My 1st Oil Change

I bought a 2023 SR5 in November and my 1st oil change is coming up. Could be a dumb question but I’m wondering what type of oil is recommended? Does it matter? Just do the cheapest conventional or is it worth it to pay up for synthetic blend/full synthetic?

I know nothing about this…but I’d like to learn and plan to drive my 4Runner as long as possible.

43K miles on it currently.

Thank you in advance for any knowledge/advise you could pass along!

 

■Owner manual calls for this below, synthetic oil is what is recommended, and you will not find conventional oil in 0w20 flavour. brand is a very popular subject of endless discussion! every brand that meets spec is good.

Engine oil selection “Toyota Genuine Motor Oil” is used in your Toyota vehicle. Use Toyota approved “Toyota Genuine Motor Oil” or equivalent to satisfy the following grade and viscosity. Oil grade: ILSAC GF-6A multigrade engine oil Recommended viscosity: SAE 0W-20 SAE 0W-20 is the best choice for good fuel economy and good starting in cold weather. If SAE 0W-20 is not available, SAE 5W-20 oil may be used. However, it must be replaced with SAE 0W-20 at the next oil change. Outside temperature Oil viscosity (0W-20 is explained here as an example): • The 0W in 0W-20 indicates the characteristic of the oil which allows cold startability. Oils with a lower value before the W allow for easier starting of the engine in cold weather. • The 20 in 0W-20 indicates the viscosity characteristic of the oil when the oil is at high temperature. An oil with a higher viscosity (one with a higher value) may be better suited if the vehicle is operated at high speeds, or under extreme load conditions.

 

0w-20 synthetic every 5,000 miles and replace your oil filter.

 

Synthetic 0W20 and read up on the ridiculous oil filter change process. Also need to get the proper tool to remove the oil filter housing.

 

Pick up the below wrench if you plan on doing the change yourself to save time and aggravation.

 

Any off the shelf brand of the correct viscosity. Viscosity is listed in the manual or on the cap. Generally synthetic is used.

 

I am really hoping you bought it used in November 2024, because otherwise....

I use OEM Toyota oil, but any synthetic 0w20 that meets the spec will do. What oil you use is less important than how often you do oil changes.

 

Do you have a skid plate? Were you asking so you could do it or just to be informed?

 

you’re supposed to use

$52 0W 20 oil Toyota/ exxon mobil Case of 6 Quarts Full Synthetic TGMO SN 0W-20 Oil

0W 20 oil and I like Pennzoil platinum synthetic from Walmart.

 

Walmart does have the best deals on oil.

 

I recently just did my first oil change (after taking ownership) and 6.6qt of 0W-20 is what's stated in the manual. I use good old kirkland signature because it meets all toyota specs and it's cheap. My philosophy is I'd rather do oil every 5000 miles with kirkland than every 10k mile with expensive oil. Also, it's not like kirkland is cheap oil, they're on par with all the other oils.

Here's a page from my own log book.

 

I was just at Costco for the first time today and was wondering about Kirkland oil. Is it made by one of the big oil companies and rebranded?

 

Yes, they're manufactured by Highline Warren LLC, which produces the Mobil 1 (and maybe some other companies) oil.

Here's a great video made by project farm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9il_piyuT8

 

Same here, this is so simple. Use the viscosity the mfg recommends and use the Toyota OEM filter. I use Pennnzoil Platinum also. I like the easy pour bottle.

 

+1 on the Walmart pennzoil, the oil filter socket thingy, and doing it 5k intervals.

I do try to order ahead and keep a spare filter handy

 

I do t really mind changing the oil on the 4Runner. Sure it’s a lot of work, but it’s just busy work. I like having the room to crawl under there vs a car that you have to jack up and still not have a lot of room to work in.

 

I will be doing my next oil change on my 2023 4runner. Thanks for all the tips!

 

I changed my oil at 1,500 miles and asked tech for first catch oil out the drain plug in a wide mouth plastic bottle. And save the oil filteris a zip lock baggie. The oil was almost black and the filter had shinny flecks. I put the bottle on a garage shelf for a few months. When I poured it into a big jug a few months later I was shocked at the black grit that was in the bottom of the bottle. I wish I had also changed rear diff. at that time too. When I changed diff at about 40,000 miles the lube was black.
So I vote for early change of engine oil and rear diff lube far all new 4runners.

 

I had nothing to do with this, I swear . . . .

 

Got supertech 0w20
today. Way cheaper than Mobil1 I had been using.

 

Costco 0w20 full synthetic and this thing right here. Also gotta remember to remove the old drain plug washer that prob will be stuck to the pan and replace it

 

Phew! You dodged a bullet there.

 

Why 5,000 miles if syntheic oil is good to 10,000K? Just curious. I understand safer than sorry, but seems a bit much to cut in half.

 

Paranoia?

 

The attached picture is from my oil change at 899 miles. A 2023 Off-Road Premium. Driven like a granny to break in and give all the seals and gaskets an opportunity to seat themselves properly.

It's hard to capture in a photo, but I think, if you have decent resolution or a large screen, you'll see a considerable amount of very small metallic pieces. It really looked like metallic paint, it was that much. These would be all under 10 microns. That was just what was left as I poured the rest into a container to be recycled. That's the justification for break-in oil change.

As for oil, I have used a boroscope to look inside the engines of a 2015 and 2018 RAV4 that I have been using the Kirkland OW-20 oil over 3.5 years... They are very clean, I do my 5,000 mile oil changes because I want my vehicles to last to at least 200,000 miles and maintain its fuel efficiency.

Because of the low tension piston rings that Toyota uses, I have decided to treat my next oil changes on three of my cars, all over 70k, with Valvoline Restore and Protect.

*** I forgot to mention that your choice of oils can be affected by your climate. Since I live very close to the Mexico border, I have recently researched Toyota specifications for a particular engine. In the United States and Canada, it calls for 0W-16 while, in Mexico, it says that 0W-16 is OK, but it also recommends 0W-20 all the way up to 5W-30.

I have learned a lot about Toyota vehicles by looking at the international documentation. In other countries, oil changes are recommended at about 4,000 miles on many engines in the 2010s. In America, 10,000 miles.

 

I use a German brand called Veinner-Schlider for all my lubrication needs.

 

It’s perfectly normal to have metal in the oil of a new engine.

 

Exactly. That is why there is a break-in oil change, to get those metals out.

It's kind of like sand in a g-string, you want your girl to wash it out so that she purrs smoothly.

 

I leave the sand in my g-string. The crabs feel like they're on the beach

 

What if it takes more than 900 miles to break in the engine? You may have changed it too early.