Toyota ‘Workhorse’ Clocks More Than 500,000 Miles

Fraser is a satisfied long-term PC who uses AMSOIL lubricants in all of his vehicles and equipment.

Preferred Customer Brock Fraser of Las Vegas counts on his 1998 Toyota Tacoma to keep his business on the road.

“This is a pickup I use primarily for work,” Fraser said. “I own a commercial printing and mailing operation. Frequently, I make runs to Phoenix and Los Angeles (600-mile round-trip runs each) to pick up loads of printed material to bring back to customers in Las Vegas.”

The truck, with its six-cylinder engine, and five-speed tranny, is a workhorse that consistently hauls heavy loads through hilly territory, he said. It had 70,000 miles on the engine when he bought it in late 2005. The odometer recently turned over to 508,000 miles.

Fraser first learned about the qualities of AMSOIL lubricants from a chemist friend. “(He) did a bunch of research and was telling me how highly he thought of AMSOIL,” Fraser said. “That is all it took for me to become a fan. That had to be a good 15 years ago.”

Followed AMSOIL’s published interval recommendation to a T!

Fraser installed AMSOIL Signature Series Motor Oil when he first bought the truck.

“I have always maintained oil change intervals of 25,000 miles with filter changes at 8,300 miles and 16,700 miles using EA15K51 filters,” Fraser said.

Every 100,000 miles he services the transmission and differentials with AMSOIL 80W-90 Synthetic Gear Lube. “The transmission has never been opened up and performs flawlessly,” Fraser said. “This engine has never been opened up. The heads are bolted in place as they came from the factory. The bottom pan has never been removed. She passes smog every year without fail and uses very little oil between changes.”

He is a satisfied Preferred Customer, he said, and now installs AMSOIL products in his lawn mower, his ‘86 Mercedes Benz 560 SL and his 2002 Toyota 4Runner.

Products Fraser Uses

Fraser keeps his truck on the road using the following AMOSIL products:

AMSOIL Signature Series

Protects Against Engine Wear
Protects Pistons from Low-Speed Pre-Ignition
Extends Drains: Protection Guaranteed

EA Filters

Absolute Efficiency
Less Restriction
Contaminant Retention

Synthetic Gear Lube

High-load gear and bearing protection
Long oil and equipment life
Helps reduce maintenance costs
Compatible with conventional and synthetic gear lubes
Multi-functional for multiple applications – Works in GL4 and GL5 applications
Competitive price

Buy Local in Sioux Falls

Find the best lubricants available in Sioux Falls at Stan Houston’s Equipment Company 3020 W 12th St, Sioux Falls, SD 57104

How Engine Sludge Forms. And How To Prevent It.

Engine Sludge Is Easily Avoidable

John Baker & Associates |Jul 24, 2019 4:20 PM

Engine sludge.

It’s a back gelatinous substance that wreaks havoc in engines. And long before the engine’s demise, engine sludge can foul engine sensors and interfere with performance. Some mechanics call it the “black death.”

How does motor oil, which is fluid, become a semi-solid paste or gel inside an engine?

Here’s what we’ll cover:

How engine sludge forms
The effects of engine sludge
Synthetic oil helps prevent engine sludge
High-quality additives fight engine sludge
Severe service invites engine sludge

How engine sludge forms

Engine sludge is the result of a series of chemical reactions.

The lubricant degrades as it is exposed to oxygen and elevated temperatures. The higher the temperature, the more rapid the rate of degradation. In fact, every 18°F (10°C) increase in temperature doubles the rate of oxidation.
Many people still believe any oil is fine as long as you change it often but 95% of the brands out there do not address that inch of protection when you really need it!! We’ve all had issues where the engine is overheating or some situation where adequate lubrication isn’t available. AMSOIL offers 75% more protection when you need it and our diesel oils offer 6X more protection than required by industry testing.

The by-products of this reaction form highly reactive compounds that further degrade the lubricant. Their by-products react with other contaminants, forming organic acids and high-molecular-weight polymeric products. These products further react, forming the insoluble product known more commonly as sludge.

What begins as a thin film of lacquer or varnish deposits on hot or cold metal surfaces and bakes into an expensive mess.

The effects of engine sludge

Sludge can block the oil passages and oil-pump pick-up screen, resulting in oil starvation. Often, the negative effects are cumulative rather than sudden.

Many engines with variable valve timing (VVT) use oil-pressure-operated mechanical devices to change valve timing, duration and lift. Sludge can plug the solenoid screen or oil gallies and impact the operation of VVT mechanisms, eventually leading to a costly repair bill. Sludge reduces efficiency and increases time and money spent on maintenance.

Who doesn’t want a cooler engine? Sludge, even the early stages prevents the engine from dispersing heat efficiently. Why would you risk a Group III “synthetic” which does leave deposits adding to or resulting into an engine which struggles to exhaust heat.

Synthetic oil helps prevent engine sludge

Fortunately, sludge and varnish deposits are something oil manufacturers can control. Using thermally stable synthetic base oils reduces the rate of degradation (oxidation). (Yes – and that is “Real 100%” Synthetics – not the ones they currently call “Fully”..

Anti-oxidant additives help reduce the rate of degradation as well. One of the most widely used is zinc dithiophosphate. Not only is it an excellent oxidation inhibitor, it is an outstanding anti-wear additive as well.

High-quality additives fight engine sludge

We can further address many of the issues occurring after the initial oxidation stage.

Additives, such as detergents and dispersants, are commonly part of motor oil formulation. They help promote the suspension of contaminants within the oil and keep them from agglomerating.

Detergents, which are also alkaline in nature, assist in neutralizing acids generated in the sludge-building process. Anti-oxidant, dispersant and detergent additives are consumed during use.

To achieve maximum life expectancy, use an oil with high concentrations of anti-oxidant, dispersant and detergent additives.

AMSOIL Signature Series Synthetic Motor Oil, for example, has 50 percent more detergents* to help keep oil passages clean and promote oil circulation. It provides 90 percent better protection against sludge**.

Signature Series Synthetic Motor Oil was subjected to the Sequence VG test to measure its ability to prevent sludge. Signature Series produced an oil pick-up tube screen virtually free from sludge. Our unique combination of detergents and high-quality base oils control oxidation and sludge to keep engines clean and efficient.

PDF of the test where AMSOIL has this done (Southwest Research)

Buy Signature Series

Severe service invites engine sludge

Equipment operating conditions also influence the likelihood of sludge or varnish issues.

Stop-and-go driving, frequent/long-term idling and operation in excessively hot or cold weather can increase the likelihood of sludge and varnish, especially if using more volatile conventional oils. If sludge has already formed, you can use an engine flush to clean sludge from your engine.

Interestingly, most auto manufacturers note in their owner’s manual that operation under any of the above conditions is considered severe service and requires more frequent oil changes.

From a mechanical standpoint, things like adding too much oil to the oil sump, antifreeze contamination, excessive soot loading, excessive oil foaming, poor engine-combustion efficiency, excessive blow-by and emission-control-system issues can all lead to the formation of sludge and varnish.

By practicing good maintenance and using properly formulated, premium synthetic lubricants, like AMSOIL synthetic motor oil, your vehicle won’t succumb to the “black death.”

Taking it a step further which many of our customers do – to make sure your vehicle is always running in peak condition one thing is to have your oil analyzed. I do it not so much to see how the oil is doing but to measure what may be going on in the engine to deplete detergents or to test for any out of typical wear levels, fuel in the crankcase, and to see if the viscosity is still on par. Oil analysis kits are easy to use especially when you have the dipstick extraction pump.

*vs. AMSOIL OE Motor Oil
**Based on independent testing of AMSOIL Signature Series 5W-30 in the ASTM D6593 engine test for oil screen plugging as required by the API SN PLUS specification.

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500,000 Mile Toyota Work Truck