Oil dilution in short Stop and Go drives!

[Joe Dirt]

Hello all,
looking for some thoughts on what I have found and oddly enough what other T24A-FTS owners are starting to find out as well.
The commonality is

1.short local drives.
2.Oil level rising with strong smell of fuel.

And we all know that 0w20 when you add fuel to it becomes a very thin viscosity. Mix that with a turbo and you have a recipe for short longevity or 3 years and 36k miles.

Any thoughts! Because you can see where this could be heading down the road.

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[BadTrainDriver]

Where have you found this? Personal experience?

 

[Joe Dirt]

Where have you found this? Personal experience?

I'm experiencing this because I do not drive much.
My daily drives consist of a 6 to 10 Mi City Drive round trip. The engine and oil does not warm up properly which is causing this . Other 6th gen friends drive more, so it is not as prevalent as mine.

Adding more info here. Did an oil change 3 weeks ago, clocked less than 500 miles. Checked oil level and it is at least one quarter inch higher.

 

[NotApplicable]

IMO, don’t make any drastic claims without labs to back it up. Use the dipstick reading to get a motivation to get an oil analysis done; the dipstick alone is not very consistent read-to-read because of all of the elements at play (exactly how long you waited for the oil to drain back down to the pan after shutoff, exact temp of the oil at shutoff, ambient temp, etc.)

That being said, _some_ fuel dilution is indeed common across engines of all manufacturers for very short-cycle drives over long periods. Only UOAs can tell you exactly how your own driving habits may be contributing. Some remedy this with a switch in oil brands to a higher hths of the same viscosity or jumping up a viscosity grade. But honestly, do this in response to wear metals and not perceived fuel dilution.

 

[Furrypanda1121]

I haven't experienced this at all, but maybe more miles will tell. My daily commute is less than 5 miles round trip, just did a 5k oil change and had no fuel smell and was not overfilled. Been 3 weeks since the oil change and no increase in my oil levels.

 

[shine]

Here's what Blackstone Labs told me. This is after my second oil change at 3000 miles.

in the physical properties section of the results, a trace of fuel showed up, which may have thinned the viscosity, but didn't bother the engine at all. Try 4,000 mi next.

I did the first two oil changes at 1000 and 3000. Planning to do the next two at 6000 and 10000 before settling down on a 5000 interval. Also will do oil analysis until I'm on a regular 5k interval at least.

 

[Joe Dirt]

Thanks all, those are good suggestions as I was considering a Blackstone oil analysis in the future. I'm not going to worry too much about it as I do frequent oil changes just because I don't drive much. Hopefully a couple of good 30 minute Highway rides will burn off some of that excess. I recall my 5th gen had similar gas smells in the oil at around 3K, but I drove a lot more highway miles back then..
With all of this chatter on the internet these days, my obsession has become a little bit deeper with fuel dilution.

 

[ShotsFired]

The next time you change oil , wait 3 hours and then check the lever, at least 3 times wiping the dipstick before every check. Then check it after 500 miles, in the same way and tell us if the, level went up. If you still have that much of an increase, call Toyota customer service and contact your dealer. You have a problem.

 

[Joe Dirt]

The next time you change oil , wait 3 hours and then check the lever, at least 3 times wiping the dipstick before every check. Then check it after 500 miles, in the same way and tell us if the, level went up. If you still have that much of an increase, call Toyota customer service and contact your dealer. You have a problem.

Yes thanks for that info. I just changed my oil yesterday with a new filter.

I am perfectly at the full line right now. I Let it sit overnight made sure oil was level.

Now I'm going to be watching this like a hawk. If that oil level does go up a quarter inch I know I'm getting at least 5% or more fuel dilution which is a bad scenario for longevity.

I'm also looking for any type of soot or build up around the tailpipe which at this point I don't see anything and it smells very clean when running in the garage.

 

[ShotsFired]

After reading numerous articles on engine break-in, I am not following Toyota's recommendation 100%. These motors with a turbo have trouble seating the piston rings. What I will do differently:
On the interstate back off to about 30 mph and then floor it to maximize boost for a short period of time. Almost like passing another vehicle. Back off for minute or two and then do it again. I will do this every time I travel Rt 90, for awhile. The turbo increased pressure will help seat the rings. I would NOT do this if planning to wait 10K miles to replace the oil.

 

[Joe Dirt]

IMO, don’t make any drastic claims without labs to back it up. Use the dipstick reading to get a motivation to get an oil analysis done; the dipstick alone is not very consistent read-to-read because of all of the elements at play (exactly how long you waited for the oil to drain back down to the pan after shutoff, exact temp of the oil at shutoff, ambient temp, etc.)

That being said, _some_ fuel dilution is indeed common across engines of all manufacturers for very short-cycle drives over long periods. Only UOAs can tell you exactly how your own driving habits may be contributing. Some remedy this with a switch in oil brands to a higher hths of the same viscosity or jumping up a viscosity grade. But honestly, do this in response to wear metals and not perceived fuel dilution.

Just applied for a oil test kit to be sent to me from Blackstone. So moving forward now with a fresh oil change yesterday topped off / level ground, I will be watching this closely.

We will see what transpires.

 

[ShotsFired]

IMO, don’t make any drastic claims without labs to back it up. Use the dipstick reading to get a motivation to get an oil analysis done; the dipstick alone is not very consistent read-to-read because of all of the elements at play (exactly how long you waited for the oil to drain back down to the pan after shutoff, exact temp of the oil at shutoff, ambient temp, etc.)

That being said, _some_ fuel dilution is indeed common across engines of all manufacturers for very short-cycle drives over long periods. Only UOAs can tell you exactly how your own driving habits may be contributing. Some remedy this with a switch in oil brands to a higher hths of the same viscosity or jumping up a viscosity grade. But honestly, do this in response to wear metals and not perceived fuel dilution.

Agree to some extent, but the damage caused by wear metals in a Toyota engine may be seen in 200,000 miles if you don't change the oil as recommended or better yet, sooner.
That being said, oil dilution due to gasoline is a whole new problem and if not solved soon will destroy an engine with close rod bearing and crank tolerances, as seen in today's engines. 0W-20 is borderline low viscosity. Delete it with gas and drive it 2000 to the next oil analysis may provide you with a warranty claim that you really don't want.
You can follow all the Toyota recommendations, use their oil, their filters, service schedule, whatever. But, if you drive it like you stole it, the computer will tell on you. Warranty???

 

[Joe Dirt]

Agree to some extent, but the damage caused by wear metals in a Toyota engine may be seen in 200,000 miles if you don't change the oil as recommended or better yet, sooner.
That being said, oil dilution due to gasoline is a whole new problem and if not solved soon will destroy an engine with close rod bearing and crank tolerances, as seen in today's engines. 0W-20 is borderline low viscosity. Delete it with gas and drive it 2000 to the next oil analysis may provide you with a warranty claim that you really don't want.
You can follow all the Toyota recommendations, use their oil, their filters, service schedule, whatever. But, if you drive it like you stole it, the computer will tell on you. Warranty???

Well I live in a car Centric area and driving like an Undertaker it's just part of it. I could literally drive around town, like today running errands and never exceeded 38 mph. At least that's what my info system is telling me my average speed was.

But I'm also documenting my miles on my oil change yesterday, and will be keeping a close eye at the oil level; I'm also tagging my engine hours! Then if I see any iregularities in oil volume I will take a sample and that will be my first induction into the world of warranty claim.

This is my third 4Runner.

When I retired in the middle of 2024 I sold my fifth gen and bought a Mercedes brand new, and within 200 miles the electronics went berserk and after the fourth visit to the dealership and leaving me stranded twice I called Mercedes corporate and said I would engage a Lemon Law attorney and they graciously gave me penny for Penny buy back.

So I'm back in the 4Runner world and having faith in this nice four-cylinder turbo engine. It's been around for a while now.

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