i was wondering, when i should use a thicker oil? i have a 1995 plymouth neon. use 5w 30. has 73,400 miles. ive heard people talk about at a certain mileage to use 10 w 30, and then later, like a 10 W 40 and even later, 15 40 ect ect. when would someone consider going form 5w 30 to 10 w 30? and thn to a 5 w 40 or 10w40?
when should i consider a 10w30 over 5w30?
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If 5w30 is working for you there is no NEED to change. There are reasons to go up a grade such as consumption or if your duty cylce.severeity puts the 5w3 on the lower envelope of the protection you need. This is what I could call without seedy reference a prophylactic approach to lubrication. The higher the risk, the better protection you will want.
If there are no issues there really is no need to change. I believe the 5w series will be better formulated in most all brands to meet Ford and GM specs that leave 10w's out.
If you are consuming or just want additive levels designed to work with your engine's design I would suggest a 5w40 HDEO.
If there are no issues there really is no need to change. I believe the 5w series will be better formulated in most all brands to meet Ford and GM specs that leave 10w's out.
If you are consuming or just want additive levels designed to work with your engine's design I would suggest a 5w40 HDEO.
if you have consumption issues, then that i believe is the point where people consider thicker oils. i have heard of some of the neon people running some really really thick oil and i think it only hurts them, like 20w50. i dont see how the little engine turns over stuff that thick. i currently use 5w30 in my 04 neon, but i am thinking about an xw40 oil. but i might just stick with the 5w30.
10w30 i believe is the traditional next step up from 5w30. then 10w40. 5w40 seems to be more of a niche oil. mainly used in german cars and diesels, since they recommend xw40 oils. 5w40 is only available as a synthetic oil. i personally would not go any thicker than 10w40 in the 2.0 engine that comes in the neon.
with you being in ct you definetly dont want too thick of an oil for your winter. we ran 5w30 in our 3.0l acclaim for 189000 miles, it only used 1/2 qt between 3000 mile oci so we never changed it. engine ran great.
10w30 i believe is the traditional next step up from 5w30. then 10w40. 5w40 seems to be more of a niche oil. mainly used in german cars and diesels, since they recommend xw40 oils. 5w40 is only available as a synthetic oil. i personally would not go any thicker than 10w40 in the 2.0 engine that comes in the neon.
with you being in ct you definetly dont want too thick of an oil for your winter. we ran 5w30 in our 3.0l acclaim for 189000 miles, it only used 1/2 qt between 3000 mile oci so we never changed it. engine ran great.
I don't think there's a certain mileage number that warrants thicker oil. If you are leaking oil, try a thicker grade (10W30, 10W40, or 5W30 high mileage) to slow it down. If you're not leaking, stick with what you're using.
Keep in mind that a lot of 5W-30's are thicker than 10W-30's at 212F. In case anyone is wondering, I'm going by product data sheets.
When your spark plugs get oil fouled before 50,000 miles I would do something. If piston soak doesn't fix it, switch to thicker oil.
You also can run a mix of 10w30 with one or two quarts 10w40 for an in-between grade. But I suggest checking the oil pressure with a real oil pressure gauge. If it is running spec oil pressure on 10w30 they stay with 10w30. My preference is high mileage oil, some of which are a bit thicker.
I would make the cut off depending on two main things:
a) ambient temps (10W's seem ok into the teens F°)
b) oil cold cranking ability (mainly depends on oil base type, synthetic having a fairly huge advantage, some synthetic 10W's probably would be OK at 0°F and below, good at least as most 5W dinos)
Hope this helps!
For synthetic, 5w30 or 10w30 probably won't make a difference unless you're in real cold climate. For dino in summer time, 10w30 is better than 5w30 simply due to the fact that it has less polymer (assume both grades use the same base oil). They are the same 30 oil at operating temp.
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10W-30 is so close to 5W-30 in viscosity. Unless your 5W-30 shears badly, the 10W-30 won't help much at all. If you are going to move up in weight/viscosity, 10W-40 would be my choice.
Getting that engine nice & clean would be my first choice before going heavier. I demand a good oil brand - plus a clear dipstick at 1.5K into my 3-4K OCI using dinos -- even at my present 170K on my odometer.
With one used vehicle I purchased for my daughter, I needed to do several 1K oil/filter changes with additives like Rislone/VSOT/Engine Flush... etc... before that dipstick color was still semi-transparent at 1.5K into the oil change.
Afterwards, it consumed less oil & the exhaust smell was not as offensive.
Getting that engine nice & clean would be my first choice before going heavier. I demand a good oil brand - plus a clear dipstick at 1.5K into my 3-4K OCI using dinos -- even at my present 170K on my odometer.
With one used vehicle I purchased for my daughter, I needed to do several 1K oil/filter changes with additives like Rislone/VSOT/Engine Flush... etc... before that dipstick color was still semi-transparent at 1.5K into the oil change.
Afterwards, it consumed less oil & the exhaust smell was not as offensive.
In normal driving, I switch grades based on the outside temp. 5-30 in winter, 10-30 the rest of the time where I live. Assuming normal driving habits and you don't have any oil consumption issues, there's no need to go thicker at this point.
I've always wondered about that polymer. I'd read once that *it* was not a lubricant but a viscosity improver and added little to the lubrication process.
Any thoughts?
Earlier, I suggested that HM is a gimmick. Several replies have added that HM oils are also thicker. Well, it really depends on the manufacturer. For Pennzoil, that is true. 5W30 HM has essentially the same viscosity as a 3:1 dilution of Pennzoil 5W30 with Pennzoil 10W40. If HM is the same price as their regular oil, then they are providing an blending service. I suppose I should have said that I think that HM is a marketing strategy instead of it being a gimmick. I have a difficult time telling those two apart. Since my most common wear issue with engines are the seals, I am perhaps overly concerned with willy-nilly seal swelling. And since math is just math, I don't mind mixing oil if I want a custom viscosity.
terrific info all! thanks big time!!!: )
Not in any of my Volvos.
The general consensus is that the turbo white blocks seem to like a "40" weight best, and a full syn is highly recommended.
The present manufacturer recommendation is 5W or 10w-30, with a 10W-30 preferred for "more severe" conditions. 10w-30 was preferred for most pre-P2s. 5w-30 is recommended for CAFE. You'll rarely see a Volvo running 5w-30 in Europe.
I run 10w-30 in all our vehicles, in varying degrees of quality (RL or Schaeffers), depending on the engine. RL 10w-30 is as good as a 40 weight, and reduces turbo spool up.
For the original poster, My Mopar mechanic bud has a '98 Neon he bought new, now with a gazillion miles on it (actually mid 100s). Nothing but 10w-30 since day one. He says you can take the internals out and put them on the parts shelf.
I think you can use a 10w-30 in all but the coldest climates with condfidence.
The general consensus is that the turbo white blocks seem to like a "40" weight best, and a full syn is highly recommended.
The present manufacturer recommendation is 5W or 10w-30, with a 10W-30 preferred for "more severe" conditions. 10w-30 was preferred for most pre-P2s. 5w-30 is recommended for CAFE. You'll rarely see a Volvo running 5w-30 in Europe.
I run 10w-30 in all our vehicles, in varying degrees of quality (RL or Schaeffers), depending on the engine. RL 10w-30 is as good as a 40 weight, and reduces turbo spool up.
For the original poster, My Mopar mechanic bud has a '98 Neon he bought new, now with a gazillion miles on it (actually mid 100s). Nothing but 10w-30 since day one. He says you can take the internals out and put them on the parts shelf.
I think you can use a 10w-30 in all but the coldest climates with condfidence.
Could that be one of the reasons 5W20's seem to be returning better than expected UOA's?
I *think* I remember back in the 80's GM said something about VI's in 10W40 causing sticky rings. Is this possible?
Thanks,
Volvo (which i recognize your car is not a volvo) says to use 5w30 unless you will be towing, doing extended mountain driving, or continuous high-speed driving, then use 10w30.
However i tend to agree with the other posters. If what you're doing is working, don't "fix" it
However i tend to agree with the other posters. If what you're doing is working, don't "fix" it
I wouldn't doubt that it was possible in the '80s - at least as far as conventional 10W-40 formulations were concerned.
I've heard that while I changed oil at one of those quickie lube places... My father's manual for his old 88' K-car (5W-30 preferred) he uses for local driving also states never use 10W-40, but calls for a 10W-30, 15W40, or an SAE30 if one wants a heavier oil...
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