Tighter Tolerance Engines

Tighter tolerances is a term that gets overused in many cases. Doesn't necessarily mean smaller clearances between bearing surfaces, though that can be a side effect of tighter tolerances, It just means that improvements in machining, manufacturing, and assembly has shrunk down the acceptable deviations in critical dimensions between parts.

With the oil viscosity - the move to 20 weight oil from 30 weight was more for CAFE numbers than anything performance related. Lower viscosity, thinner oils means less internal drag and pumping losses - means more MPG overall. Some conditions warrant running a 5w-30 or even heavier - 0w-20/5w-20 are the RECOMMENDED oil viscosity for MOST operating conditions.

Some cases, you might find a good deal on 5w-30 motor oil and want to stock up. I see no reason wrong with running that viscosity - just note that MPG might drop slightly. Also, some 5w-30 motor oils will shear down to a 20 weight, and some 0w-20 weight oils shear up to a 30 weight. What this means? Just use the oil that is as close to the recommended grade as possible and change it as needed. You'll find that some brands and weights of motor oil will give you the best MPG, others will give you better performance, and some give you a good compromise between the two.

Need someone that is schooled in Tribology to give you a more definitive answer. Might try the BITOG forums - lots of good info there, just have to wade through some of the Amsoil pitches and BS that you can find in almost any forum.

Yup, with these sort of things, you just have to try it out. As dom mentioned, the slightly thicker 5w-30 may help quiet down valvetrain chatter while retaining all the performance as 5w-20 oil. All depends on the specs of the motor oil you plan on using - brand, synthetic or not, etc.

On the Corolla, I tend to favor oils that tend to be on the thinner side - like Mobil 1 5w-30 or 0w30. Still have the protection and pressure of a 30 weight when at operating temperature - but is what is called a "light 30 weight". Towards the end of my OCI - it tends to shear down to almost a 20 weight (notice more tapping from the valvetrain) - that's when I change it out. Still plenty of additives left, but running thinner than I'd like. Some oils, like Pennzoil Ultra Platinum and Amsoil tend to shear thicken over time, for me. They also tend to sit on the heavier side of the 30 weights. Amsoil tends to shear up the most - I've ran into a case where it went from a 5w-30 (Honda CRX Si) to almost a 10w40 when I drained it out. Little too thick for me. Platinum also sheared up - but still stayed in grade for me over the OCI - though it was definitely thicker when it came out than when it first poured in.

All depends on what you like - each case will be different, every driving situation will be different. One person's favorite oil could be disastrous in someone else's car. Look at the Lotus Exige/Elise guys - same 2ZZ-GE engine from Toyota (Celica GTS, Matrix XRS, Corolla XRS) but with a slightly different fuel map and different intake/exhaust - but they swear by a 15W-40 oil. Tad too thick to run in my daily driven car (2003 Matrix XRS), but perfect for those guys as they do track events.

I think it was called Valvoline All-Climate conventional motor oil - that should be pretty decent oil for the short oil change interval you are doing.

On my Camry - I was sticking with originally the manufacturer recommended 7500 mile oil change interval (normal use), then dropped it to 5000 around the 200K mile mark. If all cars will last long with the same treatment? - impossible to say.

It will be a tall order as the S-series engine and oversized A-series transaxle back then were already near legendary in reliability even when I bought the car - back when Toyota was pushing for longer life and overall reliability than fuel economy, emissions and environmental impact.

As for shearing - most conventional motor oils tend to shear down as the miles pile up, some better than others - Valvoline I would consider average. As for weight - they tend to be in the middle of most 30-weights.

Sockets are OK - just have to make sure they actually fit the drain bolt. 6-point sockets are preferred over the 12-point ones. As for adjustable, I agree, just too much slop in there to get a good bite on the bolt, way too easy to have it slip and end up rounding off the bolt.

As for the filters - all of them are great. I think the WIX one actually makes the Napa Gold filter. Pick whichever one you can find at the best price - can't go wrong with any of them.

As for tips - I think you probably picked up most of them on this forum. Only things I can add are to pre-fill the filter before you install it. Takes no time to do, any oil that gets dribbled on the filter end - you can use that to dab onto the gasket/o-ring - ensures that you have some oil in there on the first start. Follow the directions on the oil filter - they usually say something like tighten an additional 3/4 turn after the gasket makes contact - sometimes they print it on the filter itself. Each filter is different, so make sure you find out first before you get ready to pre-fill it.

Drain plug gasket - if it isn't too distorted, you can reuse it. If in doubt - replace it, lots of material out there - fibre, composite, rubber faced aluminum, soft aluminum crush washer, etc. Don't need a whole lot of force to tighten it - you can use a box wrench or stubby wrench to tighten it, as there is only so much torque you can apply onto the bolt with that short of a lever arm.

Don't forget to put in the fresh oil - you'd be surprised how many people forget on their first oil change. Easiest way to start is to lay out all your tools and supplies, that way they are readily at hand. Put some cardboard or similar under the car to catch any drips/spills of oil. Have plenty of heavy duty shop paper towels or rags, brake cleaner solvent works great at washing down parts - degreasing them. After you are all done - run the car a bit to circulate the new oil, shut it off and let it sit for a few minutes - then check underneath for any leaks. Check the oil level often to make sure there are no leaks and to monitor if you need more oil or not. If you overfill slightly - should be fine, but if the oil level is a good 1/2" or 1" higher on the dipstick - you put way too much in and need to drain some back out.

Fish

Now does the new filter get filled up with oil or do you just smear some oil on the gasket. If so how much oil does it get filled with. Why do you fill filter with oil because I never heard of it before. I only head of smearing gasket with oil.

fish my 05 corolla 4!cylinder 1.8 liter Le what cc is the engine 1794 or 1795. I need to know to get the wix part # for oil filter for my car. Unless you know part #. That is what wix site is asking for.

Fish the Valvoline all season conventional oil did it change it's name to Valvoline Premium .

Thanks Frank.

1ZZ-FE engine displaces 1.8L or 1794cc. The higher performance 2ZZ-GE is also a 1.8L or 1796cc engine. Not sure where they get the 1795cc size from - could be referring to the 2ZZ-GE. Surprised that the wix filter site doesn't go by engien family, but displacement.

In the owner's manual - they will list oil capacity with and without the filter. The listed capacities sounds like the filter pre-filled (oil "with" filter). Double check with your owner's manual.