Break in oil change worth doing

I only have 450 miles on my truck so I’m not even close yet

 

Oils and engine design tolerances have come a long way. I did oil changes on my Mazda MX-5 and CX-9 every 10k mi from purchase. Sold them at 125k with no issues. Used Mobil-1 Extended Performance Full Synthetic oil / filters rated to 20k mi.

I don't doubt the MFG 10k mi interval is safe (in recommended mostly mall crawl use case) and will probably follow that after initial 5k mi change for break in. That being said, oil is cheap insurance so I don't blame anyone for choosing a lower change interval, it definitely can't hurt.

 

The thing is, 125k is nothing. 100-150k is usually the range you start seeing the first side effects and repercussions of doing 10k oil changes vs 5k or 3k. My advice for anyone is if you plan for this to be a 250k+ years and years of no car payment type of vehicle…cut that manufacturer recommendation in half and go by the severe maintenance schedule for all maintenance. If you aren’t going to pay off the vehicle or go beyond 150k minimum, just do manufacturers recommendation. Unless you are starving the engine of oil the effects of long interval oil changes take a long time to show.

 

OP did you start a maintenance record in the owners manual's blank pages and leave it in the glove box or something? That kind of historical record will be interesting and probably valuable 20 years from now

 

Im going with 5k oil changes

 

All of our fleet 2.7 2wd tacomas got 10k mile oil changes. Most of the time this interval got extended to closer to 15k miles. All 10 trucks were traded in over 250k miles with zero engine problems. Some were over the 300k mark. Trucks got the cheapest synthetic from Walmart.

I personally do my first oil change early, 2-3k miles, and then every 5-6k after that.

 

Internal engine tolerances have essentially been the same for over 30 years. Look up a bearing gap spec from any Toyota motor from 30 years ago. It's pretty much the same as any modern Toyota motor.

 

This and other anecdotes are causing me a little cognitive dissonance, but I'm handling it well. Filled up the windshield washer fluid with a half gallon of the -30F stuff today.

 

I don't really see the correlation you are trying to make with the washer fluid comment.

Coming from someone who deals with many fleet vehicles on the road, I feel like my "anecdotes" may hold more weight than others.

Our current fleet(12 units) of 3.5 3rd gens all close or just over the 100k mark with the same 10k-15k oil change interval. No engine issues yet. Only 1 timing cover leak.

We have about 40-50 chevy 2500 vans on the road at all times. We drive them to 200k then trade them in. All get the same 10k oil change. Some are V8 some are V6. I have yet to see an engine failure in the 10 years I have been with my company.

 

Of that I have no doubt. There are always outliers and of course other factors such as driving conditions, types of driving, etc. But oil analysis and oil research is pretty solid on this front.

 

Changed oil and filter a few weeks ago. Changed the filter again a few days ago. My oil is so clean it’s fn ridiculous.

 

Good lord..you need to change the air in your tires

 

I actually do. I have a little book I keep in the glove box. I write down what mileage and date, what I did, what parts I used along with part number, price I paid, and the invoice number from the dealership.

 

Absolutely you should do your first oil change early. Up to 90% of break-in is completed by 500 miles, why in the world would you want to circulate metal throughout your engine for any longer than this. Most of the debris created by the break-in is from the piston rings mating to the cylinder walls, and this happens very quickly. Invest in a magnetic drain plug as well.

https://youtu.be/X4424Q5lLR8?si=8eLFwEy1cJYW2iVB

 

Man. How did we ever "prove" stuff before there was you tube????

 

Usenet. And before that, FidoNet. And before that microfiche in the bowels of the moveable stacks at some university library.

 

Do you still have a Hayes 1200 baud modem?

 

The good ol days.

When disinformation was limited to 1200baud.

Unfortunately porn was too.

 

THIS!!!

Talking about oil and OCIs is always going to bring out a ton of opinions and anecdotes but rarely any facts or science. That video nails it - get the break in crap out of your motor ASAP.
Another thing to remember... the 10k mile OCI came about because manufacturers wanted to: lower their annual "cost of ownership" rating; not pay for as many oil changes on their "free" maintenance plans; and get extra points from the EPA since oil changes and consumption count against them for environmental ratings.

Now I understand that Toyotas, especially the Tacoma, have a reputation for dealing with cheap oil and very long OCIs without much issue. But engines have changed a lot since the good ol' 2GR-FKS was originally designed. There is no way I'd be doing 10k intervals on a 4th Gen.

And one more note.... you should still be changing oil at least annually. The "good" chemicals in the oil will break down over time. The oil will also turn acidic and eat away at some metals and seals. So even if you're only driving 3k miles a year, you should still be changing oil every year.

 

2gr-fks was a great engine and I do believe in 30 years you’ll see old 3rd gen tacoma “farm” trucks still running and working. I give Toyotas d4s that credit and one of the many reasons the other brands will be in the junk yard