Best oil for my vehicle

[jhammermil2008]

Hello. Needing oil recommendations for my 1999 Honda Civic LX

1. 1999 Honda Civic LX D16y7 engine
2. Owners manual recommends 5w30 or 10w30 depending on weather conditions.
New Honda chart state's 5w30 with 5w-20 being acceptable.
3. I live in Hattiesburg, MS
4. Driving is easy. Never above 3000 rpm's.
5. I drive short trips. About 10 miles per day for about 4-5 days per week.
6. Very minor oil leak. Not enough to notice much loss between oil changes. Does not use oil.

The car has about 225,000 miles. I've used 5w30 since I've owned it with 180,000 miles. Not sure what was used before then. I'd like to keep this car as long as possible. I was curious to know your thoughts about 0w-20. The Honda charts state's 5w30 with 5w-20 being acceptable. I wonder if I could use 0w-20? What do you think?

Thanks for you helps.

 

[SatinSilver]

On an older car like that I'd stick with 5w30. Since you mention an oil leak I'd go with some Valvoline Maxlife red bottle/jug. Also be sure to change the pcv valve with an oem unit if it hasn't been done lately.

 

[zuluplus30]

Any HM 5w or 10w30 would be good here. May help slow your leak. 10w if it starts consuming. D16s can be run on 20w but I’ve always had good results with 30w on the D and B series Honda’s. MaxLife is a great oil for the price. Ditto on the PCV valve. Mine was filthy at 165k and all but ended my oil consumption on my Y8.

 

[Dumc87]

Check a local Advance Auto Parts for Pennzoil conventional High Mileage 10w40. Got a few jugs for $3.15 and went on to read that it shears down to a thick 10w30.

Quaker State Defy should be on clearance too, but prices are random. Might be $.45 a quart, could be $6.97 lol

 

[mclasser]

Originally Posted By: SatinSilver
On an older car like that I'd stick with 5w30. Since you mention an oil leak I'd go with some Valvoline Maxlife red bottle/jug. Also be sure to change the pcv valve with an oem unit if it hasn't been done lately.

+1

 

[SonofaBoomer]

I had a 6th gen 97 civic ex as my first car. Used to run conventional 10w30 in it. The D16 is legendary when it comes to reliability. I would think you could easily get another 150k with proper maintenance and maybe some valvoline maxlife 5w30 or 10w30, Id recommend the silver bottle red cap Valvoline MaxLife Full Synthetic 5w30 because of your short commutes. Your real problem will be rust and corrosion on the body so make sure you keep it clean and waxed. Touchup and repair any rust asap.

 

[Chris142]

I want to know how you never go over 3000 rpm in that car?

 

[BrocLuno]

That many miles, I would not be looking at a 20 ... Clearances have opened up some with wear, so stay 30, or maybe even go 40 if it is noisy at all ...

Maxlife red bottle is good on higher mileage engines like yours

 

[jhammermil2008]

Originally Posted By: Chris142
I want to know how you never go over 3000 rpm in that car?


Ok, perhaps I may have gone over 3000 rpm a few times, but very rarely. Just trying to preserve engine life.

Originally Posted By: BrocLuno
That many miles, I would not be looking at a 20 ... Clearances have opened up some with wear, so stay 30, or maybe even go 40 if it is noisy at all ...

Maxlife red bottle is good on higher mileage engines like yours

Wouldn't a 40 weight be too thick for engine start up and thus shorten engine life?



Thanks for the suggestions thus far. I see the consensus is not to use 20 weight oil. I wonder why Honda would allow a 20 weight oil in their older vehicles?

 

[Kuato]

Because they are trying to raise fuel economy a small amount on all vehicles, new and old.

I agree with a 10w30, especially in MS where it never really gets cold.

 

[Charlie2015]

Valvoline Maxlife 5w30. Move up in grade as it burns/leaks more oil over time.

 

[69GTX]

Originally Posted By: jhammermil2008
Originally Posted By: Chris142
I want to know how you never go over 3000 rpm in that car?


Ok, perhaps I may have gone over 3000 rpm a few times, but very rarely. Just trying to preserve engine life.



Occasional runs to 3500-4500 rpm might actually enhance engine life by burning off carbon deposits on rings/pistons etc. Going slow all the time isn't ideal for the engine. But, if the car has never seen anything over 3500 rpm, then maybe best not to go any higher. Occasional extended runs on the highway would be good too.

With only 2500 miles per year you can get by with a single Oil Change. If you had 2 OCI's per year, the 10w30 would be an excellent summer oil choice in your location.

 

[jj51702]

Whatever meets your owners manual spec. If ur worried about the leak or any burnoff use High Mileage oil to try and slow it down.

Its a Honda that's almost 20 years old. What more do u want from it?

 

[K23Turbo]

Castrol Magnatec 10W30

 

[SilverFusion2010]

Your favorite brand 10w30.

 

[StevieC]

High Mileage 5w30 like MaxLife. Those engines are great!

 

[skyactiv]

I was a Honda dealer mechanic when that car was new. Your not going to shorten the life of that engine if it sees 6000 RPM a dozen times per day, seriously. Notice I said RPM, not RPM's. When was the timing belt and water pump last changed? Has the valve lash ever been checked? One thing to note is your at the point now where the head gasket could blow. Stop the engine ASAP if that happens. Those engines last a long time in the hands of all from the church ladies to teen hooligans. We used Mobil 5W30 and 10W40 conventional oil in Hondas when I was at the dealer, recommending 3750 mile OCI's and those cars lasted forever on that oil.

 

[jhammermil2008]

Originally Posted By: skyactiv
I was a Honda dealer mechanic when that car was new. Your not going to shorten the life of that engine if it sees 6000 RPM a dozen times per day, seriously. Notice I said RPM, not RPM's. When was the timing belt and water pump last changed? Has the valve lash ever been checked? One thing to note is your at the point now where the head gasket could blow. Stop the engine ASAP if that happens. Those engines last a long time in the hands of all from the church ladies to teen hooligans. We used Mobil 5W30 and 10W40 conventional oil in Hondas when I was at the dealer, recommending 3750 mile OCI's and those cars lasted forever on that oil.


Timing belt and water pump were just changed about 20k miles ago. Not sure if valve lash was checked. I'll look into that. Is the head gasket failure something that just happens or is there something I can do to prevent this?

 

[CT8]

20 wts are great if you live in north Canada. Pick a 10w30 if you don't go to freezing climate.

 

[Alex_V]

In your climate, with the age, mileage, and original oil recommendation, start at 5w30 and try some 10w30 to see if consumption, engine noise, etc. gets any better. Here's another vote for Maxlife.