Oil...5W-30?

You will probably get a plethora of opinions on this. I would look in the owners manual and see if 10W-30 is approved as an option for some temperatures or classes of operation. If so, I would use it..

If not, I might be hesitant, especially if it affected the viability of my warranty.

It is 99.99999% sure to be absolutely harmless. Lets round it up and say you are completely ok with your oil.

Gosh, that is so obvious, I didn't even think of checking the owner's manual. I'll do that first.

Thanks for the reminder.

Dave C.

Hello Sir, and thank you so much for that grand and magnanimous inquiry. The engine oil weight is contingent upon the amount of miles on your vehicle. A new low mileage engine requires 5-30w. As the engine ages and gets to say 60k miles then go to a heavier weight like 10-30. Above 100k I would be using 10-40w. Closing in on 200k miles I would be using 10-50w.

Viscosity explained here-

I wouldn't change the viscosity unless the engine is out of warranty and using over a quart of oil between changes. I.E., burning oil. I definitely wouldn't change it based solely on mileage unless it was burning, or using, excessive amounts of oil.

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Did you ever check your owner's manual, Dave, for ranges of viscosities recommended?

If so, what did you find?

A bogus answer. The manual is not all knowing and all powerful. Science matters too. A good 10W-30 is going to put less start up drag on an engine in the summer months than a 5W-30 does in the winter. Once warmed up, they are the same viscosity rating. All the 5W tells you is that that oil has better extremely low temperature cranking than does a 10W oil.

Bzzzt, wrong. You don't understand oil as well as you think you do.

There is more to be known about automotive technologies than is found in the owner's manual.

| > You will probably get a plethora of opinions on this. I would look in | > the owners | > manual and see if 10W-30 is approved as an option for some temperatures | > or classes | > of operation. If so, I would use it.. | >

| > If not, I might be hesitant, especially if it affected the viability of | > my warranty. | | A bogus answer. The manual is not all knowing and all powerful. | Science matters too. A good 10W-30 is going to put less start up drag | on an engine in the summer months than a 5W-30 does in the winter. | Once warmed up, they are the same viscosity rating. All the 5W tells | you is that that oil has better extremely low temperature cranking than | does a 10W oil.

I thought this way too- until reading this:

Multi viscosity oils work like this: Polymers are added to a light base (5W, 10W, 20W), which prevent the oil from thinning as much as it warms up. At cold temperatures the polymers are coiled up and allow the oil to flow as their low numbers indicate. As the oil warms up the polymers begin to unwind into long chains that prevent the oil from thinning as much as it normally would. The result is that at 100 degrees C the oil has thinned only as much as the higher viscosity number indicates. Another way of looking at multi-vis oils is to think of a 20W-50 as a 20 weight oil that will not thin more than a 50 weight would when hot.

*(Not a 50 weight oil that will only get as thick as a 20 weight oil when cold)

From:

correct, you have a 5 or 10 weight oil at start up that only thins asmuch as 30 weight oil at higher temperatures. At 70° F the 5 weight willbe thinner than the 10 weight.

*Added by me.

You screwed up a good conversation by adding facts. Shame on you, this is USENET where we have the right to be wrong.

Dont be such a dipshit, John...It is not a bogus answer. If the manufacturer approves a qualified 10W-30 under the conditions that the OP is encountering, then there is no reason not to use it.

If, however, you start using oil, or tranny fluid, or coolant, which the manufacturer does not approve or specifically rejects, you can end up with a warranty that will not be accepted. I have seen it happen.

Sorry! I guess I won't post Battery Facts then-

Yes, I did (sorry for this late answer) and the manual specifically specifies 5W-30. Further, it clearly states in the manual "Do not use SAE

10W-40, SAE 20W50 or any other viscosity grade oil not recommended."

And a chart shows that 5W-30 is to be used at ambient temperatures between 0 deg F and 100 deg F.

So, I am sticking with that.

Being a new vehicle, 5W-30 is the oil of choice....not worth the issue that if I ever have an engine problem within warrantee I don't want the oil viscosity to be a concern (probably would not be, but who knows).

Regards,

Dave