Hello, I bought a car from a friend and the oil cap says 5w30, but my local Valvoline put in 5w20, I guess they used his old info from a long time ago. Any help would be appreciated, I don’t want to cause any leaks or engine problems from using the wrong oil weight. It is a 4 cylinder engine too. I would like to keep the car running a long time. It has 160,000 miles on it and I live in Florida.
Is 5w20 oil safe for a 2004 Camry?
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Oh ****, I haven’t put many miles on it since the oil change today, hopefully it’ll be okay. Going to switch it to 5w-30 tomorrow to be safe then, thanks! What I don’t understand is it really that big of an issue. Has anybody had engine problems from switching to 5w20, I mean it’s not that big of a difference.
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You won't have any issues from running 5W-20. I doubt the engine at full load for extended periods of time. I'm sure it's an MPI engine. Rest easy, your engine is fine.
That’s what I was thinking too, however I still think I’ll go back tomorrow and switch back to 5w30 to be safe. My old car crapped out and developed a really bad rear main seal leak after switching to full synthetic and I’m worried about doing anything wrong. I really don’t need anymore problems right now.You won't have any issues from running 5W-20. I doubt the engine at full load for extended periods of time. I'm sure it's an MPI engine. Rest easy, your engine is fine.
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Believe me, I hear you on not needing any more problems. Just when I thought I had enough on my plate, I get home this evening, and my garage door won't open. The motor burned out. I got inside, and there was a burn smell, and smoke. It also destroyed the part that joins the two chain ends together. There goes $200 and the work I need to put in to fix it.
Anyway, if you want a good oil that also prevents leaks from happening, I recommend Mobil 1 HM EP 5W-30. It's PAO+AN+Ester. If you have shrunken and/or dried seals, it will condition and swell them back up without being overly aggressive. I run this oil in a Hyundai Sonata with only 20K miles on it. It's good stuff, easily available at Walmart.
Yeah everyday it’s another problem lol. I just can’t believe this stupid shop put in 5w20 when the cap clearly states 5w30, people are stupid. But, hopefully it’ll be okay, I have a trusted mechanic real close to my house so it’ll be a short drive to get it replaced. Only about 20 miles driven since the oil change too.
If Toyota's engineers are saying it then consider it a carved stone carried forth by the Greek God's of Mount Olympus, and handed straight to the most gifted writer of our time.
That would be Frank. Don't ask me for his name. You should already know it. We all do.
That would be Frank. Don't ask me for his name. You should already know it. We all do.
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Nothing bad will happen. For example, Hyundai shipped their GDI Lambda II engine with Shell Helix Ultra 5W-40 API SM as the factory fill around 2013. In Germany, they recommended 0W-20, in the US 5W-30 "Resource Conserving", and in the Middle East they prohibited the use of 0/5W-20 and allowed anything up to 20W-50. These engines are notorious for stuck piston rings if cheap, crappy fuel is used, leading to high oil consumption and, as a consequence, they also tend to eat rod bearings. But if you take care of it, it works just fine.
I own one of these in a 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe XL. Knowing all of the above, I normally run 0W-40 or 5W-40 in it. I also installed an oil catch can, a K&N filter, and only fill it up with Top-Tier gas. Being curious about what kind of fuel mileage I would get on 0W-20, I once installed Mobil 1 EP 0W-20 and tried it. Nothing bad happened, and my MPG actually improved noticeably. In mixed driving, I saw numbers from 25 up to 27 MPG, whereas before it was 20 to 24 MPG. After a week, I went back to QS Euro 5W-40 for peace of mind. During my experiment, I never ran the car hard or short-tripped it.
Conclusively, I believe you will be okay.
I enjoyed reading TTAC for many many years, the articles, as well as the comments. Thank you.
That’s weird that different countries have different oil viscosity ratings. My other concern is disturbing the VVTI engine with a thinner oil or oil getting thru piston rings. I had a “traumatic” experience with my last car trying to do the right thing and everything turning to crap quick. I also live in Florida where the 5w30 will be better in the heat.Nothing bad will happen. For example, Hyundai shipped their GDI Lambda II engine with Shell Helix Ultra 5W-40 API SM as the factory fill around 2013. In Germany, they recommended 0W-20, in the US 5W-30 "Resource Conserving", and in the Middle East they prohibited the use of 0/5W-20 and allowed anything up to 20W-50. These engines are notorious for stuck piston rings if cheap, crappy fuel is used, leading to high oil consumption and, as a consequence, they also tend to eat rod bearings. But if you take care of it, it works just fine.
I own one of these in a 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe XL. Knowing all of the above, I normally run 0W-40 or 5W-40 in it. I also installed an oil catch can, a K&N filter, and only fill it up with Top-Tier gas. Being curious about what kind of fuel mileage I would get on 0W-20, I once installed Mobil 1 EP 0W-20 and tried it. Nothing bad happened, and my MPG actually improved noticeably. In mixed driving, I saw numbers from 25 up to 27 MPG, whereas before it was 20 to 24 MPG. After a week, I went back to QS Euro 5W-40 for peace of mind. During my experiment, I never ran the car hard or short-tripped it.
Conclusively, I believe you will be okay.
I enjoyed reading TTAC for many many years, the articles, as well as the comments. Thank you.
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Definitively go for Mobil 1 HM EP 5W-30, it has very low NOACK. No worries about VVTI, as generaly speaking, VVTI prefers slightly thicker oil. At least that's the case for Hyundai engines. Mobil 1 FS 0W-40 is also a solid and viable option in your climate.
Using 5W20 instead of 5W30 is the least of your concerns with a 2004 Camry. The head bolt issue will kill that engine long before the 5W20 will.
Even if it never overheats?
Yes, the head bolts (actually it’s the block threads that fail) are a major failure item on the early 2AZ engines, even on ones that were never overheated.
That sucks, do you know what the symptoms are of that happening so I can look out for it?
FWIW I had an 02 Camry, inherited from my mom, with the 2AZFE that went to 250k with no head bolt issues. Ran 5w30 and 10w30 in it. My advice for this car and for any car is to not romp on it when it's cold, you get thermal expansion issues.
There's an outside chance the oil change place put 5w30 in but marked the receipt as 5w20. Still unprofessional.
There's an outside chance the oil change place put 5w30 in but marked the receipt as 5w20. Still unprofessional.
Odds are Toyota simply drew a line for the number of years they would go back and validate the thinner oil. Mechanically nothing is different in the engine so 5W-20 is almost certainly fine. I'd leave it alone but switch back to -30 at the next change.
One OCI with slightly thinner oil isn’t going to hurt it. The 2az has tons of flaws, but oil intolerance isn’t one of them.
Thanks guys, I just decided to buy some Rhino ramps and changed it back to 5w30 conventional oil myself for my own peace of mind. Could be just me, but after a test drive seems to drive a little better. Not taking it back to Valvoline again after they put the wrong oil and I had to go back because they overfilled it. At least I know I do proper work. And, 5w30 will be better for our hot Florida summer. Could give a **** about saving a tiny bit of gas.
Don’t think I have to worry about that in Florida, lol. I always warm my cars up before driving to get the oil and transmission ready. I heard 5/30 is better in the heat too.
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