2004 Kia Rio oil viscosity

[wtd]

My Daughter just got a 2004 Kia Rio for her 16th birthday. This car has the 1.6L 4 cyl. The owner's manual does not give a specific recommendation on oil viscosity but tells you to go by the chart that is in the manual.

Looking at the chart, 5w30 and 5W-20 are only good for temps below 40 degrees. They list 10w30 good from 0 degrees to right at 100 degrees and the 10W-40 good from 0 degrees to 100+ degrees.

I plan on changing the oil today after work with 10w30 Pennzoil high mileage for the winter months but I was wondering why do you think they don't list 5w30 good for anything over 40 degrees? Is it something to do with this engine?

Should I change to 10W-40 during the summer months or is the 10w30 going to be good enough? I don't know anything about Kia or their engines. Thanks.

Wayne

 

[toneydoc]

My daughter had the same car and engine for about 60k miles. I used several different weights of oil in it while I had it. It ran fine on 5w30 so use it without hesitation. I traded it in several years ago and was still going fine.
You might check and see if you can determine if timing belt has been changed. It is an interference type engine and if the timing belt breaks/goes bad it can result in severe damage the valvetrain. If I remember, Kia recommends changing belt every 60k miles.

 

[gregk24]

If I were you I would use 5w30 in the winter and 10w30 during the summer, or 5w30 year round. As tonydoc said make sure the timing belt is changed, its a weak spot on these engines.

 

[qdeezie]

I would just stick with 5w30 year round.

 

[salv]

5w30 is good year round in most climates.
If it is an automatic, I would concern myself more with the transmission fluid. Change it every 30k. The automatic is rough on fluid. I rarely see one of these gearboxes make it to 100k without at least 2 fluid changes. Clumsy, delayed, or harsh shifts are usually an indicator that the clutches are worn and you should start thinking about replacing the transmission.
This car is basically a Hyundai Accent.

 

[fdcg27]

These are pretty conservative, old-school oil recommendations.
I'd use a 5w30 all year.
If I had some 10w30 or 10W-40 laying around looking for a home, I'd use that during the warmer months.
Heed what other members have written about the timing belt and it also sounds like a trans service would be in order.
Assuming that it has a pan, drop that and replace the filter while you're at it.

 

[Zaedock]

I ran 5W30 year round in my mother's old Rio. It was fine. I'd be more worried about the timing belt breaking. We went through two engines in hers as they are interference engines. The car only had 117,xxx miles and the original engine had it's belt replaced earlier than the 60K requirement by me.

The second engine went in with a brand new Goodyear timing belt and stripped it's teeth only 30K miles later.

My research showed that the timing belt is a common issue on this engine, however I also found info on valve guide wear. All the valves on her engine were bent/broken.

I'm sure there are plenty of Rio's that lasted a while, but my experience is something to keep in mind down the road. We were lucky as I have a friend who runs a bone yard and was able to get a lower mileage engine on the cheap. These used engines are in demand so plan on spending more than the car is worth if yours grenades.

 

[wtd]

The car has 98,400 miles on it and the timing belt was just replaced along with the water pump, idler pulleys, and accessory belts. I did find out about the timing belt issues for this engine and is why I decided to have it replaced given the fact that I had no proof if it had ever been changed. The guy who did the work said it looked like it was original.

Transmission was replaced 3,500 miles ago so both of these things have been done.

Since I already have the 10w30 and am not going to have time to get 5w30 before I change the oil and have to take her back home, I will run the 10w30 for now.

I just don't understand why it states that 5w30 is only good up to 40 degrees in this car.

Will I notice anything different about how the car runs if I run the 10w30 vs the 5w30? Thanks.

Wayne

 

[650NutKase]

Originally Posted By: wtd


Will I notice anything different about how the car runs if I run the 10w30 vs the 5w30? Thanks.

Wayne


Gas mileage is probably about it. Congrats on the new purchase!

 

[salv]

You won't notice a difference between the two. Maybe a little extra startup noise with 10w30, but nothing major. When our dealership opened in 2005, our bulk tanks were 10w30 Citgo Supergard. We never had any issues with this grade even in the winter, which up here in Northern NY gets pretty cold. Our tanks now have 5w30 Gulf Pride Semisynthetic.

 

[Zaedock]

Originally Posted By: wtd
I just don't understand why it states that 5w30 is only good up to 40 degrees in this car.

Will I notice anything different about how the car runs if I run the 10w30 vs the 5w30? Thanks.

Wayne


The 40 degree thing is old school thinking as 5W30's were more prone to shearing and this engine/vehicle is used world wide. IMO, they just continued to keep that recommendation in the manual instead of updating. My mom's was an '01 with an iron block and aluminum head and except for a couple of runs of Delo SAE30 (summer), ran 5W30 conventional.

10W30 should work fine in your neck of the woods. It's probably not ideal for a super cold morning, but most manual viscosity ranges I have seen list 10W30 as being good down to 0*F.

 

[fdcg27]

So you should be good to go with both the timing belt and the transmission.
10W-30 was the standard grade used in most cars in all climates for many years.
5w30 superceded it. IIRC, GM was the first maker to spec 5w30, back in the mid-'eighties.
The recommendations for this engine are conservative and pretty outdated for its year of manufacture.
Any API SJ/SL/SM/SN 5w30 would be a better choice for real cold, but the 10w30 will work just fine, as it did in many engines for many years.

 

[wtd]

Ok, thanks for the info. I will just run the 10w30 and maybe go with the 5w30 on the next change.

Wayne

 

[Flareside302]

Just FYI. Timing belt is due every 60k miles in standard service.. They are interference engines..

5w30 will be fine year round..

 

[Ram01]

The 10w30 will do fine. Good luck with the timing belt issue

 

[bigjl]

I would happily use 5w30.

But perhaps a good alternative for all year use would be 5w40.

I think the reason they spec a w40 for over 40oC is due to the age of the engine design.

My wife had a Hyundai Accent 1.3 many moons ago and i am fairly certain i ran 10w40 in that all year.

Not the exact same engine but likely engineered with similar considerations in mind.

Not sure if both companies where as closely related then as now.

The 03 and 04 Accents are really popular in Ghana as Taxis they import them from Korea for a reasonable price, we have a couple over there. Both 1.5s and we run it on 10w40 Shell oil not sure what oil! I think it is Semi Synthetic or mineral.
Change it st 5000 kms due to the dust

Good little cars these older Kias and Hyundais, should serve your daughter well.

 

[wtd]

Thanks. I hope it will be a good car. It also got new plugs, wires, and pre-cat O2 sensor so I don't think there really is much else to do on it for a while. Since I'm divorced and my daughter doesn't live with me, it might be hard to keep up things on the maintainence side but I'm going to try.

Wayne