I recently got a '94 camry with close to 200k miles and I'm about to do an oil change. However, I dont know what kind of oil was last used or what kind of oil I should use. What are good brands and should I try for synthetic? Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

Welcome to the forums! i have a 99 Camry w/ 230K miles and since 150K; i've been using castrol synthetic blend - NOT FULL SYNTHETIC.. I usually use Castrol or 76. Really good stuff! As for trying out Synthetic, if you really want to- go for it but its gonna cost a pretty penny. Oh ya... i wouldn't try to use Valvoline/Havoline- makes the car feel really sluggish and heavy but thats just my opinion. Hope this helps!

 

thanks for the info

 

welcome to the forums. Give it a real good drain till nothing else comes out and then just put in some quality dino oil. Castrol is pretty good for toyota engines. With that manyy miles on the engine i wouldnt go to thinner oils such as synthetics as that may reveal some leaks and make some debris get into the oil ducts etc. Keep up with the 3K oil changes and it should keep on going, using a quality filter helps too.

If you live in climates where it doesnt get down to freezing temps, consider using oil that is 10w-30 instead of 5w-30. It can better protect higher mileage engines.