2004 element 162,xxx miles what oil should I use?

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I take care of all the family cars and my mom has a 2004 Honda Element with 162,xxx miles on it. It calls for 5w20 but we've used 5w30 in it for years now. However, all our other vehicles all use 0w20 so I was wondering, would 0w20 in an older Honda work in place of 5w20 or should I stick to the thicker oil given mileage and age?

I figured, if I can safely use 0w20 in all 3 of our vehicles it would make managing my oil stockpile a bit easier as I'd only need to keep one type of oil on hand.

I know some 5w20 cars are backwards compatible with 0w20 but before I put a 0 weight oil in an older car, wanted to ask for opinions first.
 
Same engine as the "Linoleum Falcon" so don't overthink this. If that thing survived all of the abuse, the Element won't even break a sweat on 0w-20.
 
Same engine as the "Linoleum Falcon" so don't overthink this. If that thing survived all of the abuse, the Element won't even break a sweat on 0w-20.
LOL fair point. But the engine in the Element is slightly different than the CR-V was, the Element has a K24A4 and the CR-V was a K24Z1.

Is there any notable difference between the two? Besides a whole 6HP...
 
I'm not a K24 expert but, Honda allows 0w-20 in the Element, so just keep an eye on the oil level with the new grade, just in case.
 
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I know some 5w20 cars are backwards compatible with 0w20 but before I put a 0 weight oil in an older car, wanted to ask for opinions first.
Winter ratings are not "compatible" with anything but your expected starting temperature.

And it's not a "0 weight." Both are a 20-grade oil.
 
Sounds good to me! Figured I had nothing to worry about but I still just wanted to double check. Thanks everyone
 
Both are a 20-grade oil.
This is the key - they're both the same viscosity at temperature. The 0W won't hurt especially in the winter. In the early 2000s, 0W oil likely wasn't very common or if it was available, it was synthetic and automakers like Honda and other mainstream brands didn't "spec" it, mostly due to the higher cost.

Most importantly, according to Honda's back-spec'd oil viscosity chart, that '04 Element lists 0W-20 as "acceptable" by Honda.
 
If you've got oil consumption maybe slightly thicker like 5w-30 but I'd still try the usual consumption remedies first. If it doesn't just keep using 5w-20.
 
If you've got oil consumption maybe slightly thicker like 5w-30 but I'd still try the usual consumption remedies first. If it doesn't just keep using 5w-20.
It does not appear to consume any oil, I was just wanting to switch it over to 0w20 since all our other vehicles also use 0w20, therefore only requiring me to hoard one grade of oil instead of multiple.
 
Our 2006 TSX with the mighty K24 spec's 5w30; I believe the Accords spec'ed 5w20.
Once I accidently dumped in 0w20.
The car is at 210K and I never check the oil.

I say service that bad boy every 5K and use whatever you like.
This is basically what I do with our K24 powered Honda Element. Over time I've used 0w-20, 5w-20, and 5w-30 with 5K OCIs, both Castrol Edge EP and Mobil 1 EP. It has 235K miles on it now and when I change the oil it's down 1/8 quart - max - regardless of what oil I use.

Hail to the mighty K24!

Scott
 
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It does not appear to consume any oil, I was just wanting to switch it over to 0w20 since all our other vehicles also use 0w20, therefore only requiring me to hoard one grade of oil instead of multiple.
5w-20 for the most part will have a slightly higher flash point, better stability and usually a 0.1 hths increase too so you can hoard either. I doubt it gets cold enough to where 0w-20 is much more desirable. Even down to -30f it'll still flow fast. Especially pennzoil platinum. Forms like no wax crystals.
 
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