Used wrong weight of oil

[elkid]

Hi everyone, long time lurker first time poster here.

I put 5w20 in my dads 2006 Altima 2.5S. I later read the manual and it calls for 5w30 for year round use or 10w30 (or 10w40) for warm weather use. Will the vehicle be ok? I live in Virginia (USA) and it's warming up.

My dad drives 75 miles each way to work and the car has 136K miles on it. Should I switch it out? I thought all modern cars call for 5w20 nowadays, that's why I put it in there.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Does your dad drive it very hard? If not, you'll probably be OK. Just switch back to Xw-30 at your next interval.

 

[brandini]

dont worry

 

[daman]

Whats his OCI? what brand 5w20?


you'll be fine with the 5w20 in there i'm sure,i'm running 5w20 in and old school 350 Chevy, perfect oil pressure.

 

[oggb]

It'll be fine, but switch it back to 5w-30 next time. Many 5w-30's shear to a 20-weight anyhow.

 

[qdeezie]

No worries for one OCI. Some manufacturers actually back spec'd their vehicles to 5w-20 from 5w-30.

 

[simple_gifts]

No worries (as indicated); some on BITOG run lower visc oils in their rides as a rule (including myself)

 

[kcfx4]

i wouldnt worry

 

[spasm3]

I would not worry to much, i might add a bit of 5-50 if it makes you feel better.

 

[HTSS_TR]

Don't worry, but make sure to check the oil level every week or every 1k mile and top off with xW50 if needed.

 

[fdcg27]

If your dad is driving the car 75 miles each way, that has to be mostly highway, which is very easy on the engine and oil.
I would probably use a 10W-30 where you live.
Still, the 5W-20 should be fine for one run.
It won't hurt the engine, and may bring the fabled fuel economy improvement.

 

[elkid]

Thx everyone. Feel much better now. I used MaxLife 5w20. My dad drives very gently. He's your old country gentleman that waves hi to everyone doing 35 on a 45 mph back road, with everyone behind him about to go postal. My worry is his long commute (150 miles round trip) to work.

We normally change oil every 3mo because he drives so gently and only uses for his commute to work. Also his commute is traffic free (no stop and go).

Thanks again to everyone. Will use 5w30 for next change.

 

[HTSS_TR]

MaxLife 5w20 is not as thin as normal 5W20, it's almost as thick as 5W30. If you like to use MaxLife for the next OCI you may want to stay with 5W20.

 

[yaris0128]

5w20 is awesome. You might just like it better over Xw30 anyway. Ill be switching to 5w20 in all my cars from now on instead of 5w30. I like it better.

 

[JimPghPA]

OK, as long as the cooling systym is in good shape. If the radiator is cloged and the engine runs hot with the AC on, you would not want 5W-20 in it.

So the question is what shape is the cooling system in?

 

[demarpaint]

If it is bothering you, here are a couple of options. Drain a qt of oil and replace it with a 5W50 synthetic, or add a bottle of STP to the oil to thicken it up. From my experience using 20 grade oils I'd leave well enough alone and just drive the car as is.

 

[elkid]

I think I'll leave it as is. Good point on the cooling system. Don't know if it's ever been changed/flushed, but no heating/ac problems with the car. Sounds like I have a project for the weekend.