OK so I was changing my oil myself for the first time today with the help of my cousin. Halfway through pouring the new oil in I realize that I picked up the wrong bottle from the shelf. My manual says I should use 10W30, but the stuff I just poured in was 10W40. Is this that big a deal? Can I hold off until my next oil change to correct it or do I need to change it NOW. I will be driving from Florida to Michigan in two weeks, but it is still too early in the year for drastic weather changes. Please let me know ASAP!! Thanks!!

 

it's not a big deal. the car will run a lil less than at it's peak...you'll get less mileage. BTW it sound like you put in only one qt so that should not make a big diff....what car do you have? 5th and 6th gens run 5w30 and 5w20 respectively.

noel

 

It won't hurt at all. as the prevous dude said your MPG will suffer a little bit. To be honest i think it will actually be better for your car.

If your driving from Florida to Michigan in August that is pretty much the ultimate exteme for your car. Long high speed driving in hot weather will breakdown the viscosity of your oil more then anything. The 40 weight oil will protect better under these conditions.

 

I use 10w-40 and 15w-50 because I do some hard driving in hot weather sometimes. It works fine - just look at my car: it still runs!

 

You'll be fine, dont worry about it, but if you live in Michigan on the next change Id switch over to 5w-30 and stick with that year round. It doesnt really stay hot enough up there long enough to really need a thicker oil, and in the winter forget about it; its too cold up there for a 10w oil.

 

Oh yeah, I forgot you live in Michigan. When the next oil change comes around, go 5w-30 or some 0w grade as Mr Hyde says because it's just too cold.

 

I used 4 and half quarts. It was one of the big bottles that has 5 quarts in one bottle. I got it because it was cheaper than buying 5 bottles of the same stuff but I guess I grabbed a different one than I thought I was. My manual said use 5W30 or 10W30 if never driving under -7 degrees F. So I went with the 10W30. I figured I'd be getting an oil change long before winter started since I'm gonna be going 1500+ miles in less than 3-4 days (makin a road trip out of my drive up to school and stopping at some friends' places along the way). I probably won't be doing my own oil change next time cause I don't have ramps (I was using my cousin's ramps and I'm too scared to get under my car with a regular jack), so hopefully the techs won't f*** up like me. Haha. Thanks for your help guys.

 

zero worries dude. i've done lots of research into oils and their properties cause i'm an anal mofo. I truly believe you've actually made a good mistake. The heavier weight oil will be better for your car on that long summer drive, but when you get to MI and winter sets in switchout to 0w-30.

Have a safe trip.

 

Use 10w-30 Full Synthetic in my 5th gen. only 55,701 on her and She runs smooth. I will be running it all year round.

 

I lived in Michigan : 9 years (Burton, Kalamazoo)
I used to own 91 Accrod EX sedan.. Auto..
I found out that Mobil 1 5w-30 gets best gas mileage.
(regular Mobil 1 Oil and oil change: Every 3,000 miles)

I also tried Vavoline Semi-Sync. 5w-30 (Summer of 2000)
due to my uncle is Ford fan, Ford uses Vavoline and it was free..
Result: Car runs little bit hotter and gas mileage decreased...

Mixing different types engine oil will not harm your car.
So don't worry. After 3,000 miles change your oil...

PS: Think about the cars that burns oil...