How To Fight Sludge....

[RX400h]

According to the latest issue of Consumer Reports, owners of vehicles with sludge-prone engines should use American Petroleum Institute-approved synthetic

oil.

"Synthetics have a higher tolerance for extreme heat and flow better in cold temperatures. Changing oil on the extreme use schedule (and saving the records) provides evidence that you tried to protect the engine from sludge. Used car buyers considering those vehicles should locate one with complete maitenance records."

[SKperformance]

You want to fight sludge do religious oil changes and use synthetic only.

Adjust the schedule sooner if you drive alot of city and not highway.

I am not sure which synthetics are not API now adays anyway.

[edwardh1]

just change the oil like every 5000 miles or more often--

simple

[rx300mac]

ESPECIALLY change the oil a lot if your driving is all city. This is the biggest mistake people who don't drive often experience.

Usually, when driving on the highway the engine gets really hot, and the water with the oil evaporates.

when you dont drive as often, the engine doesnt get as hot, and that water cant evaporate. This is why you should change it often.

The oil is the most important part of an engine in my opinion. I change the oil in my cars every 3,000 miles!!! I know it's overkill but i feel better afterwards.

Its just me

[RX400h]

The oil is the most important part of an engine in my opinion. I change the oil in my cars every 3,000 miles!!! I know it's overkill but i feel better afterwards.

Its just me 

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This can get really expensive if you are using synthetic oil. Most synthetics can handle 12,000+ miles without breaking down significantly. However, you should never violate the recommendations contained in your owner's manual, even with synthetics. Certainly, if you insist on using dino-oil in your RX300, then 3000 mile change intervals may be good insurance. In vehicles with engines that are not prone to sludge buildup, changing oil every 3000 miles is a waste of money, IMO.

[TunedRX300]

Don't forget to get a good oil filter. If your oil filter is clogged and is bypassing all oil back to your engine unfiltered, it won't matter whether you put synethic or dyno oil. OEM filter definitely go for those made in Japan - not those made in Thailand. Aftermarket ones you need to research for one that has synthetic fiber with large filter area, high flow, and good anti-drainback valve.

[Rx-Fan]

OEM filter definitely go for those made in Japan - not  those made in Thailand.

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Good luck trying to find one!!! Even the Lexus dealers don't have them. For my RX-330 I buy Toyota filter part number 90915-YZZD1. This is used in all Toy/Lex cars with the same engine. Cost about $4 / filter on-line.

Check around for a Toyota cross reference part number for the filter on your RX-300. They are OEM Toyota filters and will work very well!

[monarch]

I agree with edwardh1 that avoiding sludge is extremely simple: simply change the engine oil at least every 6 months or 5000 miles and the engine will stay very clean inside, regardless if synthetic or conventional oil is used.

Choice of oil filter is also extremely simple. Simply use the factory filters like the Toyota 90915-YZZD1 or 08922-02011 oil filters which can be found as low as $3.90 each at 1sttoyotaparts.com I've been using the Toyota 08922-02011 oil filter for the past 463,000 troublefree miles on my '92 Toyota pickup http://www.saber.net/~monarch/463.jpg The engine still has like new compression which means engine wear has been minimal using the 08922-02011 oil filter.

Some owners worry about using the Toyota 90915-YZZD1 or Toyota 08922-02011 oil filters because of what they read on the internet: http://www.intellexual.net/faq.html

http://mkiv.com/techarticles/parts/toyota_filter/index.html These youth oriented performance enthusiast websites recommend: "you do not short-change your oil filtration" by using the Toyota 90915-YZZD1 or 08922-02011 oil filters.

The problem with these amateurish websites is that the youthful authors are just guessing when they suggest the Toyota 90915-YZZD1 or 08922-02011 oil filters short change engine life potential. The Toyota factory engineers, on the other hand, know 90915-YZZD1 or 08922-02011 are capable of minimizing engine wear for at least half a million miles http://www.saber.net/~monarch/463.jpg

[TunedRX300]

OEM filter definitely go for those made in Japan - not  those made in Thailand.

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Good luck trying to find one!!! Even the Lexus dealers don't have them. For my RX-330 I buy Toyota filter part number 90915-YZZD1. This is used in all Toy/Lex cars with the same engine. Cost about $4 / filter on-line.

Check around for a Toyota cross reference part number for the filter on your RX-300. They are OEM Toyota filters and will work very well!

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Yes, few Lexus dealers carry those filters made in Japan. But I believe you can still special order them. Toyota does not make these filters, it outsource the design. Japanese is known for keeping best parts and designs for themselves. If Thailand filter is that great, why do RX300s factory-install ones made in Japan?

I have an Acura TL and there is a big difference between oil filter made in Japan (Toyo Roki), in US, and in Canada (FRAM). Take a look of what is inside these OEM filters, not just the outside labels.

Honda OEM filters Comparasion

Unfortunately no one has done similiar for RX300 but there is a thread with

pictures of outside looks side by side of Thailand vs Japan - at least we can see their external designs are different.

OEM oil filter Thailand vs Japan

This raises the question of why go OEM when Toyota/Honda is going aftermarket, worse yet, not offering the better product easily avaliable to the US?

[Rx-Fan]

I don't want to play too much "inside baseball" with the filter choices I make - but I know that with frequent changes (3-5k) using Toyota LABELED filters is going to be just fine.

On the last oil change at my dealer, they replaced the filter with a Toyota 90915-YZZD1 filter. I know - 'cause I changed the oil 4k miles later and saw it!! I was a little surprised that it wasn't even a Lexus labelled filter (should've been a Ft. Knox labelled filter considering what I paid!!).

When looking to purchase oil filters, I called them and asked specifically if they had, or could get the Japanese made filters. They said the only Japanese filters that they ever see are the ones that come on brand new cars!!! They never receive anything other than Toyota labelled filters when they place a parts order.

I just suggest sticking with the OEM filters and change the oil regularly. They really couldn't fight you on a service issue if the filter is a cross ref'd Toyota part number made for that same engine. That's just what I think FWIW

[monarch]

The "made in Thailand" 90915-YZZD1 oil filter is a Denso designed filter just like the 90915-20004 "made in Japan" oil filter. Denso is a Japanese company that has been a principal supplier to Toyota since the 1950's. Toyota now owns most of Denso. The Denso "made in Thailand" oil filters use a traditional pleated paper element design - a design that has a 500,000+ mile Toyota engine protection track record. The 90915-20004 uses a resin element design. However, there is no evidence available that indicates the resin design filters extends engine life beyond the 500,000+ mile track record of the paper element designs.

TunedRX300 asked: "why go OEM when Toyota/Honda is going aftermarket, worse yet, not offering the better product to the US?". Well in the past when Toyota / Honda contracted Purolator / Fram to make some of their filters, they required Purolator / Fram to add some heavy duty design & construction features. So the genuine Toyota / Honda oil filters that are made by Purolator / Fram are not merely rebadged auto parts store Purolator / Fram filters.

In any case, like I said before, there is no hard evidence available that indicates using genuine Toyota / Honda filters made in Japan vs. other countries "short-changes your oil filtration" as suggested by the youthful authors of these youth oriented websites: http://www.intellexual.net/faq.html

http://mkiv.com/techarticles/parts/toyota_filter/index.html Or to put it another way: there is no evidence available that indicates owner failure to use "made in Japan" oil filters has ever caused any Toyota owner's engine to wear out earlier than 500,000 miles.

The same pricniple applies to synthetic oil: there is no evidence available that indicates owner failure to use synthetic caused any Toyota owner's engine to wear out earlier than 500,000 miles (as long as the oil was changed at least every 6 months / 5000 miles)

In summary, although nationwide, Toyota engines with far less than 500,000 mile wear out / blow up by the hundreds everyday, this premature engine destruction is not due to owner failure to use "made in Japan" oil filters or synthetic oil.

[TunedRX300]

monarch, understand your wholehearted support of Toyota.

If Toyota's design is perfect, we should not see RX's tranny having heat dissappation issue. Or engine issue discussed in this thread - sludge with 1MZFE. In fact I have never heard any automaker (American, German, Korean or Japanese) ever having engine oil gel up (owner's neglect or not) issue - only Toyota.

Really don't want to start another debate on paper material vs synthetic fiber or dyno vs syn oil. I believe others have debated with you on this forum to supply data to support claims. I can find one Chinese made car that last 500,000 miles in certain parts but that example is a weak one if it is the only one out of millions of cars. Data and stats give us confidence on examples found.

[monarch]

Really don't want to start another debate on paper material vs synthetic fiber or dyno vs syn oil.  I believe others have debated with you on this forum to supply data to support claims..

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Yes, but the "data" they supplied to debate with was just oil analysis data. A solid case could be made for synthetic oils and synthetic media filters if the promoters could provide the public with physical proof (in the form of actual pictures or actual measurements of worn parts) that conventional oils and conventional paper media oil filters are functionally incapable of preventing heavy mechanical wear and functionally incapable of enabling a Toyota engine / transmission last many hundreds of thousands of miles. But since that premise is false, the promoters have not and will not ever be able to obtain such physical proof, plus they have found many ways to pursuade the public to buy their products anyway without physical proof; e.g. via oil analysis scores, endorsement by an race car driver or engine rebuilder, an exclusive sounding name like 'Royal Purple' etc. or via subliminal advertizing techniques such as saying the synthetic "flows better" "cleans better" etc."

As far as we know to date, there are no mechanical componets inside the RX AWD transmission that physcially break, stick or malfunction in some other way or suffer heavy mechanical wear because the owner failed to use a synthetic transmission oil or failed to use an aftermarket transmission oil filter. All the failures appear to be due to heavy and rapid mechanical wear that occurrs inside the transmission when owners drive along time with Toyota Type T-IV fluid that has become oxidized and lost much of its lubricating qualities. The preventive solution, therefore, is regular inspection of the fluid condition and to change it at the first sign of significant discoloration / deterioration which will vary depending on driving habits.

Likewise, there are no mechanical componets inside the 1MZ-FE engine that are known to physcially break, stick or malfunction in some other way or suffer heavy mechanical wear because the owner failed to use a synthetic motor oil, failed to use a synthetic fiber oil filter or failed to use a made in Japan 90915-20004 OEM oil filter. All the 1MZ-FE engine failures are due to oil sludging and oil sludging will not occur if the owner uses conventional oil and changes it at least every 6 months or 5000 miles.

[RX400h]

The following vehicles/engines are more prone to developing sludge when compared to any other vehicle/engine:

Audi/Volkswagen 1.8L 4 turbo 1997-2004 Audi A4, Volkswagen Passat

Chrysler/Dodge 2.7L V-6 1998-2002 Chrysler Concorde, Chrysler Sebring, Dodge Intrepid, Dodge Stratus

Lexus/Toyota 3.0L V-6 1997-2001 Lexus ES300, Toyota Camry, Toyota Avalon. Toyota Sienna, 1999-2001 Lexus RX300, Toyota Camry Solara, 2001 Toyota Hghlander.

2.2L 4 1997-2001 Toyota Camry, 1996-99 Toyota Celica, 1999-2001 Toyota Camry Solara

Saab 2.0L 4 turbo 2000-02 9-3 hatchback, 2000-03 9-3 convertible

2.3L 4 turbo 1999-2003 Saab 9-5, 1999 9-3 Viggen

Again, these engines are more prone to sludge buildup because of their design. Hot and cold areas within the engine (pointing to engine design) are said to contribute to aggravating sludge buildup. Consumer advocates complain that automakers are not taking their share of the blame. If it were simply a matter of poor maintenance, engines from ALL manufacturers would be failing, not specific engine families from certain manufacturers.

I do believe that if your engine is listed above, you really should either use synthetic oil or change your oil every 3-5 months or 3-5000 miles, whichever occurs first.

[TunedRX300]

As I stated, I am not interested in debating oil or filter material.

Lexus determined/termed the sludge issue is due to "narrow coolant passage", I am not sure about you but that implies to me cooling is in sufficient in certain part of the engine by design. Lexus also does not require owner to change ATF, as specified in RX300's owner manual. RX owners are forced to change since they found out burned ATF or bad shift pattern during normal driving.

The Thailand filter may work well in your LS400 but 1MZFE has a documented history of sludge problem, I would certainly want the same 90915-20004 filter which Lexus put into the RX as a factory install for replacement. If Lexus believe filtering material does not matter, they should not ask Denso to design 90915-20004 with synthetic filter material in the first place.

[monarch]

The following vehicles/engines are more prone to developing sludge when compared to any other vehicle/engine: Again, these engines are more prone to sludge buildup because of their design.  Consumer advocates complain that automakers are not taking their share of the blame. If it were simply a matter of poor maintenance, engines from ALL manufacturers would be failing, not specific engine families from certain manufacturers. I do believe that if your engine is listed above, you really should either use synthetic oil or change your oil every 3-5 months or 3-5000 miles, whichever occurs first.

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Yes, but it has always been true that some engines & transmissions cause the oil to become dirtier or more oxidized sooner than others including different engines & transmissions from the same manufacturer. Since it is impossible, in many cases, for a new car buyer to know ahead of time whether or not their engine or transmission is hard on the oil, frequent lube changes are cheap insurance against possble catastrophic engine or transmission failure caused by inadequately designed component cooling systems. And although an engine or transmission may be hard on the oil due to inadequate cooling system design it is wrong to assume that same design deficiency means the engine or transmission will have a short life potential. Example: I have heard from several Toyota 1MZ-FE owners on various Toyota internet forums who have accumulated over 300,000 troublefree miles.

I also believe that one of these days we will hear from an RX300 AWD owner who got 200,000 - 300,000 miles of life from the transmission because they changed the transmission oil every 15,000 miles or so and always used Toyota Type T-IV fluid.

[RX400h]

Yes, but it has always been true that some engines & transmissions cause the oil to become dirtier or more oxidized sooner than others including different engines & transmissions from the same manufacturer.  Since it is impossible, in many cases, for a new car buyer to know ahead of time whether or not their engine or transmission is hard on the oil, frequent lube changes are cheap insurance against possble catastrophic engine or transmission failure caused by inadequately designed component cooling systems.  And although an engine or transmission may be hard on the oil due to inadequate cooling system design it is wrong to assume that same design deficiency means the engine or transmission will have a short life potential.  Example: I have heard from several Toyota 1MZ-FE owners on various Toyota internet forums who have accumulated over 300,000 troublefree miles. 

I also believe that one of these days we will hear from an RX300 AWD owner who got 200,000 - 300,000 miles of life from the transmission because they changed the transmission oil every 15,000 miles or so and always used Toyota Type T-IV fluid.

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I also have a 1989 Mazda MX6 GT turbo that I bought over 5 years ago. I knew that there were two issues that I should be concerned with regarding this vehicle. The first one is that turbo-charged engines require a 30-second or more iddle period after the turbo was spooled up, before engine shutdown is completed. This is because if the engine is shut down while the turbo is spinning, coking of the turbo bearing oil lubricant may occur, causing premature failure of the turbo.

Yes, the driver IS told to allow idle time after the turbo is used, but not many owners know definitively when the turbo is spinning (There is no boost gage). Therefore, I ALWAYS use synthetic oil. It is much less prone to "coking".

The second issue with this car is the automatic transmission. It is prone to early failure so I do change it every two years (6000 miles) or so. As you can see, I agree that either method (better fluid or shorter maintenance intervals) is appropriate.

[DesertRat]

$19.95 for standard Toyota oil and Toyota filter at local Toyota dealership. I do this every 3K miles.

[wing0]

I've been wondering what kind of oil Lexus uses? dino??

Last time they charged me $100 Cdn just to do an oil change...that's

expensive!

My car has about 15000miles right now and it's a 01.

Can I change the trans oil in like 20k miles or 25ish?