5W-20 or 5W-30 ???

[KCJeep]

5W30

That engine was back spec'd for 5w20, was originally designed/intended to have 5w30 in it and you'll gain little to nothing by running 5w20. Except maybe some noise. JMO.

 

[crazyoildude]

those engines are not the greatest we have them in for rebuilds at low miles sometimes... the older jeeps with the strait six were the longest lasting by far

 

[ZooL]

Thank you all for the feedback!

From what I read in your responses and in other threads on the forum as well, I think I'll soon change to 5w30.

And I 'll do it soon mostly out of curiosity: I want to see if this will cure the ticking noise "problem". (It is a waste, as mentioned, as I will also be flushing 50 euros (70 USD) down the drain... but as they say, curiosity killed the cat).

If the ticking persists, I'll try Techron (or something similar) and see how that goes. It may have nothing to do with the oil after all.

But apart from all that, I'll change to 5w30 (and stay there) mainly because the engine was broken-in and it's been running on this heavier oil for 68k miles so far, developing metal tolerances etc based on this viscosity. It was a "bad start", let's say, that I believe I shouldn't can't reverse now.


PS: Another issue that arises from all this situation, is how on earth did the local dealer decided to go with 5w30 despite the manufacturer's spec for 5w20. Are they allowed to do that? Perhaps I should bring all this to Chrysler's attention.

 

[gfh77665]

Originally Posted By: ZooL
I think I'll soon change to 5w30.


You can essentially do that now, without having to waste the current fill.

Add Motor Honey, STP, or even a bottle of SAE 40 wt. oil to top off with.

This will effectivly bump up your 5-20 to a 5-30 viscosity.

I don't normally suggest those products, but in this particular case they will accomplish your goal without wasting a good fill.

 

[widman]

Quote:

Is this the Techron you mentioned? http://www.techron.com/techron-concentrate-plus/Default.aspx


Yep that is it. It is incredible stuff.

And my 2009 Grand Cherokee 3.7 also spec'd 5W-20.

 

[FetchFar]

Originally Posted By: CATERHAM

The ticking you're hearing is likely from the valvetrain and may not be viscosity related. There are other aspects of an oil that can have an effect on engine noise such as entrainment tendencies.
It may even be just the fuel injectors but you need to first identify the exact source of the noise before doing anything.
Is the noise present at all times including when the engine is cold and during warm-up?


My N52 '07 BMW is infamous for entrainment. Air bubble entrainment into the hydraulic lash adjusters or lifters, right? Thats what BMWs suffer from, might be same here.

 

[ZooL]

Thank you all for your replies!

I did change to 5w30 after all. I've only put a couple hundred miles so far and the ticking is still there, no change (yet). Mechanic says it may take a while for the new heavier oil to circulate everywhere in the engine, the lifters etc.

He also mentioned that IF that noise comes from a busted lifter, he'd probably have to change all 12 (2x6) of them as he won't be able to find out which one is it.

Originally Posted By: FetchFar
(...) entrainment. Air bubble entrainment into the hydraulic lash adjusters or lifters, right? Thats what BMWs suffer from, might be same here.

Is there a cure for that?

 

[Clevy]

Originally Posted By: ZooL
Thank you all for your replies!

I did change to 5w30 after all. I've only put a couple hundred miles so far and the ticking is still there, no change (yet). Mechanic says that's natural, it may take a while for the new heavier oil to circulate everywhere in the engine, the lifters etc.

He also mentioned that IF that noise comes from a bust lifter, he'd probably have to change all 12 (2x6) of them as he won't be able to find out which one is it.

Originally Posted By: FetchFar
(...) entrainment. Air bubble entrainment into the hydraulic lash adjusters or lifters, right? Thats what BMWs suffer from, might be same here.

Is there a cure for that?



Mechanic said it may take a while to circulate and you already put on how many hundreds of miles.
Your mechanic is an idiot. The oil all circulated within the first 2 minutes,and changes in acoustics based in thicker oil should have been immediate.
So if you drained perfectly good oil in order to combat acoustics that weren't a problem in the first place I can't help but laugh.
There's a saying that fits here however I've gotten enough vacations this year so I'm not even going to take the chance

 

[Clevy]

Originally Posted By: ZooL
And thank you CATERHAM

My mechanic also suggested that the ticking sound could be from the fuel injectors; I will have them cleaned someday next week.




Cleaning them won't affect the sound they make. I can hear my chargers injectors cycle,it's sort of like a ticking sound.
As far as air entrapment in a lifter is concerned sometimes a thinner oil will help move the bubble.
So why not just stick with the appropriate oil unless your driving habits dictate using a thicker oil of course.

 

[ZooL]

Originally Posted By: Clevy
(...) however I've gotten enough vacations this year so I'm not even going to take the chance

yeah, you probably shouldn't

Thanks for chiming in though