Put wrong viscosity in my Tundra truck. Forget about it?

[TSO]

I used 5w30 on my '07 & '10 Tundra's, but my 2011 calls for 0w20/5w20. Last change I used Amsoil 5w20, local auto shop had it on sale. I haven't noticed any appreciable differences in operation, noise, mpg, etc.

My Prius gets 0w20.

My '89 F250 5.0L gets 10w30

All my diesels get 5w40 full synth. ('07 F450 6.0L PSD, Massey 1652 w/ 3.0L Iseki engine, Terex w/ 3.3L Cat-Perkins engine, Hustler Diesel w/ Shibaura 1.3L engine).

There was a time when all my vehicles took the same oil... The good old days LOL

 

[Copperhead]

As a former enlisted 11B turned Airborne and Ranger qualified Cavalry officer: so have you.

We join the Army to serve the nation. The Army decides what we will do, and we do it and drive on with Life.

The "Tip of the Spear" cannot function without the diligent efforts of every single other soldier.The Army is woven into every facet of American life: always has, always will.

Well said. I played Army as a Artillery Forward Observer and then Fire Support first go around then later as a Cav Scout. But it all meant nothing without the team effort. All we could count on was each other.

 

[Texasmark]

My Toyota Tundra calls for 0W20 or if you have to, 5W20. Normally, I use mostly 0W20 with a couple 5W30 in the blend because I tow with the truck.

On the last oil change, I mistakenly put in 5W30. I guess that would be OK in the summer but I noticed I had really high oil pressure the other day when the engine was still cold and that's when I checked what I put in. I write it down. Maybe 5W30 is a little too thick for winter?
Anyway, should I forget about it or dump it for thinner oil? I don't mean to be excessively puckered up about this but am just asking because I worked very hard for those $$.

I bought a Ram Hemi back in 2009 and it specifically specified 5W-20 saying that the oil pump was designed for that weight oil meaning that even though it had in excess of 350 ft-lbs of torque and all that, the light oil was required for the cylinder deactivation system 4-8-4 to function properly. The first number (as we all know) is how well does the oil circulate at cold temps and that's what you need for cold starts in the winter....a flowing oil.

With what you said about your Tundra at 0w-20, seems to me that it specified full syn, and maybe (just) Mobil 1 without coming out and telling you so, just like GM didn't come out and tell me that Dexos was semi-syn. They did come out and admit that Dexos1 rating was for a full syn. oil. I have used their 0w-20 in that truck and currently 0W-30 in my Silverado which specifies 5w-30. On the container Mobil 1 states that it's "green" oil exceeds all 5w and 10w-X engine oil requirements. I know of no dino oil that is rated that low.

Added note: Somewhere in the back of my memory is a tidbit from GM about snappinig distributor shafts since the cam has a drive gear which drives the dist and on the bottom end of that shaft is the oil pump. Pumping oil that is too thick was the concern. Since your Tundra has no distributor connected to your oil pump, I guess that caution doesn't apply. Over the years I always liked heavy, multi-vis oils. Today's engines are another story.

Your truck your call. My experience with not doing what I should have done in the first place (I attribute it to laziness) winds up costing me dearly in the long run so I just quit the practice.

 

[GManBart]

The reason for the 0W20 is called for in the newer engines is because of the tight engine component tolerances. Using heavier weight oil will limit the flow to critical areas in the engine. I have two vehicles that call for 0W20 and that is all I use...in fact I only use 0W20 synthetic.

That may be true of some vehicles, but not for the Toyota Tundra.

The only reason they specify 0W20 is for fuel economy reasons.

Further, the whole "tight tolerances" thing is largely hogwash. The oil passages on a modern vehicle aren't any smaller or tighter than on older vehicles, so the oil will get where it needs to go. In fact, those passages are almost certainly going to be smoother, and let oil flow better than in the older engines. Ideal bearing gaps haven't changed to be any tighter than they were 50 years ago, so the oil is going to flow the same to them, and protect the surfaces the same. There might be some engines out there with auxiliary functions that work off oil flow, but none of those exist in the Tundra 5.7L engine.

 

[TMGT]

I have to disagree with all the people dismissing the tighter tolerances, the lighter oil viscosity is to improve economy and emissions, however the result is tighter bearing, pump, cam phasers etc. tolerances. Oil passages don't matter as much, it's the end of the line tolerances that nessecitate the either flowing oil, especially when cold.

I spent some time doing machining and some design work for a race engine builder, we did a lot of Japanese based engines and I can say that they tightened up bearing clearances etc. quite a bit over the years.

I've seen oil pumps outer rings on gyroter oil pumps break from excessive oil pressure and timing chains over tensioned (many use engine oil to take pressurize the tensioner with a ratchet mechanism to maintain position and once pushed too far maintain excessive pressure on the chain).

Not trying to scare the OP, just saying there is some truth to the need for the easier cold flowing oils.

 

[RalphVa]

I've gone the other way on my Tacoma. The oil cap and owners manual say 5w30. I'm now using 0w20.

The fuel mileage went up nearly 2 mpg, due to reduced oil pumping requirements, except on trips: those still about the same 28 mpg.

I wouldn't worry about it. Change back to 0w20 next change in 7.5 to 10k miles. On my Tacoma, that's about every 3 or 4 years. Only drive it when we need a truck, as it's the least economical to drive and the least fun to drive of our 3 vehicles besides the tractor. We call it out Toyota Turd. Good appliance. Hardly every needs anything.

 

[KubotaToy]

Ford changed its specs for the 6.2L this year from 5w20 to 5w30, I have no problem running either, matter of fact I will switch to 5w40 synthetic as soon as factory warranty is over on my F350 just to get back to one oil for all my vehicles and equipment...

 

[GManBart]

I have to disagree with all the people dismissing the tighter tolerances, the lighter oil viscosity is to improve economy and emissions, however the result is tighter bearing, pump, cam phasers etc. tolerances. Oil passages don't matter as much, it's the end of the line tolerances that nessecitate the either flowing oil, especially when cold.

I spent some time doing machining and some design work for a race engine builder, we did a lot of Japanese based engines and I can say that they tightened up bearing clearances etc. quite a bit over the years.

I've seen oil pumps outer rings on gyroter oil pumps break from excessive oil pressure and timing chains over tensioned (many use engine oil to take pressurize the tensioner with a ratchet mechanism to maintain position and once pushed too far maintain excessive pressure on the chain).

Not trying to scare the OP, just saying there is some truth to the need for the easier cold flowing oils.

Tighter production tolerances doesn't mean what some folks think it means. It means the variation from the ideal is smaller today than it was in the past. Yes, manufacturers have gotten to the point where they build things with less variation, so their tolerances are closer than in the past. Having a tighter fit between two pieces of metal isn't the same thing.

 

[TMGT]

I wasn't talking about production tolerances, I was referring to bearing clearances. Production tolerances on most Japanese engines were and still are very good, the U.S. stuff has gotten better but still catching up.

When you machine engines back to back on a cnc machining center you get a pretty good idea on who's machining is consistent.

On the other hand, tighter production tolerances also means more consistent bearing clearances with less need for heavier oils to compensate for variations.

 

[Deere Dude]

Well said. I played Army as a Artillery Forward Observer and then Fire Support first go around then later as a Cav Scout. But it all meant nothing without the team effort. All we could count on was each other.

We are all little cogs in a big wheel, with close tolerances.