Oil change question!

[CosmicGrooves]

A couple things I wanted to ask. I switched to full synthetic oil today. I put Catrol Syntec 5-30. This is the oil I ran in my old car and it was 10 years old and ran like brand new when I got rid of it (1996 Toyota Paseo).

Two things... My car currently has 18500 miles. I read somewhere in here to switch to synthetic sooner.

Second, the oil change place put 5 quarts of oil in the car. Is this too much? I checked and it looks like it is over filled. Is over filling bad? Is 5 quarts too much? Will it be a problem?

Thanks.

[CosmicGrooves]

Ok, i just checked my manual and it appears that, with the oil filter, 5 quarts is perfect. I'm not completely sure I'm reading it right though.

[PXLpainter]

5 qts sounds right for the V6

It's never too late to switch to Synthetic. Your engine will thank you in the long run.

[FLUXEMAG]

5 quarts with filter, I forget what happens if it comes out too full, but it's certainly harder to correct than too low.

Yeah, never too late to switch, just don't go back and forth.

[gnegroni]

I switched to Mobil-1 10W30 (its hot down here in Puerto Rico) at 7k miles. The car fuel economy jumped a bit in favor...which was good for me. I used to have Synthetic on my 94 Ford Taurus and when I blew a head gasket due to hose damage...my mechanic told me he had never seen an engine so clean and showing so little or no signs of wear and tear. That was good enough for me...

[Somedude]

so which type of engine oil is best for my car: the 5w-30 or 10w-30? I am using 5w-30 currently.


I got the 2AZ-FE Gen 2.

[MrMikeL]

Check the owners manual. Whatever it recommends is what you should use.

[gnegroni]

Check your owner's manual...I think the newer Solara's even recommend very low viscosity oils. In the EG018-06 service bulletin, 2006 and newer Toyotas and Scions, 5W-20 is recommended for the following engine series:
AZ series
GR series
JZ series
MZ series
NZ series
RZ series
UZ series
VZ series
1ZZ–FE
2TR–FE

0W-20 is recommended initially in the 2AZ-FE:
2AZ–FE Camry
2AZ–FE Solara
2AZ–FE Highlander
2AZ–FE RAV4 (ACA3#)

Hope this helps...look it up in the manual still...

[solaris]

so, is synthetic really better?...

[Down2TheC]

If it's over the full line on the dipstick after you've run the engine, then it is overfilled. That's bad.

[LatinUSMC]

WHAT OIL IS RECOMMENDED FOR I4 AUTO W 100,000 MILES.....ANYBODY KNNOW?

[DrakkkarDarkbladE]

Synthetic is much better, you can definetly feel the difference. I baught my car used and switched both engine and transmission oil to fully synthetic Royal Purple (http://www.RoyalPurple.com) 5W-30 for the engine and MaxATF for the tranny. What a difference it made, not to mention the fuel economy went up.