Oil for VVT-i engines

[chiefsfan1]

Well, after being on here for awhile I am getting CDO. http://www.underhoodservice.com/oil-related-engine-codes-vvt-engines/ It looks like the correct oil is needed on VVT-i engines or you get issues. I thought is was interesting.

 

[Trav]

Deposit buildup and varnish are the biggest problems with these systems not viscosity. Most engines spec'd for 0w20 will have no issues whatsoever on 0w30 or even 0w40. Its easy to check, just look around the world markets and see what oils are spec, there is more often than not a wide spread of acceptable oil weights. A warm 0w40 is thinner than a cold 0w20, that fact alone tosses the myth right out the window.

 

[TFB1]

Originally Posted By: Trav

A warm 0w40 is thinner than a cold 0w20, that fact alone tosses the myth right out the window.

And that's it in a nut shell, all the hand wringing over thicker oils is for naught and has been since the first tight tolerance statement was barfed out onto the net... Tolerances have ZERO to do with oil viscosity that can be used... No this thread really isn't about tolerance but the more it's mentioned maybe it'll drive another stake in the heart of the myth...

 

[Branson304]

I have used heavier oils than the manufacturer's recommendation in engines with VVT. Never an issue. I've replaced 5W-20 with 5W-30 a couple times & also saw other people do it on VVT engines with no ill effects.

 

[Smokescreen]

I have run 5w30 in my VVT-i Corolla since break in. In North America the Corolla is spec'ed only for 0/5w20 oil (everywhere else in the world the range is from 0/5w20 to 5w50) Last week I pulled off my first 42mpgUS (5.6L/100km) tank for the year...of which there will be many and some higher. Obviously it did not hurt fuel economy...and it still runs as smooth as new.

 

[bernau]

Mine is spec for 5w -30 to 20w - 50 and I have up to 15-40 and cannot tell a difference. How can we prevent deposit and varnish?

 

[06VtecV6]

Originally Posted By: Branson304

I have used heavier oils than the manufacturer's recommendation in engines with VVT. Never an issue. I've replaced 5W-20 with 5W-30 a couple times & also saw other people do it on VVT engines with no ill effects.

see sig, I don't have even VVT in my engine, does that make my engine more "conducive" for heavier oils. I do recall when I put that now infamous 1 quart of 10w-30 on a 5w-30 fill, the engine was even more exponentially quieter.

 

[Branson304]

Originally Posted By: 06VtecV6

Originally Posted By: Branson304

I have used heavier oils than the manufacturer's recommendation in engines with VVT. Never an issue. I've replaced 5W-20 with 5W-30 a couple times & also saw other people do it on VVT engines with no ill effects.

see sig, I don't have even VVT in my engine, does that make my engine more "conducive" for heavier oils. I do recall when I put that now infamous 1 quart of 10w-30 on a 5w-30 fill, the engine was even more exponentially quieter.

You could run a heavier oil if you wanted to but I don't think it is necessary.

 

[Oro_O]

Originally Posted By: chiefsfan1

It looks like the correct clean oil is needed on VVT-i engines or you get issues.

Fixed that for 'ya. As mentioned, weight is not really a factor as these systems run on a WIDE variety of oils in different places based on mechanical need, not politics which drive oil viscosity recommendations in the US nowadays. I had my first OCV failure this past fall on a 2002 Lexus - it had just over 1/4 million miles on it and that was OK with me for longevity. The solenoid valve itself was clean as a whistle and bench tested OK, but didn't actuate properly in situ anymore. I did read that linked article, but it sounded much more like a regurgitation of manufacturer's recommendations than something based on real-world insight.

 

[tig1]

Originally Posted By: bernau

Mine is spec for 5w -30 to 20w - 50 and I have up to 15-40 and cannot tell a difference. How can we prevent deposit and varnish?

I have read articles on VVT and cam phasers, and apparently thicker oils can impede the operation of the cam phaser. Drive ability may not be noticed, but you may not realize the full benefit of VVT. Here is an article about VVT. http://www.aa1car.com/library/variable_valve_timing.htm

 

[dgunay]

What's so special about VVT-I? Why are they so picky on oil, unlike VTC in Honda?

 

[dblshock]

Hot or cold mine runs perfect on 5/40.

 

[Garak]

Originally Posted By: tig1

I have read articles on VVT and cam phasers, and apparently thicker oils can impede the operation of the cam phaser.

The problem is though, that the auto industry and its apologists are just telling too many whoppers about viscosity, and it's to the point that no one believes them any longer, and anything they say about viscosity is suspect. It's one thing to mention fuel economy and North American driving habits. I can buy that. When you start to mention viscosities available in other locations, well, that's getting a little more questionable, but I'll live with it. Then, people start to really fling the manure. Manuals have wording warning of damages from the wrong viscosity, yet two sentences later say a different viscosity might be needed in the cold or in extreme heat or high speed use. Which is it? Then, people talk about clearances differing. Clearances are the same all over the world. A Honda (or Ford or whatever) engine in Europe isn't put together so sloppily that it needs 15w-40 or 20w-50 there while needing 0w-20 in North America. Nor do I buy that VVT is that sensitive to viscosity, or they'd only sell the engine in the tropics. If a VVT setup won't work properly with 5w-30 in Texas because it should be running 0w-20, then it's surely going to have a hard time in Saskatchewan in December, even with a 0w-16. An A3/B4 oil isn't going to throw a monkey wrench into the works by any stretch of the imagination.

 

[chiefsfan1]

Originally Posted By: Oro_O

Originally Posted By: chiefsfan1

It looks like the correct clean oil is needed on VVT-i engines or you get issues.

Fixed that for 'ya. As mentioned, weight is not really a factor as these systems run on a WIDE variety of oils in different places based on mechanical need, not politics which drive oil viscosity recommendations in the US nowadays. I had my first OCV failure this past fall on a 2002 Lexus - it had just over 1/4 million miles on it and that was OK with me for longevity. The solenoid valve itself was clean as a whistle and bench tested OK, but didn't actuate properly in situ anymore. I did read that linked article, but it sounded much more like a regurgitation of manufacturer's recommendations than something based on real-world insight.

Thanks, that what went through my head. Clean oil is what counts.

 

[demarpaint]

Originally Posted By: Garak

Originally Posted By: tig1

I have read articles on VVT and cam phasers, and apparently thicker oils can impede the operation of the cam phaser.

The problem is though, that the auto industry and its apologists are just telling too many whoppers about viscosity, and it's to the point that no one believes them any longer, and anything they say about viscosity is suspect. It's one thing to mention fuel economy and North American driving habits. I can buy that. When you start to mention viscosities available in other locations, well, that's getting a little more questionable, but I'll live with it. Then, people start to really fling the manure. Manuals have wording warning of damages from the wrong viscosity, yet two sentences later say a different viscosity might be needed in the cold or in extreme heat or high speed use. Which is it? Then, people talk about clearances differing. Clearances are the same all over the world. A Honda (or Ford or whatever) engine in Europe isn't put together so sloppily that it needs 15w-40 or 20w-50 there while needing 0w-20 in North America. Nor do I buy that VVT is that sensitive to viscosity, or they'd only sell the engine in the tropics. If a VVT setup won't work properly with 5w-30 in Texas because it should be running 0w-20, then it's surely going to have a hard time in Saskatchewan in December, even with a 0w-16. An A3/B4 oil isn't going to throw a monkey wrench into the works by any stretch of the imagination.

That pretty much sums it up.

 

[CT8]

[/quote] tight tolerance . [/quote] Clearances, tolerances are the allowed variance of the clearances. FYI.