Hi l have a 20 year old toyota camry, it recently had an oil leak which was repaired. l always used 5w 30w synthetic engine oil that the manual recommended for this car but but the mechanic put in 15w 40w mineral engine oil because he said a thicker oil will help it burn less oil because its an old car thats burning more oil then normal. l am worried that this thicker oil might not be good for the engine and do harm . l read thicker oil on start up doesnt flow as well to the parts and could harm them, but the mechanic said theres nothing to worry about. l am not sure if l should keep the current 15w 40w oil or should l ask to change it to a thinner oil. Also as its a mineral oil is that not good for the car, would synthetic oil be better.ALso l am in Australia, l dont know if we use different oils here
15W-40 mineral oil for 2003 toyota camry?
- Thread starter cranswick
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What’s the coldest temps you get? 15w40 by itself is not an issue, dependent on your minimum temps your car will see on cold starts.
thanks, its winter here in Australia, the coldest it gets during the day is 10 celsius which is 50 Fahrenheit but over night it can get down to 2 celsius which is 35 fahrenheit, but most of the time it doesnt get that cold, thats the coldest.
Above zero even 15w40 is fine. Just give it 30 seconds to a minute minimum, and drive gently til it’s at operating temperature.
thanks so 15w 40 is not too thick for a 20 year old camry as long as he temperature is above zero celsius. It was mineral oil , is that OK, next time should l tell him to put in synthetic oil
I'd rather use something like a 5w40 than that but it'll be fine.
Most viscosity charts show 15w oils good down to -10°c or so.
You see a lot of very high mileage cars that have just had bulk 15w40 their entire lives.
You see a lot of very high mileage cars that have just had bulk 15w40 their entire lives.
My BIL only used his shop(where he worked) supplied 15W40 in his old Buick 3.8L even in our northeast U.S. winters where the temps get well below zero degrees F.
Assuming typical driving conditions:
How much oil did it burn with the 5W-30?
How much oil is it burning now with 15W-40?
Curious what oil brands before and now?
What is your typical oil change interval? Only difference is that I have a longer OCI with Syn ... as long as you are not racing with your Camry. lol
40 Won't hurt nothing. I use in one of my cars specifying 20 in the owner's manual. It's hot over there and 15W sounds fine but I would never go below 10W. My very old Tacoma does well with 10W-30.
How much oil did it burn with the 5W-30?
How much oil is it burning now with 15W-40?
Curious what oil brands before and now?
What is your typical oil change interval? Only difference is that I have a longer OCI with Syn ... as long as you are not racing with your Camry. lol
40 Won't hurt nothing. I use in one of my cars specifying 20 in the owner's manual. It's hot over there and 15W sounds fine but I would never go below 10W. My very old Tacoma does well with 10W-30.
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More than likely, he used a heavy duty engine oil. So long as it gets changed regularly (5,000 - 8,000 km), you will be fine.
There are countless Altona-built Camry's running 20W-50 in this region with zero issues in an almost identical climate.
There are countless Altona-built Camry's running 20W-50 in this region with zero issues in an almost identical climate.
Probably not a HDEO but rather a 15w40 PCMO, in the US 15w40 PCMOs are almost nonexistent but common elsewhere.
i used to drive an old camry like that...
it ran happily on the old M1 himi 10w30
(the one where 30 sat closer to 10w40)SN/SM only.
the original spec for that engine was conventional 5w30 over here in USA.
with a condition in the manual that claimed 10w30 is also acceptable.
if your camry has VVT-i ...i recommend trying a regular conventional 10w30 before the 40. that engine was designed in a time where the oil was going to have more impurities and 'wax'. especially since the manual specified any ILSAC 10w30 would work. which is a common standard amongst gasoline engines worldwide.
IdK if it makes a difference, but using the long oil filter VS the short might skew things..
goo luck down there.
it ran happily on the old M1 himi 10w30
(the one where 30 sat closer to 10w40)SN/SM only.
the original spec for that engine was conventional 5w30 over here in USA.
with a condition in the manual that claimed 10w30 is also acceptable.
if your camry has VVT-i ...i recommend trying a regular conventional 10w30 before the 40. that engine was designed in a time where the oil was going to have more impurities and 'wax'. especially since the manual specified any ILSAC 10w30 would work. which is a common standard amongst gasoline engines worldwide.
IdK if it makes a difference, but using the long oil filter VS the short might skew things..
goo luck down there.
Hey Mate,
15W40 mineral is used everywhere in Australia, it usually carries Euro A3/B3 spec and is a good product. I’ve used lots of it myself in Holdens, Nissan, Audi, etc. Never a problem. It’s fine for our mild winters.
15W40 mineral is used everywhere in Australia, it usually carries Euro A3/B3 spec and is a good product. I’ve used lots of it myself in Holdens, Nissan, Audi, etc. Never a problem. It’s fine for our mild winters.
BTW this 2018 Toyota Camry owners manual still lists 15W40 as an acceptable grade. With an older car going thicker is usually a safe bet, the big limit is cold pumping when starting in winter, but not an issue in Australia, where previously most people used 20W50 year round.
To be honest there is a lot of good things to be said about 15W40, it's one of my favourite viscosity grades for Australia and any similar warm climate. More good 15W40 talk here
To be honest there is a lot of good things to be said about 15W40, it's one of my favourite viscosity grades for Australia and any similar warm climate. More good 15W40 talk here
Shell HX5 15w40 formulation
I already talked about this oil in other threads but i really ask myself how can pour point be so low (-45c) and flash point be so high (245c) for such a cheap oil? These are similar to the SHU 5w40 and even better than most euro grp III 5w40 available. Also it is SN rated and the newer batches...
bobistheoilguy.com
Just how badly is your car burning oil?
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