How bad did the previous owner hurt car w/ 20w50?

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Originally Posted By: Steve S
Why would you think 20w-50 would do damage?


^^HUGE 2nd

Absolutely no damage whatsoever was done.
 
I know a guy who has a 90 Nissan Z32 twin turbo that has used GTX 20W50 since brand new. He`s long since passed the 400,000 mile mark..............still has factory spec compression in all 6 cylinders and original turbos.
 
Originally Posted By: aquariuscsm
Originally Posted By: Steve S
Why would you think 20w-50 would do damage?


^^HUGE 2nd

Absolutely no damage whatsoever was done.


Thank you. I apologize for my ignorance on this.

I just notice it's an oil no one really seems to use anymore in a regular passenger car. I even searched for it first.

However, I realize it just doesn't make sense to use it, it's not needed, and in very cold conditions it would be bad.

In the conditions it was used, it just hurt fuel economy.

Great to hear. Thanks!

No worries.

To get a little synthetic in there that is still thick, perhaps I'll try a 50/50 mix of Mobil 1 15w50 with my Mobil Clean High Mileage 10w40 conventional that I've been using the past six years.
 
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Originally Posted By: Ayrton

Yeah, I've had it for over six years now, and the leak has remained the same.

The thin oil leaks a bit, but it's a main seal would be extensive to fix the leak. 1 quart every 5,000 miles just doesn't seem worth fixing it in such an old car that is still performing fine.


I'd have to agree with that assessment. I've been there with an '88 Camry Wagon with a main seal leak losing the same amount. I drove it from 65K to almost 300K and it never really got much worse (it had the leak when I bought it). When I used PZ's 5W30HM is seemed to cut the leak in half, so that's an option if you want to slow the spots on the driveway. Maybe you could give the new SN-rated 5W30 PZ HM a try?
 
Originally Posted By: JOD
My guess is that he did a lot less damage than if he had used the correct viscosity and run it 2 qts low or not changed dino for 15K.

In other words, I really wouldn't worry about it--particularly if it's not consuming the thinner oil.

If the thinner oil is leaking, I'd find the source of the leak and fix it if it's worth doing. It may have nothing to do with the prior owner's oil choice.
What do you mean by less damage if he had used the correct viscosity and why would 20w-50 oil caue a leak?
 
Originally Posted By: aquariuscsm
I know a guy who has a 90 Nissan Z32 twin turbo that has used GTX 20W50 since brand new. He`s long since passed the 400,000 mile mark..............still has factory spec compression in all 6 cylinders and original turbos.
Just think how much better it would be with 0w-20 in it
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I have a KA24de in my 1993 240sx convertible that saw M1 15w-50 year round for the first 4 years of the 10 years I have had it. This is in Ohio, where winters can get quite cold. It now has close to 210,000 miles on it and is currently driven 45 miles a day, 5 days a week and all over the world on weekends, and starts and runs great. And no leaks! Currently.

I have fed this engine mostly M1 10w-40HM or M1 15W-50, however I have also used M1 10w-30, Maxlife 5w-30, Mobil Clean 5000 10w-30, various conventional 10w-40's, Quaker State 20w-50, and anything else I can find on sale. This summer I used the QS 20w-50 (I picked up 15 qts for $1/qt on closeout) to slow the oil consumption that has been slowly creaping up over the years, and now that the weather is getting cold its on Maxlife 5w-30, which just happened to be on sale this week. Curious to see what the consumption will be on the lighter 5w-30 oil. During the summer it was using about 1 qt/1000 miles.

This engine will run on any sludge you throw in it. As othes have said, as long as the previous owner changed it regularly, I wouldnt worry about what weight oil was put in it. This engine will run as long as the timing chain will let it.

Is your leak from the front bottom of the engine? The front main seal is notorious for leaking and is rediculously easy to replace.
 
[/quote]

Thank you. I apologize for my ignorance on this.

I just notice it's an oil no one really seems to use anymore in a regular passenger car. I even searched for it first.

However, I realize it just doesn't make sense to use it, it's not needed, and in very cold conditions it would be bad.

In the conditions it was used, it just hurt fuel economy.

Great to hear. Thanks!

No worries.

To get a little synthetic in there that is still thick, perhaps I'll try a 50/50 mix of Mobil 1 15w50 with my Mobil Clean High Mileage 10w40 conventional that I've been using the past six years. [/quote]

For synthetic, try Mobil 1 High mileage 10w30 or 10w40.
I ran that in my old Chevy pickup that leaked a little and it leaked the same or maybe less what it did with dino.
 
Originally Posted By: Ayrton
I have a 95 Nissan Altima with the well known KA24DE engine.

I've had it several years now.

Sadly, the first owner fed the little engine 20w50 nearly its entire life, up to 90,000 miles, with oil changes every 3-5k miles. Only 2-3 times chose something thinner.

What kind of damage would that likely have caused this engine?

It has a small leak since I got it, I always blamed that on the previous oil use.

I would use 5w30 or 10w30, but I can't due to the small oil leak. 10w40 HM conventional from Mobil nearly stops the leak.

I've just always wondered just how bad it was what the previous owner did to this great engine for the first 90,000 miles. I'm up to 120,000 miles now. The engine seems to run beautifully I must say.

The first owner was in Southern California though, so it had warm winters, that wasn't the issue. The only issue was that the oil was still stupid thick, right?


People run 15W40 and 20W50 all the time here in Australia without any problems. Up until fairly recently I'd never used anything else and I've never had a car where the engine failed before the rest of the car was knackered anyway.

So-Cal would be a similar climate to here, it's all relative to what the coldest temperature is that you will be starting under. Because oil thickens so much at very low temperatures, 20W50 at say 10C (50F) is not all that much different to 5W20 at -10C (14F). So though 20W50 wouldn't have been optimal there's most likely little or no extra wear involved given the warm conditions.

As for the oil consumption, Valvoline Maxlife is another good choice to try.
 
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I can offer my experiences with my field-tested 85 Omni 2.2L. I ran 20W-50 for its entire 165K life. The only problem I had was a no-start condition in -20°F weather. After 165K the car burned only one quart every 2K.
 
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Originally Posted By: Steve S
What do you mean by less damage if he had used the correct viscosity and why would 20w-50 oil caue a leak?


My point was that 1) he probably didn't do any damage and 2) the thicker oil didn't cause the leak...

The reason I "probably" though and asked about the leak is that if the car were consuming a thinner weight past the rings versus leaking it, it's entirely possible that the extra oil pressure from the thicker oil contributed the problem.

Then again, there's no way of knowing that the thicker weight oil and increased oil pressure didn't at least in part contribute to the main seal leak, particularly if this car isn't prone to that (I don't know either way). So, his question really wasn't a silly one.
 
Originally Posted By: Kestas
After 165K the car burned one quart every 2K.


I wouldn't say that's a rousing endorsement for lifetime 5W20 use!
 
Originally Posted By: JOD
Originally Posted By: Kestas
After 165K the car burned one quart every 2K.


I wouldn't say that's a rousing endorsement for lifetime 5W20 use!


Yeah but Kestas is in Detroit (I think). He mentions -20F starts
shocked.gif
Ouch! Yeah there's no way 20W50 is appropriate there. But the OP's car was running 20W50 in southern California, big difference.
 
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Originally Posted By: Steve S
Originally Posted By: ZZman

Probably some additional wear in the cold weather.
In So Cal? How so.
It can get fairly cold in SoCal in the winter months, being a desert region.

High thirties is common, and in the foothills you'll get snow. Nothing a 20W should have a problem with, I doubt it put any extra wear on the engine.

But still, SoCal ain't all beach weather.
 
Originally Posted By: JOD
My point was that 1) he probably didn't do any damage and 2) the thicker oil didn't cause the leak...


Agreed, on both counts.

Originally Posted By: JOD
..if the car were consuming a thinner weight past the rings versus leaking it, it's entirely possible that the extra oil pressure from the thicker oil contributed the problem.


The piston rings are lubricated from splash lubrication coming off the crank, not pressure. The thicker oil may have contributed by not being present on a cold startup, creating more cylinder and piston/ring wear, but there is no pressurized oil on the rings.

Originally Posted By: JOD
Then again, there's no way of knowing that the thicker weight oil and increased oil pressure didn't at least in part contribute to the main seal leak, particularly if this car isn't prone to that (I don't know either way).


History has shown this engine is definitely prone to main (front and rear) seal leaks as the miles rackup, however pressure wouldnt cause that. There is no pressurized oil on either side of the seal. Sunshine on the outside, and the open air of the crankcase behind it. The main seals only see splash lubrication.
smile.gif
 
Well, by pressure on the piston rings, I was referring to the added seal friction torque created by the heavier oil contributing to increased wear. I probably should have been more specific on that one.

As far as the main seal leak, you're right, that's me grasping at straws!
 
I don't think 20w50 can hurt anything unless it gets cold. Does it ever get to under 50 degrees F in SoCal even at night?
 
Originally Posted By: rainman49
Not sure this analogy will convert to the Nissan, but I put 467,000 miles on an '88 F150 with a 5.0L fed a steady diet of GTX 20W-50. Never had the valve covers off. Electrical gremlins did ol' White Lightnin' in. Obviously, that would only work where it doesn't get that cold, such as LA (Lower Alabama or Los Angeles).


I ran a straight weight 30W in Ohio for 3 years in a Toyota Tacoma. It gets down to 20 F here .

Some people have no clue about oil and think that thick oil is like cement ... they are wrong. Most pour points are still within or near -30 degrees

No problems till I was T boned by some knuckle head.
 
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I used to run 20w50 in my Mazda and Honda 4 bangers for years. Never had a problem with it, but I have the perfect climate to do so.
 
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