"Flex Fuel" Tundras and 5,000 mile OEM oil change interval?

[Patches]

I had an '07, 5.7 Tundra and changed the oil/filter every 7500 using Mobil 1, 0W30. It had 130,000 on it when I traded this past December and would go the 7500 miles and be down about an eighth of an inch on the stick. The '16 1794, 5.7 Tundra has a 10,000 mile oil change interval. We have nothing but 10% ethanol blend available to us here in the northeast. So long as you use nothing but 10%, I see no reason you can't go 7500 between oil changes; there is nothing special about a flex-fuel engine that would prevent you from doing so.

 

[sixdogs]

I can think of 2 reasons. First, Toyoda being conservative in their spec, possibly partly in response to sludge problems in certain motors. You use a quality oil 6d, but not everybody does. Toyota may want to over-spec the oil interval (therefore, just about any oil will do), rather than have to argue with customers about out oil quality.

The other issue is the alcohol itself. Don't know if your motor is DI, but regardless, fuel dilution can be a concern with E85. OLM computers should be programmed to deal with such things, but let's say a truck spends all Winter in northern Canada doing short-trip cold-starts - it will spend most of the time running relatively rich at that temperature. In an extreme case like that, I can see why they'd want the oil changed sooner with E85.

Rgds, D.

My oil change interval is at 5,000 miles on E90. On E85, it's only 2,500. And they mandate synthetic oil. No sludge there.

 

[sixdogs]

Patches--Is yours a FFV? That's what I don't get. The same truck, one a FFV and the other not and two separate oil change intervals even though usage is exactly the same.

 

[Patches]

Patches--Is yours a FFV? That's what I don't get. The same truck, one a FFV and the other not and two separate oil change intervals even though usage is exactly the same.

Negative, no FFV

 

[3930dave]

My oil change interval is at 5,000 miles on E90. On E85, it's only 2,500. And they mandate synthetic oil. No sludge there.

E90 - did you mean E10 ?

Yoda sludge issues I know about are in 4 bangers, wasn't alluding to a specific problem in your 8 - just that they may have done an across the board dial-back of intervals.

Is your motor direct or port-injected ?

Rgds, D.

 

[sixdogs]

Oops; yes...E10. Duh on my part.

Have no idea on direct or port but can look it up.

 

[3930dave]

Oops; yes...E10. Duh on my part.

Have no idea on direct or port but can look it up.

OK, then I follow Yoda's logic.

IF there is any fuel dilution of the oil going on, then you want the oil changed earlier when running E85 - metallic bearings that I'm familiar with won't survive long using ethanol for lube.

Rgds, D.

 

[Clay45]

I also have an F-150 flex-fuel 5.4L. Back when I could get E-85 I liked to run a tank of it thru shortly before my next oil change. I run ethanol free when I can (most of the time) but I know that E-85 would pull accumulated condensation thru and burn it on out. Something I'd like to remove with the subsequent oil & filter change. I do everything on 5000 mile intervals because its easy to remember.

 

[WilliamBos]

Toyota says 5,000 so do it at 5,000. Oil is cheap, engines are not.

 

[Patches]

The 5.7 Toyota is port injected