5w30 to 10w40 to stop oil burn off?

[pistolpete]

I have a 1998 Honda Prelude(130K) that is begining to burn too much oil. I plan to go from Amsoil 5w30 to a 5w40 or 10w40. Think this will work? Any other tips? Pete

 

[Mitch Alsup]

Burn as in 'consume' or burn as in "you can see black/blue smoke while driving down the road"? If the former, then going up one grade will likely help. If the later, the selection of oil has become irrelevent...

 

[pistolpete]

The car cosumes oil. No smoke! Anything to think about between 5w40 or 10w40? I want to stick with Mobil1 or Amsoil.

 

[forcedtalon]

The amsoil 5/40 is the thickest I would put in a honda engine. The 5/40 may help your case though. Has this engine always seen sythetic? If not the amsoil may be cleaning the engine out of all the carbon between the pistons and rings and a cause for the consumption. I have found syntetic oil level starts to stabize after about 10k. If you have used the amsoil 5/30 longer then yes I would go up to the 5/40. Even switching brands causes oil consuption for some reason at the same WT but found it to stablize after useing the same brand for 10k. You may aslo want to try to drive the car a little harder to put more pressure on the rings and aid in cleaning.

 

[pistolpete]

"You may aslo want to try to drive the car a little harder to put more pressure on the rings and aid in cleaning." forcedtalon That was interesting. Wife and I just switched cars and now the Prelude is driven MUCH easier and consumes more oil. I guess this gives me a reason to beat on her every once and a while. By "her", I mean the car! The Prelude has had Mobil1 from 30k to about 60K, then Amsoil.

 

[Hirev]

Have you thought about just trying a 10w 30. I have always had less than half the consumption with 10w 30w over 5w 30s. Keep in mind, in general a 5w 30 starts with a lighter weight base oil and adds VII to obtain the multi grade rating. So a 10w 30 will start with a heaver base oil.

 

[KJA426]

I wouldn't waste the money on Amsoil if I had an oil burner. I'd run a dino for cost savings.

 

[Triple_Se7en]

You never mentioned how much consumption or how long your OCIs are.

 

[pistolpete]

It used about 1 quart over 5000K. Now it uses about 2 quarts over 5000K. Again, it used to see redline several times a day when I drove it. With her driving, it probably never sees 4ooorpm.

 

[pistolpete]

Hirev, I thought about it, but thought why not go a little heavier if it is ok with the engine. What do you guys think, 10w30, 5w40, or 10w40?

 

[Shaman]

I again ask why you are using Amsoil in a burner? IF you want to use a 5-40 shoot for some Rotella SYn, or something that is not as costly to pour down the proverbial drain.

 

[pistolpete]

I never considered 1 quart every 5000K in a hard driven high revving engine a burner. However, now things have changed and I think I might be able to fix the problem with a heavier oil. Amsoil and Mobil1 also give me a nice piece of mind(may be right or wrong, but it is).

 

[forcedtalon]

Maybe you should start driving it again and start with a 10/30. If it consumes any of the 10/30 start adding the 5/40 and should stop the consumption. I have always had good results of driving all the cars I have had hard once at operating temp using a high quality oil. Engines dont like to be babied.

 

[Vilan]

My car's been using about a quart a month using 5W30. I tried topping up with 10W30 and that didn't seem to do anything. I topped up with 10W40 a couple weeks ago and it might have helped a bit... it's a bit early to say for sure though.

 

[m2200b]

I'd still check other engine systems that increase oil consumption for function and air leaks as well egr pcv, pcv grommet and pcv hose breather hose ( the gromment and hoses will also show air leaks with some oil residue inside the hood) cam seals 10-30HM and HMs in general are thicker and worth a try. GC is a near 40W. AutoRX for rings and seals . Your all syn prior OIC history may mean you won't get much cleaning. But if your wife drives it in city and short trips the cleaning action might help. If you have way to go on your current oil before an OIC you could add valvoline VSOT or 20-50 as your add oil to see how thicker effects consumption ( keep in your house or warm them up before you adding.)

 

[Gary in Sandy Eggo]

>>>>PistolePete wrote: I thought about it, but thought why not go a little heavier if it is ok with the engine. What do you guys think, 10w30, 5w40, or 10w40? <<<< If the temperature in your area doesn't drop below 40F, use brand-name single-grade SAE-30. Your oil loss issue will go away, and you'll not experience any viscosity loss due to VII breakdown. Just drive it easy for the first couple minutes following every cold start. Regards, Gary in Sandy Eggo

 

[LarryL]

My 84 Civic went through viscosities from 5-30 up to 20w-50 to hold back oil consumption, over 20 years of driving. I used Auto-RX to clean it out and now use Lube Control and I'm back to 5w-30 again, and now the oil consumption is lower than ever. Sometimes you engine's insides just need a good clean out.

 

[jonny-b]

Hello, Pistolpete. I think the 5/30 Amsoil you are using now, is one of the best. However, if I were you I would considder a maintenancedoze(3ounce) of Auto-Rx. I think this is one of the best ways to ensure your engine(s) performs the best. The cleaning properties of Auto-Rx is better than any oil on the market and does not affect the oils qualities. It just makes the oil perform better, since oil is designed to lubricate metal.

 

[widman]

I agree with m2200b...... clean up the engine, check or replace the pcv valve (cheap), look for signs of leaks or other simple things, if you can handle the spanish, I have a checklist here http://www.widman.biz/Mantenimiento/Perdidas/perdidas.html Most studies show more oil consumption from single weights than multigrades in most engines due lack of shear on piston skirts, especially at higher revs, as the oil does not flow as well around the rings. And yes, you can easily move up in viscosity as wear increases. The Honda dealer here does not use anything lighter than a 15W-40 in any angine. Once there is some wear, the bearing clearances are wider, valve guides are wider, etc. I picked up a Mazda pickup with 125,000 km on it from someone who owed me money. it consumed 1 liter every 5000 km. I increased to 20W-50, and drove it to 280,000 before it got back up to 1 lt in 6000. Then I rebuilt it and convertied to Compressed natural gas.