0w-20... to do or not to do

[diamondlarry]

Originally Posted by lovemysan

Did you notice any change FE going to this oil over the spec 5w30?

Unfortunately, no, I don't know what mpg differences it has made. I did the oil change soon after I got home from picking it up at my friends house in PA.

[psyshack]

I have seen a case for reduced friction due to changing over to M1. In 1992 I purchased a Olds Delta 88 Royal. Also the last GM junk thank god. I dumped the factory fill at 3k miles and put M1 5w-30 back in it as spec. When I started the car up after the oil change it went to a high idle. It caught its self and then went thru a 15 min. triad reseting the computer. It was really quite funny.

The only thing intresting in this cars life was. If I let the M1 go to 15k miles between oil changes. It did this reset every time. If I only went 10k miles between oil changes it wouldnt do this. There was no oil / maint. minder or any of that kinda stuff. the only thing I could figure is the additive package was depleted and it resulted in the need for the computer to reset its self. also of note the mpg went steadly down after 10k miles on a oil change.

Thats the only car Ive ever had that did that. And its strange how the mileage thing always seemed to work out.

My Ranger dosent like syn. oils at all. it will start smoking and burn them. Done this since new. But put Motorcraft 5w-20 in it and it wont use or burn a visible drop.

The Hondas are funny about there oil like the Olds was. If I run there M1 over 10k miles the valves start to rattle. Change the oil and valve noise is gone for 10k miles. Wife and I were laughing about it. In years past folks would always joke about the car needing a oil change when the valves rattled. The Hondas sure bare out that idea.

psy

[GasSavers_Ryland]

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

I think JanGeo once said the way to tell if your oil is too light is that your oil pressure will be too low. Seems logical. (But do you have a gauge for it?)

Acording to the VX shop manual, with the engine warmed up, at idle, the engine should have a minimum 10psi of oil presure, and at 3,000rpm it should have a minimum 50psi of oil presure, as mesured at the oil presure sending unit switch, I would think that the after market oil presure gauges should come with some sort of "T" or something so you can have both the stock, and the after market sending unit installed.

[bugsih]

My buddy works at a Acura dealership and all the new cars take 5w20.....

[Sludgy]

Speaking of funny "oil stories", I once had a Mercury Lynx (a rebadged Ford Escort) whose engine was noisy. (I abused the crap out of that car, and it broke a cam belt at 85K miles.) I'm not sure what the problem was, but I suspect that it was sticky tappets.

At any rate, the noise went away only when I used Valvoline "Turbo" oil. Other premium oils, Even Castrol or M1 wouldn't stop the noise. Don't remember the viscosity. I'm not sure Valvoline still makes "Turbo" oil, but I can't find it any more.

[GasSavers_Ryland]

turbo oil, or racing oil is normaly 20w50, or sometimes even heavier weight.