Maybe I’m wrong but engines operate at a temperature of around 220F, correct? Even in the desert, its not going to get much over 120? So regardless of the outside temperature, the engine is operating at a higher temp so putting in heavier oil for a hotter climate makes no sense to me. I can understand winter temps when the engine itself and oil can be 10 below, but if 0-20 is ok in a normal climate it still should be ok in a hotter climate, no?
@Bing, are you asking about the engine operating temperature at the part of the engine where the temperature sensors are located, or are you asking about the entire engine? In my experience, putting an engine under a heavy load might not show up on the temperature gauge, but if you pop the hood, you’ll feel a difference in the heat coming off the engine.
@Triedaq Regardless of what Toyota or the “friendly” service manager tells you, if you want the car to last a very long time, stick to the 5000 mile interval. If you trade every 4 years or so, you can get by woth 10,000 miles. Your friendly service manger cannot guarantee that the new 0W20 oil has TWICE the anti-sludging additive as the previous version.
In the past, Toyota got burnt with an 8000 mile interval due to poor engine desing and oils not up to today’s standards. Excessive sludging was the result with many engine failures.
The drain interval is dependent on your driving pattern. A salesman driving a lot of mainly highway miles can easily get by with 10,000 miles intervals. Guys like you and me, retired or semi-retired, don’t drive enough long distance and should stick to 5000 mile intervals.
As has been discussed here ad infinitum, the oil change interval is no a “one size fits all” situation.
One of oil’s functions is to wash heat from the cylinders and help dissipate it. While the engine’s temperature in the coolant at the sensor location may not reflect hotter oil temps, the oil will get hotter… or perhaps better said be less able to dissipate heat… in extreme hot weather. Remember that the temp sensor is reading the coolant, not the oil, and temperatures in engines are not consistent throughout the engine.
Oil coolers, and even oil temp gages, are not uncommon in performance cars for this very reason. The coolant temp gage might look okay, but the oil might be hotter than it should be.
I know its been discussed before , but not by or with me so…
my habit in my V8 engines was to put 10W 30 in the winter (fall), and 10W 40 in summer (spring)
with my 6cyl I used 10W 30 all the time. was this wrong?
and in my 1990 jeep str6cyl I ve been using 10W 30. would something else be better?
would synthetic do any good or harm?
My recommendation is to follow the owner’s manual recommendations. Most will suggest options for extremely cold or hot weather, and it’ll tell you whether synthetic is an option as well.
If the manual doesn’t talk to synthetics, than you can use dino or synthetic, or a “blend” without harm. Opinions differ on whether it’ll benefit an engine in normal operating environments that doesn’t require it. My opinion is that no evidence exists that synthetic in a naturally aspirated engine prolongs the life of the engine, reduces wear, or enhances performance in any way. Others disagree. I can only tell you that in over 45 years of car ownership, having owned cars for hundreds of thousands of miles, I’ve never worn an engine out. Engines that wear out generally do so because the oil was allowed to run low, or they went way beyond recommended oil change intervals (often both). I maintain my oil levels and changes, and keep my engines tuned and running well. That is the real key to longevity.
yeah, the 360 and 390 engines I m used to were pretty much indestructible. I think I could have poured in vegetable oil and they would have kept running.
I just want keep this motor clean inside and remove any bad stuff already accumulated. I was wondering if synthetic would help remove deposits already there
Nope. Not any better than dino oil.
To see if you have any bad deposits, perhaps the easiest way is to remove a valve cover. The condition under the valve cover will give you a really good idea of the condition of the lubrication system in the engine overall. There are plenty of cavities under the valvecover to allow any crud to collect, and the oil flow isn’t pressurized as the oil runs back into the return drains, so crud will collect readily. If it’s clean under there, it’s clean inside too.
They used to specify one oil for summer and one for winter, as late as I think 2000, at least in GM so just do what the manual says. However on my seldom used Olds, I just leave the summer oil in year round since it’ll never sit out in below zero weather so will never know its winter time.
@whitey I forgot the question I guess. I guess it was just in response to using a heavier oil in hotter climates when the engine will be well in excess of the ambiant temperature anyway so what difference would it make to have a 30 weight versus a 20 weight when the engine temp will be nearly the same anyway. I guess that was my point or question or whatever. I’ll just do what the book says and have no intention of moving to Saudi Arabia. I wonder what the Army does?
The OP started this with “2011 Camry”. The 2011 4 cylinder Camry uses 0W20 synthetic/10,000 oil change. The 6 cylinder for that year is still 5W30/5,000 mile oil change.
The information I have for Triedaq’s 2011 Sienna show that it was always 0W20/10,000 mile oil change. I found no revisions. The exception is “special use condition”; short trips below 32F, police, taxi and door to door delivery-5,000 mile oil change.
Here is some information from a Toyota bulletin;
Starting with the 2010 Model Year, Toyota began a gradual transition to the use of synthetic 0w-20 viscosity engine oil. There are multiple benefits of this oil, including:
Reduced friction and wear on engine surfaces
Improved fuel economy
Reduction in waste oil stream (in vehicles approved for 10,000 mile oil change intervals)
Reduced maintenance cost (in vehicles approved for 10,000 mile oil change intervals)
Due to the improved performance and durability of 0w-20 synthetic oil, Toyota has extended the oil change intervals to 10,000 miles for most vehicles that require this oil.
@Bing, in addition to wondering what the armed forces do in hot climates, I wonder what tolerances their non-aircraft vehicle engines are built to. To me, that would make a difference. If it’s something built to tight tolerances, I think a low viscosity oil would be best in any climate, but if the engines are built to loose tolerances so they can be rebuilt, a higher viscosity oil in hot climates seems to make sense, at least to me.
I guess my thinking might be wrong about this, but I always thought that, in addition to the fuel economy advantage, another advantage of low viscosity oil is that it can get into places in tightly manufactured engines that high viscosity oil can’t get to, and that the danger of using a higher viscosity oil than the engine manufacturer recommends is that the oil might not be able to get to parts of the engine that a low viscosity oil can get to.
Does anyone think I’m wrong about this?
Whitey, I will agree with you conditionally. I think the simpler engines can still use just about any oil they want to use, but the new engines with some type of variable valve timing probably rely on a specific weight of oil to keep that mechanism working properly and the engine operating at peak performance.
I’ve also noticed that engines that have a timing chain instead of a belt are the first to be transitioned to this oil and that may be due to the chain tensioners which also need a specific oil to work properly.
@wesw The oil you are using is too heavy unless you have well worn engines and live in Florida or Southern California. In Mexico these oils, as well as 20W50 are often used.
The oil specified for those V8s was nearly always 5W30 which is a good balance between cold starting oil flow and good warmup film protection.
Your engines don’t care if the oil is dino or synthetic. A 0W30 synthetic would give great cold weather startting and good film strenghth once warmed up. And it would not be so thin as to leak out.
With auto lubrication, habits can be bad since things change all the time.
A 0W20 in some of these older engines would be a bad idea since the seals and clearances are probably too wide, resulting in oil consumption. The lubricating qualities would be OK.
There’s nothing magic about oil viscosity and the difference in 5W20 and 0W20 is almost non existent. The trend toward the extremely thin oils is certainly based on manufacturer’s recommendations in the U.S. but I posted a Lexus link here that spelled out their factory recommendation to use 20W50 oil in the UAR. Is it hotter in the UAR than in El Paso Texas or Needles California? Is Lexus giving better advice here or there?
@Docnick, the v8s in question were and are of the following vintages1975,1975and1979
would that make any difference in your opinion?
I just checked the manual (Haynes) for my truck. it recommends 10w30 to 0degrees F
my jeep the same
this year it did get to below zero here, but it was the first time in recent memory that it happened. I will consider going lower in winter, but most of my driving is in summer.
my truck is well well worn, but still runs like a top. a top that is losing pcs as it spins lol
From what I understand, the climate in the UAE . . . the emirates . . . is extremely brutal for cars
I’ve worked with people that have lived there, and they said the southern California desert heat is paradise compared to UAE heat
yeah, the world cup is being planned for there I think and heat is a subject of contention as some think it is too hot there for the tourney
I don’t believe it’s a “movement to thinner oils” alone, though their lubrication properties with tighter clearances may be better. It’s as much a movement toward synthetic and synthetic based additives in conventional based oils that allow cars to maintain it’s viscosity. An old 10w-30 conventional weight oil operated under hard conditions may not hold up as well as a synthetic or conventional oil with synthetic additives in 5w-20 or 0w-20 oil. These newer oil lubricate better under extreme conditions then older oils, even with higher viscosity ratings. It’s not a fact to say…a viscosity rating is all that matters. It’s just as important to consider how well that rating is maintained over time between changes and under load. Synthetics and newer oils with these additives (some referred to as blends) do it better. The difference between a 5w-20 blend and a 0w-20 full synthetic can be significant enough fir a manufacturer to warranty one for 10k mile changes and the other for only 5k where the thermal brake down of one can be quite different as it ages.
From the Mobil-1 website: “Mobil 1 0W-20 is certainly robust enough to handle the climate in Florida, but considering there is additional towing involved, Mobil 1 5W-30 can provide the extra viscosity you may need when towing.” If Mobil-1 thinks that a heaver viscosity is warranted for towing then it appears to me that using a heavier viscosity in warmer weather can’t hurt a thing. I always use the heavier viscosity if the owner’s manual lists it for my vehicle. I do tow a lot so I guess that’s why I prefer a heavier viscosity. It’s a personal choice based on how your vehicle is used.