Engine noise gone with a thinner W oil.

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Thinnies are going to love this even though it only relates to the W part.

My car makes this tapping/ticking? Sound when cold. Noise is very noticeable above 1800 RPM. I typically keep the rpm below that (in 2nd gear) till the engine warms up and the noise is gone. The car has over 200K miles. Where I live, we can't go faster than 20-25 mph for a few miles so keeping the rpm below 1800 is not an issue.

With 5W30, I can't hear the noise. Just changed the oil from Chevron Supreme 10W30 to CS 5W30 and no noise.

Even in the summer 80°F ambient, the car makes the noise for a while with 10Wx30 till warms up . same noise last week with 10W30 at 60°F ambient. Last few days (57-60°F) with 5W30 no noise!

I've been tracking this issue/noise for last 3 or 4 oil changes and the same pattern ... Very sure about the noise and lack thereof with 5W30. I even thought it maybe vibration, exhaust related or something else. But I'm pretty sure it is oil related as of now unless you guys come up with a different possibility and/or theory.

Thinking about not using 10W30 in this car. Kind of a mystery!
I've been using only CS for the past few years ... really like the oil btw.

I've been on this site long enough to know the system ... lol. I know I can use 5W30 and the "perceived noise" will be gone and I will be happy ... so what is the problem?! ...
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Having said that:

Q:
According to Chevron website 5W30 is syn-blend (jug doesn't say that). is it possible that the syn-blend has a different ad pack compared to 10W30 dino that maybe helping this issue?

or is it the higher viscosity of 10W30 (relative to 5Wx30) when cold that maybe contributing to this noise? Can a cSt diff between 5W and a 10W (let's assume @ 60°F) be that significant and a contributing factor?

Any other possibilities apart from "imaginary noise"?

Thank you!
 
Could be the add pack. Try a different 10W-30 sometime and see if the same ticking comes back.
 
Maybe in your particular engine & mileage, the 5W does make a difference. It could very well be the start up weight that was contributing to the start up noise. Is there much of a difference between a 5W & 10W? Probably not in most cases but maybe in your case it is!

FILTER(s) could also be the culprit and make a difference here as well. However this is even more difficult to pinpoint.

For 11 yrs, I owned a 2004 Nissan Altima 2.5(only used 5W) that acted very much like your vehicle. However, the filter seemed to make more of a difference than the oil. And the noise was worst with a larger filter than a smaller filter.

Also, as API oils changed(SL, SM, SN) between 2004-'15 when I finally sold the Altima, I noticed a difference here too as there was waaaay less noise.
 
Originally Posted by MParr
Wow! That sounds just like the symptoms of GM hydraulic lifters not pumping up.
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Or collapsed Ford modular V8 timing chain tensioners (don't ask how I know that sound!).
 
Originally Posted by OilUzer
or is it the higher viscosity of 10W30 (relative to 5Wx30) when cold that maybe contributing to this noise? Can a cSt diff between 5W and a 10W (let's assume @ 60°F) be that significant and a contributing factor?

At 80F it is not.
 
My 2017 Elantra is very quiet with Chevron Supreme 10w-30. PP 5w-30 and PUP 5w-20 not as quiet. But that is at 20k. I have had filters on other cars cause noise.
 
Originally Posted by burla
CS 5w30 cSt 10.5
CS 10w30 cSt 10.3

So the THICKER oil is working for ya, not thinner.


I haven't checked but that looks like KV100. No?
Theoretically both oils should have a very close viscosity at operating temperatures since both are x30 and in the same family.

Sounds like based on what @kschachn is saying, @80F there may not be a huge difference between the viscosity.
I recall Shannow had posted some link to some equations to figure out the viscosity at different temps. I have to Google it. Don't know if those equations are universal or oil brand specific. Just curious to find out the cSt diff @60°F or 80°F for Chevron Supreme.

Btw, the car is a 2.7 L MPFI V6 (2005 Hyundai Tuscon) and We have owned it since new and does not burn any oil. It has over 200K miles. I changed the oil @5000 miles this time and it still had good color. I may have added 8 fl. oz. of oil during 5000 miles to keep it at the full mark. I've always used oem oil filters purchased from dealer. OM recommends 5W30 or 10W30. In summer I use 10W, in winter I switch to 5W.
 
Yes, near freezing, even the diff between 0W and 10W isn't that much!

I have some numbers in my other thread:
viscosity calculator

I'm thinking now that maybe fresh oil is helping with the noise ... and maybe has less to do with the ad pack (syn-blend vs. Dino). I will be keeping a better record as the oil gets more hours and will compare the results.
 
Hydraulic lifters can be picky about viscosity, the ones in my 1988 Escort seem to be quite happy on 15W-40, but tick on 10W-40 or 20W-50.
I tried 5W-30 once and it was scary loud, i changed it out for some 15W-40 after only 200 miles.
 
Whats with ASTM D5293 and D4684? Act these characteristics only on for tests prescribed temps?
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