Best oil for my vehicle

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Hello. Trying to determine the best oil for my 2007 Honda Odyssey

1. 2007 Honda Odyssey EX
2. Owners manual recommends 5w-20. New Honda charts say 0w-20 is acceptable.
3. I live in Hattiesburg, MS
4. Driving is easy. Never above 3000-3500 rpm's
5. 5 days out the week are short trips (20-30 miles per day). 2 days out the week are longer (200 miles per day)
6. It has oil leaks. About a quart every 6500 miles or so.

My goal is for the engine to last as long as possible. I have about 196,000 miles on it. Been using Mobil 1 High Mileage 5w-20 since I bought it with 94,000 miles.

Thanks for the help.
 
Originally Posted By: Urshurak776
Stick with what you're using. Thats a great oil.
agreed

You can try stepping up to the 5w30 variant of that oil to see if it completely stops your minor oil consumption, helped my ‘05 J series consumption with no impact on fuel economy.
 
I would research what would be involved to repair / fix the leak . Just because I do not like leaks on my driveway .

Otherwise , I would just change the oil / filter at 6,500 miles or before . Oil & filters are cheap , particurally when you buy them on sale & change them yourself .

Check the fluids and the rubber at that time too . And air in all the tires , including the spare .

Best of luck , :)
 
You are already, as a few mentioned, doing a great oil routine now with the HM Mobil 1 so stick with that.

However, it sounds like you are looking at a oil leak repair in the near future. Clean that engine and see where the leak is. If just a valve cover or oil pan - those are in your reach to do yourself and cost very little. Even having a shop reseal a valve cover/oil pan would not be overly expensive. If it appears to be a more costly leak, such as the rear main seal - take the chance and throw some oil stop leak in there because you've got nothing to lose.
 
In Mississippi, I'd consider using 10w30 year 'round and definitely fix the leaks.
 
Keep doing what you're doing.

Honda engines are solid. It's their automatic transmissions have had some issues.

Just keep an eye on the trans. If the fluid has been changed regularly, keep doing it. If not, I wouldn't touch it.
 
Unless you're racing or towing go with the manual. Otherwise, I would venture any weight between 0w20 and 5w40 and it probably won't know. If it's under any warranties use what it calls for. You're overthinking it.
 
Originally Posted By: WyrTwister
I would research what would be involved to repair / fix the leak . Just because I do not like leaks on my driveway .

Otherwise , I would just change the oil / filter at 6,500 miles or before . Oil & filters are cheap , particurally when you buy them on sale & change them yourself .

Check the fluids and the rubber at that time too . And air in all the tires , including the spare .

Best of luck , :)


Agreed. I've had vtec seals leak, valve cover, etc. Nice actually fixing the issue and not worrying. Usually oil leaks aren't spendy to fix...unless it's something major. Then I'd just let it go until it dies LOL
 
Last edited:
Thank you for the responses. The oil leak is coming from the top end and the oil pan. Maybe valve cover or intake. I'll have to investigate. I do plan on getting those fixed. Also, the PCV system is working fine. I cleaned the valve a while back and is working well.

I have done extensive research about the different oils on this site and others. I've read all the debates about 5w-30 vs 5w-20, etc. And I've read the Motor 101 article here on the site. Based on the article and manufacturer recommendations, I have stuck with 5w-20 this far, but I was interested in trying 0w-20 as it was deemed acceptable by Honda. Wanted to gather your thoughts on that.

But oddly enough, during my research, I came across this information from shell: Shell- Before switching to 10w-30

I thought number 2 was interesting. Granted this is HDEO oil and applies to Diesels.
 
Originally Posted By: jhammermil2008

But oddly enough, during my research, I came across this information from shell: Shell- Before switching to 10w-30

I thought number 2 was interesting. Granted this is HDEO oil and applies to Diesels.



They are talking about 10w-30 vs. 15w-40. You would need to reverse that advice/observation if considering 5w-20 vs 10w-30. And I totally agree with Shell's point about not sacrificing protection for economy. A lot of modern (US) oil recommendations are built on that premise.

For your climate, vehicle, and this prior statement of yours:

Quote:
My goal is for the engine to last as long as possible.


Mobil 1 10w-30 HM is a great candidate.
 
Originally Posted By: Urshurak776
Stick with what you're using. Thats a great oil.
This^^^^^
 
So you need to add a quart after 6500 miles?
That isn't much especially since the engine must be burning some at this mileage.
You might try M1 HM 50W-20 and see whether that helps in reducing the leaks. You could also go with a 10W-30 since in your climate, winter is but a mild hint of what us Yankees have to deal with.
At this point, I'd be saving my pennies for the second timing belt service that it'll need in the very near future before I'd worry about having a minor oil leak fixed.
This is an easy job with an engine sitting on a stand but is anything but with this V-6 installed in any Honda and labor is priced accordingly, unless you want to give up a weekend plus to DIY it, maybe two weekends if you've never done a timing belt since this is something you absolutely need to get right the first time with any interference engine. There are no second chances.
This sounds like a very sound old Ody. The transaxle problems were pretty well over after the 2005 MY, so this van might well have a lot of fairly trouble-free life left in it.
 
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