1996 accord 250,000+ miles. Engine is loud until driven for a bit, doesn't burn oil. Would a 5w30 oil over a 10w30 oil help quiet down the motor a bit in colder weather? This is a beater car so part of me thinks it's just an old tired engine and no oil is going to change that. It has 10w30 supertech high mileage in it.
1996 Honda Accord 5w30 or 10w30, loud engine when cold
- Thread starter Corollaman
- Start date
Depends on what's loud, oil isn't going to do anything for an exhaust leak or bad motor mounts.
They are both 30w oils; the main difference is how they flow at low temperatures.
Unless it is really cold, there is not that much difference.
If you wanna try ST Synthetic 5w30 HM give it a shot.
I would probably run the valves, as others have suggested.
Good luck.
Unless it is really cold, there is not that much difference.
If you wanna try ST Synthetic 5w30 HM give it a shot.
I would probably run the valves, as others have suggested.
Good luck.
Especially if that SuperTech HM is conventional (I think it is) try 5W oil, or even a 0W oil if you feel though 5W should be fine unless you're way below zero
I'd check the valve lash, and run 5W30 oil in it.
Magnatec 5W30, leaves a surface coating on the metal surfaces that doesn’t drain down when the engine is stopped. It may make startups quieter. Worth a shot.
If it doesn't burn oil and the noise you describe goes away or gets less noticeable once the engine gets up to temp, the chances of the noise being a lower end knock is very small, this leaves the valve train. If lash hasn't been adjusted in a long time the noise you are probably hearing is excessive clearance (lash) between the valve stem and the rockers for the intake valves.
Intake lash tends to loosen over time from wear creating noise especially on cold engines before everything has grown due to heat.
Exhaust lash tends to TIGHTEN over time due valve seat erosion and receding further into the head due to the inherent heat.
Excessive valve lash on the intake just makes for low power and a noisy engine, however, lack of lash on the exhaust will eventually lead to burnt valves and loss of compression. I highly recommend adjusting your valve lash first, a different weight or brand of oil may possibly quiet things, but is only a band aid.
Intake lash tends to loosen over time from wear creating noise especially on cold engines before everything has grown due to heat.
Exhaust lash tends to TIGHTEN over time due valve seat erosion and receding further into the head due to the inherent heat.
Excessive valve lash on the intake just makes for low power and a noisy engine, however, lack of lash on the exhaust will eventually lead to burnt valves and loss of compression. I highly recommend adjusting your valve lash first, a different weight or brand of oil may possibly quiet things, but is only a band aid.
It's most likely called piston slap which is a common issue that Honda's are known for, due to the differences in metal and temperatures the pistons are made from aluminum and shrink a bit from the cold weather but when the engine warms up they expand and the knocking goes away, this issue also affects the GM 5.3 and other variants of that engine as well. It's typically a non issue that you have to worry about unless it's rod knock or some other underlying problem.
I currently own 97 & 99 Honda Civic's both with 200k+ miles and have good general knowledge of Honda's in general.
I currently own 97 & 99 Honda Civic's both with 200k+ miles and have good general knowledge of Honda's in general.