Yes, another Oil Question.
 

Hi,
I have a US (American) 2005 Accord LX Auto 4 cyl. My uncle has also an American made 2000 Accord LX Manual (bought in Europe from Honda dealer - it is the actual accord exported from US to Europe - the only difference is the engine is not 2.4 - it is 2.0 liter).

Now, in my uncle's Honda manual it says oil should be changed every 10k miles and that he can use 5-30, 10-40 oils.

My manual (05 Accord LX) says use 5W-20 oil. I have a feeling that the only reason they want us to use 5W-20 in the US is to get a better fuel economy. However, (even though I always use Mobil 1 synthetic) I feel that my car engine will be much better protected with 5W-30 as opposed to 5W-20 oils.

My question is - can I use in 05 Accord 5W-30 or will it (besides fuel economy) affect the engine in negative way at all? What about in the summer? Can I use 10W-40?

Thx

You can use what ever oil you like. Honda recommends not require that you use 5w20. The oil grade would depend on the area that you live. If you live in the desert I would recommend 10W30 or 10W40. In Cold or normal conations 5w20 or 5w30 is fine.

I have a 99 Accord I4 and it recommends 5w30. I've used both 5w20, 5w30 and 10w30 in my car and I don't notice a differents in gas mileage

Since your vehicle is 2005 and most likely is still under warranty I would follow the manufacturer's recomendations.

The digit 20 in 5W-20 oil grade stands for 20 degrees Fahrenhiet. If temperature in your area gets that low that is the grade I would use.

Sam

I belive oil will not void warranty at all. My question is, is it safe to use 5W-30/40 instead of 5W-20?

hope this helps
 

http://www.autoeducation.com/autoshop101/oil-change.htm
Oil weight, or viscosity, refers to how thick or thin the oil is. The temperature requirements set for oil by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) is 0 degrees F (low) and 210 degrees F (high). Oils meeting the SAE's low temperature requirements have a "W" after the viscosity rating (example: 10W), and oils that meet the high ratings have no letter (example SAE 30). An oil is rated for viscosity by heating it to a specified temperature, and then allowing it to flow out of a specifically sized hole. Its viscosity rating is determined by the length of time it takes to flow out of the hole. If it flows quickly, it gets a low rating. If it flows slowly, it gets a high rating.
Engines need oil that is thin enough for cold starts, and thick enough when the engine is hot. Since oil gets thinner when heated, and thicker when cooled, most of us use what are called multi-grade, or multi-viscosity oils. These oils meet SAE specifications for the low temperature requirements of a light oil and the high temperature requirements of a heavy oil. You will hear them referred to as multi-viscosity, all-season and all-weather oils. An example is a 10W-30 which is commonly found in stores. When choosing oil, always follow the manufacturer's recommendation.

Also check out this page about oil myths and facts.
http://www.nordicgroup.us/oil.htm

Thanks. I decided to put 5W-30 fully synthetic (Mobil 1 Extended Protection - 15k) in my 05 accord. I think 5-20 is too thin. I intend to change my oil every 5-6,000 highway miles.

In the summer I will switch to 10-30

I use 5W30 Castrol in my 95 just because of the wider operating temps and I live in GA.

Would I be able to use 5W-40 Mobil1 European Formula in 2005 Accord LX or is this oil too thick for this 4 cyl Honda Engine? (Something about berring clearances?)

I just follow whatever the dealer is using. 5w-20 for the 7th gen accord in the north east. 5w-20 for older accord in the northeast.
I just switch to the honda oil 5w-20 (for older accord) and i already notice the difference vs the mobil1 10w-40. the temp here tonight is zero F.

The thing is the same engine in Europe gets 10-30 or 5-30 or 10-40 recommendations. I belive 5-20 is too thin and introduced only to improve fuel economy but that it will NOT protect engine as good as 5-30. I always use fully synthetic oils (Mobil1 or Amsoil).

My question is, Mobil1 has a new 5W-40 Euro Formula Oil. I would like to use it in my 05 accord. Does anyone know if that is safe?

Thx

"The digit 20 in 5W-20 oil grade stands for 20 degrees Fahrenhiet."


That's a good one.

The 20 or 30 or 40 is the SAE viscosity at +212f...operating temp.
The "W" is the "winter" rating and is a measurment of how cold a temp the oil will allow an engine to crank at.

Cars that spec 20 weight oil do perfectly fine on it. Used Oil (lab) Analysis of the wear metals in 20 weight oil shows no abnormal wear. After all, cheap 30 weight oil from a drum shears down to a 20 pretty quick anyway.
Newer SM-spec oils do a very good job at engine protection, be it 20 or 30 weight...or thicker for Euro cars.
Mobil Clean
Havoline/Chevron
Motorcraft
Castrol GTX
...alll are great oils.

In my Honda, I use Mobil 1 0w-30 and Saab Synth 0w-30 (Euro mobil 1)because I have a bunch of it stocked. Great oil, cranks at -30f. There is a nice imported Syntec, from Germany the 0w-30 that is a thick 30. They take their oils very seriously in Germany and this is the best of the best...unique chemistry. Available at AutoZone and O'Rieleys. Euro specs for it are based on 18,000 mile intervals.

Bob's is the place to learn a lot about a subject which few people know much about...

http://theoildrop.server101.com/cgi/...&f=1&submit=Go

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...ie/gclabel.jpg

That nordic site provides a good summary for oil changes. I'd like to add that picking an exact mileage for a change is..silly and inexact. I change on a time schedule and pick an oil that allows me to go that much time. ie: Mobil Clean 5000/7500 (blend) Personally, I don't want to do OC in the cold weather, so that means going 4 months from Dec-Mar...that's about 7500mi, so an oil that can go that distance is used. 2-3-4 times a year is ideal and changing on time schedule allows a visc change for summer/winter if desired. Honestly, my wife's CR-V gets 6 month changes on Mobil 1....9000miles + or -.