Playin' with oil viscosity=playing with fire?

[damanwitdaplan]

I was car-talkin' with an ExxonMobil engineer and the conversation drifted inevitably to "lubricants".

Of the pearls of wisdom he gave me was "don't use any oil viscosity other than manufacturer spec". The reasoning was specific and included maintaining spec engine/trannie temperature and proper functioning of various engine sensors
...thereby reflecting on engine management as a whole.

So there all u oil tinkerers out there...

whats your excuse?

 

[Stainless]

This thread should be GOOD!

First off we will have the, "do exactly what the car company recommends."

Then we will have the, "but the SAME car is sold in Europe, and the spec over there is 15w40... and over HERE it is 0W-20."

Then we will have people quote used oil analysis of X engine with xxW-XX oil as proof they are right.

Then some one will say, it depends on your driving habits, local temps, AND it must be backed up with a used oil analysis in the specific vehicle.

then add some fluff here and there.

and then resurrect the thread 2 years from now.

 

[Quattro Pete]

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Of the pearls of wisdom he gave me was "don't use any oil viscosity other than manufacturer spec".

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So, what does he have to say for those manufacturers that allow a whole range of viscosity grades, from 5w30 all the way to 10w-60?

 

[damanwitdaplan]

Well Quattro, that may just mean the manufacturer acknowledges proper engine performance within that viscosity range...but that doesn't mean it can be applied to other makes.

 

[Max_Wander]

scare tactics.

 

[SargeGTO]

If that is true why does GM recommend one viscosity here in the USA and a thicker oil in Australia for the EXACT SAME ENGINE?

 

[Merkava_4]

Quote:

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then add some fluff here and there.

and then resurrect the thread 2 years from now.

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LOL!!! . . .

 

[Dad2leia]

Quote:

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Of the pearls of wisdom he gave me was "don't use any oil viscosity other than manufacturer spec". The reasoning was specific and included maintaining spec engine/trannie temperature and proper functioning of various engine sensors
...thereby reflecting on engine management as a whole.

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Give me a break...

 

[Dad2leia]

And before everybody busts me for my Honda engine rants about 20 wieght. I WILL be using a 0w30 very shortly here for my summer trip season.

 

[KieferS]

the fact of the matter is that certain weights do not meet the specs of the engine it is being used on.
This is rediculous, 5w30 will not meet for example VW requirments. 5w40 on the other hand will. If you want to use the 5w30, all power to you, it may very well be the better viscosity for your engine BUT it does not meet specs. Now, the choice is up to you, use the 'proper' oil for the viscosity OR use the proper oil for your engine that meets it's specs.
I don't care about what they use in europe. I don't care what your 20 dollar UOA says. What i care about is that what i use meets the specs of my engine.
It's a simple fact of following directions. If your oil cap says 5w30, use 5w30.
Things go so much better and easier that way.

 

[Quattro Pete]

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It's a simple fact of following directions.

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In a perfect world, yes. But blindly following directions can be detrimental at times. Ask all the VAG 1.8T owners who suffered sludge issues because the directions said to change oil every 10K miles and didn't specify that the oil had to be synthetic.

 

[G-MAN]

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If that is true why does GM recommend one viscosity here in the USA and a thicker oil in Australia for the EXACT SAME ENGINE?

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Because the oil flows through the engine backwards in the southern hemisphere. Therefore, the sump is the area being least lubricated at start up. Since the top end is drenched in oil at startup, thicker oil can be used.

 

[Seth]

Quote:

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the fact of the matter is that certain weights do not meet the specs of the engine it is being used on.
This is rediculous, 5w30 will not meet for example VW requirments. 5w40 on the other hand will. If you want to use the 5w30, all power to you, it may very well be the better viscosity for your engine BUT it does not meet specs. Now, the choice is up to you, use the 'proper' oil for the viscosity OR use the proper oil for your engine that meets it's specs.
I don't care about what they use in europe. I don't care what your 20 dollar UOA says. What i care about is that what i use meets the specs of my engine.
It's a simple fact of following directions. If your oil cap says 5w30, use 5w30. Things go so much better and easier that way.

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You are using example of folks using lesser viscosity. While that statement is valid, going a notch above the recommended viscosity does not hurt. Case in point, my oil cap says 5w20 yet my manual recommends 10w30 in peak summer. Its the manufacturer who is saying I am better off with thicker oil when temps are at or above 100F.

BTW, following article illustrates the point of fuel economy vs wear argument:

http://www.machinerylubrication.com/arti...oup=Maintenance

Okay it is a bit dated but you get the idea.

 

[TallPaul]

Quote:

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Quote:

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If that is true why does GM recommend one viscosity here in the USA and a thicker oil in Australia for the EXACT SAME ENGINE?

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Because the oil flows through the engine backwards in the southern hemisphere. Therefore, the sump is the area being least lubricated at start up. Since the top end is drenched in oil at startup, thicker oil can be used.

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Wow! I didn't know that. Now I've got to move to Australia so I can use up all the 10w40 and 20w50 in my stash.

 

[RI_RS4]

Quote:

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the fact of the matter is that certain weights do not meet the specs of the engine it is being used on.
This is rediculous, 5w30 will not meet for example VW requirments. 5w40 on the other hand will. If you want to use the 5w30, all power to you, it may very well be the better viscosity for your engine BUT it does not meet specs. Now, the choice is up to you, use the 'proper' oil for the viscosity OR use the proper oil for your engine that meets it's specs.
I don't care about what they use in europe.

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Kiefer, you should really change your language. You really do not mean "spec", what you mean is "US warranty requirement." These are totally different things. Exactly the same VW and Audi engines run 502 spec oil in the US and 504 spec oil in Europe. The "specs" allow for this. The warranty requirements do not.

In actuality, 504 oil is required in Europe due to its low sulfur and ash content. This spec supersedes the 502 spec. But 504 spec oil is not yet available in the US, even though it is superior in some ways. As a result, the US warranty requirements call for 502 oil in gasoline engines.

If you're only going to keep your car less than the warranty period, then by all means keep using what the manufacturer requires, as long as you are happy with it. But, if you'd like to keep your car longer than the warranty requirements, then you might want to think about the potential use of other oils, based on oil analysis and interpretation. In my case, 502 approved oils will cause my engine to tank quickly. As a result, I had Terry Dyson consult on my analysis results and develop a custom oil that will reduce fuel dilution by 2:1 and wear by 3:1. I'll happily do this rather than destroy a perfectly good high performance engine.

 

[Merkava_4]

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. . . But blindly following directions can be detrimental at times.

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I agree, BMW's FIFTEEN THOUSAND MILE OCI comes to mind.

 

[sprintman]

Because the oil flows through the engine backwards in the southern hemisphere. Therefore, the sump is the area being least lubricated at start up. Since the top end is drenched in oil at startup, thicker oil can be used.
So that's why I could run 25W70 for many years and it's still going strong. I knew we were different.

 

[crinkles]

no kidding, according to my 05 camry manual I can use 20W-50 in my 2AZ-FE just fine since it never goes below freezing where I am.

There is NO CLEAR STATEMENT in any car that I've owned here in Australia as to what grade and viscosity I need to use. It's ALWAYS vague and gives a temperature chart.

Only real guideline I can see is SL classification.

Personally I think it is to prevent backyard mechanics from doing the work themselves and to force them to go to stealerships. If you keep them dumb enough they will feel they have to go to a garage to get it done.

10W-30 is probably the most appropriate one for my camry. but the cans are few and far between (only see Pennzoil Conventional and shell helix eco10 readily available. other than that 90% of dino is 15w40 or some such.

 

[Camu Mahubah]

fee fi php phum what do you wanna run?

 

[Truck&Cycle]

I'm sure that when an engine manufacturer changes spec to a lighter oil from one year to another and it just so happens to be the year that the new "lighter" oil hits the market, the maker MUST have retooled and redesigned the entire engine so it could comply with the new oil's specs.

Maybe just meeting EPA mileage standards for the fleet is a bit more important and the lighter oil works in that direction.

My 05 Tacoma calls for 5w30 and states if you must, you can use 10w30 but get it out of there as soon as 5w30 becomes available.

Now that same engine calls for either 0w30 or 0W-20.