elclassico

i have used 5w 30. what it says on the oil cap. last time i used mobil synthetic 10-30, the guy suggested it because the car has almost 50k miles. he said its better. well now its time for my next oil change. can anyone out there give me some feedback, i dont really want to get the mobil synthetic again for some reason. let me know please!

mooretorque

When I saw the question, I was about to suggest something in a nice Mobil1, 5W-30 vintage. 10W-30 is certainly ok in a warm climate.

What objection do you have to M1?? Or do you object to synthetics in general?? All things considered, if one changes oil & filter no more than, say, every 3-5k miles religiously, it probably doesn't matter whether it's dino or synthetic unless you use your car like a tow truck. That said, I don't mind spending the extra on synthetic (and do, every time), so maybe I'm not the best person to reply.

"Search" function will yield many discussions on oil.........

Guitarman

Personally, I'd stick with the 5w-30. Modern engines have pretty tight tolerances, much tighter than anything from the 60's or 70's, and you need a "skinny" oil to get in those bearing surfaces etc. You'll get faster lubrication at startup with a 5w, and startup is where the greatest % of wear occurs.

I have an '89 T -Bird Supercoupe (has a factory supercharger and intercooler on it ) with over 215k miles on a motor that's never been apart, and I've used 5w-30 since new and it was 1 1/2 years old when i switched to Mobil 1, and I even went to Mobil 1 0w-30 for a couple years even in Florida, when the car had near 100k on her!
I use 10w -30 now due to the higher mileage, but I switched to that only in 2000 when the car already had near 200k on her. I probably should've gone heavier sooner yes, but, no harm done that I can find. No engine noise even at startup even in 30 degree weather (yes, it gets that cold in Florida at night in the winter-rarely, but it happens). I can take a flashlight, look down the oil filler tube on the valve cover, and the rockers/springs and metal looks like it was just assembled from the factory, no varnish even! Some say i need to change to 15-w40 , but...I hate to mess too much with whats working for me. Eventually I will have to take a serious look into getting a bit heavier. The point is; Any Lexus motor is light years ahead of this old Ford pushrod motor in manufacturing tolerances and design, and if the 5 -w worked for it this well...

As far as which brand , like mooretorque says, dosen't really matter, as long as you change it regularly, you won't have any problems. If Mobil 1 troubles you, try Valvoline or another solid name brand.

I used to be a Mobil 1 only guy, but now( last 3-4 years)...I just get any synthetic that's a good deal. The car dosen't seem to care, and at the mileage on her, she owes me nothing at this point. Cheers.

steviej

iTrader: (1)

Ditto to guitarman.

I had a supercharged Bonneville before the Lex and only used Mobil 1 10W-30 (green cap) and Fram filters every 3k miles.
The lexus is running on 5w-30 Mobil 1 and whatever filter the lex man puts on it.

I prefer the synthetic for the cold start-up. In MA it is very common to have multiple continuous days of <30 degrees all day and all night. Synthetic is more liquid at lower temps.

Most oils for high mileage cars (dino or synth) have additives to help rejuvenate seals and gaskets.

Get what's on sale or the one that has the best freebies.

The key to oil is frequent monitoring and regular changing of the oil and filter.

Oh yeah, and don't be messin with the blend and adding those snake oils (Z-Max, Prolong, etc).

steviej

T0ked

iTrader: (2)

Last time my oil was changed at the dealer, it was 60k, October in NYC (around 50 degrees) and I saw the dealer put in 10W-40 of dino oil. Before, I had been using 5W-30 Mobil 1. So I figure with the increased mileage of my car, 10W-30 year round should be fine. That's what I've been doing for the last 2 years.

elclassico

im getting it changed asap. i think im going with 5w-30 mobil 1. what it says on the manufacturers cap. i will let it be known how it goes. i can always go back to 10w 40 when the car gets up there in miles. 50k isnt much. anyways keep the feedback coming. thanx to all!

T0ked

iTrader: (2)

Actually, in the owners manual for my 1993 SC300, the oil recommendations go like this, from temps of 0 degrees and higher (above 100), 10W-30, and for temps of 100 degrees and lower (below zero degrees) 5W-30. So there is overlap between 0-100, they recommend either one. If temps frequently go above 100, use 10W-30. If they go frequently below 0 degrees, use 5W-30. In NYC, more likely to go above 100. I never recall actual air temp going below 0 here.

elclassico

good info...

mooretorque

Hey, TOked, I had a 93 SC300 5 spd for the better part of 8 years and 93k miles (and I still miss it!!), used 5W-30 M1 and Lexus filters the entire time. Never smoked and never added a drop. (Sold it to one of my partners 2 years ago, who had same experience for an additional 25k miles but then he traded it for an Audi A4 1.8T, the traitorous bastard!!) I conclude you'd be OK with the lower viscosity range. (Mostly it was just that your post got me to reminiscing over my old SC.....but thought you might like the info, too)

T0ked

iTrader: (2)

Much appreciated. I was just pointing out that the oil cap states 5W-30 as the preferred oil in my car also, but the manual has different recs. A Lexus SC for an Audi A4??? S4 MAYBE, but an A4???

steviej

iTrader: (1)

Mobil 1 actually has a very nice web sit.
www.mobil1.com

there is a FAQ section under Advanced Car Care.
Look into the archieved questions. Alot of our/your exact concerns and questions have been addressed.

check it out. I am sure other oil manufacturers have sites, too.

steviej

elclassico

i plan on changing the oil myself. any tips or special instructions. just undo the drain plug, change filter, put new filter, screw back drain plug, check for leaks? anyone know how much oil is needed? thanx to all!

mooretorque

elclassico, 5 qts is the number you seek.

TOked, I understand. I think he just had the hankering for something new and, although he has tended to buy enthusiast sorts of cars in the past, doesn't drive them very hard at all. So he's pretty happy with the A4.........

steviej

iTrader: (1)

Out of habit...I always inspect the old filter and where it mounts. Make sure the old gasket comes off with the filter. Sometimes they adhere to the engine block and you end up screwing the new filter on top of it. You get massive leaks this way.

I also smear a very thin layer of new oil on the new gasket of the new filter. Some filter instruction don't call for this anymore. It can't hurt and helps clean any dirt off the gasket.

Have fun and dispose of the old oil properly.

steviej

elclassico

i was told filling the filter with some oil is a good idea too! im going with 5w30 synthetic mobil 1 this round. dont worry the oil will disposed properly. about the drain plug, how tight is tight. i dont want to strip anything? thanx to all!