Question about motor oil

[Meaculpa]

Currently, my car requires 5w20 motor oil, but after doing a bunch of google searches,
I've read many views (from Oil manufacturers), that I can actually use thicker oils.
My dealer keeps telling me that if I don't use 5w20, I risk damaging my engine, yet
websites like this >> http://www.synlube.com/sae5w-20.htm << suggests that 5w20
actually diminishes the life of the engine by 30%.


Any thoughts on these conflicting arguements?

 

[YellowDog]

Currently, my car requires 5w20 motor oil, but after doing a bunch of google searches,
I've read many views (from Oil manufacturers), that I can actually use thicker oils.
My dealer keeps telling me that if I don't use 5w20, I risk damaging my engine, yet
websites like this >> http://www.synlube.com/sae5w-20.htm << suggests that 5w20
actually diminishes the life of the engine by 30%.


Any thoughts on these conflicting arguements?

Us whatever your owners manual tells you to. Usually they will give an oil weight range and the conditions each is to be used under.

 

[papasmerf]

well, on a new car you need to follow the

manufacturer's​

instructions. I figure you have a 4 banger and thicker oils could cause problems in cold climates

 

[blackdog]

Oil viscosity is directly related to the ambient tempreture at startup time. Just go by what your manuel says in your area and you will be fine.

 

[Cinema Face]

5w20 is unusually light motor oil. What engine is it for? Personally, I would use standard 10w30 if it's a normal engine.

 

[DistantVoyeur]

Believe that most newer engines start with 5w30, then as they wear you can switch to a 10w30 at high mileage. Best to check with a mechanic that has knowledge of your type of car though.

 

[tywebb1967]

Newer car engines especially imports have tight tolerances and require a thin oil to function properly

 

[Tech72]

Synthetic oil dilema.....

Research and current prevailing thought suggests that synthetic oil provides the best engine protection, longevity, etc. I thought the same myself and have been using synthetic in my own cars. However, recently a couple of different licenced mechanics have told me something that makes sense and have made me think about going back to 'standard' oil.....

There's no arguing that synthetic motor oil is superior to 'standard' motor oil. There's no disputing that fact. What the mechanics suggest is that by using synthetic oil, most people will drive double the distance or more before an oil change as when they used 'standard' oil. Synthetic oil breakdown is not the issue. The issue is that the oil filter does not get replaced and can be potentially clogged since it is being used twice the normal period before replacement. Or at best, the oil filter's effectiveness at filtering debris is significantly decreased. This may decrease oil circulation through the engine and/or allow debris getting back into circulation. The point is that the syn oil is good, it's the oil filter that cannot last the +10,000km service intervals. Sure there's new oil filters that are designed for use with syn oil, but they apparently are not much different than 'standard' oil filters - they just costs more and are marketed well.

The mechanics suggests using 'standard' oil and to change the engine oil and oil filter regularly every 4000-5000km is actually best. I'm not a mechanic myself so can't knowledgeably comment on this but it does make good sense. Anyone here "in the know" and can confirm or deny what I was told by a number of different mechanics?

 

[blackdog]

I use extra virgin second press olive oil in my 78 Cordoba with corrinthian leather seats and everything seems just fine.

 

[Tech72]

It's not really "extra virgin" on the second press. What you have is "second pressed" oil.....sloppy seconds of sorts.

 

[maverick]

Newer car engines especially imports have tight tolerances and require a thin oil to function properly

what he said... the newer japanes cars have finer tolerances and require lighter weight oil.

 

[blackdog]

My lady friend told me that she was "extra virgin". Now I find out that she's second press....

 

[Meaculpa]

I figure you have a 4 banger and thicker oils could cause problems in cold climates

In contrast, I've heard (reliable source, but what is these days ) that thicker oils is better for summer,
due to the heat and longer trips (I go to Ottawa often in the summer).

So would it be fair to say: Use 5w20 in the winter, and 10w30 in the summer?

 

[maverick]

In contrast, I've heard (reliable source, but what is these days ) that thicker oils is better for summer,
due to the heat and longer trips (I go to Ottawa often in the summer).

So would it be fair to say: Use 5w20 in the winter, and 10w30 in the summer?

i wouldn't use 10w/30 for newer engines. you could use 5w30 after 150000 km. using 10w30 on a newer engine will increase your engine wear. most engine wear occurs within the first minute of startup.

 

[papasmerf]

In contrast, I've heard (reliable source, but what is these days ) that thicker oils is better for summer,
due to the heat and longer trips (I go to Ottawa often in the summer).

So would it be fair to say: Use 5w20 in the winter, and 10w30 in the summer?

Today motors are no where as resilient as they were in the past. With the advent of the alloy motors warping has become a problem. In the past when steel and iron were used we could have more head pressure and thicker oils worked well. Today we need to adhere to the manufactures recommendations to ensure the warranty is upheld.

 

[TRX]

with 5w20 there should not be any problem during winter time, but most newer car used 5w30 all year round. older car should used thicker viscosity 15w50 in summer time

 

[JEFF247]

I have a 2003 Honda Accord (4 cyl) that I bought new. It specifies 5w20 for "year round use". I will hit 150K soon and I still get 31 miles per gallon. I have only had to do normal maintenance. It is a great car!!!! I'll keep using the 5w20!!!

 

[Guy7]

My Car's dealeship put the motor-oil which is good for 15,000 Kms. & usually i can use my car without change of oil for nearly 9~10 months which is a great relief, as some car owners have to change their engine oil @ 5000 Kms which is a bit of a hassele, due to paucity of time, in a country like our's where we pay taxes on every step of our lives........plus where there is no control on Gas Prices, & the authorities just sit and look only.

 

[james t kirk]

you'd be amazed at how little particulate matter is actually in the oil.
and actually you might be surprised that a filter actually cleans better as it gets older.
But there is a point where the throughput may be less then you actually need in the engine.

Exactly, if the filter is getting that clogged up, you have a serious problem.

Way back when, they used to recommend changing your oil filter every 2'nd oil change. Then someone figured, for the extra cost, why not.

 

[l69norm]

...What the mechanics suggest is that by using synthetic oil, most people will drive double the distance or more before an oil change as when they used 'standard' oil. Synthetic oil breakdown is not the issue. The issue is that the oil filter does not get replaced and can be potentially clogged since it is being used twice the normal period before replacement. ..

What wears out in motor oil isn't the oil itself, it's the all additives used to combat water and acid build up, anti-wear chemicals, detergents, etc. "Used" oil could be recycled back into "new" oil and was readily available in Loblaws and CT stores.

Here's a link to some extended life testing that someone did with Mobil 1. What's really interesting is thier conclusions on oil filter changes. It's not the filter itself that was important, but it was the fresh quart of oil that came with the filter change!

http://neptune.spacebears.com/cars/stories/mobil1.html
"...Though changing the filter by itself wouldn't have a significant effect on the concentration of metals -- the metals picked up in spectrometric analysis are too small for a filter to capture -- the amount of top-up oil required to fill the crankcase after the filter swap substantially alters the chemistry of the oil.....It's easy to see here why proponents of extreme oil changes demand filter changes at regular intervals...."