Oil questions for 7th Gen Accord

[Captal]

I know this is probably the first question everyone asks when they join this site- the "what oil should I put in my car question"- I tried searching and didn't really answer all my questions so here I go.

I have a 2003 Accord V6 6 speed with 5100 miles on it. I had the initial break-in oil changed out at 3500 to 10W30 at the Honda dealer (it was free). I did notice an increase in gas mileage ever since (I was getting about 20-21 MPG now I get 24-26 and I drive my car pretty hard).

I plan on changing over to synthetic, but my mechanic really cationed me on changing over before 10k miles so that the rings seal properly and I don't end up burning oil. He seemed to be a very knowledgable guy, and has a VW 1.8T that's highly modded. So I was thinking of getting another oil change at Honda at 7000 miles and then putting synthetic in at 10000 miles.

First off- I'm not sure what brand oil to use- I don't want to pay ridiculous amounts of money for oil- ~$4/quart is fine. I've read a lot about Mobil 1 and people seem to like it, I haven't read a lot of the oil analysises because I really don't know what I'm looking for. Is Mobil 1 a good choice for my car? What rating?

Second- Filter! I know Fram is bad and that Honda filters are made by Fram. What filters should I be buying for my car?

I noticed that the mechanic had a tool to put the filter on, is this needed? I noticed that when I changed the oil on my motorcycle. I really had to get the filter tight or else it leaked, I really don't want my car to leak oil I plan on doing the oil changes myself as I just got jack stands and a jack for Christmas.

Another hard question- how long should I leave synthetic in? I've heard so many answers- never go past 3000 miles, 10000 miles, 5000 miles, Honda even recommends going 7500 miles on dino oil. I just have no clue. From what I've read you guys have more knowledge on oil than anyone I've ever talked to and I appreciate your help!

I guess I should give some conditions:
I live in Milwaukee, WI where it is currently 8 degrees. So we get some pretty cold winters. We also get relatively hot summers- it isn't uncommon to get into the 90's, but we rarely see 100's. I like to drive my car hard- I redline shift a lot and I will be taking my car to the track on occasion. I definetly am not your average driver who shifts at 3000 rpm's all the time.

Thanks again!
Rob

 

[Chris B.]

1st off

!

Well you sure have a big 1st post! Your mechanic is wrong about synthetic making your rings seat wrong and causing oil burning, it is just a myth. I along with dozzens of other folks on here did the switch to synthetic early in the engines life, some still under 1,000 miles and caused no problems. My 2003 Silverado now has 14,000 mile on it, I switched to Mobil 1 10w30 at 2,800ish miles and my engine burns no oil and is very smooth running.
WIX(Napa Golds), K&N, SuperTech, and a few others are top filters.
Also you want to do oil analysis to confirm just how long your oil will last in you engine and driving conditions. Learn how to read one and compair them.
Do a little reading on here and you will learn tons of good info, Enjoy!

 

[White 03]

Welcome,

I have the same car as you with about 11,000 miles on it. I am using Pennz 5w 20 with 4000 mile changes. I am doing a little experiment with Lub Control also. I would certainly consider Moble 1 0w 20 and a little longer changes. I don't think 10,000 miles is to long to stay with regular oil before changing to syn oil. Honda is very concerned about break in time with their engines. I am not sure I understand their concern but this has been discussed in the past here, you might do a search.

There is a discussion on Honda filters in the oil filter section. I have used factory filters so there will be no argueing about warrantees. I think the Honda filter is probably good enoungh. There is considerable range of view points about filters right now. The rest of my cars get Wix or Napa Gold filters.

 

[Captal]

Thanks for the welcome guys! My mechanic told me that they had several preludes that switched to synthetic too early and then burned oil the rest of the life of the car.

How are you liking your car so far Fun to drive eh?

 

[ToyotaNSaturn]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Captal:
Thanks for the welcome guys! My mechanic told me that they had several preludes that switched to synthetic too early and then burned oil the rest of the life of the car.

How are you liking your car so far Fun to drive eh?

---

Welcome to the board!

Weren't the Preludes the ones with the faulty piston rings that caused excessive oil consumption by the 30K-40K range? Synthetic oil has nothing to do with the Prelude oil burning issue...

 

[Dr. T]

Hmmm...sounds like you had a 40 weight in there from factory if your mileage jumped that much with conventional 10-30. Interesting....

 

[Schmoe]

You don't need no "tool" to put the filter on, other than a strong arm or a regular filter wrench if it's that tight. Honda engines have run good on just about anything. Do a search in the UOA section and punch in Honda, and look at the results. I have an 02, with the recommended 5W-20 spec's, screw that, been using M1 5W-30 since about 35K and running good. But I'm in Oklahoma, winter is not that bad here. In your case, I'd run the 5W-20 until spring. I used Pennz. purebase 5W-20 up till 35K, and got good results. I posted them on the UOA. Used Quaker State 5W-20, good results as well. One thing you will learn here is that if you change your oil every 3K, then about any good name brand will do you justice. If you want to extend your drains, then you get into different specs and stuff.

[ January 06, 2004, 01:28 PM: Message edited by: Schmoe ]

 

[Ray H]

I would expect any new (or rebuilt) engine would experience substantial fuel mileage gains during the break-in process. There's no reason to presume the factory-fill oil was 40 weight. Before you go to really extended OCIs, keep in mind who's covering your butt. Honda may want (and has every right) to see receipts and logs of oil changes if something mechanical tanks in the engine during the warranty period. You mentioned you plan to run the engine hard. Expect some oil consumption in this mode - if for no other reason than hard driving will evaporate any water condensation that's collected in the bottom of the sump. That alone would drop the oil volume a bit. But, even with a "dry" engine, hard driving will shear oil and accelerate evaporation. There's more to oil consumption than poor piston ring sealing.

[ January 06, 2004, 03:14 PM: Message edited by: Ray H ]

 

[Captal]

STSinNYC- I think you're right- it was probably 5W30 not 10W30.

I'm guessing I'll need my next oil change in a month, which will be the middle of winter still- should I just stick with Honda 5W30 for the next change and then go Mobil 1 5W30 at 10k?

Any other advice? Filter advice? Reading some of the oil analysis stuff it seems like I'd be fine to go 7500 miles (which would keep me in warranty) on synthetic. If I go to Walmart I can pick up the Mobil 1 there right? What about this Mobil 1 R stuff? Should I buy a filter at Walmart as well or what? So many questions

 

[tec97]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Captal:
Thanks for the welcome guys! My mechanic told me that they had several preludes that switched to synthetic too early and then burned oil the rest of the life of the car.

How are you liking your car so far Fun to drive eh?

---

That makes matters more clear. I had a 97 Prelude, and it definitely used oil. It used about a quart of oil every 2500 miles whether dino or syn. My dad's GS-R also had an oil appetite as did the Preludes of most of my friends, whereas my now ex-wife's Civic used zero oil. In my experience, DOHC Honda engines tend to drink a bit of oil, whereas SOHC Honda engines seem to do great. I'm sure there are probably some exceptions to this, but that has been my experience w/ Hondas. I have never owned a V6 Honda tho.

 

[STSinNYC]

Captal, did you mean to say you had changed to 10W-30, or is it actually 5W-30 you put in?

I believe 5W-20 oil is the factory spec. I have an 02 Accord V6 and Honda spec is 5W-20.

I have been using Pennzoil 5W-20, the engine runs well on it. Also using Honda OEM filters.

 

[White 03]

Captal,

Yea these cars can be fun. This is my third Honda and they seem to do very well by me anyway.

I am suprised your dealer is using 5w 30 and not the recommended 5w 20. 5w 20 is not a bad oil. Most of the 5w 20 oil (non syn), compared to 5w 30, is made with better base stock and has passed harder tests. It seems to be getting good results and very little thinning. A lot of people here have trouble going with a 20 weight oil but I am going to try it for awhile.

I think if I was to go with synthetic I would also hold it to 7500 miles just to make sure there were no questions in case of warranty work. Moble also makes a 0w 20 they recomend for Hondas or their 30 weights have in the past been on the thin side but I am not sure if that is changing. A 5w or a 0w synthetic should do well in the colder climates.

If you hang around this site long you will get all kinds of new information and new ideas, keep searching.

Have fun!

 

[Bebop]

The normal schedule for most of the current Hondas is 10K and 5K for severe.

 

[MikeySoft]

quote:

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Originally posted by Bebop:
The normal schedule for most of the current Hondas is 10K and 5K for severe.

---

I believe that is only for the 4 cylinders. The V6 has 7500 miles or 1/2 that for severe. At least that what it is for the Accords.

 

[ToyotaNSaturn]

quote:

---

Originally posted by tec97:
That makes matters more clear. I had a 97 Prelude, and it definitely used oil. It used about a quart of oil every 2500 miles whether dino or syn. My dad's GS-R also had an oil appetite as did the Preludes of most of my friends, whereas my now ex-wife's Civic used zero oil. In my experience, DOHC Honda engines tend to drink a bit of oil, whereas SOHC Honda engines seem to do great. I'm sure there are probably some exceptions to this, but that has been my experience w/ Hondas. I have never owned a V6 Honda tho.

---

Tec97, Does this discussion thread echo your experiences?... http://theoildrop.server101.com/cgi/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=004235#000003

[ January 07, 2004, 09:57 AM: Message edited by: ToyotaNSaturn ]

 

[Schmoe]

I've been using the Pure One Micro (blue can). Little more expensive but works very well on this engine.

 

[Captal]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Schmoe:
I've been using the Pure One Micro (blue can). Little more expensive but works very well on this engine.

---

This engine being the 3.0 V6 in my Accord?

I haven't heard of Pure One Micro, about how much and where can I get them? Any reviews?

Thanks for all the input guys

 

[gerhardb]

You can use any decent synthetic oil:

1) Mobil 1 0/5/10W30 will work well.

2) AMSOIL 0/5/10w30 will work well.

3) Redline - same.

4) Schaefers - same.

Oil filters:

Mobil 1, AC Delco, K&N, Fram X2 (only the X2), AMSOIL, WIX (branded), any filter that says "Made in Japan"

Oh, the a 0W20 oil the dealers have started using is crap.... and your car doesn't require it.

 

[crossbow]

Oh, the a 0W20 oil the dealers have started using is crap.... and your car doesn't require it.

Could you back this up please? I'd like some data/UOA/fact supporting this statement.

Thanks!

 

[Bror Jace]

Captal, you might want to try searching s'more for this topic. I know there are a few good-sized threads in this section about new Accords ... but they might not be the latest generation. Of course, people here are not going to have a lot of experience with the redesigned Accord ... no one does.

The 5W20 debate has been a common one however and you'll find quite a bit.

Also, you should search the "Used Oil Analysis - Gas Engines" sub-section for 5W20 and 0W20 anlyses. This data and the accompanying discussion will give you a good idea as for intervals.

If you have a question about a given analysis, resurrect that thread by posting in it.

--- Bror Jace