Advice needed.

[D1dad]

Two part question. I cleaned out meijer store on 10-30 and 5-20 pp, not high mileage. With winter coming in ohio I need to come up with a mix of the two that gets it to around 5-30. I messed with some oil calculators and learned nothin. Will mixing the two cause any issues with the add pack? It's going into a Nissan with a 5quart sump. I really don't wanna buy anymore oil as I had a full shopping cart and a full storage cabinet.
#2. My wife has a 2018 rogue which calls for 0-20 and once again I cleaned out meijer @$1.92 a quart of valvoline synthetic high mileage with max life. The car has 19xxx miles and it's coming up for an oil change. Any issues using a high mileage oil, warranty etc?

 

[joegreen]

No issues mixing and no issues with hm oil. Look at the actual viscosity of the oil the 5-20 may be close to the low range of a 5-30

 

[krismoriah72]

#1 Why do you need to get it to 5w30 for winter? 5w20 is ideal since you have it on hand.

#2 No issues with using 'high mileage oil'... the old wives tales is that it 'swells seals' and 'stops leaks'... actually it just has seal conditioners. The maxlife you bought is Dexos 1 Gen2 which is also a new engine spec...so theres that.

 

[SubieRubyRoo]

It's been discussed at length here on the board, while the mixing of oils may give you a certain hot viscosity that is close to the makeup of the two, because of the way the cold properties of oil work, you DO NOT get a "blend" of the W ratings. Meaning, if you mix a 5wXX and a 10wXX at 50/50, you don't get a "7.5wXX" result. The problem is where the wax crystals start to solidify in each W rating... the 10W part will still crystallize at whatever temp it did prior to the mixing, so you will basically get phase separation in the mixed oil at temperatures below the 10W pour point. If you need a 5W30, buy a 5W30. The only way mixing would work the way you're hoping is if you mix identical W ratings, and then the resultant hot viscosity would be calculable, and the oil would still behave as a 5W.

I agree with the other posts, just use the 5W20 in winter, and use up the 10W30 in summer, and yes, oil companies have told us again and again you could technically run "High Mileage" oils in a brand new engine if you wanted to; I think it was MolaKule that said it may even be a better idea than using "regular" oils until 75k, because of the additional antioxidants and seal conditioners in the Hi-Mi versions that should provide additional protection. In the big picture, as long as the oil meets the specs required by the manufacturer and follow the recommended fluid change schedules, nothing you do oil-wise is going to significantly impact the lifespan of the engine.

 

[D1dad]

Thanks for that insight Subie. The Nissan burns 10-30 and calls for 5 so I think I'd up the consumption using 5-20. I thought about just running 10-30 but we see sub zero temps and I don't need to add to any issues.

 

[SubieRubyRoo]

D1, for probably 30 years all engines in Ohio had was 10W30 and there was not a huge rash of failed engines. Consult your manual; pick the heaviest weight that is rated to the temps you think you'll see this winter. If it makes you feel any better, I run 10W30 Chevron Delo XLE and Amsoil SS through the winters in Indiana... just remember to give the engine 30 seconds to a minute or so before you drive away in sub-zero temps to get the oil moving, and drive gingerly for the first couple miles until the oil warms up some. Maybe try some hi-mileage oil in your favorite brand... you can't really go wrong with MaxLife synblend or the MaxLife Full Synthetic if you don't have a preference.

 

[gfh77665]

Originally Posted by SubieRubyRoo
... the 10W part will still crystallize at whatever temp it did prior to the mixing, so you will basically get phase separation in the mixed oil at temperatures below the 10W pour point.


I did not know there would be phase separation when mixing viscosities. I was under the impression all quality multigrades were fully compatible and fully miscible with each other.

 

[Duffyjr]

I'd run the 10w30 before I would do any mixing, at least I know for sure it was 10w.

 

[ARCOgraphite]

Is this the QR25DE engine? I mixed a bit in the winter with the Rogue Select. That engine has Solid DOHC with bucket tappets and is very noisey when cold. Then you have VVT issues.

You should be OK with 2qts 5w20 over 3qts of 10w30;.
any more 20 and I had excessive , potentially destructive engine noise.

The PPD in the 5w20 should help bring the 10W CCS down a bit.

Really I would run the 10w30 in the late spring > late summer OCI and not over winter in Ohio.

 

[ARCOgraphite]

Originally Posted by Duffyjr
I'd run the 10w30 before I would do any mixing, at least I know for sure it was 10w.


I don't understand the concern to have a 10W.

would not a bit less CSS viscosity be beneficial?

 

[csandste]

Since you already made the purchase, I wouldn't see a major problem with mixing weights-- keeping in mind that the resulting brew might not be a straight mathematical formula.

 

[kschachn]

Yet another mixing oils thread.

If the oil is API licensed (which these are) then they are required to pass ASTM D6922 which demonstrates they will not cause harm when mixed. After that though there are no guarantees even when the oil is of the same brand. The resulting mixture may or may not meet any of the licenses, specifications or approvals listed for either oil. And has already been mentioned the cold-weather cranking rating may no longer apply. However, you would have to get into temperatures quite a bit below 0F for that to even be noticeable.

As for warranty issues, does your owner's manual say using a high-miles oil invalidates your warranty? Don't both oils carry the specification or license required by the manufacturer whether high-miles or not?

 

[csandste]

I've used HM oils in low mileage cars without incident.

 

[Duffyjr]

Originally Posted by ARCOgraphite
Originally Posted by Duffyjr
I'd run the 10w30 before I would do any mixing, at least I know for sure it was 10w.


I don't understand the concern to have a 10W.

would not a bit less CSS viscosity be beneficial?


Given the options the OP gave us yes I would use the 10w30 before I would mix them because you can't guarantee me the out come of the mix and at -25 below I'd rather not be guessing. The real answer is not in the options he gave us which would be to use 5w30.

 

[A_Harman]

Mixing multi-viscosity oils makes it impossible to know what the W-rating would be. It is easy enough to use online viscosity calculators to get the high-temperature rating, but that can't be done for low-temperature rating.
Mixing a 5w20 with a 10w30 will probably end up being a 10w30 or 10w20. If you want a 5w30 for its cold flow properties, buy a 5w30, and put it in right before the cold weather. Even if an oil is not mixed, its cold-flow properties can degrade over time, leading to higher viscosity on cold starts.

 

[geeman789]

The 5w and 10w part of the oil description have nothing to do with weight. They are cold temperature ratings. There is no " 7.5w ... " anything. If an oil does not exceed the maximum viscosity standards to earn the 5w rating, then it is a 5w. If it can't meet that requirement, but can meet the 10w standards ( measured at 5*c warmer temps ... ), then it is labelled 10w. And so on ...

And FYI, a 0w oil does not exceed max viscosity limits at -40*c and -35*c.

5w: -35*c and -30*c

10w: -30*c and -25*c

So a 10w oil still works ok at pretty extreme low temps. Sure, an 0w or 5w oil will be better at VERY EXTREME cold temps, but 10w will usually work ok. However, at these temps, oils will thicken DRAMATICALLY as the temps fall further. At -40*c , an 0w oil might be just thin enough to let your engine turnover and start, but a 10w might not ...

 

[Mitch Alsup]

Originally Posted by D1dad
Two part question. I cleaned out meijer store on 10-30 and 5-20 pp, not high mileage. With winter coming in ohio I need to come up with a mix of the two that gets it to around 5-30. I messed with some oil calculators and learned nothin. Will mixing the two cause any issues with the add pack? It's going into a Nissan with a 5quart sump. I really don't wanna buy anymore oil as I had a full shopping cart and a full storage cabinet.


As to 1#:: If you driving in the winter is more interstate than city/town the leave the xxW-30 in the car
................otherwise, just put in the xxW-20 oil in the car.

 

[kschachn]

Good post, thank you. This needs to be repeated often.

On the bolded part, it is also that at very low temperatures the 0W rated oil will flow to the pickup tube and not create a cavity and starve the pump. Low-temperature pumpability is an important part of SAE J300 (ASTM D4684 column), cranking is somewhat mitigated by a good battery.

Originally Posted by geeman789
The 5w and 10w part of the oil description have nothing to do with weight. They are cold temperature ratings. There is no " 7.5w ... " anything. If an oil does not exceed the maximum viscosity standards to earn the 5w rating, then it is a 5w. If it can't meet that requirement, but can meet the 10w standards ( measured at 5*c warmer temps ... ), then it is labelled 10w. And so on ...

And FYI, a 0w oil does not exceed max viscosity limits at -40*c and -35*c.

5w: -35*c and -30*c

10w: -30*c and -25*c

So a 10w oil still works ok at pretty extreme low temps. Sure, an 0w or 5w oil will be better at VERY EXTREME cold temps, but 10w will usually work ok. However, at these temps, oils will thicken DRAMATICALLY as the temps fall further. At -40*c , an 0w oil might be just thin enough to let your engine turnover and start, but a 10w might not ...

 

[donnyj08]

Run the 5w20 in the 0w20 application.

Run the 10w30 in the 5w30 application.

If you are worried about the 10w30, buy a 5w30 and run that from November to March.

With that said, PP 10w30 is going to be fine in Ohio in the winter. Just don't abuse the engine in the first couple minutes after startup.

 

[A_Harman]

Originally Posted by geeman789
The 5w and 10w part of the oil description have nothing to do with weight. They are cold temperature ratings. There is no " 7.5w ... " anything. If an oil does not exceed the maximum viscosity standards to earn the 5w rating, then it is a 5w. If it can't meet that requirement, but can meet the 10w standards ( measured at 5*c warmer temps ... ), then it is labelled 10w. And so on ...

And FYI, a 0w oil does not exceed max viscosity limits at -40*c and -35*c.

5w: -35*c and -30*c

10w: -30*c and -25*c

So a 10w oil still works ok at pretty extreme low temps. Sure, an 0w or 5w oil will be better at VERY EXTREME cold temps, but 10w will usually work ok. However, at these temps, oils will thicken DRAMATICALLY as the temps fall further. At -40*c , an 0w oil might be just thin enough to let your engine turnover and start, but a 10w might not ...

A BITOG rule of thumb is that at cold-start test temperatures, the oil's cold pumpability viscosity will approximately double for every 5 degrees Celsius decrease in temperature. This means that an oil that will, for instance, meet the 10W limit has no chance of meeting the 5W limit.

Of the two tests that comprise the SAE W rating system, I think the pumpability (MRV) test is much more important than cranking (CCS). Modern fuel injected engines are very easy to start at subzero temperatures. If the battery is strong enough to crank the engine through a few revolutions and turn on the ECU, the engine will start. Then the driver thinks everything is OK and drives off. But if the oil pickup sucks a hole in the oil because it's turned into wax, the engine will have no oil being supplied to the bearings, and will seize a few minutes later.