Oil for first change after new short block - Acura TSX

[curls]

Long story short:
- new short block put in @ 92,000km under warranty.
- valve seals and guides were replaced at 90,000km.

I'm coming up on my 96K km service in a few weeks and was wondering what oil would be best to run in this car? (2004 Acura TSX, 7100 rpm redline seen often, prefer 8k km (5k miles) OCI's, trips usually between 5 and 20 km each way).

Mobil 1 5w30 and 10w30 are on sale this week. I also plan to buy a few Napa Gold (Wix?) filters to stock up on them now.

Would the Mobil 1 + Napa Gold filter be OK for a "fresh" engine like this one with only ~ 4000km on it? Or should I go one more interval of 8K km w/ dino oil and then go to synthetic?

Thanks everyone,
Eric
PS: long time lurker, 1st time poster here.

 

[BlazerLT]

Welcome fellow canuck.

I would change that oil ASAP.

The oil after an engine rebuilt should on be in there for 1000kms max.

So you are good to go with the Mobil1 @ 5000miles.

Also, you are a canuck, you might as well get the Esso XD3 Stnthetic 0w30 for $4.50 per liter.

Even better than the Mobil1.

 

[curls]

I'd consider the engine more "new" than "rebuilt", which is why changing to synthetic at 4K was a bit worrysome for me (1st normal OCI is 8K on new-new engines).

Just how much better is the Esso XD3 Synthetic, and why? Also, where can it be found, and is it simply the black jug labelled "Esso XD3" or are there certain codes on the back label to look for?
EDIT: Is this it (XD-3 Extra) http://www.esso.com/Canada-English/LCW/Products_Services/XD_3_Extra.asp
???


Thanks!
Eric

 

[Gilitar]

Just out of curiosity what happened to the engine? Strange for a Honda to die early. Do you always run the car hard?

 

[BlazerLT]

quote:

---

Originally posted by curls:
I'd consider the engine more "new" than "rebuilt", which is why changing to synthetic at 4K was a bit worrysome for me (1st normal OCI is 8K on new-new engines).

Just how much better is the Esso XD3 Synthetic, and why? Also, where can it be found, and is it simply the black jug labelled "Esso XD3" or are there certain codes on the back label to look for?
EDIT: Is this it (XD-3 Extra) http://www.esso.com/Canada-English/LCW/Products_Services/XD_3_Extra.asp
???


Thanks!
Eric

---

No, you look for "SYNTHETIC" on the label.

You can get it at your local Esso Distribution center.

Look for you local one here:

http://www.imperialoil.com/Canada-E...ubes/ImperialOilLubesDistributors-Ontario.pdf

For just over $4.50 per liter, it is the best deal around. I use it in everything.

 

[pzev]

Why is it better?

 

[BlazerLT]

Do a search on it.

It is available in Canada only and is a great oil for a bargain price.

 

[curls]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Gilitar:
Just out of curiosity what happened to the engine? Strange for a Honda to die early. Do you always run the car hard?

---

I bought the car w/ 72K km on it, but it must have been burning long before that (the cat was plugged, etc...). They don't really know what caused it, but they already had tried replacing the rings, valve seals and guides, bearings, and re-honing the cylinder walls, but that didn't work AT ALL. My only notion is that since there are a few others with very low VIN's (mine is 00032) that I know about, there might have been a problem with the specs of the early-production-run blocks.

The new block 100% fixed the problem though.

----------

Back on to the question(s) at hand:
- Is it OK to go with Synthetic this early (4K after "new")?
- I believe I've seen XD-3 at Canadian Tire or Walmart -- would this be the same stufff? If not, there's a huge Esso tank and distribution center near me I believe.

Thanks!
Eric

 

[ATS-V]

On a new engine, I like to run a quality dino for 3k intervals and switch to synthetic at 10k.

My current car was broken in with 3k changes and I switched to synthetic once the free oil changes ran out at the dealer (30k). My reasoning is to get the debris out and aid with break in. I think more important than oil choice is how the engine is broken in, "loading" the engine without reving high is a great way to seat rings. I didn't run full boost for 10k.

 

[curls]

I went to the Esso distribution center near my house (lucky!) and got 5 litres of XD-3 0w-30 for $28 taxes included.

Nice deal!!

So are the Napa Gold filters really a good filter for this oil / my car?

Thanks for the replies so far guys - it's greatly appreciated.

 

[BlazerLT]

quote:

---

Originally posted by curls:
I went to the Esso distribution center near my house (lucky!) and got 5 litres of XD-3 0w-30 for $28 taxes included.

Nice deal!!

So are the Napa Gold filters really a good filter for this oil / my car?

Thanks for the replies so far guys - it's greatly appreciated.

---

Whoa, they are overcharging you!

I can get it here from the center for $4.43 per liter.

Yes, the Napa Gold are good filters.

 

[curls]

quote:

---

Originally posted by BlazerLT:

quote:

---

Originally posted by curls:
I went to the Esso distribution center near my house (lucky!) and got 5 litres of XD-3 0w-30 for $28 taxes included.

Nice deal!!

So are the Napa Gold filters really a good filter for this oil / my car?

Thanks for the replies so far guys - it's greatly appreciated.

---

Whoa, they are overcharging you!

I can get it here from the center for $4.43 per liter.

Yes, the Napa Gold are good filters.

---

Price of the oil might depend on geographic region? I bought 1x4L jug and 1x1L bottle. $20.12 + $5.03 = $5.03/liter, which compared to many synthetics I've seen at major retailers here, is really good. Regular Castrol dino oil from what I've noticed lately, is $3.99/liter.

I'll pick up a Napa Gold filter next week and change the oil a few weeks from now.

Thanks everyone!

 

[The Critic]

XD3 0w30 and Napa Gold filter is a great combo.

Nice to see someone else from AcuraZine!

 

[mcne]

I also own a 2004 Acura TSX. I changed the factory fill oil just after 2,000 miles with Mobil 1 5w30 SS. Every oil change since then has been at 5,000 miles (always Mobil 1 5w30 SS). The engine does not burn any oil and it runs bitchin.

The Acura has 22,000 miles now. Last week we averaged 36 mpg on the highway/city/mountain driving. Not bad at all!

Sorry to hear about your bad luck with the motor.

 

[SteveD2]

sounds like the car was abused by the previous owner...

my '05 runs like a top at ~35k on 0w30 amsoil and 10k OCI (and MTF in the 6spd). one change with 5w-20 dino at ~3k, then amsoil at ~7k.

mcne...5AT or 6MT? maybe it has something to do with my speed, but on a recent 600mi trip from NC to OH over WV mtns i saw only 30-31mpg (though i did see triple digits a few times and cruised at 80mph).

dookie

dookie

 

[curls]

mcne: No worries - I got a new engine when the car was sold very cheap because of the high mileage, so I win.

dookie1: Yes, it probably was, although I don't think it was abused in a "drive it hard-as-****" way, but instead, he was a salesman driving over 200-300km/day, 5 days a week -- odds are he didnt take the time for routine maintenance. Or the break-in was really poor in some way.

FYI: Mine is a 6MT and on a trip home in mid-winter (collllld temps in Northern Ontario), I got 36.5 mpg over about 1600km of driving. Really good, IMO, considering the amount of stuff we had loaded into the trunk. Avg. speed was about 70mph (110-115 km/h). And that's when the car was burning oil like mad.