2008 V6 used 5w-30.

 

The question is, "did Toyota change the internals of the engine when they began specifying 5W-20 from 5W-30, or are they just using the thinner oil to keep up with EPA laws.?

I have always felt the EPA is the reason for lighter oil to get better gas mileage. Maybe at the sacrifice of a little engine longevity.

 

You have the 4-cyl? 5W30 is fine. Fuel economy when cold is reduced by about 1mpg, that's about it.

 

30 weight will be fine

 

Once the Dual -VVTI 4.0 came out Toyota went to 5w-20. I don’t know the real reason. But I do know that a lot of people don’t change their oil as often as they should. The cam phasers are oil operated. Cold oil is thick, so is severely neglected oil. Thick oil doesn’t flow well, and this can cause timing issues (codes).
And it probably does help MPG a bit.

Again, this isn’t why they went to 5w-20.
It’s just my guess.

I do know if you you use 5w-30
In a 0w-16 engine, it will throw a code.
There was a Toyota tech on YouTube that posted about it. Evidently the quick lube shop used the wrong oil.

Never the less, the 4.0 and 2.7 are not at all picky about oil. So you won’t have tot worry about that in these engines. Not unless you run 90w+ gear oil or something.

 

I alway say stick to the oil the manufacturer reccomends, they designed the engine and specified oil based on that design and the bearing clearances within.
There's no real benefit to running an oil weight different than specified.

5W-30 for the 4.0L and 5W-20 or 0W-20 (depending on year model) for the 2.7L

 

I agree.

 

Engines are made to function with different oil viscosities. Picture this. Your Tacoma towing a motor home in Florida in mid summer vs that same truck travelling down highway empty in Alaska in mid winter. The viscosity of the oils in these situations would be drastically different.

 

That's why we use multi-viscosity oils today vs straight viscosity oils that we used to use as they are more stable with temperature changes.

Some engines do reccomend different oil weights for different climates but this is becoming less common in modern engines as they have very tight tolerances and operating temperature regulation.

 

I was going to make a comment about the cooling system keeping the internals at a constant, set temperature. But Im more interested in why you picture a Tacoma towing a motor home?

 

The question is why do you want to use a different viscosity than what the manufacturer
recommends? What do you think you are going to accomplish by using viscosity different than the factory engineers state should be used? I doubt the viscosity you suggest will do any harm but I am not an automotive or petroleum engineer or expert. I doubt anyone here is.

 

I am certainly not an expert.
But I have used a different viscosity.
Mostly because what I had on hand is better than not enough oil or, nothing at all.

I have used 5w-20 motorcraft in my 4.0.
I am not advocating this, just stating I did it.

 

Thank you for taking the time to respond. I believe your V6 calls for 5w-30. I've read some of the threads on this forum that 5w-30 will cause our 4-cylinder Tacoma to work harder and thus lead to unintended engine wear. Any truth to this?

My apologies as I should've mentioned that we have a four banger.

 

That's a great question!

We have some left over bottles of 5w-30 when my uncle bought a new vehicle (a Honda). He now uses 0w-16 or something like that.

 

Motocraft Synthetic Blend for the win! J/K, thanks again!

 

0w or 5w/20 vs anyW/30 is fine. Toyota allows for anything up to 20w50. However, you won't find any US manual stating what Toyota allows all over the world. All the low grade oils started in the US for fuel milage reasons. All the light weight oils have come along way in the past 30 years. Run whatever you want. You could do a deep dive into bobistheoilguy.com and do oil analysis to see what works best in your motor. I run 5w40 in all my rigs. Here's a link to the Hilux 2.7L oil spec. https://toyota-club.net/files/techdata/ttx/hilux_20w.htm
Don't over think it as long as you keep to a consistent interval and check your oil often to make sure your not burning any..

 

I agree.
Keep it simple.
Twist the lid, turn the bottle, pour it in.

 

Ah shieeet another oil thread gone wrong

 

On the oil topic what is Toyota oil anyway? They are not producing their own oil so whose product are they repackaging?