5-30 to 10-40

[Bulli]

bought my car and used 5-30 for the first 2 oil changes.
this oil change i put in 10-40 because the engien is worn a little and has a pretty loud knock/rattle.
Its almost completely gone with 10-40.
but now my engine idles lower and at times its idles hard for 1 second because the rpm's are to low. Power steering is harder a little and my brakes feel like they are pulsing.

is it ok if i do a 3-4 k run with this oil ?
next oil choice will be MAxlife 10-30

PS. the 10-40 is a Pennzoil Conventional

 

[charbaby]

Hi Bulli,
What make/model car did you just buy? How many miles on the odometer? Will this be your primary vehicle or just a beater? Are you your own mechanic or do you have a garage do your work? Sounds like you have a little bit of work ahead of you. Lube the front end(and check for worn parts) and change the P/S fluid(turkey baster method is fine). And some brake pads/rotors to be on the safe side. As far as the engine knocking, could be anything and 3-4 k OCI probably won't matter either way and there's very little that will change it. Depending on the engines condition, I wouldn't spend too much money on the oil. Buy oil/filters on sale and change regularly.

 

[Merkava_4]

Originally Posted By: Bulli
i put in 10-40 because the engien is worn a little and has a pretty loud knock/rattle.
Its almost completely gone with 10-40.


Stay with the 10W-40 if all's quiet; noise means wasted energy.

 

[Johnny]

Just to be sure we are all on the same page here. The 10W-40 has nothing to do with you engine idle, power steering, or the brakes. Agree with Char Baby, let us know what kind of car this is with all the details.

 

[The_Jeff]

I'm first interested in if this has idle speed control as virtually every car made since 1982 or so has... or if it's an old all-manual carb.

 

[Bulli]

its a 1995 Honda Accord lx 5 speed
119k miles
bought it with 116k miles
Did a 1.5 mile run with Pennzoil 5w30 just to flush the old oil out since the car was not driven for over 2 years i was told.
changed MTF fluid.

I noticed the idle is lower. maybe it takes more energy for the engine to push this fluid through or something?
The power steering was extra easy with the 5-30 oil and now its a little harder but still easy.
Brakes seem to pulse now and i dotn know why but it all happened after the 10-40.

 

[dwendt44]

If it sat for two years, the fuel system could be gummed up some.
A good dose of Regaine or Techtron might improve the idle.
A good tune up won't hurt either.
Bleed the brakes.

 

[Johnny]

Originally Posted By: Bulli
its a 1995 Honda Accord lx 5 speed
119k miles
bought it with 116k miles
Did a 1.5 mile run with Pennzoil 5w30 just to flush the old oil out since the car was not driven for over 2 years i was told.
changed MTF fluid.

I noticed the idle is lower. maybe it takes more energy for the engine to push this fluid through or something?
The power steering was extra easy with the 5-30 oil and now its a little harder but still easy.
Brakes seem to pulse now and i dotn know why but it all happened after the 10-40.


It's just a coincidence, the oil has nothing to do with those other issues.

 

[MGregoir]

But where does the wasted noise energy go?

If anything, I think the wasted noise energy likely dissipates into the oil film creating more heat, that's just my guess, and what would be your guess for where the wasted noise energy?

I'm not trying to pick a fight here, I was just thinking about that independent of your comment and then you posted it.

 

[BuickGN]

Lower idle "might" make the powersteering heavier at idle. As for the brakes, pure coincidence.

 

[glennc]

Originally Posted By: MGregoir
But where does the wasted noise energy go?

If anything, I think the wasted noise energy likely dissipates into the oil film creating more heat, that's just my guess, and what would be your guess for where the wasted noise energy?

I'm not trying to pick a fight here, I was just thinking about that independent of your comment and then you posted it.

I agree. No doubt the wasted energy is already present and is just damped differently by thicker or thinner oil films. The rest goes into heat, where else?

 

[Drivebelt]

Believe it or not, I'm pretty sure I can discern the idle change on my 1987 Jetta depending on the weather -- i.e. … the barometric air pressure. The car idles better when we are under a high pressure zone (clear skies and sunny) and idles slightly lower and rougher under a low pressure situation (very cloudy and rain situation).

It is well known that the higher up in elevation one goes (lower air pressure) the lower the power of your engine. Your 1/4 miles times at 4000 ft will be slower than at sea level because your engine produces less power at higher elevation. Not as much air being pushed through intake manifold because of lower pressure at higher elevations.

Has it been cloudy and rainy recently in your area?

Another possibility could be change in gas, different formulations from different venders running differently. I don't think one could discern a change by going from 30 to 40 weight oil.

 

[mechtech2]

Do you have a carburetor or fuel injection? A Carb would be worse.
Of course thicker oil will cause more drag that is noticeable at idle. Even thought the speed should be compensated for, it is under different conditions, and will run rougher/smoother.

 

[Bulli]

i replaced sparks, wires, cap,rotor when i bought it. i ran prestone fuel system cleaner and from time to time i use MMO.

I will probably end up getting new pads and rotors and bleed the brakes and clutch as well. Just sucks that all the nipples are rusted to [censored].

 

[Merkava_4]

Originally Posted By: MGregoir
But where does the wasted noise energy go?


I actually learned about that while watching a National Geographic special about owls. They're able to fly through the air without making a sound because the feathers on the trailing edge of their wings break up the turbulence of the air flowing over and under their wings. Since airplanes don't have feathers, the air flowing over the top of the wing often collides with the air traveling under the wing after it leaves the trailing edge. When the two airflows collide with each other, that creates turbulence; it's the turbulence that creates sound. Sound is created by wasted energy.

Here's a link that goes over the basics of the broadcast:

National Geographic

 

[slipperysam]

With only 119k miles on it that little Honda is just getting
broken in. Mine has 132k and I am still using 5w30 with no oil
issues at all.Be sure of the source of the noise in your engine.
Knocking can be piston slap or a worn bearing. If it is just a ticking then you are probably dealing with valve train noise or injector noise. Heavier oil will mask over everything except the injectors.It is hard to believe that you have a seriously worn bearing unless the engine was neglected for a long time. Hondas are known to be very durable. Possibly you are just hearing some piston slap while during the warmup phase. Hondas dont generally like oils heavier than xxW-30 and many newer models are being run on 5w-20 with no problems. Consider using valvoline maxlife in either 5w30 or 10w30 and see how it does. Also how do you know the engine is worn? Good luck.

SS

2000 Honda Accord 3.0
2004 Honda Pilot 3.5

 

[ThirdeYe]

Mine's 14 years old with almost 136,000 miles on it and has always used 5w30, use it with confidence. Keep in mind that these are aluminum engines and can be noisier when cold than an iron block engine.

 

[Bulli]

I bought it from a hussler that hussled cars.
I was eager to get a car for winter and this was the choice.
decent body low milage, some rust but not alot on body.
He said that the clutch and timing belt were replaced at 85k miles and for the last 2 years the car just sat driven only a couple of times. Original owner. But he wasn't the owner. i think he bought it from someone without registering it, fixed it up a little so it works and resold.

we bought the car for 2300. when leaving he said he will have all papers of the car in a week from the owners.
i was suppose to get the owners manual and all paper work and extra keys.
Car was a construction car because i can tell the trunk was messed up with tools and such.
Yah yah, he dint have anyhting. i called several times and he just made excuses. I gave up on calling him since then.
next day car started bad.
needed a tune up anyway.
had a lower spark plug seal leak.
went to auto zone and bout battery, spark plugs, wires, cap,rotor.
Started up much better.
i did 2 short runs to flush out old oil with Pennzoil 5w30
i noticed right away the car ticked louder.
new exhaust 200, old one was rusted to death

clutch doesn't slip but its sucks like the release point is messed up. and makes this weird noise when starting of 1st.

my neighbor, a mechanic told me that the timing belt was loooooose, and he as kind enough to tighten it for us. He said it also looked original to him and not changed. So i highly doubt the seller was telling the truth. especially since he had no papers to back it up. I love this car but i don't know if it is worth to keep. i can probably get close to 2700 if i decide to sell as is or i can keep it and get a new clutch kit, timing belt, water pump, and see what will happen from there. maybe the rod bearing might slip on me one day and i will be screwed with a whole in my block. Or i can drive as is till it brakes and get another used long block.
ps. this engine does not have piston slap at all. rings are broken in perfectly and uses no oil, i just think that it was abused.




-I adjusted the valves. no differance.

its a tick at idle, and more of a rattle tick when driving.
Prety sure its a worn rod bearing in cylinder #2 from the left.

either way 10-40 cured the noise and next run i will do maxlife 10-30.


PPs. the car when i fist got it

 

[sprintman]

Amercan/Canadian viscosity phobia needs to be ignored when selecting oil. It's far less important than

A) Nearly at the full mark

B) Unblocked filter

C) Reasonable oci's (definitely not 3,000 miles)

Common sense which unfortunately isn't very common.