Oil Change question

[Sly8795]

Whats a good oil weight for winter? I usually put in 5w-30 always but this time i must have been tired and accidentally bought 10w-40. Is this going to be a problem if i put this oil in today? I have to drive a long distance on friday and i just want to make sure nothing adverse will happen on the long drive.

 

[siminsez01]

if i'm not mistaken 10-w30 is what's reccomended year-round in the xjay's

 

[TwistedCU]

I think it depends on what year you have as to what they recommend. I would not switch from 5W30 to 10W40 - especially going into colder weather. One oil change probably will make no impact, but I would pick one and stick with it. If you have extreme weather differences where you are then you might want to have different oil for different seasons, but I think that whatever the owner's manual recommends should suffice year round.

Many newer vehicles recommend 5W30 because it is a thinner oil and the newer engines have much closer tolerances than the older years. A thicker oil, especially in the winter, would not be wise.

 

[graewulf]

Unless you live in alaska, or such, 10W30 should be fine. the weight of the oil only really matters when the engine is cold. It helps the oil get to the parts faster when it is really cold out. Once you get up to operating temperature the diffference isn't as significant. I run 10W30 year round and always have. For the average person, the oil weight won't make much difference over the life of the engine. Regular changes are far more important.

 

[TwistedCU]

This shows how the certain oils will not lubricate at certain temps. 10W30 and 10W40 are ineffective lubricants below -4 degrees.

Cold mornings like that are a rarity, but factor in the closer tolerances in the newer engines and it can be very hard on a motor to run the wrong oil in the winter. Cold start ups are what cause the most wear and tear on engines (lack of maintenance and abuse omitted), and if the oil is too thick it will result in harder starting and the engine will have a longer period of poor lubrication while warming up, causing faster wear.

Not trying to beat a dead horse, I wanted to point out that temperature can play a role in choosing the right oil, but that is not the only factor. This is why I posted that you should stay with the manuf's recommended viscosity.

Borrowed from a tech article:

Thus, a typical 5W-30 motor oil has the same approximate kinematic viscosity as a SAE 30 grade oil at 100 ° C, but it's viscosity at very low temperatures, while thicker than when hot, is much less than the 30 grade. This is achieved by formulating multigrades with a higher Viscosity Index than typical for single grades. So, while a 5W-30 oil will allow a modern car to start at temperatures as low as -30 ° C, the typical SAE 30 oil would be too thick to either crank or pump at that temperature.

 

[90Xjay]

Hole in Manifold Finely Fixed

Otay, here iz my too centz

This is how I make my living, I know this stuff pretty good.

The "w" in 10W30 stands for winter

The multi viscosity oils have a VI, "Viscosity Index" improver blended into them, when a 5W30 oil is cold, it flows like a 5 weight, as the temp rises, the vis comes up to a 30 weight. Very important for cold start ups.

In most climates, a 5W30 is what the OEM recommends although some like Ford and Honda are going with 5W20 and even 0W30 or 20.

They are under pressure from Uncle Sam to get the CAFE, (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) up for the entire production line in order to get incentives and avoid penalties. So they are enginering the engines to tighter tolorance and less friction and are asking the oil to handle much more.

You can, and I do run a 10W30 year around in my climate. You will not hurt anything by running a 10W40 one oil change. Most cars requiring a 10W40 ceased production in the mid 80's.

If I lived in extreme northern climates I would run full synthetic, the flow characteristics are outstanding compared to mineral base lubes.

I drive on-hiway 80% and have lab sampled my oil at 3000, 3800, and 4000 miles, the additive package was still in fairly good shape at 4000 and the oil was still suspending the contaminates. I change my oil around 4000, but don't get bent out of shape if I run to 4500. Driving conditions and engine performance mean alot as to how far you can go.

 

[Sly8795]

RE: OK, a new upgrade

Thanks for all the replies. I actually just went and exchanged the oil for 5w30 so im all set. I was wondering if anyone had any information on whether the "max life" oils actually help out with high mileage engines?

 

[88Wrangles]

RE: 1074612

90Xjay...here's a question for you. I have a '74 pickup with a 454--would 10W30 be fine for that engine of that year. It has been rebuilt and everything, but you mentioned that some vehicles before 1980 required 10W40.

Thanks!!

 

[90Xjay]

Sly8795 wrote:

I was wondering if anyone had any information on whether the "max life" oils actually help out with high mileage engines?

Most of the high mileage oils only have one other additive. They blend in a chemical that causes older seals and gaskets to swell and can stop many minor oil leaks. Just a sales gimmic mostly but they can stop minor leaks.

88Wrangles Wrote:

I have a '74 pickup with a 454--would 10W30 be fine for that engine of that year.

Sure, I would run a multi vis, that one probably came with SAE 30 back in '74. A 10W30 should be fine.

 

[beantown]

Any quirky things to watch out for replacing sway bar bushin

Sly8795 wrote:

I was wondering if anyone had any information on whether the "max life" oils actually help out with high mileage engines?

Most of the high mileage oils only have one other additive. They blend in a chemical that causes older seals and gaskets to swell and can stop many minor oil leaks. Just a sales gimmic mostly but they can stop minor leaks.

88Wrangles Wrote:

I have a '74 pickup with a 454--would 10W30 be fine for that engine of that year.

Sure, I would run a multi vis, that one probably came with SAE 30 back in '74. A 10W30 should be fine.

A '74 454, I think you can run apple sauce through that bad boy and be ok!! :lol: :lol: