difference b/t full-low oil 98 5sfe

Hey everyone

I finally checked the oil on the car, and all the small leaks here (valve cover gasket) and there (oil pan gasket) are now enough to bring the oil down noticeably between changes, she might be burning a little too with 162k on her.

The dipstick reads just barely above low, and I don't want to overfill. Anybody know how much to add so she's just under full?

Also, since it's just about winter, I was thinking about 5w-20 (not recommended by Toyota) to speed up the lubrication process at startup. Worth trying, or should I just not bother since I already have a couple leaks?

98 5sfe (2.2L)

Thanks in advance

That's really a good basic question but, I don't recall for sure the quantity of oil that represents. I want to say a quart but I think that's true only for a 5 quart system. If it were me, I would throw in 1/2 quart and check it again.

By the way, if you read "Anatomy of a breakdown" I didn't mention that when they replaced the timing belt they also replaced the oil pump seals. That fixed a naging leak I've had a couple years. Just one more potential for you.

I would stick with the recommended oil. When they design these engines they test them under all conditions. Engineers should know the best oil for their engines. I know how the winters are in Chicago. I lived across the lake in Michigan City for many years. When we had bad winters we would use oil pan pre heaters. You might concider one. Oh, and if you're not yet use a synthetic oil. You can't beat it.

That's really a good basic question but, I don't recall for sure the quantity of oil that represents. I want to say a quart but I think that's true only for a 5 quart system. If it were me, I would throw in 1/2 quart and check it again.

By the way, if you read "Anatomy of a breakdown" I didn't mention that when they replaced the timing belt they also replaced the oil pump seals. That fixed a naging leak I've had a couple years. Just one more potential for you.

I would stick with the recommended oil. When they design these engines they test them under all conditions. Engineers should know the best oil for their engines. I know how the winters are in Chicago. I lived across the lake in Michigan City for many years. When we had bad winters we would use oil pan pre heaters. You might concider one. Oh, and if you're not yet use a synthetic oil. You can't beat it.

Won't thinner weight oil and synthetic oil would make engine oil leaks worse? thats what I thought. the oil pan heater is a good idea for really cold climates.:2cents:

Regards,
JOET/CAMRY

Won't thinner weight oil and synthetic oil would make engine oil leaks worse? thats what I thought.

Yea, that's what I was thinking too. And she might be burning some, which would get worse with thinner oil also. I was just wondering if anyone has tried it and felt that the benefits outweighed the downfalls.

I still don't get it. why synthetic? I typically grab a quality brand that is on sale or is cheapest. The last two times its been quaker state, usually penzoil prior to that. I even tried the "high mileage" stuff with no real difference I don't think. Maybe I have to try it to get why, I just might do that in 700 miles.

For now, I'll probably just put in 1/2 quart and call it good if noone has a number. Maybe I'll have one the next time someone asks?

Yea, that's what I was thinking too. And she might be burning some, which would get worse with thinner oil also. I was just wondering if anyone has tried it and felt that the benefits outweighed the downfalls.

I still don't get it. why synthetic? I typically grab a quality brand that is on sale or is cheapest. The last two times its been quaker state, usually penzoil prior to that. I even tried the "high mileage" stuff with no real difference I don't think. Maybe I have to try it to get why, I just might do that in 700 miles.

For now, I'll probably just put in 1/2 quart and call it good if noone has a number. Maybe I'll have one the next time someone asks?

I have a 1989 Camry with 215,000 miles and when I change the oil every 5,000 miles I use 10W40..... The BIG blue 5 gallon jug at Walmart. I can't remember the brandname. It costs around $7.50. I'm sure the quaility of the oil is fine. especially for a 18 + year old car.

Regards,
JOET1966

Also, since it's just about winter, I was thinking about 5w-20 (not recommended by Toyota) to speed up the lubrication process at startup. Worth trying, or should I just not bother since I already have a couple leaks?

98 5sfe (2.2L)

their is no difference between 5w-20, 5w-30 on cold start up.
when the oil is cold it is 5 weight. the 20 or 30 number represents the weight of the oil at operating temperature! so switching to 5w-20 will do nothing for you at cold start up but will deprive your motor of the 30 weight, at operating temp (that it was engineered for). possible resulting in bearing damage (depending how hard you beat on the motor) mike

:banghead: :chair:

the word 'duh' comes to mind. mike, i'd let you hit me with a chair for my stupidity. Come on over if you live nearby.

My high school autos teacher would be so pissed at me right now :slap:

thanks mike

damn, and they even put the W in there so you don't forget

xfeejayx - You are not alone. The "W" got by me too. As far as synthetic oils it looks like I've opened up that "Best Oil" controversy again. Watch your thread blossum to 30 posts.

IMHO there is nothing wrong with using conventional oils. They have been around for years and have served us well. The reason I said use a synthetic is "the jury" has said they tend to maintain viscocity better in extreme climates meaning, it will not "jell" as readily as a conventional oil in cold weather. That makes it ideal for cold weather starts. Will it create leaks? "The jury" is still out on that. I've read some have problems and some don't. Why I'm not sure but, it appears leaks tend to sprout on older cars. I wouldn't call your 98 an older car. I started using sythetic oil in my 94 several years ago at about 130k miles and haven't seen a problem with leaks. It now has 207K miles on it. The oil pump seals were replaced for leaking last week but that leak didn't start for a good year after I started using synthetic oil. Nothing else has leaked. I don't use it on my 87. That IS an older car. I can't gaurentee you won't see leaks but, if your primary concern is cold starts, I would consider using it. My 06 Rav4 came with synthetic oil. It appears to be the trend for the future. I changed to synthetic in our 06 Accord without any problems.

On a side note, my RAV 4 calls for 0W20 weight synthetic oil. That's ZERO W. That sure doesn't give me any warm fuzzies but, they call for it so that's what I use. Brian R posted the TSB for it after I read that in the owners manual. That made me feel a tad better about it. It's so new, I can't find 0W20 anywhere but, the dealership. Has anyone seen 0W20 anywhere?

RIP,

I haven't seen 0W-20 either. I use conventional 5W-20 in my 07 Camry with the 2AZ engine. I do notice a slight bit of oil consumption between 3000 - 3500 mile oil changes; maybe 1/2 quart. I contribute that to the 5W-20 oil. In my 94 Camry with the 5SFE engine I use conventional 10W-30, and have never noticed any oil consumption. The car only has 83,000 miles on it now.

Mike

My '96 Camry 5S-FE has no problem using 5W-20 Mobil 1. I stopped using it because I saw no difference between it and the 5W-30 Mobil 1 I was using. Never lost any oil with either weight (as measured on the dipstick). I do have a couple of small leaks, but it doesn't amount to enough to measure.

As far as using the 5W-20 regularly in the Camry, I don't drive it hard at all, so I can't talk about your reliability if you have a heavy foot.

As far as the differences between 5W-20 and 5W-30, IMO, 5W-20 is the better lubricant and it will be less viscous at low temperature than the 5W-30, even though both us a 5 weight base oil. The difference between the two is partially the result of needing to use more VI (viscosity index) improver, a very viscous polymer additive, to make the 5W-30 equivalent to a 30-weight oil at operating temperatures. The 5W-20 needs less VI improver since the difference between the cold and hot viscosities is less. The greater amount of base oil in the 5W-20 makes it potentially a better lubricant.

As far as using the 5W-20 regularly in the Camry, I don't drive it hard at all, so I talk about reliability if you have a heavy foot.


For some random reason, about a year and a half ago i got into almost a habit of driving the car like i just stole it, with my foot about 3/4 of the way down: Of course reliability will suffer somewhat because of this. But as of yet, it seems the regular oil is doing just fine.

I do make sure she is warmed up before i drive her, or gets at most 1/4 throttle until warm even if I have to drive right away. However, I have nothing to compare my "just fine" opinion with, so here's to beating a dead horse :cheers::

Has anyone actually felt a difference switching between synthetic and and conventional? What type of difference?

performance?
engine noise?
mileage?
extended oil change intervals?
less/more leakage?
easier startup?
smoother (idle)?

please no posting of what SHOULD happen. I'd like some real accounts of what (people feel) did happen.

Thanks all

I can certainly say that the synthetic oil lasts longer. I have used an oil change interval approaching 7500 miles with Mobil 1 when convenient, but the Camry used to make dino oil look like junk after 5000 when by accident I left it in there that long. The Mobil 1 looks a little darker at 5000, but probably very little used up.

No difference in leakage.

No difference in mileage.

difference between full and low on 98 5sfe camry ~ 1 quart