Just to add another dimension. My wife drives an '06 Saturn Vue. The manual states that you do not have to change the oil until the oil light comes on or at a minimum once a year. It states that the vehicle has an oil monitoring system that detects when the oil needs to be changed. I called the dealership and they confirmed this. I still have it changed every 3000. Old dog new tricks I guess.

 

5-20 oil used in cold weather climate aid in cold starts, and easier on engine as it gets oil to all parts quicker than the heavier oils. Well it worked for me when I was living in the Chicago land area. Much warmer in the Southern part of the state.

 

The first number is the winter/cold number for initial start up that's the number that matters for cold starts in cold places (the w really stands for winter). The second number is when the oil is up to temp and since all cars have an operating temperature regulated by a thermostat etc, the second number really doesn't make a difference in the cold weather, but if it were a 50 weight or something it wouldn't flow as easy even at temp and cause issues in some cars (4.6L Police cruisers used the wrong heavier weight oil cause they thought it was better than the recommended weight where I used to work and they had almost all of them blow the oil filters off/burst), the 20 weight is a thinner oil when hot so I don't think it would protect the engine as well especially on a vehicle that has some mileage on it.

Stick with the recommended weight from the manufacturer, not what the dealer recommends because they can have a biased opinion depending on what they make more money from/is cheapest for them to buy.

my .02

 

quick question to all,
whats happen if u over fill your oil buy 2qs over????

 

TWO quarts... or .2 quarts ?!??!!

Don't know about the LS, but for some vehicles, that much oil will probably fill to the point where the crankshaft is not submerged, or atleast sitting on top of oil, so that when the engine is running, it's having additional "drag" from rotating in the oil. I would say.. NOT GOOD. If you can, drain the two quarts out. In this case, it's not really "the more the better."

 

thank you ,,
just wondering did it to my ES300 i was just wondering if that's what cause it to start bring oil??/...but i made sure i read to book on my ls 430...mobile 1 5x30 Lexus filter all day... Some tried to tell me the dealer filter is not good for synthetic OIL???

 

Just got done changing the oil and it was just as easy as any other car I've done. Mobil 1 5W30 and OEM toyota filter....

 

If car is under warranty, is it ok to do your own oil, filter?? Or is the warranty void if not done by a certified dealer? Got lifetime warranty on my drivetrain with Toyota dealer??

 

OEM filters are fine with synthetic oils. If synthetics flow better,why would synthetic not work with them? Some dealers, they'll just say anything.

As for warranty, if you don't bring to shop, then just keep your receipts to show you've performed the maintenance.

 

.5 - 1.0 quarts over is probably ok/fine, but 2 quarts over might cause some problems in your intake system, crank case gases/pressure get redirected into the intake system to get burned instead of being released into the atmosphere, if there is too much oil (your case) there will be more oil present in the gases that get redirected into the intake and burned, depending on the internal design of the engine and how much pressure gets generated at operating temperature you could possibly have regular oil making its way in instead of vapor, making your engine burn the oil and smoke a lot if it is really over full. You also run the risk (probably not with 2 quarts) of hydralocking the motor but it usually takes a lot more than the internal design will allow. Hydralock can happen with faulty injectors that leak down and fill the cylinder full of gas while the engine is off or from water ingestion.

I'd drain off 2 quarts, and recheck it.

 

You also run the risk with more oil being burned it will most times cause a rougher idle and possible fouling of your plugs.

 

i use the castrol syntec...use to use the mobile 1 but found the castrol made engine perform better...change every 6500 miles but think i can go longer.also clean k&n filter every 3 changes car runs like a dream

 

Sorry to bring the old post back but was just wondering how much oil does LS430 need?

Checked the manual and it says 4.8q. but why do i have in my head 5.5q and it looks like a got this idea after reading something on CL ???

 

Dude, read my post #3 above, before reviving the dead. 5 quarts with filter change brings you up to middle hash. Another .5 (total 5.5 quarts) brings you up to the full line. I just drop in 5 quarts since those Mobil 1 and most other oils, come in 5 qt. jugs. That .5 won't be missed, unless you have a leak.