Oil change

My daughter's '02 Chevy Trialblazer is an oil pig. It needs 7 qts with filter change to get between the dipstick marks. It has the 4.3 L In-line 6.
 
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tacojoel said:
When I changed the oil in my gen3, it took a little over 6 qts with the filter to reach the in-between marks on the dipstick. You never want to go to that dipstick top line, or past it.
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first i ever heard of that there
 
Toyota switched to 0w20 for reasons of improving EPA mileage ratings here in the usa. Running 5w30 will not harm anything. In fact it's recommended in other countries for the same engine.
 
If you look at the service temperature vs viscosity charts you will find that 0w20, 5w30 and 10w30 have a significant overlap.

I run 10w30 because this covers the temperature swings in the area where I live.
 
Rock62 said:
If you look at the service temperature vs viscosity charts you will find that 0w20, 5w30 and 10w30 have a significant overlap.

I run 10w30 because this covers the temperature swings in the area where I live.
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It's what I use in my tractors also. I just wouldn't use it in my 3.5 tacoma. I tried 5w30 in it once, and the engine didn't like it upon startup one -15 below temp morning. I immediately got it in my shops garage, and changed it back to 0w20...no more screech noises upon startup on winter mornings.
 
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tacojoel said:
It's what I use in my tractors also. I just wouldn't use it in my 3.5 tacoma. I tried 5w30 in it once, and the engine didn't like it upon startup one -15 below temp morning. I immediately got in my shops garage, and changed it back to 0w20...no more screech noises upon startup on winter mornings.
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Must be due to some difference between your 3.5 engine and my '06 4.0 L 1GR-FE.

I get in the truck, start it, buckle the seat belt, pull into gear and off I go. Easy for a mile or 2. Then drive normal.

I don't give it any idle time to "warm up".
 
My 4.7 tundra was fine with 5w30 also. It could be that the 3.5 has been designed with tighter tolerances, plus being fairly new/low miles that the 5w30 at those temps weren't the best for it. At any rate its been a great truck so far...these engine's remind me of a mini diesel when idling.
 
Most motor, and gear oil brands meet, or exceed the manufactures specs. It just comes down to if their 100% compatible.
 
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tacojoel said:
Toyota switched to 0w20 for reasons of improving EPA mileage ratings here in the usa. Running 5w30 will not harm anything. In fact it's recommended in other countries for the same engine.
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well then if you say it is A0K to switch grade from what the fill cap says 0w20 to using 5w30 i am going to give it a go and see if that will calm down the disturbing cold-engine knocking from somewhere upon morning startup in the Gen2 4cyl
i suppose the persistent knocking is the chain not being lubricated fully at the tippy top?

at 4200 miles since last OCI it is rather dark on the checkStick
i have no idea how U let it go to near 10k before OCI
would not the oil colour get much darker if twice+ as many miles were wheeled before changing it?
 
If you're in a cold climate where temps get well below zero, using 5w30 in these newer engines isn't the best idea when starting them first thing....I'd stick with 0w20, or 0w30.
 
then how do U eliminate this cold knocking start?

0 weight all the oil drains to the pan when cold? and leaves no coating on the tippy top its bone dry?

this engine is not newer per se, its over 13yrs old since built

this central USA region is definitely a cold climate!
 
i don't see where it would discuss the cold-engine-start-knocking-rattle issue anywhere in that literature
and how to best resolve it
 
Check your Owner's Manual for the recommended oil viscosity for YOUR truck. USE that.

If you have knocking, rattling, banging noise on start up, then you have a mechanical problem. No oil will fix a mechanical problem. Only mask the problem.
 
tacojoel said:
If engine rattles upon startup...its got an issue that needs repair, before bigger stuff happens.
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i asked a master tech and was told it was 'normal' unless it is the REAL bad rattle such as someone posted here on TF in the past year
this is so far just a faint knocking sound that i have no clue where its coming from or if it has always been there, since its not my truck lol

also was picking the brain from a dealer service advisor recently and they were hinting at changing the oil viscosity to solve it

what kind of repair is needed? this must be a common issue on these Gen2 trucks (that i have not yet found upon the DIY interWebs searches)
that those master tech partsChangers have seen it all heard it all before and can properly point in the right direction to a solution?
 
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