0W-20 and 5W-30

The fight goes on like these two...

 

Real man will use 75W90

 

Do you not think that they tested it with 0W20? Did they just type it in the owner’s manual and hope for the best?

 

Maybe. Maybe not. The 1GR was in the Tacoma way before the 5th Gen 4Runner. My 2nd Gen Tacoma says 5W-30. And I know the 1GR in my Tacoma has only one VVTi.
That means this is strictly a CAFE thing instead of a real engineering reason.

 

The 4.0 in the Tacoma is not the same engine as the 4.0 in the 4Runner.

 

This doesn't really deserve a reply, but the only difference is that both camshafts in the 4Runner have VVTi.
There is no way that Toyota reinvented the wheel between the 4.0 Tacoma and the 4.0 4Runner.

 

He now reminds me of this guy who was in University with me and during exams, he would simply write the same thing in three different ways to fill up the answer sheet.
His Channel was good when his main content revolved around repair work and issues identification. The YouTube celebrity bug has bitten him.

 

I've been a GM tech for almost 28 years.....that's why I drive toyotas. I do so many engines at work from 4cylinder turbos, a lot of ls v8's and so on. Hardly ever an oil related issue. The 6.2 recall is bullshit. Switch to 0w-40 after a test with a remote knock sensor. They are just buying time. Anyhow I run 5w-30 and change it at 3000-5000 miles. We have 2 Siennas with 2gr motors and a 5.7 tundra. 2 winters ago tundra started making noise on cold starts. Timing tensioner. Common. Started running maxlife oil and its never done it again. Has 162k on it now. Wifes sienna is at 165k our 2011 sienna has 251k. Just bought this 5th gen a couple weeks ago and will likely run 5w-30 too. For me its nice to check out my vehicles every couple months and oil is cheap for me. Anyone who trusts the manufactures with making things right nowadays is nuts. Heck look at the new Tundra. Junk. All these little turbo motors are crap. I have yet to see one (gas) hit over 200k without issues. In a gm 100k. Its your car do whatever you like.

 

its definitely been validated for 20weight use, but with the asterisk that they've made it clear it's not ideal for severe use if you poke around the manuals. to your point though, for most people that treat these things like minivans on stilts, its fine.

just a general comment not directed at you, the Australia market FJ Cruiser that ran up to the 2017 model year, which uses the exact same Dual VVT-i 1GR-FE, is clearly specced up to a 20W-50 and never even mentions a 20 weight. our super thin oil is specifically a US market thing to max out corporate fleet MPG's and almost every foreign car manufacturer that sells here runs the same play.

 

I own one of each. The block might be the same but pretty much everything else is different.

 

How is the 4 cylinder turbo used in the Canyon AT4 and Chevy ZR2 Colorado holding up ?

 

This is ever-so-slightly a joke but I wouldn't be too surprised if the 2.7T ended up as the "most reliable" gas truck option by process of elimination.

 

That's incorrect. There's a cooling jacket spacer Toyota added in the dual-VVTi 4.0L which eliminates hotspots in the cylinder walls, allowing 0W20 to be safely used for most cases (e.g. mall crawling, minivan duty)

 

I'd forgotten that, thanks for the correction.

@Turd Ferguson I stand corrected.

 

the 4.0 in the 4runner is the duel vvti engine. It also has roller rockers and hydraulic lifters.The single vvti 4.0 in the tacoma has cam on bucket. Thet say the roller rockers allow them to run a thinner oil

 

We don't sell many. All our Turbo motors have issues. I'm in Wisconsin and the condensation that forms inside the charge air cooler is amazing. Thaw them out overnight, pull the cooler and get like 1/2 gallon or more of water out of them. Just did a 2.5 turbo in a traverse with 32 miles on it! We joke the 2.7 turbo in the half tons is the most reliable as the v8's are made from junk aluminum cans. Honestly, we just don't see many. I wish they'd discontinue the 3.0 diesel. The engineer on that one should be neutered.

 

The CAFE standards have driven a lot of bad decisions in cars.

I’m running 5-30, and thinking about using 5-40 Rotella T6 for summer use here in the desert. 5k changes at the most. Clean oil has never hurt an engine..

 

How is 0w-20 bad if people are getting 400-500k miles running it?

 

I can’t argue against that kind of experience, results matter. But the fact that the OEM oil recommendation changed substantially at the same point that CAFE regulations did, tells me that Toyota and other OEMs may have compromised on something to meet that requirement. Lighter weight oil is an immediate change they could make, quickly picking the low hanging fruit..

The cool thing about this topic is that we’re talking about a truck with legendary durability, they would likely live way beyond average with 0w-10 oil.

 

Because the internet says so.

 

I believe 0W20 is perfectly fine for the 4runner in the US. And I see no reason why it should not make the vehicle last beyond 300k if other things are maintained.
But, where is the fun in that. I have moved to 0w30 and will stick to this grade because it gives me a warm and fuzzy feeling that I am doing something that the engine loves.
There IS evidence through oil analysis that the oil I am using is superior to the regular synthetic 0w20 in sheer stability, cleaning agents etc.
In the end, I don't care if it does not do anything additional to help the engine and it's all in my head.

 

It's a smoother, quieter engine that shows no difference in fuel usage that keeps me from going back to 0w20.

 

As are other non-USA 4Runners using the exact same engine in the US models. All listing heavier weight oils. The 'bearing tolerances', 'oil passages', 'oil pump programming' have all been disproved by this. Toyota does not make different engines for different markets.

 

"I wish they'd discontinue the 3.0 diesel. The engineer on that one should be neutered."

It's a shame cause this 3.0 diesel could have been a real game changer for the pick up market and more. Not everyone needs a huge diesel. Just enough to pull many boats and trailers that tax gas engines. Plus the fun factor in a 1/2 ton pick up is nice. I read that the 3.0 was designed in Italy for European trucks that are serviced by tilting the cabs and accessing the rear of the engine. All the problems require rear access to engine. Which doesn't help US trucks. Some were reporting 30 MPG highway.

 

A friend had a GMC 1500 with a 3.0 TD, he sold it before the warranty expired because of all the problems. $15k worth of repairs while he owned it, about 18 months as I recall.

30 mpg was real, but it wasn’t worth it..

 

Just turned over 200k on our 5.7L running 0w20. So far so good.

 

Toyota reads this and offers more reliable hybrids in lieu of diesels.