518 Mile Oil Change Done

Joestac · Wednesday at 6:59 AM

Just need to get the skid plate back on. Flushed a quart through after initial drain. Might be my imagination, but it looked like some particulates draining out with the initial drop.

Kudos to Toyota, not as easy as my top mount filter on my Subaru, but still in a very convenient spot. I didn't change it this time, just noticing.

Thanks for the info from this sub. Now to balance the skid plate on my head again and get it back in place.

2025 4runner 6th gen 518 Mile Oil Change Done 26787-ad894f6f0d0a51e98b4faeff473af5d6

NotApplicable · Wednesday at 8:07 AM

Did you replace the filter? When I did my 500 mi drain/flush/fill I left the filter in based on the motor oil geek’s recommendation from YouTube. I measured just over 5.5 qts drained, so put that amount back in.

I find the dipstick incredibly difficult to read given the thinness of 0W20 and the freshness of the oil, but I feel like it looks right… was just curious what you found!

Joestac · Wednesday at 8:29 AM

NotApplicable said:
Did you replace the filter? When I did my 500 mi drain/flush/fill I left the filter in based on the motor oil geek’s recommendation from YouTube. I measured just over 5.5 qts drained, so put that amount back in.

I find the dipstick incredibly difficult to read given the thinness of 0W20 and the freshness of the oil, but I feel like it looks right… was just curious what you found!

Didn't replace the filter. I was just under 6 quarts to a perfect spot. The interwebs says it's 5.6 if you are changing the filter and 5.9 if you aren't.

I also found 36Nm a little heavy for the skid plate bolts.

gmarcucio · Wednesday at 8:46 AM

Why so early of an oil change with such low miles? And, being you did do it early, why no filter change???

NotApplicable · Wednesday at 8:47 AM

Joestac said:
The interwebs says it's 5.6 if you are changing the filter and 5.9 if you aren't.

Isn’t this backwards? It should take more oil if you are replacing the filter, because the removal of the old filter will drain more oil and the new filter is dry/empty.

The manual states that the capacity not including the filter is 5.6 qts, and the capacity including the filter is 5.9 qts. If you leave the old filter on, that old filter is holding old oil, reducing the volume of new oil to be added.

NotApplicable · Wednesday at 8:50 AM

gmarcucio said:
Why so early of an oil change with such low miles? And, being you did do it early, why no filter change???

All comes from Lake Speed Jr recommendations: https://www.4runner6g.com/forum/thr...ory-oil-analysis-test-by-motor-oil-geek.7505/

TLDR: early change to get rid of wear particles. No filter change because filters become more effective at filtering after some use.

Joestac · Wednesday at 8:52 AM

NotApplicable said:
Isn’t this backwards? It should take more oil if you are replacing the filter, because the removal of the old filter will drain more oil and the new filter is dry/empty.

The manual states that the capacity not including the filter is 5.6 qts, and the capacity including the filter is 5.9 qts. If you leave the old filter on, that old filter is holding old oil, reducing the volume of new oil to be added.

I'm with you, seemed backwards. That's why I started with only about 5.5, and it was still low. It hit the perfect mark just before I emptied the last bottle.

JackedAcctnt · Wednesday at 9:25 AM

NotApplicable said:
Did you replace the filter? When I did my 500 mi drain/flush/fill I left the filter in based on the motor oil geek’s recommendation from YouTube. I measured just over 5.5 qts drained, so put that amount back in.

I find the dipstick incredibly difficult to read given the thinness of 0W20 and the freshness of the oil, but I feel like it looks right… was just curious what you found!

I agree. I had a difficult time reading the dipstick too. What I did was hold it upside down and see where the oil started dripping upwards

gmarcucio · Wednesday at 9:57 AM

NotApplicable said:
All comes from Lake Speed Jr recommendations: https://www.4runner6g.com/forum/thr...ory-oil-analysis-test-by-motor-oil-geek.7505/

TLDR: early change to get rid of wear particles. No filter change because filters become more effective at filtering after some use.

Most oil particals will be released immediately after running the engine and then draining the oil. This is when the particles will still be suspended in the oil. After that, many of them fall to the bottom of the oil pan and remian there as you drain your low mileage, perfectly good oil out. Even if you did drain the oil immediately after running the vehicle, particles still fall to the bottom of the oil pan that you can't get out unless you remove the oil pan and physically clean it out. As far as being break-in oil, most manufactures don't use that anymore. Engine design and component materials, along with clearance specs have changed for the better along with engine warmup, operating conditions, and less polutants in the oil. Even if it did have break-in oil you would need to leave it in the engine according to the MFG time interval. It's designed to help the engine break in properly by allowing piston rings to seat properaly, along with valve guides and bearing break-in. Draining it out early interupts the break-in period. If oil filters become more effective as they clog then so does oil flow. If they become too clogged engines usually have a bypass valve build into the engine oil passge or some are located in the oil filter that allows oil to bypass the oil filter so that oil continues to flow and not damage the engine. When that happens the engine is actually operating without an oil filter. Now you have no oil filtration at all. I cannot see any justification for leaving the old oil filter in place during an oil change, even an early oil change. Believe me, if Toyota was paying for blown up engines because oil isn't getting changed at 500 miles, they would be telling you to change your oil at 500 miles in big bold black capital letters!

Desmolicious · Wednesday at 10:01 AM

Joestac said:
Just need to get the skid plate back on. Flushed a quart through after initial drain. Might be my imagination, but it looked like some particulates draining out with the initial drop.

Kudos to Toyota, not as easy as my top mount filter on my Subaru, but still in a very convenient spot. I didn't change it this time, just noticing.

Thanks for the info from this sub. Now to balance the skid plate on my head again and get it back in place.

View attachment 29525

I’m going to do the 500 mile change, but is it really necessary to use a quart to flush it out after it has drained?

Desmolicious · Wednesday at 10:08 AM

This verified motor oil geek’s claims

Joestac · Wednesday at 10:17 AM

Desmolicious said:
I’m going to do the 500 mile change, but is it really necessary to use a quart to flush it out after it has drained?

Figured if I'm going to do it, might as well go all in. Was only $75 for 7 quarts and a washer.

NotApplicable · Wednesday at 10:19 AM

gmarcucio said:
Most oil particals will be released immediately after running the engine and then draining the oil. This is when the particles will still be suspended in the oil. After that, many of them fall to the bottom of the oil pan and remian there as you drain your low mileage, perfectly good oil out. Even if you did drain the oil immediately after running the vehicle, particles still fall to the bottom of the oil pan that you can't get out unless you remove the oil pan and physically clean it out. As far as being break-in oil, most manufactures don't use that anymore. Engine design and component materials, along with clearance specs have changed for the better along with engine warmup, operating conditions, and less polutants in the oil. Even if it did have break-in oil you would need to leave it in the engine according to the MFG time interval. It's designed to help the engine break in properly by allowing piston rings to seat properaly, along with valve guides and bearing break-in. Draining it out early interupts the break-in period. If oil filters become more effective as they clog then so does oil flow. If they become too clogged engines usually have a bypass valve build into the engine oil passge or some are located in the oil filter that allows oil to bypass the oil filter so that oil continues to flow and not damage the engine. When that happens the engine is actually operating without an oil filter. Now you have no oil filtration at all. I cannot see any justification for leaving the old oil filter in place during an oil change, even an early oil change. Believe me, if Toyota was paying for blown up engines because oil isn't getting changed at 500 miles, they would be telling you to change your oil at 500 miles in big bold black capital letters!

You can watch the video for details about why this particular career oil expert recommends this particular process. Note the following:
- It involves also flushing fresh oil through to wash out the particles you mention
- Filters become more effective at filtration after use _to a point_; of course no one would recommend using filters indefinitely, but they certainly aren't at risk of being clogged to the point of degradation in flow rate after 500 mi. This person recommends using the factory filter for <= 5k miles total
- No one thinks the factory fill is "special break-in oil;" this is why there's no risk of changing it "too early"

Early oil changes in particularly the first standard interval are a common recommendation from "oil and engine experts," but of course like anything oil-related everyone has their own opinion, and it is not required by manufacturer specifications.

One thing is for sure and that is that doing a 500-mile drain-flush-fill can't do anything but result in cleaner oil and a cleaner system at 500 miles. The idea that it is harmful is ridiculous, though its quantifiable benefits are certainly debatable. Most who choose to do it do so because it's of minimal cost and effort, not because they believe their engine will imminently explode if they don't do it. For myself it was also an opportunity to get the Valvomax installed before I install skid plates.

sstarrx2 · Wednesday at 10:45 AM

Joestac said:
Just need to get the skid plate back on. Flushed a quart through after initial drain. Might be my imagination, but it looked like some particulates draining out with the initial drop.

Kudos to Toyota, not as easy as my top mount filter on my Subaru, but still in a very convenient spot. I didn't change it this time, just noticing.

Thanks for the info from this sub. Now to balance the skid plate on my head again and get it back in place.

View attachment 29525

Probably your imagination. Changed mine at 1300 miles and it looked like I poured it out of the bottle.

sstarrx2 · Wednesday at 10:47 AM

Joestac said:
Figured if I'm going to do it, might as well go all in. Was only $75 for 7 quarts and a washer.

That is what I paid to have a shop put it up on the lift and do it.

518 Mile Oil Change Done

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