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Old 01-09-2006, 05:04 PM
Ramblin Fever Ramblin Fever is offline
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Yeap! I ran a few rounds of rotella synthetic 5w-40 thru last summer, LOVED it, didn't have any issues, oil pressure was great, and the truck idled smooth.

I currently have 153k, and I ran Rotella from 139k to 147k, two rounds of 3k miles and some change - I started using it to get rid of the faint tick that developed at 139k.

It worked as far as I can tell - no more ticking.

The rotella is a diesel/gasoline rated oil with a higher detergent level then regular gasoline engine oil.

I switched back to a lighter oil for winter, 5w-30 Havoline blend, I was due for a change and couldn't find the Rotella for a few weeks.

Couldn't say whether or not the 3.2L is prone to sludge, and mine doesn't use more then 1/8 qt in 3k miles; I didn't go to a heavier weight because of useage, but because it (the Rotella) contained more detergents and I do a LOT of heavy mountain driving.

I don't know yet, for sure, if I'll run the rotella 5w-40 this summer, or switch to the 10w-30 Havoline blend.

I want to run a used oil analysis on the Havoline blend that I now have almost 3k on to get an inside view on whether or not the truck likes this oil.

I had used Havoline regular 10w-30 oil for the first 139k on this truck, with no issues at 3k mile oil/filter changes.

FWIW - I will stick to either 5w-40 or 10w-30 for summer use, and definitely switch back to the 5w-30 Havoline blend next winter.

In my opinion, from what I've experienced, I don't see the need for a true synthetic, i.e. Mobil 1, etc unless you are going to extend your oil changes past 5-6k, which is not advisable on these 3.2L engines, they like real clean oil.

Even with the Rotella synthetic (not a true synthetic BTW), I'll only extend it out to 4-4,500 miles. Same with the Havoline blend.
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1997 3.2L V6 Rodeo
32" Yoko's, 16x8 MB Wheels, 2" lift, Brushguard, KC Fog's, Loadwarrior Rack
On it's way to 185k strong


2004 3.4L Tacoma TRD off-road 4x4 Double cab
32" Yoko's, Westin Bull-bar, KC Fogs 60K miles
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