1GR-FE oil analysis 7,200 mile interval

I guess a synthetic blend or full synthetic would be sufficient. I don't know of anyone that really runs conventional dino oil anymore

 

as long as the synthetic you get meets or exceeds the specs listed in your service manual and is the appropriate weight there is ZERO harm in running a synthetic.


The simple matter is back when this motor was made (the 1gr-fe single vvti) in 2003 for the 4 runner, it was built around a conventional oil as 5w-30 syn was expensive and not nearly as easy to get back then so the speced it for that and never changed that spec.

 

Yea it’s the same weight and stuff (Mobil 1 5w30) I JUST switched to it actually that’s why I ask lol

 

No sweat. Look...we're all in the same boat. You read shit on a forum and you HAVE to dig and make your own decisions.

For reference I'll share a portion of the 2013 version:




so @nd4spdbh if I understand you correctly, the 5.5 qt capacity motor, is the only variation of the 1GR-FE that Toyota says this about. And the questions remains....WHY? Tacomabeast does a youtube video on this. He saw this data and chose to go back to conventional because of it. But as this thread says, and as every mechanic I've known for 35 years says, SYN is better, and if you can convert on a young motor and keep with it, do it, everytime.

I"ve read this data and I just don't know, I've chosen full syn. I've heard of NO INSTANCES of a 4.0 in a Tacoma on full syn having an issue. zero.

 

No lol I just asked a question

 

I just recently switched to Mobil 1 synthetic and my motor has 120k on it and for the last 25k (since I’ve owned it ) the dealer has told me it takes semi synthetic blend

 

Cant really go by pan capacity as there are single vvti 1GR-FE's with smaller pans (xrunner etc).

Either way the reason for the change on the dual vvti motors is simply EPA and a new revision. Toyota made the dual vvti revision and in the process tested it with the 0w-20 to make sure things all functioned properly and wear levels were acceptable and called it good with the thinner oil that could theoretically improve MPGs . In no way were they going to go back and do costly testing on a motor they are in the process of phasing out (single vvti 1gr).

Its also the same reason why they switched from conventional 5w-20 to 0w-20 in the 2.7L epas push for better MPGs. They did the testing as they knew they were going to keep the motor around for sometime longer and EPA standards for mpgs made it to where they saw fit for the change. It likely also streamlined their production processes as most things were using 0w-20 at that point on the factory line.


NONE of those toyota charts above state you CANT use synthetic just simply what they were originally designed and tested for.

 

I purchased this truck(my13) in 2017 with 44k - just turned 143k.

No clue what the PO used - but Ive been running 5w-30 synthetic for the last ~100k

 

That’s a load of moly.

 

good point.

gonna share another part of that chart



So I think it's worth pointing out, they don't say you can't anything anywhere. True. But they are recommending that we don't use SYN and we change it every 5k.

Like I say, for me personally, I've gone full syn and intend to keep it that way. I'm just frustrated Toyota would let confusing or contradictory info like this out there, and repeat it every year for years on end....

 

it occurs to me these charts are made by guys on the Frontier forum......

 

My interpretation of those charts has been that Toyota is saying synthetic isn't mandatory. But that's basically self evident with anything specifying 0W-anything as it's not possible to achieve a 0W with conventional oil.

 

Except that anything that is 0W is also shown with S !!! meaning synthetic only. they're clearly stating no conventional oil. Then they say the opposite, specifically, for the Tacoma.

 

Yes, I mean saying 0W and S is redundant. There is no way a 0W could be conventional. Why they might say synthetic only for 5W-anything, if they even do recommend such a thing, I have no idea. Perhaps their thinking is if an engine is nominally designed for 0W the clearances and pour point of a synthetic might be easier on the engine if you use 5Wsomething in an exceptionally warm climate. But regardless if an oil meets a given API and ILSAC number then it shouldn't matter the base oil source.

 

0w-20 is only available in synthetic

Toyota isn't saying conventional oil will hurt the engine where 0w is specified, they're saying good luck finding a conventional 0w-20

 

Has anyone sent automatic transmission fluid to them from a 3rd gen yet? I feel like that is one of the most contested topics regarding the sealed tranny and whether you should service it or not. It would be really interesting to see the results on a 3rd gen that has towed/city driving over 100k. If not, I'm doing it once I hit 60k to see where it is.

 

ok, cool.

But we're talking about the 4.0 1GR-FE that is to be, per TOYOTA, CONVENTIONAL ONLY, . Slice and dice all you want. That is what the document states. This is their language.



ONLY. They added that word. Didn't have to. That's pretty clear.



I've made up my mind, but remain frustrated by the situation.

 

Cool

 

Id find something else to be frustrated about



Ive used synthetic 5w-30 in my 4.0 since day 1 and haven't had any problem yet

..as i type that i realize i am now listing my preferred oil/weight in a oil thread! What have i done! I've crossed over to the dark side!