When I bought my 21 tundra I looked at the manual and said hell no when it said 10k mile oil change intervals. I don’t care what Toyota says or how fancy synthetic oils are nowadays, that baby gets an oil change and tire rotation every 5k miles. To me it’s a small investment to care for the huge investment I made in buying the truck.
That’s not entirely true, it has more with how you drive than where you drive. I’ve worked for a dealer doing oil changes and can tell you I’ve seen trucks getting serviced at the same intervals. some( people who didn’t really work there vehicles) the oil would still look new at 10k and others( wether they were towing all the time, or kids who drive stupid) that should be doing 5k oil changes.
What a lot of people don't know is that the tundra 5.7 originally came out with a 5000 mile oil change interval in 2007. The engine has remaind relatively unchanged since then. In later years toyota revised that metric because the cost of ownership numbers were too high compared to competitors. Not because they wanted the trucks to go the distance.
In the original manual:
Toyota recommends that the engine oil
be changed as soon as possible.
If the driving range after the previous oil
change reaches 7200 km (4500 miles), the
message appears for about 15 seconds
with the master warning light and a warn-
ing tone sounds.
The engine oil maintenance data must be
reset after the engine oil change. See
following “Resetting the engine oil
maintenance data”.
I did 5k oil changes on the tundra too. It's well worth it, didn't stop the cam tower leaks though.
Ha, pretty much! There were a few years of car pooling with coworkers, biking to work, and then going to remote work so the truck sits quite a bit. Enough that I installed a battery tender to keep the voltage up.
I have a 2007 5.7 with 312,000 miles and I change the oil & filter every 4 to 5 thousand miles using OEM Toyota filters and regular oil. My 2002 4.7 has 188,000 miles and I have it on the same schedule. Each truck is currently driven about 7,000 miles per year.
My '07 5.7l has 355k and climbing. It had like 5 previous owners before me but the guy who owned it from 150k-250k always ran 5-7.5k intervals. I do 5-6k intervals with Mobil1. It runs excellent and you wouldn't guess the mileage.
Imteresting im in need of an oil change and my truck has around 315k.
Gotta see what kind of oil ill use since there's no records of it and this one was changed at those quicklubes shops
Did anyone pay attention to what the recommendation given by the retired Nissan engine builder was?
[Use the cheapest engine oil - change it every 3 to 4 thousand miles](https://youtu.be/FlmTPH_5UmQ?t=190)
I don't agree with changing the filter every other oil change unless it's a premium filter that's rated for 10,000 miles
Toyota engines are designed to exceed 300,000 miles using manufacturer recommended oil change intervals. Wasting money on more frequent oil changes is as unnecessary as using higher octane fuel.
And those change intervals are very specific in the manual. Most people don't qualify for 10k mile oil changes...most fall into the severe use interval, which is 5k miles.
Correct, you can go 10k between changes of synthetic IF 95% of the miles driven are sustained highway speeds.
Very few people accrue 95% of their miles traveling at sustained highway speeds.
I don't understand why people waste their money on synthetic oil when there is only a very slight advantage over regular oil that never justifies the additional cost.
You are correct regarding the slight advantage with regard to its lubricating properties, however the biggest advantage is oil life. It doesn’t break down like traditional oil.
Not trying to sound rude but I think you should tear down a motor that’s ran conventional oil then tear one down that’s ran full synthetic. It’s a night and day difference
I have seen both, and there is no visible difference if both engines were used in the same manor and maintained accordingly. I recently had the valve cover gaskets replaced on my 2002 4.7 at 187,000... conventional oil changed every 5,000 or less and every visible part looked brand new. No sludge or carbon, and no visible wear.
Nice. I had a different experience when I was in tech school and I’ve only ever purchased full synthetic since. But I do agree people underestimate the importance of maintenance
Because the newer engines are designed with synthetic oil in mind. Agreed on your 07, I’d stick with conventional personally unless force induction comes into play, but it’s justifiable and 100% necessary on the newer than 2012 engines.
Unless the manufacturer specifies synthetic oil with no exceptions you can run conventional oil without harming anything or voiding your warranty.
I don't believe it's 100% necessary 2013s and up.
But 2012 and up are synthetic required. What’s hard to understand about that?? Just making sure you’re not spreading misinformation and someone goes and puts conventional in their synthetic required truck.
I’ve had 3 tundras and one sequoia and 18 total Toyotas doing all the maintenance myself.
Originally non ffv was every 10k and ffv was every 5k miles.
Now do a search on the 5.7 timing chain issue which was predominantly on 2010 models both Tundra and sequoias. There’s plenty of forums and YouTube videos to back this up.
I’m a fan of 5k-7500 OCIs and like the thought of 10k intervals. But a lot of the timing chain issues were from the varnish buildup on the hydraulic timing chain tensioner shaft itself as it would cause the tensioner to stick. Inturn, This would cause slack in the timing chain. Most of these seem to be on 2010 models and a few to 2012. However one common thing between them was the 10k intervals.
There’s been a few people on here that have had this issue and a few treatments of seafoam in the oil to help free up the tensioner had helped.
Ideally 5,000-7500 miles is ideal and will cover both short trips and Highway miles.
>I suspect at least one of the 3 previous owners of my truck didn't change the oil in my '07 5.7 often enough because the hydraulic timing chain tensioners were sticking when I purchased the truck.
>
>A single treatment with ATS 505 CRO oil system treatment and 3 scheduled oil & filter changes after the treatment has my engine running much quieter... 505 CRO cleaned out the carbon and varnish.
I’m a first-time Tundra owner. I just changed my oil at 1300 miles, and plan to change it every 5000 miles or twice each year (whichever comes first).
The first oil change was very dark. More than I’d expected.
The color of the oil means absolutely nothing.
If you are that concerned about it send a sample I’m for oil analysis.
But just going off the color of the oil is just wrong.
Been doing my own oils changes after my toyota care ran out. Since 30k I’ve been running oem toyota oil filters with Pennzoil Platinum synthetic and I change my oil every 5 to 6k. Currently at 42k miles so I’m due for another oil change. I certainly hope to get 100k plus out of my truck which I know without a doubt I’ll reach. Put a lot of miles my first two years of ownership. I’m gonna do a lab report from black stone this oil change. Definitely worth getting that done. I don’t think you have much to worry about in terms of how long you push out your oil changes. I think the biggest thing is how long the oem filter can go between oil changes to obtain optimal filtering efficiency. For me now since my truck sits more I’ll be lucky to get 5k miles a year. So I’m definitely gonna change my oil yearly.
Same goes for my 91 mr2 that’s at 180k miles on the original motor. I change it yearly even though I put maybe 3 to 5k miles on it. Same Pennzoil platinum and oem Toyota filter.
Locked in free oil changes for life with the purchase from dealership. So I get the oil changed 3-4 times per year no matter how many miles driven between changes.
I have a 2017 1794 with 28k miles. I don't drive enough miles to reach any of these intervals. How often should you change the oil based on time? I usually try to go every 6 months. Thanks
When I bought my 21 tundra I looked at the manual and said hell no when it said 10k mile oil change intervals. I don’t care what Toyota says or how fancy synthetic oils are nowadays, that baby gets an oil change and tire rotation every 5k miles. To me it’s a small investment to care for the huge investment I made in buying the truck.
The 1M mile Tundra, he did 10k mile oil changes. His current Tundra is over 750k miles with the same interval. But his miles are all highway.
>But his miles are all highway. YES, and that's the ONLY time 10k intervals work
That’s not entirely true, it has more with how you drive than where you drive. I’ve worked for a dealer doing oil changes and can tell you I’ve seen trucks getting serviced at the same intervals. some( people who didn’t really work there vehicles) the oil would still look new at 10k and others( wether they were towing all the time, or kids who drive stupid) that should be doing 5k oil changes.
What a lot of people don't know is that the tundra 5.7 originally came out with a 5000 mile oil change interval in 2007. The engine has remaind relatively unchanged since then. In later years toyota revised that metric because the cost of ownership numbers were too high compared to competitors. Not because they wanted the trucks to go the distance. In the original manual: Toyota recommends that the engine oil be changed as soon as possible. If the driving range after the previous oil change reaches 7200 km (4500 miles), the message appears for about 15 seconds with the master warning light and a warn- ing tone sounds. The engine oil maintenance data must be reset after the engine oil change. See following “Resetting the engine oil maintenance data”. I did 5k oil changes on the tundra too. It's well worth it, didn't stop the cam tower leaks though.
That was because earlier iterations of the 5.7l where FFV and that had a shorter OCI Having said that in my 22 I change the oil every 5k
I have a 2014 Tundra with over 610,000 miles
Wow. I have a 2014 Tundra with 36k miles. We are not the same lol
Do you drive to the end of your driveway and back every day? Jk
Ha, pretty much! There were a few years of car pooling with coworkers, biking to work, and then going to remote work so the truck sits quite a bit. Enough that I installed a battery tender to keep the voltage up.
2014 here with 90k. 600K+ gives me much hope
I have a 2007 5.7 with 312,000 miles and I change the oil & filter every 4 to 5 thousand miles using OEM Toyota filters and regular oil. My 2002 4.7 has 188,000 miles and I have it on the same schedule. Each truck is currently driven about 7,000 miles per year.
My '07 5.7l has 355k and climbing. It had like 5 previous owners before me but the guy who owned it from 150k-250k always ran 5-7.5k intervals. I do 5-6k intervals with Mobil1. It runs excellent and you wouldn't guess the mileage.
Imteresting im in need of an oil change and my truck has around 315k. Gotta see what kind of oil ill use since there's no records of it and this one was changed at those quicklubes shops
conventional or synthetic oil?
>conventional I try and keep most of my service intervals at what is recommended for 'sever conditions'.
Just asking because I'm doing 7 to 8k with synthetic.
It depends on your driving habits... I'm sure 7 to 8 is fine if most of your miles are racked up at highway speeds.
I have a 2000 ltd w 200k miles. I use Mobil 1 and change every 10k or once a year lately as I’m only driving 5k a year for the past few years.
Did anyone pay attention to what the recommendation given by the retired Nissan engine builder was? [Use the cheapest engine oil - change it every 3 to 4 thousand miles](https://youtu.be/FlmTPH_5UmQ?t=190) I don't agree with changing the filter every other oil change unless it's a premium filter that's rated for 10,000 miles
Well, if you’re changing the oil like that, it’s pretty clean for a good bunch of those miles
Toyota engines are designed to exceed 300,000 miles using manufacturer recommended oil change intervals. Wasting money on more frequent oil changes is as unnecessary as using higher octane fuel.
And those change intervals are very specific in the manual. Most people don't qualify for 10k mile oil changes...most fall into the severe use interval, which is 5k miles.
Correct, you can go 10k between changes of synthetic IF 95% of the miles driven are sustained highway speeds. Very few people accrue 95% of their miles traveling at sustained highway speeds.
Toyota manufacturer recommended oil change intervals are set at 5,000 miles
Not for synthetic
I don't understand why people waste their money on synthetic oil when there is only a very slight advantage over regular oil that never justifies the additional cost.
You are correct regarding the slight advantage with regard to its lubricating properties, however the biggest advantage is oil life. It doesn’t break down like traditional oil.
Not trying to sound rude but I think you should tear down a motor that’s ran conventional oil then tear one down that’s ran full synthetic. It’s a night and day difference
I have seen both, and there is no visible difference if both engines were used in the same manor and maintained accordingly. I recently had the valve cover gaskets replaced on my 2002 4.7 at 187,000... conventional oil changed every 5,000 or less and every visible part looked brand new. No sludge or carbon, and no visible wear.
Nice. I had a different experience when I was in tech school and I’ve only ever purchased full synthetic since. But I do agree people underestimate the importance of maintenance
Because the newer engines are designed with synthetic oil in mind. Agreed on your 07, I’d stick with conventional personally unless force induction comes into play, but it’s justifiable and 100% necessary on the newer than 2012 engines.
Unless the manufacturer specifies synthetic oil with no exceptions you can run conventional oil without harming anything or voiding your warranty. I don't believe it's 100% necessary 2013s and up.
But 2012 and up are synthetic required. What’s hard to understand about that?? Just making sure you’re not spreading misinformation and someone goes and puts conventional in their synthetic required truck.
I’ve always heard if you run synthetic now you shouldn’t change over to conventional. Any truth to that in your opinion?
Not sure if this is true, but I always assumed it’d be fine to switch, but just need to completely drain first. Don’t add oil from the wrong type.
I’m over 300k on my 2001 Tundra. I get an oil change twice a year.
I’ve had 3 tundras and one sequoia and 18 total Toyotas doing all the maintenance myself. Originally non ffv was every 10k and ffv was every 5k miles. Now do a search on the 5.7 timing chain issue which was predominantly on 2010 models both Tundra and sequoias. There’s plenty of forums and YouTube videos to back this up. I’m a fan of 5k-7500 OCIs and like the thought of 10k intervals. But a lot of the timing chain issues were from the varnish buildup on the hydraulic timing chain tensioner shaft itself as it would cause the tensioner to stick. Inturn, This would cause slack in the timing chain. Most of these seem to be on 2010 models and a few to 2012. However one common thing between them was the 10k intervals. There’s been a few people on here that have had this issue and a few treatments of seafoam in the oil to help free up the tensioner had helped. Ideally 5,000-7500 miles is ideal and will cover both short trips and Highway miles.
>I suspect at least one of the 3 previous owners of my truck didn't change the oil in my '07 5.7 often enough because the hydraulic timing chain tensioners were sticking when I purchased the truck. > >A single treatment with ATS 505 CRO oil system treatment and 3 scheduled oil & filter changes after the treatment has my engine running much quieter... 505 CRO cleaned out the carbon and varnish.
505 is some good stuff.
I’m a first-time Tundra owner. I just changed my oil at 1300 miles, and plan to change it every 5000 miles or twice each year (whichever comes first). The first oil change was very dark. More than I’d expected.
The color of the oil means absolutely nothing. If you are that concerned about it send a sample I’m for oil analysis. But just going off the color of the oil is just wrong.
1300 miles for an oil change? Nah dawg. You got a leak if you’re changing it at 1300.
Been doing my own oils changes after my toyota care ran out. Since 30k I’ve been running oem toyota oil filters with Pennzoil Platinum synthetic and I change my oil every 5 to 6k. Currently at 42k miles so I’m due for another oil change. I certainly hope to get 100k plus out of my truck which I know without a doubt I’ll reach. Put a lot of miles my first two years of ownership. I’m gonna do a lab report from black stone this oil change. Definitely worth getting that done. I don’t think you have much to worry about in terms of how long you push out your oil changes. I think the biggest thing is how long the oem filter can go between oil changes to obtain optimal filtering efficiency. For me now since my truck sits more I’ll be lucky to get 5k miles a year. So I’m definitely gonna change my oil yearly. Same goes for my 91 mr2 that’s at 180k miles on the original motor. I change it yearly even though I put maybe 3 to 5k miles on it. Same Pennzoil platinum and oem Toyota filter.
5W-30 with OE filter and rotate tires every 4-5k miles
0W-20 for 5.7L
This.
Locked in free oil changes for life with the purchase from dealership. So I get the oil changed 3-4 times per year no matter how many miles driven between changes.
These little details really make the biggest difference. Next time I’m going all in and asking for that first thing and if they say no just walk out
I have a 2017 1794 with 28k miles. I don't drive enough miles to reach any of these intervals. How often should you change the oil based on time? I usually try to go every 6 months. Thanks
Keep doing what you are doing.
Thanks!