90 Accord nearing 410,000 kms.

[ClassicCB7]

Long time lurker, first time poster. Hello!

So I'm coming up on another 7500 kms on my 90 Accord EXR (f22a 5 speed). I've been running Pennzoil Yellow bottle, but it seems to thin out (shear) after awhile. No major issues with consumption, I typically use a litre in between changes - this includes highway runs in the mountains where the car sees high revs. Most of the time the car is a commuter doing mostly freeway 30 kms roundtrip. It does see cold weather in winter (Canada) and is plugged in left outdoors.

I chose Valvoline Maxlife 5w30 as it was cheap at Wall-Mart (22 bucks a jug - Canadian dollars). I could've bought GTX HM for a few dollars more, but I read on this site that GTX HM is thicker, and I use Maxlife in my chevy 2500 (4.8L V8 with 205K kms) van and it seems to be running smooth. The wife's car (04 Camry) is running the last of my Pennzoil Yellow Bottle Stash, then I have a spare jug of plain GTX, then hopefully I'll put her car on MaxLife and have all vehicles running on the same thing.

The Accord and Camry run 7500 km/6 month intervals (wix filters), the van runs 10,000km intervals as per Oil Life Monitor.

Is my reasoning on MaxLife sound? Save a few bucks off GTX HM (which I've used before). And have a slightly thinner 5w30, for those cold Canadian mornings (-30 Celsius isn't unheard of, and -15 in the winter months is par for the course).

 

[ecotourist]

First of all welcome to BITOG.

Considering the number of Kms on your Accord, we should be asking you for advice on what oil to use. You seem to be doing fine.

If you're using any oil that meets the maker's specs and is rated SN, your Accord will be fine. I pick up brand name oil when it goes on sale at the local Canadian Tire. I'm currently using Castrol Edge 5W-20 or 0W-20 in my 2007 Accord V6, but that's because they were cheap. When I get the chance to buy a suitable oil, I buy a 2 year's supply. I'm definitely not brand loyal.

 

[ClassicCB7]

First of all welcome to BITOG.

Considering the number of Kms on your Accord, we should be asking you for advice on what oil to use. You seem to be doing fine.

If you're using any oil that meets the maker's specs and is rated SN, your Accord will be fine. I pick up brand name oil when it goes on sale at the local Canadian Tire. I'm currently using Castrol Edge 5W-20 or 0W-20 in my 2007 Accord V6, but that's because they were cheap. When I get the chance to buy a suitable oil, I buy a 2 year's supply. I'm definitely not brand loyal.

That's awesome, you've got the 6MT - if it comes down to replacing my Accord, a 6 MT coupe (with the 3.5 v6) is on my shortlist. My CB7 can do another 100,000 kms, although it needs a bit of rust repair on the rear wheel arches (typical Honda rot).

I'm the third owner of this Accord. The two previous owners of this car, to my recollection, did 70% highway miles and used Castrol GTX. I used GTX religiously in my previous vehicles, or GTX high mileage except for a 2 year old Ford Fusion I had many moons ago - never buying a car that new again, what a waste of money. The two previous owners changed the oil every 5000, but I think that given newer oil formulations and the fact I keep this car in good tune, and have rerouted the PCV and EGR to a catch can and then back to the throttle body I think I'll be keeping things much cleaner. I've decided on the 7500 km interval, and will be getting a UOA on that change as I've had it in since February 2020. Only other modification is a K&N cone filter on a cold air pipe. When I had the valve cover off it was fairly clean (cleaner than my former 2000 integra with 280,000 on it).

I'd use GTX or GTX HM but as I said the Maxlife is slightly cheaper. And slightly thinner, so I'd expect better MPG ( I get 28 mpg thrashing the car in the mountains between BC and Alberta). I also don't want to go to thick (in this grade) for cold mornings in the winter.

 

[ClassicCB7]

First of all welcome to BITOG.

Considering the number of Kms on your Accord, we should be asking you for advice on what oil to use. You seem to be doing fine.

If you're using any oil that meets the maker's specs and is rated SN, your Accord will be fine. I pick up brand name oil when it goes on sale at the local Canadian Tire. I'm currently using Castrol Edge 5W-20 or 0W-20 in my 2007 Accord V6, but that's because they were cheap. When I get the chance to buy a suitable oil, I buy a 2 year's supply. I'm definitely not brand loyal.

Here's the valvetrain pic last Feb - approx 6000 kms ago when I last changed the oil with PYB (Canadian Tire 13/jug or something silly like that so I bought 6 - 1.5 yrs for two vehicles)

 

[Merek]

I have 2x Honda Civic's, the '99 has 272k or 437,700 km and the '97 has 220k or 354,000 km. With the '99 I mostly run PP 5w30 either the regular or the HM depending on what's available, the '97 had regular Castrol GTX and then switched to Mobil 1, I've also used Chevron Delo XLE 10w30 in both but has been getting hard to find locally and have to order it online but when using this oil I've noticed the least consumption. With the '97 to help curb the usage I switched to Valvoline Max Life Synthetic Blend but now using the Full Synthetic version, I had to replace the Vtec solenoid gasket so this oil change will not be a really good test for me, I've created a spreadsheet to track how much oil is added and how many miles, also helps me know when I change the oil. I had the car in for service on some other work and had them replace the gasket and pcv valve, they also had to remove the oil filter to access the pcv so they replaced that too and didn't top off the oil so this oil change is not going to be correct in my system until the next oil change when I can start over tracking it again.

For the Accord I would use any of the High Mileage options available, Mobil 1, Pennzoil, Valvoline, Castrol, etc... I've used Castrol GTX HM 10w30 and it was good too. I'm currently using Shell RGT 5w30 in my truck w/ 5.3 and thinking of trying that oil in the '99 so I would only have to stock that one oil and may switch the other one over to that as well but so far I'm liking the Valvoline. I had better luck with the older formula of PP, since they reformulated it I've noticed more consumption in both cars, I was running that in the truck up until the last change when I switched over to the RGT.

 

[ClassicCB7]

I have 2x Honda Civic's, the '99 has 272k or 437,700 km and the '97 has 220k or 354,000 km. With the '99 I mostly run PP 5w30 either the regular or the HM depending on what's available, the '97 had regular Castrol GTX and then switched to Mobil 1, I've also used Chevron Delo XLE 10w30 in both but has been getting hard to find locally and have to order it online but when using this oil I've noticed the least consumption. With the '97 to help curb the usage I switched to Valvoline Max Life Synthetic Blend but now using the Full Synthetic version, I had to replace the Vtec solenoid gasket so this oil change will not be a really good test for me, I've created a spreadsheet to track how much oil is added and how many miles, also helps me know when I change the oil. I had the car in for service on some other work and had them replace the gasket and pcv valve, they also had to remove the oil filter to access the pcv so they replaced that too and didn't top off the oil so this oil change is not going to be correct in my system until the next oil change when I can start over tracking it again.

For the Accord I would use any of the High Mileage options available, Mobil 1, Pennzoil, Valvoline, Castrol, etc... I've used Castrol GTX HM 10w30 and it was good too. I'm currently using Shell RGT 5w30 in my truck w/ 5.3 and thinking of trying that oil in the '99 so I would only have to stock that one oil and may switch the other one over to that as well but so far I'm liking the Valvoline. I had better luck with the older formula of PP, since they reformulated it I've noticed more consumption in both cars, I was running that in the truck up until the last change when I switched over to the RGT.

What interval did you use on the 97?

 

[Merek]

What interval did you use on the 97?

Honda calls for 7500 mile oil changes basically 12,000 km which is about what I've been running in the 97. The 99 goes through about 1/2 the oil in comparison so when the oil change indicator turns yellow I typically reset it and go again so I've been running 10k to 12k miles which is around 16,000 km to 19,000 km.

You should be proud, they are GEH which means Golden Era Honda, IMO they are basically any Honda model from sometime in the 1980's to 2000, they were some of the most reliable cars out there on the road and are still out there. Most people know what they have and don't want to get rid of them.

 

[ecotourist]

That's awesome, you've got the 6MT - if it comes down to replacing my Accord, a 6 MT coupe (with the 3.5 v6) is on my shortlist. My CB7 can do another 100,000 kms, although it needs a bit of rust repair on the rear wheel arches (typical Honda rot).

I've had my (fairly uncommon) V6 6MT sedan from new. It has about 180,000 Km on it now. The I4 MT may be the more reliable and less costly to maintain powertrain but I enjoy having the V6. I test drove both types when I was buying and found the two cars seemed quite different.

My only rust is on the rear door corner where I had some body damage after a deer ran into the side of the car.

One trick is to keep the inside of the rear wheel arches clean. Dirt and salt build up above the lip but I keep it clean by reaching around the edge and washing the inside of that body panel. You'll be surprised how much dirt and such comes out. The body on mine is still good there on both sides.

 

[JC1]

I would try the Kirkland full synthetic 5w-30 oil at Costco. Two 4.73 liter jugs are 34.99 Canadian.

Once my stash is depleted in a few years I'll be giving it a try.

 

[ClassicCB7]

Honda calls for 7500 mile oil changes basically 12,000 km which is about what I've been running in the 97. The 99 goes through about 1/2 the oil in comparison so when the oil change indicator turns yellow I typically reset it and go again so I've been running 10k to 12k miles which is around 16,000 km to 19,000 km.

You should be proud, they are GEH which means Golden Era Honda, IMO they are basically any Honda model from sometime in the 1980's to 2000, they were some of the most reliable cars out there on the road and are still out there. Most people know what they have and don't want to get rid of them.

I'm afraid to run over 10,000 kms in an older overhead cam motor. Plus Canadian winters. I like two changes a year as seasons change. If I drove 10,000 kms in a year or less I might just do yearly changes, but I'd have to see a UOA at the 7500 and then at the 10,000 to make that call.

 

[Merek]

I'm afraid to run over 10,000 kms in an older overhead cam motor. Plus Canadian winters. I like two changes a year as seasons change. If I drove 10,000 kms in a year or less I might just do yearly changes, but I'd have to see a UOA at the 7500 and then at the 10,000 to make that call.

I was traveling back and forth to work 5 days per week at 76 miles each day or 122 km daily and was mostly highway miles which is supposedly a lot easier than stop and go, hence the reason for 2x Honda Civic's was that I split it up between them but mostly used the 99 and both are the HX model so they get 40+ mpg.

 

[DirectRejection]

I am curious about everyone's thoughts regarding one of the oils mentioned by OP, Castrol GTX HM. Experience has taught me to be personally concerned as much about formulation as viscosity, in a high mile vehicle.

This oil is a low phosphorus formula, designed to avoid poisoning cats.
Is there concern about Canadian smog laws, in the OPs case, or generally, the dreaded P0420, Catalyst Below Threshold code ?

 

[JC1]

Is there concern about Canadian smog laws, in the OPs case, or generally, the dreaded P0420, Catalyst Below Threshold code ?

In the province of Ontario they scrapped smog tests a few years ago. With oil being cheap enough I would change it out twice a year even if you have over 410,000 Km. I had a 94 Accord with 415,000 km when i sold it back in 2005. Thing was running like a top. Used to do a lot of highway driving. Never did a long run of oil at the time, I used to change it around 3000-4000 miles. These days I would easily double that under the same conditions.

 

[ecotourist]

I'm afraid to run over 10,000 kms in an older overhead cam motor. Plus Canadian winters. I like two changes a year as seasons change. If I drove 10,000 kms in a year or less I might just do yearly changes, but I'd have to see a UOA at the 7500 and then at the 10,000 to make that call.

My 2007 V6 Accord has an oil monitor. It seems to take into account driving conditions as it runs quite a bit longer when I've been taking long trips. I change the oil at around "20% left" and that runs very close to an 8,000 Km (5,000 miles) average.

I've never done an oil analysis so I might be able to go longer but I'm not sure I would. I like to have relatively clean oil. It's obvious the oil is used but it's not what would be described as dirty, and there's no particular fuel odour.

I change the filter every other change as Honda suggests.

 

[DirectRejection]

In the province of Ontario they scrapped smog tests a few years ago. With oil being cheap enough I would change it out twice a year even if you have over 410,000 Km. I had a 94 Accord with 415,000 km when i sold it back in 2005. Thing was running like a top. Used to do a lot of highway driving. Never did a long run of oil at the time, I used to change it around 3000-4000 miles. These days I would easily double that under the same conditions.

Thank you for your response.
The vehicles still run fine, even while throwing the P0420.
Yeah I would hit Canadian Tire. Motomaster.