18 CRV 1.5l, 4885 mi, Honda 0W20

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I assume this is Honda 0W20 full synth as the oil change was done at the dealer in early November of 2020. But looking at another UOA:
this UOA doesn't look like the same oil. Unless they are different formulations of Honda oil. Regardless, this oil was changed with the OLM almost to 20%. We had been driving about 720 miles since it changed to 30% and historically we've gotten 400-850 miles per 10% on the OLM depending on how much highway driving is done. I would guess if the OLM displayed in single digits, it would've been at about 21-22%. The 2.2 TBN seems to match up fairly closely to the OLM this time around. I'm not sure I agree with Blackstone's 7k mile recommendation, but 6000 miles seems doable.

We live in a small town, so lots of short (
The sample was taken about 45 minutes after a 20 mile drive. Car is driven almost exclusively in ECO mode. We did an experiment with 91 octane fuel for a few tanks during this OCI to see if it had any effect on fuel economy. It did not.

Oil level did not rise on the dipstick. That combined with 0.8% fuel and not terribly low flashpoint tells me we're doing something right (or just lucky) with this engine. We replaced the oil with M1 EP 0W20. VOA here:
https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/threads/m1-ep-0w20-sp-voa.345267/
and a Fram Ultra XG7317. We'll take it 5-6k miles (typically as much as we drive in a year) and report back. I think for the next oil change, we might try M1 AFE 0W30. We'll be officially out of warranty by then, so any concerns about out-of-grade oil will be moot.
18 CRV 090221.png
 
Oil viscosity is below 20-weight minimum (6.9 cSt), so I’d bet fuel dilution is much higher than Blackstone reports. If you want real fuel dilution figures go to a lab that uses gas chromotography, like Polaris.
 
I think the key is, wear metals were pretty good, viscosity was just a tad low, and TBN was okay. I'd say 0W-20 is fine for 5k OCI. But like I said, I'll try 0W-30 next time just to see how wear metals compare and where the viscosity ends up.
 
I think the key is, wear metals were pretty good, viscosity was just a tad low, and TBN was okay. I'd say 0W-20 is fine for 5k OCI. But like I said, I'll try 0W-30 next time just to see how wear metals compare and where the viscosity ends up.
With your driving style & conditions, I don’t think it would make any noticeable difference, because wear is already low, so the engine is happy. It will however add more protection in the event the engine is ran HARD and gets pounded on (Italian Tune-up maybe?).

If you drive around carefully and try to get good gas mileage, I think 0w20 is just fine.

But definitely go thicker. 👍🏻
 
I think for the next oil change, we might try M1 AFE 0W30. We'll be officially out of warranty by then, so any concerns about out-of-grade oil will be moot.
I thought we all got an extended power train warranty out to 6 years now, based on the class action lawsuit on the oil dilution issue.
 
I thought we all got an extended power train warranty out to 6 years now, based on the class action lawsuit on the oil dilution issue.
Good point. Not that they'd ever be able to tell which oil I used unless in the unlikely event they decided to analyze it.
 
Once again, it's good to remember that fuel dilution numbers are just a snapshot of the day in question. The numbers are just one hard highway run away from being much lower.

UOA results are a tool, but unfortunately they provide incomplete information and are subject to improper interpretation. Engines that regularly flood the oil with fuel, and "evaporate" that fuel have still contaminated the oil terribly, despite good UOA results. One clue in the UOA results is a change in viscosity. The oil change is the only way to remove those contaminates. I disagree with the suggestion to extend the OCI.


EDIT: If I operated one of these engines here in FL, I'd work my way up a bit in viscosity, change at or before the 5K mark, and keep an eye on the high pressure fuel pump "wear metals". The rest of the engine is tough and will tolerate significant tuning!
 
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Good point. Not that they'd ever be able to tell which oil I used unless in the unlikely event they decided to analyze it.

Or asked for proof (i.e. receipts) of oil changes, which would indicate what oil brand and viscosity was purchased.
 
I thought we all got an extended power train warranty out to 6 years now, based on the class action lawsuit on the oil dilution issue.
Better double check on that 6yr powertrain warranty. Esp with those inherent engine probs.
 
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