Recommended Oil Change Intervals - per Toyota

Happened across this bit of info this morning. Toyota recommends 5K oil changes if.......

Driving while towing

Using a car-top carrier

Heavy vehicle loading

Driving on dirt/dusty/muddy roads or on roads with melted snow

Extensive idling and/or low speed driving

Edit: @Singleminded noted this from the OM - Extended high speeds.

If you knew all of these? Disregard

Also worth consideration.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3le9ZT5HUlk

 

I change mine every 5,000-6,000 miles.
The “roads with melted snow” is a new one to me. My 2018 Maintenance Guide does not list that. I wonder what the concern is, sloppy salty dusty aerosols getting sucked into the engine?

Good video BTW. It’s good to get another confirmation that 75W-90 is good for the TC as well as the diffs.

 

I did my break in oil change at 1000 miles. Next oil change at 5000 miles, and then every 5000 miles. I love my 4Runner

 

Thanks for posting this. While oil threads have a tendency to devolve into something like religious warfare, it's important to remind folks that, yes, 5K oil change intervals aren't just a fad among the overly cautious. There's a group of people out there who seem to believe that 10K intervals are the Gospel and folks doing them more often are chicken littles wasting time and money.

But as some of us keep pointing out, 5K intervals are specifically recommended by Toyota in many common scenarios. I bet that most people on this forum frequently subject their vehicles to one or more of the conditions that Toyota lists and you have copied above.

 

< chicken little

 

Good idea pointing this out! I have been doing 5K for several of those reasons. I also rotate the tires while I'm at it.

Edit: after looking at the list again, I meet ALL of the criteria for 5K intervals.

 

My '96 Silverado has 272,000 miles on the clock. I change the dino oil every 2,500 miles. Changing the oil is the #1 priority to a long lasting engine. Compared to engine repairs and the inconvenience of having your ride at the shop for days (or weeks,) oil is cheap.
With synthetic oil I'll do a change (and tire rotate) every 5,000 miles.

 

I’ll change mine every 10k

 

Yup I do my engine oil every 4-5k and diffs/transfer case once a year. I tow a lot and off road so oil is cheap insurance.

 

You’re one of the guys I had in mind when I pointed out that most folks on this forum meet the 5k interval recommendation!

I did my first one just after 5k cause it had been through a couple thousand miles of extended high speeds with much of that heavily loaded. (The manual also references high speeds).

I kinda regret not also doing a change after the first 1k or so, which I’ve done on virtually every other new car I’ve had, but it wasn’t convenient at the time, espec given the relative hassle of DIY on this truck. But then I remind myself that these engines tend to last forever regardless so I’m hardly worried.

I then did my second change at 10k. Partly cause I’d had a fair amount of city driving / low speeds and idling, but also cause it was in the shop anyway for the “free” scheduled maintenance inc tire rotation.

Honestly, if you’re taking it somewhere to rotate the tires anyway, why not do the oil change at the same time. It’s not like it costs a lot.

Anyhooooo I look forward to doing both myself once I’m out of “free” service from the dealer. Got a good jack — just need quality stands.

 

Same here. I also grease the prop shaft and rotate tires at each 5K oil change.

 

Oh Ive never done the prop shaft or U bolts but bought a grease gun and some grease to finally start once a year. What grease do you use on the prop shaft?

 

Took my 2021 4R TRD ORP home from the dealer - with 10 miles on it I drained the factory oil and replaced it with Royal Purple engine break-in oil. I ran the break in oil for 600 miles then switched Toyota 0W-20. Did the next oil change at 2,500 miles. Then 5k OCI's there after. I also use either TRD or Amsoil oil filters.

 

Wow!

 

LOL even I think that's overkill. But I bet it didn't hurt! And prob helped! I'm not sure I'd want to experiment with break-in oil, since presumably the specs don't meet the manufacturer's specs, but then again It's prob safe to assume that Royal Purple knows what it's doing. And we're only talking about 600 miles on it anyway....

 

The owners manual says to use two different greases. But also says you can just use lithium based chassis grease NLGI 2 for everything.



I’m OCD so I have two grease guns and use the moly based NGLI 2 for the two slide yokes.
But whatever you do at least get a quick release coupler for the grease gun you use on the spider zerks. You really will appreciate it when removing it.

LockNLube Grease Gun Coupler locks onto Zerk fittings. Grease goes in, not on the machine. World's best-selling original locking grease coupler. Rated 10,000 PSI. Long-lasting rebuildable tool.

$33 LockNLube Grease Gun Coupler locks onto Zerk fittings. Grease goes in, not on the machine. World's best-selling original locking grease coupler. Rated 10000 PSI. Long-lasting rebuildable tool.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00H7LPKKU?_encoding=UTF8

PS: Here’s a good reference for DYI maintenance on 4Rs.

 

I do my oil every 5,000, and the diffs, transmission, and transfer case once every two years or so. I do the prop shaft twice a year, spring and fall. A lot of other maintenance in the spring as well. Belts, hoses, coolant, plugs, wires, etc etc etc.
I put what remove, not the coolant , in the back of the truck, Justin Case. You all know good ol' Justin

I had my 87 up on the rack at my mech's shop for a different situation. The mechanic working on it checked the transmission oil. He said "Ah, you just changed it, didn't you?". My answer? "Nah, it's been almost 2 years!". The oil looked as though I had just put it in. I think I've got my intervals down pretty good.

Have fun all!
Pat☺

 

I just had my transmission oil changed at 5yr/47k miles and changed the oil in the differentials 6 months ago. So ahead of the normal maintenance schedule but late compared to the severe service schedule. My mechanics show me the used oil and we discuss it...for my diffs and trans the oil was probably just fine to keep until the 6 yr/60k recommended for normal use. My vehicle doesn't really get severe use but it does do some mild off-roading often to get me to canoe launches and places to run the dog. My rooftop load is a canoe which definitely adds at least some drag at 80 mph but it's nothing like a towing load. I also do oil changes around every 5k miles but I sure wouldn't lose any sleep if it ever went over 5k between engine oil changes.

 

Are you accepting an apprentice?

 

Love me a good ol oil thread... Again!!

 

I waited 28 years to change the auto trans fluid in my manual Z28. Still looked like brand new it was red. It shifts a little smoother wasn’t bad before.

 

Only if the apprentice does all the work while I sit there and kibbitz
Hey, it worked great with my middle daughter. She'd lay under the pickup (she fit, scrawny little thing...) and I'd tell her just what needed doing. She learned to drive in it as a reward. Now, she wants to buy it to teach her sons to drive a manual trans. I knew how to drive a stick when I bought it, but essentially 3 generations of my family learning to drive in it. Pretty good ad for Toyota HiLux, really...

What year? We have a 78 280Z, T Top. 6 cylinder, with Mikuni carbs. The motorcycle carbs, where the the vacuum pulls the needle valve up out of the main jet, allowing X amount of fuel through it. They are such a royal pain to keep balanced and aligned...

One thing to note, if I may: It's not so much the weight of the oil in the transmission and diffs, on the MT trucks, but the GL rating. Yes, you need the right weight for the conditions you drive in. Hot, like in Yuma, cold, like Alaska, something in between, whatever.
I THINK it's GL-4 in the transmission, GL-5 in the differentials, but I may well have that that bass-ackwards. I have a mind like a steel sieve. There are threads over on YotaTech that have it specified right. I'll see if I can't find one of them and link it here. The metal of the gears in the differentials is different than the metal of the gears in the tranny. That's why the GL rating matters. The book says either one is fine, but history, and many drivers, have said different.
I'll find it, you wait and see. IE: don't buy anything until I do...

Have a great day, all!
Pat☺

 

Thanks to this thread I went ahead and changed the diff fluid in the GX. Will tackle the TC with some redline I have left over from the 4runner.

 

I change synthetic engine oil & oil filter every 4/5K miles, air & cabin filter every 6000 miles. All other maintenance 25% sooner than the manual requires. I use Toyota products. Going on trips around 2500/3000 miles with medium to heavy off-roading, I change engine oil & filter right away when back, greasing on all parts required as well.

In my other vehicles I use Mobile 1 full synthetic.