What do the numbers mean with motor oil?

[shmokes]

If my car calls for 5W-20 and I put in 10W-30 will my car explode?

[crashwg]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motor_oil

[ChadTower]

No.  It just won't be optimally protected.  The first number is cold viscosity and the second number is hot viscosity.

The W stands for Winter rated, which is why it's attached to the cold rating.

[shardian]

10w-30 is pretty much an all-weather oil. If you don't have extreme weather, it will work fine.

[ChadTower]

Or a specialized car (big ass SUV or high end sports car).

[shardian]

Chad, we both know schmokes does not have a high-end sports car or super-sized SUV....

[ChadTower]

Maybe one of his wives does. 

[shardian]

Since we are on the subject of car oils, if you have a used car, sub in a quart of Lucas oil. It's like $8 and  is frikkin awesome.

[ChadTower]

My car isn't used.  It is NIB.

[shmokes]

Maybe one of his wives does. 

That's awesome.

[ChadTower]

It's Utahstic.

[Donkey_Kong]

Since we are on the subject of car oils, if you have a used car, sub in a quart of Lucas oil. It's like $8 and  is frikkin awesome.

Whats so awesome about it?

Hey the Lucas Oil Top Fuel Nationals are held annually in like, my backyard. Rattles my damn windows man!

[danny_galaga]

Since we are on the subject of car oils, if you have a used car, sub in a quart of Lucas oil. It's like $8 and  is frikkin awesome.

Whats so awesome about it?

Hey the Lucas Oil Top Fuel Nationals are held annually in like, my backyard. Rattles my damn windows man!

tell em to get the hell offa your lawn and take that pesky lucas oil with em...

[Donkey_Kong]

Since we are on the subject of car oils, if you have a used car, sub in a quart of Lucas oil. It's like $8 and  is frikkin awesome.

Whats so awesome about it?

Hey the Lucas Oil Top Fuel Nationals are held annually in like, my backyard. Rattles my damn windows man!

tell em to get the hell offa your lawn and take that pesky lucas oil with em...

Yea and 8 bucks a quart wth?

just kidding shardian. I really want to know the benefit cause I'm a sucker for that type a thing. Does it just make 'er run better or what?

[shardian]

It helps keep the parts in your engine coated with oil. It carries better up to the crankcase too. I really don't have the scientific info to back it up. It works great with all my cars. My geo has 210,000 miles with nothing ever done to the engine, and not exactly on-time oil changes or top-offs due to oil loss. I have a bad rear main seal, so it throws oil. Still with all of this, the engine purrs like a kitten. The engine will far outlast the frame.

Also, I had help from a guy in town we call "the guru", because he is the shiznit when it comes to automobiles. He has won umpteen million trophy's for classic cars, and he restores them all the time. The dude has an answer for ANY problem for ANY car off the top of his frikkin head. I asked him what he thought of Lucas oul one day, because I was wondering if I was wasting mt money. He swore by the stuff. That is all the scientific info I needed right there.

[Donkey_Kong]

See, now thats me looking for some Lucas oil for my truck that has almost 200k on it. They should give me a quart though cause I didn't get my friendly neighbor tickets last year to the Nationals!! Nope, they rattle my windows but i can't quite see 'em.


During Nationals, about every 7 minutes I get an Earth Shattering
BWWWWWWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMMMMMMMMMMPPPPPPP

Except it is way bigger and louder than that. Seriously. Have you ever witnessed a Top Fuel Dragster in person? Betta have some earplugs man!

[DrewKaree]

If my car calls for 5W-20 and I put in 10W-30 will my car explode?

Did you look in your manual?  You're talking about your Civic, right?  They may actually tell you to go to 10 in certain weather conditions.  Your car won't assplode, but you'll add an incremental amount of wear.  Nothing that'll break your car down YEARS quicker, but mebbe a week/month earlier.  Meh.

[pointdablame]

See, now thats me looking for some Lucas oil for my truck that has almost 200k on it. They should give me a quart though cause I didn't get my friendly neighbor tickets last year to the Nationals!! Nope, they rattle my windows but i can't quite see 'em.


During Nationals, about every 7 minutes I get an Earth Shattering
BWWWWWWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMMMMMMMMMMPPPPPPP

Except it is way bigger and louder than that. Seriously. Have you ever witnessed a Top Fuel Dragster in person? Betta have some earplugs man!

that is so awesome, I'd love to have a house near a strip.  I go to the NHRA Supernationals each year in Old Bridge, NJ and I love it to death.  I love bringing people who have never been to a race before, and forgetting to tell them to put their earplugs in for the first Top Fuel or Funny car run.

They never forget it.

[Donkey_Kong]

that is so awesome, I'd love to have a house near a strip.  I go to the NHRA Supernationals each year in Old Bridge, NJ and I love it to death.  I love bringing people who have never been to a race before, and forgetting to tell them to put their earplugs in for the first Top Fuel or Funny car run.

They never forget it.

I have went over a watched them a few times up real close. It is pretty crazy. I don't consider myself a huge fan, but the sound I have come accustom to. I actually don't mind it. The racing is synonymous with summer, and when you hear that ---steaming pile of meadow muffin---. Well lets just say...You know you are ALIVE!!

[danny_galaga]

If my car calls for 5W-20 and I put in 10W-30 will my car explode?

Did you look in your manual?  You're talking about your Civic, right?  They may actually tell you to go to 10 in certain weather conditions.  Your car won't assplode, but you'll add an incremental amount of wear.  Nothing that'll break your car down YEARS quicker, but mebbe a week/month earlier.  Meh.

having grown up in the tropics i can tell you both of those would be too thin in pretty much the top two thirds of oz! drews right, often theyll recommend a grade for winter and one for summer. that 5w-20 is mighty thin so that would be a really cold winter oil. the oil im using right now for instance is 20w- 50!

if you dont have a users manual, id ask the local dealer of your car...

[Xam]

Absolutely make sure to check the owners manual. Some vehicles require that you use a particular weight oil. If you use a weight other than specified you will void the warranty. Mind you...most vehicles do not fall under this category.
I know most new Benz's require Mobil 1 0w-40. The Pontiac GTO (05 and 06) require you to use a synthetic, though brand is not specified. Additionally several VW's require synthetic. I don't know of any Hondas that require synthetic...but its better safe than sorry...check the manual.

Xam

[danny_galaga]

incidentally, the oil isnt measured by 'weight' but by viscosity. from memory the numbers relate to how mucher 'thicker' than water it is. so for instance a multigrade oil of 5w - 20 literally means winter grade is 5 times 'thicker' than water and the summer grade is 20 times thicker (which is what viscosity means, more or less). the two grades work independantally of each other, that is to say our 5w- 20 doesnt just mix together to average 12.5. this means at a low temperature some oil is thin enough already to start lubricating, but when the motor warms up it will be too thin and that is where the 20 grade oil comes in...

[ChadTower]

If it's a Civic, given the reasonably average temperate nature of where he lives (in US terms), any of the standard motor oils will do fine.  5W or 10W, it's a small engine that runs forever, and while winters are damn cold and summers are pretty warm, neither are extreme enough to make a substantial difference in the life of his car when it comes to motor oil.  His car will very likely be sold off for reasons other than the engine itself well before the engine dies anyway.

And before anyone goes off on a "you're retarded that's asinine 99% of where he lives is t3h har$h", I live in New England, where it is roughly the same as there, and am from Canada in places where winters are much worse.

[AlanS17]

I've always been told that as a vehicle ages, it appropriate to start using a heavier weight oil. My '96 Oldsmobile used 10W-30, but after about 100,00 miles I switched over to 10W-40. The reasoning is that the parts are becoming more worn in and a heavier oil will stick to them better.

Of course, I can neither confirm nor deny that statement.

[Donkey_Kong]

I've always been told that as a vehicle ages, it appropriate to start using a heavier weight oil. My '96 Oldsmobile used 10W-30, but after about 100,00 miles I switched over to 10W-40. The reasoning is that the parts are becoming more worn in and a heavier oil will stick to them better.

Of course, I can neither confirm nor deny that statement.

Heh- I'm totally buyin' that Alan. I have ran that very program with all of my high mileage clunkers! Just keep going thicker. Before ya know it I'll be dumpin' 80w tractor lube down the hatch...keep her alive for a few more miles!

 

[AlanS17]

LOL there you go! Plus they say the heavier stuff is less likely to drip out on a leaky engine (or at least not as quickly).

[shmokes]

It says to use 5w-20 right on the crankcase cap.  I'll have to look at the manual to see if it recommends anything else for various weather conditions. 

FWIW our winters are pretty cold, but not terribly harsh.  We get lots of snow (Greatest Snow on Earth for those who are interested), temperatures tend to get down in the twenties or teens at night, with a few below zero days, but just by a few degrees.  Summers are hot.  Generally 90-105ish, though St. George (about 45 minutes from my house) has a dozen or so 115 degree days every summer.  Pretty big range of weather conditions -- gotta love the desert.

[boykster]

The main thing I would avoid is mixing viscosities of oil.  If there's 5W-20 in the crankcase, I wouldn't put 10W-30 in there unless you absolutely had to without a complete change.  Mixing viscosities is a great way to cause sludge which will lower the effectiveness of the lubrication.

Otherwise, unless you're in extreme conditions, or switching a large range of viscosities, you're pretty safe using a slightly different grade of oil.
 

[ChadTower]

Would it ever lower it below the lesser rating of the mixed oils?

[Havoc]

If my car calls for 5W-20

Must be a Honda the only car co. I know that uses that mixture.  I put 10W30 in my accord and didn't notice any reasonable difference in performance and gas mileage.  Problem with the 5W20 is not everybody stocks it.

[ChadTower]

I usually put 10W30 in my Civic but have no qualms about mixing in another type of oil in the same category if that's all I have on hand.  I've never noticed any visible difference.