My hunch is if you removed CAFE, EPA etc. and manufacture's desire to advertise best case MPG, recommended viscosities would be higher.
0W20 for good protection?
- Thread starter CarfriendXX
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So it is as always and everywhere, everything has its advantages and disadvantages. I don't think you can make a universal statement. I have been driving exclusively the Mobil 1 FS 0W40 (since 2015, before that the new Life 0W40) in my suction pipe injector engine R18A2 for 406000 kilometres and have an absolutely clean run, very good oil analyses, even over longer periods of time, as well as a really clean engine, even at intervals of 20000 kilometres. The vehicle is completely maintained by Honda chequebook, except for the engine oil, Honda original liquids were used with me. My K20c1 from the Civic Type r is a direct injection engine that, like all of this kind, will tend to coking the valves sooner or later. This must be eliminated sooner or later. I think otherwise the wear protection with this oil is beyond doubt and absolutely great. Especially over the long service life in winter, this "non-PAO oil" is very good in considering the compatibility of the seals and materials over a particularly long service life, about 5 months. If interested, I will Continue to post trend analyses of oil.
I think we need to revisit and learn what the W actually means.
The initial fear of using 0w20 I had has since faded after researching the current GM 5.3 engine (mine) oiling system. There is a suction side of the pump that serves as oiling also vs the old suction just being to pick up oil from the sump. Saying that to say sometimes these engines are truly designed for 0w20.
Here’s one data point for you: my wife drives a 2016 Corolla and she refuses to let me do the maintenance for the stated reason that she didn’t marry me so I could be her personal servant. Whatever. Anyway, she has her oil changed at the Valvoline quick change place (even though they once sent it home with a cross-threaded drain plug dripping onto the driveway) and I would be very surprised if it has ever gone less than 6k miles between changes. It has around 160k miles now and is still running like the day she bought it. According to her invoices they have been using the recommended 0w-20 for the entire life of the car.
My prediction is that the engine will continue to run until something else (most likely a deer collision) ends its useful life.
My prediction is that the engine will continue to run until something else (most likely a deer collision) ends its useful life.
Here is the page from the 2022 Ford Explorer 3.3 liter twin Turbo with 18 psi boost and 9.5 compression ratio. It asks for 5w30 motor oil. I’m thinking Ford participated in moving oil viscosities downward for the past 20 years but now have gone back up for certain applications. Perhaps protection became more important than EPA gas mileage.
Maybe warranty claims had them rethink things......
The local Sheriff's department here has the Charger with the 5.7. They use the recommended 5w-20 oil and get what ever is least expensive. These vehicle idle for hours on end and ran hard. They said the have no issues with them and get well over 100k out of them. This to me is a good test as to protection and the use of a 20w oil. But then I could be wrong. The winters don't get to cold here but the summers can really get hot, especially with the high humidity.
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I’ve been using 20 weight oils since day one until about 95k miles in my 2010 Ford Taurus SHO with the 3.5 eco boost. Ford recommended 5w20 in 2010 SHO’s and switched to 5w30 starting 2011 model year. I’ve always used 5w20 and 0w20 in my car because ford recommended 5w20 for my 2010 MY car.
Everything was great until about 95k miles. At around 95k miles, I started hearing some tapping noise from the engine with 0w20. The noise got louder as RPM went up. Almost sounded like rod knock. So when I reached 100k, I switched Valvoline EP 5w30 (one of the thicker 5w30 out there) and the tapping noise went away. The 0w20 I drained did not have any visible metal shavings, no grits, or anything abnormal. I’m assuming fuel dilution thinned the oil out too much and that’s what caused the tapping noise. Also the filter was clean when I opened it up. When I switched to 5w30, I also added some Liqui moly Mos2 which thickened up the oil even more, so the oil is probably a thin 40 weight oil.
I’m at 105k miles right now and there’s no more tapping noise and the engine runs good. I plan to use 5w30 or 40 weight from now on.
Everything was great until about 95k miles. At around 95k miles, I started hearing some tapping noise from the engine with 0w20. The noise got louder as RPM went up. Almost sounded like rod knock. So when I reached 100k, I switched Valvoline EP 5w30 (one of the thicker 5w30 out there) and the tapping noise went away. The 0w20 I drained did not have any visible metal shavings, no grits, or anything abnormal. I’m assuming fuel dilution thinned the oil out too much and that’s what caused the tapping noise. Also the filter was clean when I opened it up. When I switched to 5w30, I also added some Liqui moly Mos2 which thickened up the oil even more, so the oil is probably a thin 40 weight oil.
I’m at 105k miles right now and there’s no more tapping noise and the engine runs good. I plan to use 5w30 or 40 weight from now on.
I doubt that can of glop thickened anything. It might be sitting at the bottom of your oil pan.
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Nope. It’s a daily driver. And I know it isn’t sitting at the bottom of the oil pan.
I don’t know where people are getting this “liqui moly mos2 sits on the bottom of the oil pan and does not mix with oil” thing.
I’ve looked inside oil pans with borscope cameras just to see if the mos2 sits at the bottom of oils pans and I’ve found that it does not, as long as the car is a daily driver. Now if you let the car sit for too long, it probably will separate. Not really a concern to me.
So she has demanded that you not be her servant...
Probably not the best idea they ever came up with though they have incentive to try and do so.
I used it before and it turns th oil grey because, well, it is grey itself. Obviously it’s not sitting in the bottom of the oil pan.
Does it burn exhaust valves from valve lash not being adjusted on time? Or is there another reason, specific to the K20C1?
Asking because most older Hondas would burn exhaust valves once exhaust valve lash got too tight. But if adjusted in proper periods (every 50k kilometers or 24 months, whichever came first) they would last the life of the vehicle. Always seemed like in normal use the exhaust valves were tightening from OEM spec, while intake valves would loosed from the spec.
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I assume the OP is based in Europe, not in NA. If so, as a consequence
available oil choice is different. I'd use either M1 ESP 5W-30 or Ravenol
REP 5W-30 because turbo DI.
However 0W-20 would yield to a luxury problem. It'll last. At 5000 km
per year, why must this engine last for two decades? Its body will suffer
from rust way before and maybe the gearbox will perhaps fail earlier.
That said I'd consider to expand OCI to 10,000 km even though 2 years.
.
I assume the OP is based in Europe, not in NA. If so, as a consequence
available oil choice is different. I'd use either M1 ESP 5W-30 or Ravenol
REP 5W-30 because turbo DI.
However 0W-20 would yield to a luxury problem. It'll last. At 5000 km
per year, why must this engine last for two decades? Its body will suffer
from rust way before and maybe the gearbox will perhaps fail earlier.
That said I'd consider to expand OCI to 10,000 km even though 2 years.
.
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0W20 can be good,too?