Oil Change Question For The Uninitiated.

[intellivised]

Hello all! It's been a while since I've posted. I got my power steering situation on my '92 LS400 mostly squared away (new pump, going to get the solenoid cleaned in a few weeks) and now that summer has finally arrived in Wyoming I have 2 care and feeding questions for my LS400:

1.) Judging by the initial window sticker (and the oil changes I've gotten since) the car has gotten standard non-synthetic oil for it's changes. I'm feeling brave and have some competent car knowledgeable co-workers to lean on and want to start changing my own oil. I'm looking to change to synthetic (since I'm saving money on the change, I'm going to buy high quality stuff). Initial looking around the web I see a lot of praise for Amsoil? Is there any brands to recommend or say absolutely not to? Same question only with oil filters. Thing to keep in mind: I live above 7000' and winter here is murderously cold. Most places would call our fall "winter". It only gets hot in June/July/August, and then it still gets really cold at night.

2.) Can I switch straight to synthetic? The change isn't going to 'shock' my system? Near as I can tell the car has gotten standard oil so far. I'm still taking my first baby steps at doing my own work on my car.

3.) My hood struts don't work anymore. Are these an easy bolt on/bolt off repair? I've been using an industrial sized metal chisel (for breaking up ice dams) to prop things up. Where can I/should I get something like this. After looking around on various forums I've seen some negative things about Autozone replacement struts. The town I live in (Laramie) has a Checkers, an Autozone (or it might be an Advanced Automotive) and a local NAPA guy. I'd be more inclined to go to the local guy - mark-up be damned - mostly due to the fact that my grandpa was the local guy and usually those guys at the store are full of good advice and even better stories....

Expect to hear from me soon regarding suspension type things!

[Anwisok]

1.) Initial looking around the web I see a lot of praise for Amsoil?

Amsoil is one of the, or possibly THE, best out there. It is also 100% synthetic, which most aren' t - they're actually blends of synthetic and dino oil. I ran Mobil 1 in my Caddy and in my Explorer, so I'm not putting down the blends, but - if you're going synthetic, why not go fully synthetic, if it's easy to get in your area?

2.) Can I switch straight to synthetic?

Yes. If the inside of your motor is dirty, switching to synthetic will help clean it up. This is a good thing, BUT!!!!! - there is a possibility that some of your gaskets/seals may start leaking after the switch. If the car has gotten its oil changes as needed, this should not be a problem, but if the car was neglected . . . :( Other than that possible issue, you should have no problems switching over. Should (slightly) help your gas mileage, too!

3.) My hood struts don't work anymore. Are these an easy bolt on/bolt off repair?

Haven't done this repair yet, so can't really give you a definite answer. I'll leave this one to someone else, rather than speculating.

[1990LS400]

From all the grief I've seen with aftermarket hood struts, I tend to think OEM is the best way to go. You can find OEM hood struts on eBay or from an online Lexus dealer parts facility such as Sewell Lexus where I bought my last set at a substantial discount. Replacement is simple and takes about five minutes per side.

If your car has done well during 16 years on regular dino oil, why bother to change? But if you do change, any synthetic oil should do fine.

Yep, the Laramie area is one freaking cold place. I froze my !Removed! off at a little nearby ski area called Medicine Bow a bunch of times in the 70s and early 80s.

[AZ Mike]

Mobil 1 is a fully synthetic oil; perhaps Anwisok is referring to whether they are Group 3 or 4 oils? Personally, I use the cheapest brand name synthetic I can find, which is currently Pennzoil Platinum at WalMart.

As mentioned, if any of your seals are not in the best of shape, use of synthetic oil may cause leaks at such seals, or speed up any existing leaks. The primary benefit of synthetic oil is you can utilize a longer oil change interval than with dino oil. There me some wear benefits when syn oil is used from the beginning, but I'm not sure how much benefit an older high mileage car would get in that regard. In your shoes, with an older high mileage vehicle that has always run on dino oil, I would be inclined to keep using that and change the oil at regular intervals.

I just replaced my hood struts with a pair I purchased off of ebay. They were $40 for the pair, instead of something insane like $170 each from the dealer. They installed easily and work fine.

[eatingupblacktop]

I know someone who has a 90ls with over 900k km on it and has used dino along with religious maintenance at his stealership and 91 octane, all from day one. Runs like a top with no issues (it should with all the outrageously expensive maintenance he's done)

At 120 k, I doubt the seals will be a problem, especially with your history of scheduled drains. Neither should bearing wear (which could cause low oil pressure with synth) be of concern.

You might consider a high mileage synth or a full synth with an additive like Lc20, that will condition the seals instead of just swelling them and will also clean the valves/rings.

Before changing to a synth you could do an engine flush which would flush out gunk and clean passageways.

As far as struts go, find the best price, but use OEM all the way.

Imo, if you do proper maintenance using oem parts and top grade fluids and filters, it does'nt matter whether you continue with dino or go to synth.

[djspawn00]

I know someone who has a 90ls with over 900k km on it and has used dino along with religious maintenance at his stealership and 91 octane, all from day one. Runs like a top with no issues (it should with all the outrageously expensive maintenance he's done)

At 120 k, I doubt the seals will be a problem, especially with your history of scheduled drains. Neither should bearing wear (which could cause low oil pressure with synth) be of concern.

You might consider a high mileage synth or a full synth with an additive liked Lc20, that will condition the seals instead of just swelling them and will also clean the valves/rings.

Before changing to a synth you could do an engine flush which would flush out gunk and clean passageways.

As far as struts go, find the best price, but use OEM all the way.

Imo, if you do proper maintenance using oem parts and top grade fluids and filters, it does'nt matter whether you continue with dino or go to synth.

Ehhhh I'd avoid the engine flush and just do the switch, flushes can be a lil more invasive that some would like. Doing a switch and going with shorter interval oil changes for the first few should help tidy things up a bit. If you want to get a little cleaning done and you're prepared to tackle any leaks you may get you can check out products like seafoam, autorx and lcp210 (i think thats the name of it) Just don't expect a mechanic in a bottle.

[eatingupblacktop]

Ehhhh I'd avoid the engine flush and just do the switch, flushes can be a lil more invasive that some would like. Doing a switch and going with shorter interval oil changes for the first few should help tidy things up a bit. If you want to get a little cleaning done and you're prepared to tackle any leaks you may get you can check out products like seafoam, autorx and lcp210 (i think thats the name of it) Just don't expect a mechanic in a bottle.

Personally, I wouldn't do a flush, but it's a viable option (if done properly) for an engine whose drain history is questionable (not the case with intellivised) or if you want to get all of the dino oil out before switching to synth. I agree, for leaking issues, there's no "mechanic in a bottle" - only bandaid solutions. Nothing beats properly maintaining your car and using top grade parts and materials.

[chilkoot]

it is a generally accepted fact that synthetic is more likely to expose already bad seals due to its cleaning action, but I have experienced the opposite. when I acquired my LS it had a leaky rear main seal, after its last 10k on the same change of dino oil. I filled it with pennzoil plat 5w-30 before I drove it home and have not lost a drop since. I also ran that in my Taurus with great success.

I have nothing but love for the stuff. Even if it does not make that much difference the price/mile to me is highly justified if you love your car.

[Lexusfreak]

For those that are considering switching to synthetic regardless of mileage......if you do not currently have any oil leaks you are safe to make the switch.....if you do.....have the leak(s) fixed and then you can switch.

I'm a regular Amsoil user (oil, tranny, diff, & synthetic oil filters) & swear by the stuff personally. However there are lot's of excellent synthetics out there to choose from. B)

[AZ Mike]

I understand the wisdom of using OEM mechanical parts, filters, etc. Buy why would it be beneficial to use OEM hood lifters at something crazy like $200 plus for the pair when you can get aftermarket struts that seemingly work as well for under $50? They take 5 minutes to install, and I can go through at LEAST four sets of the aftermarket struts for the same cost as one set of OEM struts. I don't know about longevity yet, but I have used aftermarket struts for the liftgate on my Grand Cherokee that have lasted for years.

[jcrome04]

I got hood struts off eBay for like $40 bucks around last December. Haven't had one problem with them.

I change my own oil and it's VERY easy. I use Mobil1 5W-30 and an OEM Toyota filter. Change it around 3-4k . . I need to find a local place that sells good oil filters...

With that at hand.... what IS a good brand of oil filter???

[Lexusfreak]

With that at hand.... what IS a good brand of oil filter???

OE Toyota's are popular, Mobil 1, K & N, Amsoil.....stay clear of Fram.

[jcrome04]

Ok just making sure it was ok to run it with an OEM Toyota filter. When would you recommend change intervals??

[chilkoot]

I use purolator PureONE filters, used to be shiny metallic blue but are now dull rough goldish yellow. Available at Advance Auto.

You can't go wrong with OEM. IIRC, the 1UZ shares a filter with the Toyota V8's.

[Lexusfreak]

Ok just making sure it was ok to run it with an OEM Toyota filter. When would you recommend change intervals??

Depends on how many miles you put on your car & what the maintenance schedule for your 97 says. The maintenance schedule for my 05 ES calls for every 6 months or 8,000 Km's (5,000 miles) & I will change the oil in late spring (usually late May) & late fall (late November). I like to do it right before the extreme heat of summer & cold in winter personally.....what can I say......I have OCD lol. ;)

[AZ Mike]

I use the OEM oil filter, as I can get it at half the cost of PureOne, K&N, Mobil1 and the like, and I have not experienced, nor seen anything written about them to make me think they will not do an adequate job.

The oil change interval in the owner's manual supplement is 5,000 miles, but I go 7,500 with synthetic. I have not sent in my used oil to a lab for a UOA, but am highly confident in the synthetic oil's ability to go at least that long (probably more). Plus, it satisfies my need to justify the more expensive synthetic oil. :)

[intellivised]

Wow - I'll say it again - this is a great on-line community. All the answers were great.

When I got the carfax when I bought the car and looked over it with my Lexus tech friend, we could tell the car was maintained very well. It's had one or two age related repairs (Upper Control Arms, P/S leak, Timing Belt). There seem to be absolutely no leaks coming from the car at all aside from a few little p/s fluid dots from when the car needed a new pump. After reading everyone's input this is pretty much my plan of action:

- Get the oil changed at the local place (very trustworthy) because it is due and I had plans to seafoam the car sometime next month.

- Do the next oil change myself (I still need to get some ramps or a jack/jackstand. Plan on using Amsoil, going to make the big leap to synthetic. I'll keep an eye for leaks. I'm really interested in stretching my intervals between changes (I'll say it again - Laramie is COLD) and really giving my engine a good cleaning. Laramie is home to a huge mechanic/ASE school - I think Amsoil is actually easy to find here. We have a LOT of auto parts stores for a town of this size.

My engine, sorry to say, seems to be pretty dirty. I did my first minor maintenance thing myself (air filter) and am getting more and more comfortable with my own repairs, hence the desire to seafoam the car. I plan on keeping the car for a long time so I'm willing to invest the time/money into doing things right. Getting synthetic into it, getting my steering solenoid cleaned and eventually I'm going to get new bushings installed.

Thanks to everyone who answered - I really appreciate it. I'm really loving this figuring out my car and being more reliant!

[intellivised]

With that at hand.... what IS a good brand of oil filter???

OE Toyota's are popular, Mobil 1, K & N, Amsoil.....stay clear of Fram.

Stay clear of Fram? How are the air filters?

I just put a Fram air filter in my LS400 (it was the first one I found at the store around the corner). Should I think about swapping it out when I am able?

[jcrome04]

irontoad.com OEM air filters are like $22. Thats way better than $35 for a ghetto fram jobber.

[intellivised]

irontoad.com OEM air filters are like $22. Thats way better than $35 for a ghetto fram jobber.

Thanks for the info, jchrome. Next paycheck I'm going to swap for the OEM. I only paid $22 for my Fram @ the Checkers a block from my house.

[intellivised]

Update:

Sticking with dino oil (for now) - I'm going to get the seals and gaskets looked over/learn what I'm looking at before taking the plunge.

New air filter? I've been kind of lazy about this but it's on the docket for the next paycheck.

[jcrome04]

Well if there are no current leaks or oil loss, there should be no leaks or loss with full synth.

But if you're not comfortable then I'd say don't worry about it. The 1UZFE does just fine on regular dino.

Oh and about the air filter, I clean mine out every week or two with a vacuum and/or air gun. To keep things fresh and flowin' ;)

I'd recommend a K&N too, you could get 1-2mpg more out of her :D