30 replies to this topic

[sebastor]

Guys i use conventional Valvoline "Higher Millage" 5-30w engine oil.
My lex has 151 k.
My engine tends to burn 1 quater of oil per 2 months or so
so i tried that oil. Not much improvement.

1. What is the best oil when burning oil for that car ?
2. What do you guys use ?

[chromiez]

try snythetic oils, they dont burn as fast. seems like alot of people here use mobil1

[VBdenny]

My 400 has 130,000 miles and has had synthetic oil since new. I go a full 3,000 miles without any noticable oil consumption. Oil burning is usually from one of two causes (or both). If the oil is being burning during deceleration, is is probably attributed to the valves. If oil is consumed durng acceleration, it usually involves the piston rings. Neither is good.

The only product I have ever found that actually works to limit oil consumption is a product called RESTORE. You may have seen it advertised on TV. I use it in my 1966 Cutlassm which I know ha both bad valves, but mainly weak rings. The Cutlass is so bad that you can actually see the oil smoke behind the car. When I use the RESTORE, I don't see the smoke. Since I'm planning to replace the engine, and I really never drive the car anymore, I'm not concerned.

One thing, shake the can for a long, long time before adding. It is very hard to mix.

[UCF3]

If you don't want to pay for the synthetic, put 10W-30. The viscosity and weight will do the job too.

[VBdenny]

Hey now, we can't have people driving a Lexus around with oil smoke coming out the pipes. That makes all of us look bad. Synthetic oil is not very likely to reduce your oil consumption but it might be better for the environment. Try the Restore, I swear it works!

[VMF]

btw guys, the manual says that we have to use 5-30w. i always used 10-30w and now i switched to 10-30w sinthetic. is it bad that i used 10 instead of 5?

[chromiez]

the 5w-30 is the prefered weight, but since most of out ls400s are old now its better to have a heavyer weight oil such as 10w-30. 10w-30 is variable oil that will protect your engine in year round conditions. the mechnic i was talking to said to put 10-30 in mine since its an older engine (i have about 127,000mi on my 1991 ls400)

[sebastor]

I hear you guys...FOUR problems.

1. Synthetic is thinner then 5w-30 so it makes sense to me that engine will burn that oil even faster. Also if I heard correctly because of age of my and your’s car (1991)car was driven on conventional so it’s not good to change now to synthetic. That is at least what I heard. Other theory is that conventional oil is better at sealing worn out seals in engine where synthetic does not.

2. RESTORE.....I had few yrs ago Mitsubishi conquest/starion and had a turbo. I put restore in it...turbo went out after few months....coincidence???? or NOTTTTTT....I don't know but I’m afraid of RESTORE product.....

How long have you guys driven your car on RESTORE ? Any coincidental problems? RESTORE will always say it was due to age of your car that ....let say valves failed....

3. RESTORE is very thick write ??!!!!.....well 5w-30 was put on an engine for a reason so thin oil can lubricate even smallest places in the engine....what do you think ....SLUDGE like RESTORE will do to let say valves holes ? ....seal it for good ? ...I am not mechanic and maybe stupid but my common sense tells me RESTORE = DISEASTER.

4. On 10w30 it seems to me that it takes longer and little harder for engine to start up. I takes me probably 1.5 times longer to start. Of course I am talking about second or two but I can tell the difference. Especially that harder start...

WHAT ARE YOU THOUGHT WHAT I SAID.

[SRK]

At normal operating temperatures, 5W-30 and 10W-30 are the same. At low temps, the 5W will be thinner and allow for faster starts, better start lubrication, and fuel savings during warm-up. 10W will be a bit thicker at cold starts. That's the difference.

Synthetics are rated on the same scale exactly. So a 5W-30 synth will be the same as a 5W-30 conventional at the two test temperatures of -18F and 210F. Outside those temperatures, the synthetic will perform better, thinning less with higher temps, and thickening less at lower temps.

Don't use ANY additives. At best they are a patch job, and at worst degrade the oil you put in the sump. No manufacturer recommends them, including Lexus. That is good enough for me. The API, ILSAC, and SAE do not rate additives for a reason. They do no good.

Synthetics are better at maintaining the pliability of seals. If the engine leaks oil now, it will continue to with synthetics, although it may not leak any more.

At any point in an engine's service life it will benefit from synthetic. In fact, as clearances increase, synthetics will protect the engine more effectively.

[sebastor]

SRK...I agree with most of it..makes sense but
i have poured out 5-30 of synthetic and 5-30 conventional
and it seemed to me that synthetic was pouring faster and thinner then conventional...maybe it's just visual....but conventional seems more thinker even though they state same thinkness.
Also few people told me that is more thinner but thank you for your help....you are probably write...i am not car expert that is why i ask for help here...

srk what oil brand and grade do you recomment to prevent from burning of oil ?
Right now i use award won Valvoline Higher mileage 5w-30.
it still eats one quart for every 3000miles oil change which means
that before my next oil change i have to add at least one quart of oil.
It ticks me off cause i don't like to check for oil every 2 weeks.

[UCF3]

I'm only recommending 10W-30 if you're not willing to pay for the extra cost. I use Mobil 1 5W-30, because it helps prevent engine damages and lasts longer. Synthetic is formulated to quote cylinder walls and add more lubrication to moving parts according to my sponsors (Mobil Engineering team, Sonoma, CA). I'm guessing the Restore won't be needed. I would say, go with the mobil 1 5W-30 and see if the smoke stops, providing it's black smoke and not white.

[SRK]

I use Mobil 5W-30 in both of my cars, the Lexus of course, and a '94 Camaro Z28. Neither burns any oil, and neither has any leaks.

In most cases I have found, and certainly with some customer cars, that oil burning is the result of piston rings which get sticky from infrequent oil changes. What can correct that condition, over time, is regular oil changes with a quality oil. The fresh oil will tend to clean varnish and deposits out of the ring grooves and allow the rings to conform better to the cylinder walls. My advice would be to shorten up the drain interval - maybe 2000 miles or so - for a few changes and then monitor the oil consumption. In most cases the engine will begin to burn less oil. Also be sure the crankcase breather (PCV valve) is in good condition, as when it plugs the internal crankcase pressure goes up and that can push oil past the rings.

In some cases I have flushed very dirty engines with good conventional oil, on very short changes, like 100 miles or so, and then gradually increased the interval as the engine cleaned itself internally.

At the end of it all, if the engine does continue to burn oil, but doesn't foul any one sparkplug (all cylinders are burning a bit) and the catalytic convertors continue to function efficiently, then simply add a bit of oil between changes and don't worry about it. If one cylinder seems to burn the oil, that would indicate a mechanical problem, if all do it evenly, then it is just normal wear.

[VBdenny]

There are places that offer what they call BILLSTEEN flush. They remove the oil filter and run and engine flush solution through the engine. This effectively removes all the sludge and deposits in the motor. I had it done on my Chevy and was quite impressed. If you have been running convention oil, this is a good idea.

Synthetic is always better than conventional as it retains it's viscosity under extreme conditions. For cold weather start-ups it really protects better. I would not use 10W-30 oil in my Lexus. 5W-30 is the best. If you live in some freezing cold place, you might considier 0W-30 in the winter, and I guess if you're in some really hot place, 10W-30. Somehow I still feel it is best to use the exact oil the car was designed to use.

Frequent oil changes with Synthetic oil is the key to a long running engine.

I use Valvoline 5W-30 Full synthetic. Pep Boys is the only place that sells it around here. I change the oil every 3,000 miles. I think Amsoil and Mobil 1 are also great oils as well.

[VMF]

can i switch from 10 sinthecit to 5 sinthetic?

[tansupplyman]

$0.02: Depends on your location !! Bought the 93 Lexus w/100k and have used Castrol 20w50[carryover from all my BMW days] and now have 163k and it burns & drips absolutely ZERO--change every 3k; but would not use that grade if car was new.
If you are upnorth you can use this grade for one change--summer !!! then you need to drop back--how much depends on your latitude--at least to 5w(on cold side) if mn,etc. syn is great but I love to change every 3k[have my own Autolifter] and it is not economical; also I wouldn't dare put it in a car with over 100k unless it had it all it's life. Opinion!!!
Richard