Little experiment....Going from 5W30 to 5W40

[mrgto]

I've just gotten done doing over 16K miles on Valvoline Restore and Protect. I have 2 oil analysis done and the last oil change it goes out this week. The car is a 2010 Chevy Equinox V6. 198K miles on it. Over the history I've used Mobil 1, Amsoil, Pennzoil Platinum, 1 change with Walmart brand and the last 4 have been Valvoline Restore and Protect. I did valve cover gaskets a year ago and the cams looked good.
Since it's now hot as hell here in Florida I figured I'd go 4K miles on the Pennzoil Platinum Euro 5w40 and see how the oil analysis compares to the Valvoline. I'm not expecting very different results but I guess we'll see with the oil analysis.
I stuck the camera up the oil pan today and I've attached a few pictures of what I saw. Looked pretty clean.

 

[Legs4Arms]

Pennzoil Platinum Euro 5W-40 is a heavyweight, HTHS ~ 3.8'ish.
Far better lube than the Valvoline Restore and Protect in your Florida heat.
Good move

 

[EvoMan]

It’s not hot as hell yet, we’re still pre-heating.

 

[melk]

Awesome, can’t wait to see the two UOA

 

[edyvw]

I am trying to figure out what high ambient temperature has to do with moving from 5W30 to 5W40?

 

[facility1]

why not continue with Valvoline Restore and Protect in the 5w-30?,it will work just fine.

 

[Plumb Bob]

I am trying to figure out what high ambient temperature has to do with moving from 5W30 to 5W40?

And how you see Florida "heat" in UOA...

 

[mrgto]

why not continue with Valvoline Restore and Protect in the 5w-30?,it will work just fine.

Because it's called "an experiment"

 

[Titan]

First, realize that "Florida heat" is not a meaningful variable in choosing those two oil products for your vehicle. Second, realize that you aren't removing all the oil from the engine with an oil change...there is a significant volume of the previous oil that remains in the engine that mixes with the fresh oil. Third, realize a used oil analysis will not provide specific enough information to detect a meaningful difference between those two oil products for your vehicle.

 

[mrgto]

I am trying to figure out what high ambient temperature has to do with moving from 5W30 to 5W40?

Not sure if serious....

 

[mrgto]

First, realize that "Florida heat" is not a meaningful variable in choosing those two oil products for your vehicle. Second, realize that you aren't removing all the oil from the engine with an oil change...there is a significant volume of the previous oil that remains in the engine that mixes with the fresh oil. Third, realize a used oil analysis will not provide specific enough information to detect a meaningful difference between those two oil products for your vehicle.

Really? So why does an owners manual for a Honda RDX in the US say to use 5W20 but in Mexico and South America it says to use a 5W30?

 

[Titan]

Really? So why does an owners manual for a Honda RDX in the US say to use 5W20 but in Mexico and South America it says to use a 5W30?

CAFE. Look it up. Has NOTHING to do with ambient temperature.

 

[RBT]

Not sure if serious....

I am sure the original poster will chime in, but when you are looking at viscosity, or the more technically accurate HTHS figure, the question is whether oil pressure will be sufficient throughout the engine at the entire rev range, from idle to higher engine speeds.

So there are a few points I would make here, respectfully and without trying to be an "internet jerk":

First, I haven't looked the oils up, but the difference between a 5w30 and 5w40, in terms of HTHS, may be not be significant.

Second, even if the second oil has a higher viscosity and HTHS, if oil pressure is sufficient throughout the engine at operating temperature, the additional degree of viscosity is likely not that relevant to the service life of the engine.

Finally, when you change the oil there is typically some of the old oil left behind, so you would have to do a few changes, and reports, to see if anything meaningful is going on.

This is why my typical advice to people is to start with the manufacturer's recommended viscosity. Yes, it is influenced by the EPA CAFE standards but the manufacturer has a lot at stake, in terms of potential warranty expense if motors blow up under warranty, and in terms of customer goodwill (perhaps the single most important sales metric in the auto industry is existing customer retention). AT 200k, you are obviously doing something right ;-) but don't make the mistake of over-thinking it. Keep the oil clean, keep it full with a good quality synthetic (certainly nothing wrong with going from a 5w30 to a 40, not that it's going to harm anything) and bear in mind that as a car gets to that age, there are a lot more things to keep an eye on than simply the engine -- how are the rubber brake hoses and the hard brake lines? How is the pedal feel and the master cylinder? Cooling system holding pressure? What kind of shape is the suspension in? How are the fuel lines? Have they been checked for cracking? Does the AC work? That's not just a comfort feature in FL, it's also necessary to keep the windows properly de-fogged during thunderstorms.

People obsess about oil, it's the nature of this forum, but bear in mind it is typically not serious engine failure today that causes cars to be retired.

Have a great Memorial Day weekend everyone.

 

[mrgto]

CAFE. Look it up. Has NOTHING to do with ambient temperature.

Correct. I don't care about fuel economy nor warranty in a almost 17 year old car.

Also, I'll probably do a few oil changes with this oil because the more popular weights might be unobtainable shortly.

 

[userfriendly]

I am trying to figure out what high ambient temperature has to do with moving from 5W30 to 5W40?

Not much, because 5W cold start performance is not required in a hot climate.
In fact, multi grade engine oils are not required or necessary in the summer months. I would and have used mono grades in the past in similar applications, or just gone with 15W-40 because it’s cheap and available.
We are dealing with a 16 year old vehicle with almost 200,000 miles on it.
Go ahead and experiment.

 

[GSCJR]

I'm using 15w-40 in our '08 CRV which is in SoFLo. The previous fill was 5w-20 and the only thing I noticed is a quieter engine when cold.

 

[Rand]

Second, even if the second oil has a higher viscosity and HTHS, if oil pressure is sufficient throughout the engine at operating temperature, the additional degree of viscosity is likely not that relevant to the service life of the engine.

going from a Resource Conserving 5w30 to a euro 5w40 is considerable difference.
unlike going from a euro 5w30 to euro 5w40.

but agreed on your comments.

Of course I'm using castrol Euro a3/b4 5w40 in a 2.4 equinox(recommended is 5w30).. mainly because it uses oil and I had 5qt jugs of it cheap.
not needed, but wont hurt anything.

 

[Mainia]

I think the above posts are getting at is there will be no value of a used oil analysis on anything. We do know the HTHS is higher, 3.2 of the Valvoline Restore and Protect vs 3.7-3.8 of the 5w-40. The increase of the HTHS alone will increase your oil temperature if all things are the same. Pushing an increased viscosity oil creates more heat. So technically you are doing the reverse of what you thought. The car is not a turbo car and I can assume you are not "sport driving" it, hitting redline and going through the gears at every on ramp or towing 6,000 lbs, where you might actually gain something from the move. You do gain a great oil with certifications, but your application really does not need certs, you may also notice a quieter engine too. I get experimenting with oils, we all have done it and do it from time to time, so no push back from me. The guys are just adding nothing concrete will be found on the used oil analysis, and really you would want to wait for the next run if you did do the used oil analysis as then you would have 98-99% 5w-40. vs 80% now. They are also looking at 5w-20 can more then handle the Florida heat with zero issues in a normally driven car and a non-turbo at that. I am a thicky, so I myself will never run a 20 weight oil in any of my cars, so my go to oil for most situations is 0-5w/-30. 0-5w-40 in a thrashed turbo car in summers, or a 30 weight oil at or above 3.5 HTHS like Mobil 1 ESP 0w30. You will gain more by keeping your worn rings clean with Valvoline Restore and Protect then anything else.

 

[NibbanaBanana]

Second, realize that you aren't removing all the oil from the engine with an oil change...there is a significant volume of the previous oil that remains in the engine that mixes with the fresh oil.

How much? Most cars take 4, 5, or even 6 quarts of oil. How much remains after you drain the oil. I would have guessed less than a cup. So how much is it and how did you find out this information?

 

[KEVINK0000]

As far as the ambient temperature question, there have been Saudi Arabian and other ME manuals posted here and the manufacturers are NOT specifying 20w in them. IIRC it was as high as 50w for a CAFE spec of 20w. Toyota I believe is the last one I saw.