The Toyota Tundra uses between 4.8 and 8.5 quarts of motor oil, depending on which generation Tundra you’re driving. And the type of oil can vary, too.

Written by Matt Nightingale

Reviewed by Melanie Reiff

Updated on Jan 31, 2024

Table of Contents

Toyota Tundra engine oil capacity
How often to change oil on a Toyota Tundra

Since the turn of the millennium the Tundra is the award-winning full-size pickup truck of Japanese carmaker,

Toyota

. With a towing capacity of 11,310 lbs, the Tundra has been hard at work for nearly 23 years—but if you want it to keep working to its full potential, you’ll need ensure that its engine oil is topped off to capacity at 7.7 quarts.

If you own a heavy duty work truck like the Toyota Tundra, you know how important it is to keep up with

regular maintenance

. Ensuring that your pickup truck is in good working order will help prevent major

car repairs

and will maximize your work output. Regular oil changes cost just a fraction of an engine replacement, and you can save even more money by changing your Tundra’s oil at home.

In this article, we’ll show you everything you need to know to help make your Toyota Tundra oil change as easy as possible.

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Toyota Tundra engine oil capacity

If you’re going to change your Toyota Tundra’s oil yourself, you’ll first need to know how much oil to put in.

The 2023 Toyota Tundra comes offers three different twin-turbo 3.5-liter V-6 engines, but know matter which you opt for, the engine oil capacity remains the same: 7.7 quarts, or 7.3 liters.

It is a common mistake to confuse your engine’s displacement with oil capacity. Engine displacement is the total combined volume of your Tundra’s engine cylinders. That “3.5” in “3.5-liter V-6 engine” is the displacement—but your Tundra needs much more than 3.5 liters of oil.

You can find your Tundra’s oil capacity and other fluid specs in the Vehicle Specifications section of your owner’s manual. And if you own a Tundra model from another year, you’ll want to double check, because the oil capacity of the Toyota Tundra has changed over the years. Here’s a look at the oil capacity ranges for each of the Tundra’s three generations:

1st generation (2000–2006): 4.8–6.6 quarts

2nd generation (2007–2021): 4.8–8.5 quarts

3rd generation (2022–present): 7.7 quarts

As you can see there is a wide range of oil capacities for the Tundra’s first two generations. Oil capacity varies in these models depending on which engine the truck is equipped with.

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What kind of oil does a Toyota Tundra need?

Once you’ve determined how much oil your Tundra needs to function properly, you’ll need to know what kind of oil to use.

The 2023 Toyota Tundra requires SAE 0W-20 motoroil—preferably

Toyota Genuine motor oil

—but 5W-20 oil can be used in a pinch so long as you replace it with 0W-20 at your next oil change.

Again, be sure to consult your owner’s manual to find out the correct type of motoroil for your particular Tundra. Oil type can vary from year to year and engine to engine. For example, the 2000 Toyota Tundra uses 5W-30 oil as opposed to the 0W-20 oil recommended for the 2023 model.

All of these letters and numbers can be confusing, but here’s what they mean. The first number and letter combo, “0W”, is the oil’s cold temperature viscosity—that is, how well the oil flows in cold temperatures. The lower the number, the more easily it will move in frigid conditions.

The number on the other side of the dash represents the oil’s warm temperature viscosity. The higher the number here, the thicker the oil will be at regular running temperature.

Finally, SAE stands for “Society of Automotive Engineers”. This is the body that determines the number/letter codes for oil viscosity.

How often to change oil on a Toyota Tundra

Now that you know how what kind of oil you need for your Toyota Tundra, and how much to put into your engine, you just need to know when to change the oil.

Toyota recommends that you change your Tundra’s engine oil and filter every 7,500–10,000 miles if you’re using synthetic oil. That interval drops to between 3,000 and 5,000 miles if you’re using conventional motor oil. These are just guidelines, however, and you should always pay attention to signs that it might be time for an oil change.

Keep a lookout for these symptoms:

If your motor oil is dark brown or black it’s time for an oil change. Good oil should be amber in color, like tree sap.

Coarse, sandy feeling oil means that it’s time for an oil swap. Good oil has a silky smooth feel to it.

If you hear strange noises coming from your engine, it could be that your oil needs a change.

Burning smells—especially burning oil—is a good indicator that it’s time for an oil change.

If you notice a drop in your car’s fuel efficiency, it could be due to dirty oil.

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How to change your oil and oil filter

Figuring out the kind of oil your Tundra uses and how much it needs is the hard part. After that, changing your oil is a pretty simple process. You’ll just need a new oil filter, eight quarts of the oil called for in your Tundra’s owner’s manual, an oil filter wrench, a socket wrench, and an oil drain pan.

Once you’ve got all of these items, start your truck and get the engine to regular running temperature—five minutes is all it should take. Then, turn off the truck, pop the hood, and follow these steps:

Place the oil drain pan under the engine.

Remove the oil fill cap on top of the engine.

Unscrew the drain bolt on the bottom of the engine and allow the old oil to collect in the oil drain pan.

Remove the old oil filter using the oil filter wrench and install the new filter.

Once the oil is done draining, replace the oil drain bolt along with a new washer.

Tighten the drain bolt to the specified torque outlined in your owner’s manual (30 ft/lbs for 3rd generation models).

Refill the engine with new oil and replace the fill cap.

Now, start the engine up for about a minute and inspect for leaks. If everything looks good, shut off your engine, pop the hood, check the oil level with the dipstick, and top off the oil as needed.

When you’re done, you may need to reset your Maintenance Required warning light and your Oil Life tracker. To do that, simply scroll to the gear icon on your dash display using your steering wheel controls. Scroll down to Vehicle Settings, and press and hold the OK button.

When the Vehicle Settings screen appears, scroll down to Scheduled Maintenance, press OK, and confirm that you want to reset your data by selecting Yes. Then scroll back to the Vehicle Settings menu, scroll down to Oil Maintenance, press OK, and once again confirm the data reset by selecting Yes.

After you’ve cleaned up your work station, be sure to put the old oil in a sealed container and take it down to your local recycling center to be disposed of. Never pour the old oil down your sink, toilet, or sewer, and never dump it out on the ground.