Looking at recent post I've seen that a lot of you are using synthetic oil. What are the advantages and disadvantages of doing so?

 

There are no disadvantages to using synthetic oil. It is the best possible oil you can put in your engine, it is manmade and it is engineered for performance. It does cost more than your standard base stock oils that are made from petroleum, but, I run standard base in mine, i change my oil every 3000 miles and i dont worry about the advantages that synthetic gives you. The synthetic some say it makes your engine run a tad quieter. The petroleum based has a lower flash point and leaves behind deposits in your motor if not changed at frequent intervals, it will build sludge in your lexus motor.

 

Erfan pretty much covered everything! If a syn DOES have a disadvantage, it would be the cost. However, this can be partially offset by extending the change intervals. I'm an Engineer with an oil company ( not Exxon/Mobil ) & my friends @ Mobil recommend the following: Change the oil & filter; go 5k miles & change JUST the filter; go another 5k then change both oil & filter. In theory, the syns R good for 25k miles IF kept clean - wouldn't push the oil that far, IMO. I've done the above change interval for over 60k on a Lingenfelter 406 cid Corvette ( w/nitrous ) & had no problems. Based on the compression test I did before selling it, not much wear either ( & I have a HEAVY right foot!! ). Consider the Mobil 1 oil filter as well - ranked very high on the latest SAE tests ( FAR above Fram!! ).

 

Is it fine to run synthetic with the stock oil filter? My dealership said stick with the stock filter eventhough I provided a M1 oil filter for the car when I had the oil change done. Thanx

 

Why did the dealership refuse your filter? The M1 would have been the better choice thant he stock one. Lot better filtration fibers.

 

Erfan,
I have no idea why they used the stock filter. I think it was to get money back from Lexus since this was the free 5K service so they put the part in to get the money back. Next time I get my oil changed though I am demanding they install it with the oil I supply. And of course I will demand the empty containers as well since I am now suspicious of them.

 

Nothing wrong with the stock oil filter - just better ones out there, IMO. Actually, the stealership may have been trying to save ya some money since the filter's part of that first free oil service. However, I'd have thought that they wouldn't care which filter U wanted used as long as it was a brand name. There's been a long discussion since 've been on this Board ( 2 years now ) about using non-Lexus parts in our cars. According to my dealer ( & my attorney friends ), as long as the fluids/filters/whatevers meet the minimium standards set by Lexus & explained in the owner's manuals & shop books, they can't come back on ya later & refuse to honor the warranty if something fails that they may track back to a non-Lexus part. Kinda like working on the car yourself or by a non-Lexus repair shop - I live 125 miles from my CLOSEST Lexus dealership so I do 90% of the work myself & the rest is done at my friend's ASME certified speed shop. Just save your receipts!

 

I just changed oil yesterday at local shop. with 130k miles, I decided not go for syn oil. I used Castrol GTX 10w-30 with Toyota filter($16 from lex dealer..)

What if my previous owner used syn oil? and now i'm using conventional oils, what's gonna happen?
ppl suggesting not to go back from syn oil to conventional oil but I'm not clear why.
Should I try syn oil next time? :P

 

Taka - There used to be an old school line of thought about not using syns because they caused leaks. Actually, the older seals required certain additives within the conventional oil that allowed them to swell slightly & completely seal off. The syns didn't cause impregnation so the seals didn't swell & hence the leaks. Newer seal materials have eliminated that problem but once U get over 100k miles or so, the clearances on the engine have seriously loosened up & the less viscious synthetics may find it's way past the valve seals/guide & piston rings. I ran 100% synthetic in my work S-10 until I hit 100k ( & noticed some oil residue on the plugs ) so switched over to a syn/conventional blend for now. Haven't been using as much oil since the switch & the only residue on the spark plugs is that of carbon so I'll keep using the blended oil. I wouldn't switch back to a fully syn oil but might try a blended version at the next oil change - just keep an eye out for excessive oil consumption between changes.

 

Gene, or anyone else, can you provide me with a few sources for the M1 filter? Also, I plan to use Royal Purple or Red Line synthetics throughout (perhaps M1 for engine oil). Are synthetics ok to use in place of the Toyota Type T-IV trans fluid and rear axle lube (standard 80/90 if I recall)? Lastly, are coolant additives (such as Red Line Water Wetter, which I have used in many cars) safe to use conjunction with the DexCool red Toyota coolant (so as not to create a potentially corrosion environment for the alum block and heads, as 'normal' coolant might possible do, I want to make sure that an additive will be compatible with the alloy).
Thank you.

 

I would use full syntec in all of your parts. I would not add any of that water wetter stuff in there, it is really not needed and you might risk the damage of your core and pump from the mixing and reaction of those chemicals with the toyota coolant. The Toyota coolant is designed not to corrode or react with the aluminum in your motor such as your block and heads, it does not contain Borate which is used in your standard Ethylene Glycol based Antifreezes. The M1 filter you can pick up easily from Walmart, Autozone, Pepboys, Etc. Royal Purple would be an excellent choice for the Syntec.

Thank You,

Erfan Afshar

 

Lex - I also wouldn't use the RedLine "water wetter" with the long life coolants like those offered by Prestone or Texaco. According to my lab friends with Texaco, the new 100k stuff is designed to provide all the protection & pump lubrication necessary for a street driven engine. The worst thing that can happen though is that the new stuff gets contaminated by either the old "green" glycol or an aftermarket additive like the RedLine product ( which most of my autocross friends use faithfully ). All this will do is reduce the lifespan of the new ( & expensive ) antifreeze down to the old stuff - it shouldn't harm the radiator or engine block ( as long as the older stuff is the type approved for aluminium radiators ). FWIW - I've got the 2800 stall T/C & 3.76 gears & the temperature gauge hasn't raised off it's normal resting point yet, even when traveling back from Orlando this past June at an average speed of 95 mph so I wouldn't be concerned about overheating. As far as M1 filter sources go, they've dried up alot here in Louisiana. Wally World & Pep Boyz no longer carry the Mobil filter line ( but still the oils ) - I have only found it locally at Auto Zone but there's always the M1 website store. I'm running M1 synthetic 90 weight gear lube in my RMM rear end but there isn't a syn ATF available ( that I'm aware of ) for the Lexus. Anyway, Mo uses standard Lexus/Texaco ATF in SRT's 700+ hp GS so it's good enough for me! My first choice in engine lubrication ( based on SAE tests I've seen plus commercial firsthand proof in the oilfield ) would be Royal Purple but it's not available in my area other than via online from JEGS or other sources - at least the price has come down to below $5/quart! My personal choice with all factors considered ( price, performance & availability ) still remains Mobil 1 - $17.95 for a 5 quart jug at Wally World last week. www.mobil1.com/index.jsp www.royalpurple.com
www.jegs.com

 

Erfan and Gene, thank you both. Auto Zone did indeed have the M1 filter, I picked a couple up (M1 102 for a 1UZ, correct?), as well as a 6qt case of the M1 5W30 (no 5qt jugs there). Gene, are you telling me that there's an auto parts chain down south called 'Wally World?' Maybe i'm a cynic, but that would never fly here in NY, lol. I was unaware that M1 made a syn gear lube, straight 90-weight, you say? I have had nothing but good experiences running the M1 in turbo Buicks and small block juice motors, so i'll trust them enough to go with their gear lube as well. Can I assume that Auto Zone carries the 90wt, or is life just not that easy? As far as the ATF goes, i'm sure that Mr. Choudhurry himself would agree that there is no downside to upgrading to syn, as you know, it's just a matter of finding an equivalent fluid. Wasn't RON430 going to call Red Line to see if their M4 ATF was the equivalent of the Toyota Type-IV ?
Holler back, RON. Gene, what might you mean when you say standard Lexus/TEXACO ATF. Texaco? Just curious, I was under the impression that the only option was the T-IV fluid from Toyota.
Lastly, even if I flush the cooling system, how am I to know if any residual coolant containing Borate might still reside in a pocket somewhere, and therefore contaminate the new DexCool? I guess that's not worth worrying over. If I flush, how much DexCool will I need and what's the ballpark price per gallon, litre, whatever. Thanks for letting me tap your noodle.

 

Goto www.toyota.com and you can find the nearest dealership to your area and call them and they are running specials on 1 gallon jugs of the Toyota long life, you can just stop by thier parts dept. and buy you a couple gallons. As far as the flushing of the existing coolant i would have the toyota dealership do it, they will power flush it and zap any of the existing coolant out and fill you right up with Dexcool.

 

Lex - Ok, if ya want to "politically correct" I mean Wal Mart when I say "Wally World"!! About that not working in the Big Apple - I've seen some CRAZY TV commercials with some nut at an electronics store when I've been up there on business ( work for Amerada Hess ) so I'm not so sure!!!!! Anyway - yes, M1-102 is the GS4 oil filter & ( technically ) the synthetic grease has a range of 75-90 weight. Don't have a bottle in my backyard auto parts store ( what my wife calls my workshop! ) to reference to but I've just always called it straight 90 weight gear lube ( it's also available at Auto Zone & Pep Boyz ). The factory fill Lexus lube doesn't have the correct additive for use with a LSD ( prevents the "chunking" sound ) so when I switched to the RMM rear end ( with LSD ), I either needed to add a can of the GM Positive Traction additive or run pure synthetic lube & I'm sure by now that everyone knows my stance on conventional versus sythetic lubricants. Still waiting on Ron's heads-up about synthetic ATF as well & will switch as soon as we know for sure that one such fluid DOES exist!! Being a petroleum/lubrication engineer with Hess ( as Ron says, "Little Oil" ), I get access to behind-the-scenes info. Plus, my Lexus tech keeps me in the know. Just as Mobil makes lubricants for GM to market under the name "Mr. Goodwrench", Texaco makes the stuff for Toyota/Lexus. I was shocked when I went to my "stealership" to purchase some gear lube & they came out with bottles of Texaco stuff!!:eek: Nothing wrong with Texaco products; in fact, we use some Texaco chemicals on our offshore platforms as we don't manufacter/sell our own brand of oil & chemicals - that IS our own gasoline U can get at Hess Express, however ). About the antifreeze contamination possibility, the only way U can be 99.9% certain ( & it only takes a few teaspoons of the older blend to convert the new stuff, I'm told ) that U get all the old antifreeze out would be ( IMO ) to drain everything & use one of the Prestone flush/fill hookups that taps into your upper radiator hose & U use your home's garden hose to backflush the entire cooling system, including the engine block. Flush several times & then say a prayer!! :eek: I bought 2 gallons at "WAL MART" ( $7.99/gallon, I recall? ) but the GS has a small capacity radiator & haven't opened the second gallon yet - I go with about a 60/40 ratio of coolant to water & I use ONLY distilled water in both the radiator & washer fluid reservoirs. My last testing of the mixture says that I'm good for 40 degrees below but my BODY's not good that cold!! Maybe ya'll have some places that can power-backflush your cooling systems for a nominal fee ( maybe your dealership? ) but U need to get it ALL out if U plan on extending the drain intervals to 100k. Personally, I'm changing mine at 50k but I'm Type "A" when it comes to my vehicles!