Can I put 0w20 in 2AZ-FSE (Toyota 2.4L 4cyl 2005 Scion tc) normally runs 5w30

Not all 0W-20 oils are created equal. Mobil 1 EP 0W-20 and Castrol EP 0W-20 are some of the best. Some of them aren't that great though. Not bashing any particular brand, it's just that products have to meet price points. Disclaimer: even the cheapest 0W-20 might be great for a new engine, but with your high mileage, I doubt it.

If anything, go the other way. I would consider Mobil 1 FS 0W-40 or 5W-40 depending on your climate to make up for some of the engine wear. Sell 0W-20, or better, donate it and use it as a tax write-off.
Interesting idea with the 0w40 / 5w40. Is this to avoid burning oil at higher temps but still having good freezing weather starts?
 
Interesting idea with the 0w40 / 5w40. Is this to avoid burning oil at higher temps but still having good freezing weather starts?
You get a beefed up additive package with those oils, more cleaning power, higher anti-wear additive levels, etc. It's a "high-mileage oil deluxe" if you will.

Will it help with oil consumption? Possibly, at least it's worth a try.
 
My unrefined opinion is if only doing it over the cold months and then changing it out by May should be fine. The one thing that would mostly keep me to the spec oil is the VVT system. I keep the odd weight oils around for top offs, give away and rental cars. Used 10w-40 once over the summer months in 2005 Camry 2.4, but since reverted back to 5w-30 year round, annual oil chance intervals hence forward.
 
Some variants of that engine did allow for 5W-20. I doubt you'll have issues in the coldest months with 0W-20. But honestly I'd be on the fence about it. There are also some decent additives like Liqui Moly Oil Saver that will thicken a bit...
 
Some variants of that engine did allow for 5W-20. I doubt you'll have issues in the coldest months with 0W-20. But honestly I'd be on the fence about it. There are also some decent additives like Liqui Moly Oil Saver that will thicken a bit...
Thanks I think I'm just going to dilute my 5w30 fill with either a bottle or 2 of 0w20.
 
Interesting idea with the 0w40 / 5w40. Is this to avoid burning oil at higher temps but still having good freezing weather starts?
Plus in this thread you don’t seem to understand winter ratings, the difference in cranking and pumpability between a 0W and a 5W will only be apparent below about -35F. Above that there will be little to no difference between the two ratings. It’s a bit more than just “freezing” weather.
 
Just use a 5w-30. How cold does it get exactly? because PP 5w-30 will still flow down to minus 30 just fine but i wouldn't even recommend that first. Look into their new 0w-40 which seems to be $22.03 at most Walmart's. Check if yours has it available for shipping at least. Mine has it for pickup but others don't.
 
Do this as in ask the question or use the 0w20? Well I have a lot of extra 0w20 and wanted to see if it would hurt the engine and just wanted an opinion from some of the more experienced oil aficionados here who might understand how 0w20 might work in a 16 year old 2AZ-FE with 180K.

EDIT: It's looking like a bad idea so maybe I will just try to dilute my next fill with one can of the 5 I use to get a 4w28.....I mean its not a Ferrari or an airplane engine so maybe I can experiment juuuust a little.
That's not a real grade, it doesn't work like that. You'll probably just have a slightly thinner 5w-30.
 
Just read your manual and this:


I would never ever run a 0W-20 in an engine not designed for that.
IF I HAD to mix this oil in I'd probably get some 5W-40 to mix with
to get something 5W-30ish and HTHS above 3.0, perhaps 3.3 mPas.
.
 
That's not a real grade, it doesn't work like that. You'll probably just have a slightly thinner 5w-30.
Ok I see what you mean, so there aren't oil molecules / chains that are 4 weight or 28 weight present. But is it fair enough to say this mathematically as an average and would it behave as if it were a 4w28?
 
Ok I see what you mean, so there aren't oil molecules / chains that are 4 weight or 28 weight present. But is it fair enough to say this mathematically as an average and would it behave as if it were a 4w28?
No, the mixing relationship is not linear. There was a thread in this forum lately about how mixing works.
 
Just read your manual and this:


I would never ever run a 0W-20 in an engine not designed for that.
IF I HAD to mix this oil in I'd probably get some 5W-40 to mix with
to get something 5W-30ish and HTHS above 3.0, perhaps 3.3 mPas.
.
Ok thanks for the link, looks like its going to take a while to read over, very interesting.
 
Here's the mixing thread I spoke of.
 
Let's not make things overly complicated. The resulting viscosity when mixing two oils
is linear enough and the result will be very very close to a simple calculation. Scientific
articles are saying this, VOAs with mixed oils are saying the same. I am aware there has
been some dispute about this a several times, but IMHO it isn't worth the effort. Even
if it was somewhat unpredictable, does it actually matter if the resulting mix is 11.4 cSt
or 11.6 cSt at 100°C? And how do you ever know? How precise is a Blackstone analysis?
No reason to lose any sleep over it. Mixing this 0W-20 with a stout 5W-40 will definitely
result in something thicker than mixing it with a 5W-30.

But again, I'd just use straight 5W-30 or a proper 0W-40 anyway.
 
Here's the mixing thread I spoke of.
Thank you I was going to start searching for this. Here is the link for the Widman oil calculator if anyone is interested.

 
Back
Top