Oil for a 2003 Acura 3.2 TL Base J32A1 ??

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bourne

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First off let me say its taken me years to actually stop reading and finally start posting. You guys are awesome ! Thank you for so much info for us uninformed.

I would love some help in deciding which oil to use in my Acura. A bit of info :

Miles : 93000 Approx
Current Fill : Castrol Syntec w/ Titanium + K/N Oil Filter
Consumption : 0
Miles on the oil : ~ 2900
EDIT : Motor calls for 5W20 but Acura has back specd it to 0w20 as well.

My current position is in customer service at a shop which uses Valvoline oil. I get a pretty decent deal on oil changes and maintenance which definitely helps in this economy. I have a few options to choose from when it comes to oil and this is where I need your input. I drive mostly city with occasional ~ 50 mile trips on the weekend. My work is about 5 miles from my house and usually I make about 2 trips back and forth in a day. Every couple of months we take it on a long road trip. I plan on changing oil every 5000 ( I know conservative but I need to find a stable oil choice before I get UOAs done to narrow the interval down) and use Purolator P1 oil Filter .
Car is in good shape , all Prevent. Maint. has been caught up on. Transmission was replaced about 3000 miles ago under warranty from Acura.

I am attaching a spec sheet of the oils I can chose from. Any input is most welcome and appreciated. And reasons for your suggestions ( if you have time to give them ) will definitely help educate me better.

Thanks once again and Cheers !



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So, you can get any of these oils for the same price? If so, I'd probably go with Synpower 0w-20 - good viscosity index and CCS.
 
syn blends ( both durablend and maxlife ) are around 30 w/ tax / inspection / fluid top ups and rotation
full synthetics ( synpower and maxlife full syn ) are around 40 w/ tax inspection and stuff

we use carquest red filters there but i prefer something a bit more sturdy. P1 seems to do the trick , especially since aap usually will have a sale on them and then u can stack an online coupon and get them for a pretty decent price.
 
And so far the Maxlife full synthetic we have been getting is SM version. The rest are all SN with the newest formula/addpack
 
What really needs to be said that hasn't already been said in the last 10 years?

As long as you adhere to a conservative oil change schedule and are not throwing in junk oil found at gas stations, in this car, it will matter not one iota what you use for oil changes.
 
Originally Posted By: CarbonCrew
What really needs to be said that hasn't already been said in the last 10 years?

As long as you adhere to a conservative oil change schedule and are not throwing in junk oil found at gas stations, in this car, it will matter not one iota what you use for oil changes.


LOL ! in that situation the very purpose of these forums doesnt exist anymore. Apparently everyone here is particular about what liquids they feed their cars. I am one of them. I realise I can do 3mnth/3k on VWB on this bottle and never worry as it will be good enough.

Thats not what I am looking for though. I would like to use the best of whats available to me. Unfortunately ive only owned 2 cars in the past, hence not much experience with valvoline as a product ( i know its good, its which one is the best where i need help ) . Acura OLM goes off between 6k ~ 7.5k miles per mileage. I wouldnt mind going that far on oil once i settle into a combo thats the best.
 
For my '00 Accord J30A1, I ran in this order: PYB for 3 years, PP for 3 years, and M1 for 4.5 years before I sold the car to a guy at work. I left the factory fill in for 6k which was when the idiot light would blink at me for the oil change. Being a '00 it was spec'd for 5w-30 and that is what I ran, never bothered with 5w-20. Engine was spotless, and did not consume any oil on my 6-7k change schedule, which was 3x a year. Oil filters with PYB were Pennzoil branded for Jiffy Lube. Filter with PP was a Puro Classic, and then K&N/M-1 filter with M1 oil.

Never did I notice any difference. All oils looked the same when drained, fuel economy was never affected +/-. Performance of the J engine was always the same. Real simple deal for me. I cannot say that a J Series engine, in particular the A1 generation is real high performance or has any special needs (No special certifications). At this point I would say run what you are comfortable with, as you are the one paying for it.
 
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Thank you type901 . I was looking at the 5w30 but don't wanna void my warranty ( lifetime on the engine ). My previous fill was maxlife syn blend 5w20 with a carquest filter. Engine is significantly quieter at startup and no lifter tick even at 20f starts with syntec k/n filter combo. Ive been looking at durablend. Specs look pretty decent.
 
Originally Posted By: bourne
Thank you type901 . I was looking at the 5w30 but don't wanna void my warranty ( lifetime on the engine ). My previous fill was maxlife syn blend 5w20 with a carquest filter. Engine is significantly quieter at startup and no lifter tick even at 20f starts with syntec k/n filter combo. Ive been looking at durablend. Specs look pretty decent.


Glad to help. Yeah stick with Xw-20, no reason to go to Xw-30 route. Try the Synpower, with a good filter and see how the car runs, as I suspect you will not have any issues, if everything is running well to begin with.
 
Originally Posted By: bourne
Originally Posted By: CarbonCrew
What really needs to be said that hasn't already been said in the last 10 years?

As long as you adhere to a conservative oil change schedule and are not throwing in junk oil found at gas stations, in this car, it will matter not one iota what you use for oil changes.


LOL ! in that situation the very purpose of these forums doesnt exist anymore. Apparently everyone here is particular about what liquids they feed their cars. I am one of them. I realise I can do 3mnth/3k on VWB on this bottle and never worry as it will be good enough.

Thats not what I am looking for though. I would like to use the best of whats available to me. Unfortunately ive only owned 2 cars in the past, hence not much experience with valvoline as a product ( i know its good, its which one is the best where i need help ) . Acura OLM goes off between 6k ~ 7.5k miles per mileage. I wouldnt mind going that far on oil once i settle into a combo thats the best.

I didn't realize 2G TL has OLM, i thought it started having one since 3G. Please correct me if I'm wrong.
 
2G TLs do have an OLM , it comes on as a Maintainence Required light. its a simple mileage counter that honda has configured for dino oil but there is no way im running VWB for over 5k miles in my car. OLM goes off roughly after 6k miles from reset.
 
OLMs are found in 2G TLs.
The only contribution i can think of, in my OCI history, for my TL is stick to a good synth and no GC... I tried it, and my seat of my pants dyno indicated thats it way to thick.
Right now i have a stash of PP 0w20 (for hybrids) that I am going through and it tends to burn a little on city driving , but on the highway, its fine.
J
 
Originally Posted By: CATERHAM
First welcome to BITOG!

Considering how you drive your vehicle the selection is easy.
First choice is SynPower 0W-20.
Second choice is Durablend 0W-20.


Thanks Caterham ! Among 0w20s is synpower a good formulation ? I understand 0w20 "flows" better , but what about the protection during summer months ? I wasnt a big fan of the NOACK scores of Durablend 0w20 , 5w20 seems more stable. Am I wrong ??
 
Originally Posted By: 2K2AcuraTL
OLMs are found in 2G TLs.
The only contribution i can think of, in my OCI history, for my TL is stick to a good synth and no GC... I tried it, and my seat of my pants dyno indicated thats it way to thick.
Right now i have a stash of PP 0w20 (for hybrids) that I am going through and it tends to burn a little on city driving , but on the highway, its fine.
J


Good to know , I almost bought some from AAP. When you say burns some , do you mean consumption ?
 
WELCOME to BITOG!

Anecdotally, I bought a 1987 Acura Legend new and drove it 235,000 miles over 19 years, always using (in my ignorance) dino 10W-40, and the engine was running just as sweetly when I reluctantly (my wife said it wasn't befitting my image!)sold it in 2006.

So I believe these Honda/Acura engine run on anything, but I bow to the much more knowledgeable cognoscenti.
 
Originally Posted By: vintageant
WELCOME to BITOG!

Anecdotally, I bought a 1987 Acura Legend new and drove it 235,000 miles over 19 years, always using (in my ignorance) dino 10W-40, and the engine was running just as sweetly when I reluctantly (my wife said it wasn't befitting my image!)sold it in 2006.

So I believe these Honda/Acura engine run on anything, but I bow to the much more knowledgeable cognoscenti.


Thank you ! I think the J32 might be a bit different. The EGR system is known to get clogged in these engines. Not sure if they are hard on oil. I can definitely tell the difference between a dino fill and a synthetic fill. Prolly not between a syn and a blend though lol. I think I might give the 0w20 synpower a shot this summer.
 
Originally Posted By: bourne
Originally Posted By: 2K2AcuraTL
OLMs are found in 2G TLs.
The only contribution i can think of, in my OCI history, for my TL is stick to a good synth and no GC... I tried it, and my seat of my pants dyno indicated thats it way to thick.
Right now i have a stash of PP 0w20 (for hybrids) that I am going through and it tends to burn a little on city driving , but on the highway, its fine.
J


Good to know , I almost bought some from AAP. When you say burns some , do you mean consumption ?


Yes.. I MAY add about 200ml, or (1/4 qt) after 2 months worth of getting groceries and other family chores. That's with this hybrid PP. With M1 consumption was less.
 
Originally Posted By: 2K2AcuraTL
Originally Posted By: bourne
Originally Posted By: 2K2AcuraTL
OLMs are found in 2G TLs.
The only contribution i can think of, in my OCI history, for my TL is stick to a good synth and no GC... I tried it, and my seat of my pants dyno indicated thats it way to thick.
Right now i have a stash of PP 0w20 (for hybrids) that I am going through and it tends to burn a little on city driving , but on the highway, its fine.
J


Good to know , I almost bought some from AAP. When you say burns some , do you mean consumption ?


Yes.. I MAY add about 200ml, or (1/4 qt) after 2 months worth of getting groceries and other family chores. That's with this hybrid PP. With M1 consumption was less.


Was that M1 0w20 AFE ?
 
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