MajorSloMo

iTrader: (1)

My situation where I live we have hot summers and cold winters. so I'm thinking that according to this the oil i'm choosing to go with should be fine. Initially I said 5w-30, but in fact I should be using 0w-30 according to this guy. What happens when its 20 degrees outside

TheAzn

iTrader: (2)

Lol well it is true. If you pull into a gas station, check your oil, you have NO oil and the only oil the station sells is anything but what you run... would you go ahead and chance it with no oil or with but wrong viscosity? It's just to lube the parts so nothing grinds and comes to a halt. Doesn't mean it may or may not run right, etc etc but generally speaking it's not running dry at least.

I know someone who runs 15W50 in everything. Damn, right? Have yet to see problems... besides fuel economy going out the window.

I always ran 10W30 HM in my SC, only because the oil pan gasket is seaping oil a bit.

Ali SC3

iTrader: (10)

thats what I have always had the best experience running on my motor, people can say theoretically all they want about the 5 and 0 weight oils being better on startup but 10w30 makes my motor happy even when cold.

our cars call for 5w30 (2jzge), but usually with age and or a turbo that creates extra pressure, we go to 10w30 (like a 2jzgte calls for).
I say 10w30 most of the time and 10w30 can really be used like all the way down to 0 degrees and further. 20 degrees is not that bad really. You can try 5w30 if you are stock non-turbo, it should be find but look out for leaks if your seals are older. I wouldn't even bother with 0w30 5w30 is about as low as I would go. I mean the oil gets there quicker when it is cold, but is it thick enough to do the job... probably not on older motors.
For most any toyota If you ran 10w30 all year, or swapped to 5w30 right before the worst part of winter if your doesn't leak then you should be good.

marshall2j

I've always tried to get the lowest I can get, ie 0w-30 or 5w-30. It looks like a lot of my other readings have coincided with OP's post.

Jeremy

sj408

iTrader: (6)

Not sure how you get to the gas station with no oil.... after all it is called a pre-trip

I would most definitely put whatever oil is available at the time but rest assured I would be changing to a proper oil ASAP. Viscosity and oil type are not so much a factor in the short run but very clearly apparent when it comes to long term wear and the overall metallurgy of engine internals.

So yeah, in a very general sense what your saying is not untrue..... but running a thicker oil to mask something as simple as tightening oil pan bolts or replacing a gasket is simply not understandable to me. Its an extremely old school train of thought IMO

Running 15w50 in everything is just a Im gonna go out on a limb and say your friend is 50+ years old. On alot of engines i am familiar with running a 15w50 is simply asking for valvetrain issues and shortly thereafter failure because of the very tight tolerances when it comes to oiling passages.

hell, before going boosted I used as thin as a 0w20 and 0w30 in alot of my cars including a jz car fwiw

MajorSloMo

iTrader: (1)

I'm not boosted and never had an interest in doing that. That being said my SC is a 92 with 158k on the clock. it was neglected for a time by a previous owner and its on its way to performing like a champ. I want to give 0w-30 a shot since it gets damn cold up here, and actually starting to get cold now actually. Worse case scenario, it leaks and I have to fix it. No big deal and lesson learned

Joeb427

iTrader: (1)

The 3.5L was 5w30.
No changes were made to the engine and now 0w20 is recommended.
Why?
To squeeze out another couple of tenths MPG to help meet the CAFE regulations.

xECKSx58

Very good read. It took a while to read it all in one sitting and I'll have to re-visit it a few times to fully understand everything, but overall I think I got the picture and am now that much more intelligent xD

MajorSloMo

iTrader: (1)

So far I've been 3 weeks on 0w-30 and no leaks at all. Car runs like a champ. This read has been extremely informative

jeffreyjje

Wow, really. I thought I got long winded when board outta my ****.

Dayton92

I can't believe I just read all of that. Is this your DISSERTATION or something. Holy Moley Dude. Great Write up though; I had no Idea. Thanks for sharing (:

blue00

THANK YOU!
In the last 12 months I made several (not particularly through) attempts at searching online for content that better describes oil labeling, viscosity, and properties of function within an engine... I just saw this thread linked from another place in this forum.. took me 2 days to read it all thoroughly.

I am amazed at some of the replies it is getting, particularly from people that did not read it (some even state so admittedly). it is incredibly informative and very helpful. I feel like I finally understand a lot better about how oil is labeled and what it means other than the "use what is on the cap", "too thick", "too thin" hearsay/folklore that seems so preeminent.

Thanks for taking the time to write that up

1997Soarer

iTrader: (1)

This.

I admit I got a little lost at chapters 9 and 10, but I got back into it at the conclusion and the followups.
I'm glad I moved to synthetic 5w-30 in all my cars, this explains a lot of the effects I have seen in mine and others' cars that also made the switch.

After reading this I'm tempted to try out 0w-30 on my weekend car.

Thank whoever bumped this. I never got to read it the first time around

matts6887

I think at this point; im gonna stick to what the manual says. I havent looked at the manual yet as ive had no need to; but for this I will check and see what it says as far as what grade, etc. to use. And yea; as long as you make sure to change it on time then you should be good to go.

matts6887

This may or not be on another similar note; but; what about using high mileage oil that supposedly is designed for higher mileage engines(over 75,000+ miles I think??) because it conditions the seals, etc. a bit better for the age of the internals, etc.now with that said; should i use high mileage oil with oil changes from here on out or is that going overboard?