20W50 oil?

Hello. Does anybody have any opinion on 20W50 engine oil? Its used mostly for high reving and hotter engines. Like on motorcycles. But I've heard from people it is a good oil for honda civics. I've been using it for a year now, but not in winter. Does anybody think it'll have any serious effect on my car? Keep in mind there is 351,000kms on it now and it works great.

On another note: How do I clean the intake area. I know it's never been dont in the last 100 or 150kms. And I've driven abuot 4000kms on a dusty gravel highways in some more northern areas.

Doug

Reply to
Colisto
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Colisto wrote in news:aIWVe.244967$tt5.219915@edtnps90:

It "works great" only because you've never had your motor apart.

It's a terrible idea. Your bearings and top end are getting a good, hard scraping every time you start up from cold, since the oil is taking that much longer to get up there.

Take it out and put 5W-30 back in there. If you're using 20W-50 to mask oil consumption problems, then you're only ultimately making things worse with the heavy stuff. This isn't the '60s any more.

Just pull the plastic intake tube off the throttle body. Spray some throttle body cleaner on to a clean rag and swab it out and both sides of the throttle plate (hold it open by hand). Spray some more throttle body cleaner on a toothbrush and use that to loosen the carbon around the spindle. Wipe it all off and keep going until clean.

If you wish, you can unbolt the EACV/IACV and shoot some throttle body cleaner through there as well.

Do not bother with spraying throttle body cleaner directly into the intake plenum with the engine running. You will do no good and may even do harm. All the gunk collects in the throttle body, especially if your PCV valve is getting plugged.

Reply to
TeGGeR®

"TeGGeR®" wrote in news:Xns96D195C937C35tegger@207.14.113.17:

Forgot to mention: Your oil filters will be calibrated for 5W-30 and 10W-

  1. Heavier oils will activate the bypass valve more often, so you're recirculating more abrasives through your oil pump, bearings and cam mechanism than you would with the lighter oil.

Bad, BAD idea.

Reply to
TeGGeR®

Shades of the mid 60s, I used to use 20-50W in a 64 XKE Jaguar. The old Jags had a 10 qt sump and were designed to use oil at the rate of about 1 qt every 300-500 miles. Can't imagine using it in a Honda. Even my Prelude only calls for 5-30w.

Reply to
TWW

Good to know. Perhaps I'll use 5w30 next time around. What the best thing a person can do to a car with 350,000kms on it to keep it going?

Reply to
Colisto

if there's nothing wrong with it, keep driving it! use a good quality oil with a decent additive package. personally i lke castrol gtx because it keeps my seals from leaking & keeps the motor quiet, but ymmv.

Reply to
jim beam

Colisto wrote in news:Dt7We.276662$on1.97456@clgrps13:

Change your oil a lot. And do that from new.

Reply to
TeGGeR®

use syntec oil or syntec blend by castrol if you want more protection. especially if you live where the tempatures are extreme. also use a fram oil filter. they're the best.

Reply to
hondaman

"hondaman" wrote in news:rPhWe.1323$ snipped-for-privacy@newssvr19.news.prodigy.com:

They are? Offer your proof please.

Reply to
TeGGeR®

Temperatures here go between -25(-13f) celcius to +30(86f). So its not bad to put synthetic in an old old car with a million miles on it like Ive heard? When its never seen synthetic before in its life.?

Reply to
Colisto

Colisto wrote in news:cupWe.250042$tt5.69495@edtnps90:

I get between -22F to 100F. Castrol GTX 5W-30 is all my baby has ever seen. Still getting 2,000 miles per quart of oil with about 405,000 km on the clock. How long that will last though, I have no idea.

Apparently not.

It used to be that synthetics had a tendency to leach plasticizers from the seals and harden them, causing leakage, but that has supposedly not been true since the early-mid-'90s.

Reply to
TeGGeR®

I changed our '85 Volvo over at somewhere above 200K miles (about 220K IIRC) because the deposits from the crankcase had plugged a 3/8 inch hose solid. I never even thought to check a hose that big. Anyway, when it didn't leak I changed my daughter's '93 Accord with a little more than 200K miles. Still no leak. But (like you) I was leery.

Mike

Reply to
Michael Pardee

Maybe it's worth a try then. With winter coming the temperatures get cold. All small engines call for synthetic 5W30 in the winter for a reason. So why not do it to the car?

Reply to
Colisto

"Michael Pardee" wrote

Michael, how many years and miles of no oil-related problems have now passed for each car?

Reply to
Elle

Must be a little over a year for the Volvo, a year or a little less for the Honda.

Mike

Reply to
Michael Pardee

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