Up oil weight with high mile engines?

[Spring Break '92]

OK. I'm open for suggestions on oil grades. 13' CRV AWD K24 engine / original owner/ 0W20 it's whole life / 614, 877K on the ODO. I maintain it. I'm in New York. Avg temps 20-90 degrees. 3k OCI's . Daily driver.. What is the preferred grade at that mileage ?????? And yes, it starting to get a bit clackity clack when hot/ warmed up. Had valves adjusted 3X already. I'm thinking the clackity clack are worn bearings. No piston raps, or crank shutter. Idles beautiful.

No - the clacking noise you are hearing is your valvetrain. It's not silent, and if an oil quiets it down, it's temporary until it has some miles on it. Besides that, the K24 exhaust valves get tighter with mileage between adjustments, not looser. Intake valves get looser with mileage. I always adjust my intake valves to the minimum of the tolerance and exhaust valves to the maximum of the tolerance. The K24 exhaust valves also are know to slam shut after each opening. If you had a bad bearing, you would hear a knock, not clicking and clacking.

 

[Carlostrece]

But there is no such thing as a 25 grade. Mixing those two viscosities will just result in the final viscosity possibly being somewhere between 8.5-10.5 cst at 100c, so somewhere between the top end of the 20 grade range to the bottom end of the 30 grade range. And mixing different oils is no guarantee that they will work together like people think. Playing “backyard chemist” doesn’t make a better oil than the oil manufacturers can do. Just find an oil that has the exact same viscosity that you desire in the first place instead of trying to create your own.

My neighbor oil guzzling 03 Honda CR-V received Maxlife Blend 5w20 at last oil change. 400 miles (1.5 months) later the oil level had dropped from Full Mark to Add Mark. So I added 1 quart of Maxlife Blend 5w30. I intend to keep adding Maxlife Blend 5w30 as needed until next OCI. Then at next OCI put in 5w30 VRP.

Until next OCI (a year from now), I have a few quarts of 5w20 & 5w30 Maxlife Blend in my stash that I'd like to use up and this car needs another quart of oil every 400 miles.
 
I don't think mixing two viscosities of Maxlife Blend is playing backyard chemist because it's the same base oils and same additives in both the 5w20 & 5w30 MLB Also, I'm not doing it to get a middle viscosity. I'm just trying to use up the MLB that I have and keep the oil level up.

I don't think mixing two different viscosities of the same oil is playing backyard chemist. At least not in any way that's detrimental. The result (a middle viscosity) is predictable, IMO. The base oils and additives are the same.

I think playing backyard chemist is when people mix two different oil product lines, or mix brands, or use oil additives. IMO that is backyard chemistry with unpredictable results.

 

[Carlostrece]

The amount of gas in oil is measured by the labs as a standard procedure, IIRC. If the amount of gas in oil is above a certain amount, the vehicle owner should shorten the OCIs or find out why there is too much gas in oil.

Agreed. Maybe also go up one grade thicker viscosity too.

 

[george1122]

I do shorten the OCI by half. I also use a higher HT/HS oil as well.

I say also send a sample to one of the labs to analyze it. You never know there could be a faulty fuel injector.

 

[george1122]

@Spring Break '92 : Thanks for you post. I didn't know intake valves tend to get loser and exhaust ones tighter with age.