Oil for car that idles

[Jake777]

My 2005 Honda Odyssey with 122.000 miles drives about 150 miles per week but it sits every day in FL for exactly 1 hour idling in a parent pick up line at my kids school, literally in park the entire time with the windows up and air on (florida). So I did a quick search and I came across a website that talked about fleet maintenance for work trucks and how you should calculate idle time for trucks that see that type of load along with miles driven. Anyway they said that every hour of idle time should be considered between 25-30 miles of driving and even posted some fuel use info that I forgot now. With that said if I figure in 5 hours of idle time per week using this method thats a few thousand miles in 6 months. Anyone have any thoughts on this? By the way I'm still a little freaked out about that guy who's odyssey slugged up on him with frequent cold short trips and with all the honda pilots with the same engine that had issues with it. Oh so last part is can anyone say one way or another if PP or Mobil 1 5w20 holds up agains VI loss better than the other?

 

[The_Jeff]

Well the good news is it's a hot idle, so the fuel and water won't build up.

 

[Jake777]

Originally Posted By: eljefino
Well the good news is it's a hot idle, so the fuel and water won't build up.


Ok so don't worry about fuel dilution? I guess the only thing I have to consider is viscosity breakdown from idle?

 

[donnyj08]

I wouldn't sweat it. Just keep a quality oil in there according to the OLM. I would be more concerned with cooling system maintenance, and making sure the cooling fans are in good shape.

 

[OneEyeJack]

Could be a good time to do a used oil analysis. You're on the right track that is realizing that it might be worth while thinking about the problem.

I'd step up maintenance on the cooling system and fuel system as well. Don't forget the timing belt and the water pump, too. Oh, and the part of the system that turns on the cooling fan needs a check as well.

You might actually develop an OCI based on fuel used. That's what I've done with emergency power generators that experience severe cold weather.

 

[gfh77665]

I own a '06 Odyssey I bought new. You are the perfect candidate to use a 5-30. Its the perfect oil for the 3.5 in warm climates. Its also used in Honda's globally, except in the CAFE burdened US. Of course 5-20 will perform too, but the 5-30 would be optimal for your specific use.

 

[Merkava_4]

My car idles sometimes too; which oil should I get?

 

[gregk24]

If I were you I would be doing 5K OCI with a name brand synthetic, such as: Mobil 1 5w20, Pennzoil Platinum 5w20, Valvoline SynPower 5w20, or Castrol Edge 5w20. If you Honda was back spec'd for 0w20 you may use that grade as well.

 

[Clevy]

Originally Posted By: gregk24
If I were you I would be doing 5K OCI with a name brand synthetic, such as: Mobil 1 5w20, Pennzoil Platinum 5w20, Valvoline SynPower 5w20, or Castrol Edge 5w20. If you Honda was back spec'd for 0w20 you may use that grade as well.



Nonsense.


Follow the oil life monitor with a Honda certified oil.

Done. The oil life monitor compensates for those extended idle times so no need to think for it.

 

[FutureDoc]

Follow the oil life monitor (maybe change at 20% if you are really worried) and do not over think it.

If you really want to over analyze it, then you can use a 20-25 mile per 1 hour of use based on fuel consumption, but I think Honda's OLM factors that in. I use a 12-15 mpg per idling hour for my fleet but that is more for billing purposes on a diesel. So whe n I have 70K on an engine but 8000h with 2100h of idle, then it gets into the maintenance issue.

Or you could just turn-off the engine or use the free school-bus service. Keep in mind that some of the worst air-quality issues are around schools from vehicle idling.

 

[RedOakRanch]

I idle my truck pretty often and it hasn't made any difference according to my used oil analysis. I would never waste that much time waiting though, you have more patience than me! I'd park 2 blocks away and walk in or something.

 

[4wheeldog]

I would use Mobil 1 Extended Performance 0w20 and run it to the OLM. But, you could use any good XW/20 and do the same thing.

Personally, I would just lower the windows and shut the engine down. But I am a cheap SOB, and I have a wide temperature comfort range.