PavDog

Hello All-

I've got an '03 Type-S and it's just gone over 5K mi. It's probably about time to start thinking about the oil changes.. and wondered what recommendations there were.

First: My [previous] Accord said to leave the oil in for the first 10K before changing. Being a typical gearhead I didn't read that *until* 28K.. and had changed the oil at 1K, 3K, 5K, etc.. There's nothing much in the Acura manual about it. Does the same apply?

I've read that the tolerances of the engine are much tighter and therefore the rings don't need to "seat" in the piston walls as much--therefore it's not as critical to keep the first "break-in oil" in the car.

Also, what brand(s) and types would you recommend? I've heard both ways about going synthetic. Mobil 1 seems to be the best for Syn.. What about viscosity? The manual calls for 5W-20. But I just read on another thread that there's a 0W-20. Any experience? How about redline?

And what about the filter? I use(d) the Purolator oil filters for the V6 Accords.. they've got the check valve, good filtering, o-ring, etc. I never had any trouble with them. And before anyone says the "F" word.. No thanks, I prefer not to use fram.

Is there an online place you'd recommend getting these from?

Thanks in advance,
-k

Slimey

Do a search. There's a new oil thread about once per week.



The manual recommends 5W-20 oil every 7500 miles for normal service and 3750 miles with severe service intervals. Severe service includes driving in hot weather, dusty conditions, 5 mile or less trips (ie: city driving), or 10 mile or less trips in frigid temperatures. Most of us city dwellers fall into the severe catagory.

Brand name dino oil is OK; synthetic oil is OK. More frequent intervals are OK. Good oil filters are Mobil 1 or Purolator, but many just use the Acura filter which doesn't rate all that high in independent tear-down testing.

5W-30 oil is probably OK as we have the same J32A2 engine as the '01 folks and that was their recommended viscosity. The change probably had to do with CAFE standards rather then anything else.

There are a lot of OPINIONS about what oil to use and when to change it. Do your research and come up with your own plan. You'll find that people here recommend the entire gamut of synthetic oils and change them from 1K to 10K. You really won't do any harm unless you radically stray from the manual's recommendations and never change your oil and filter.

FWIW, I follow the manual.

Slimey

Some links for your research:
THE oil FAQ
filter tear down
another filter tear down
something on what CAFE is. Unfortunately, most of the links to CAFE are either the Sierra Club that wants it enforced, or businesses & oil dudes that want it taken away.

PavDog

Thanks Slimey!

Yeah, I did several searches but didn't seem to find what I was looking for. Thanks for the info & links.

-k

Slimey

Sorry. Search is probably still not working well.

One other thing not answered - break-in oil is to be changed out at first scheduled oil change (3750 or 7500 miles, depending on which schedule you follow), per the manual and Acura.

fender4

fun reading here


http://www.desertsundirectsales.com/ford5w20.htm

http://www.synlube.com/synthetic.htm

PavDog

Okay, I changed the oil in both my CLS and the wife's '99 Accord V6 this weekend--and yes, I have been converted.

I noticed a difference in just the few seconds after starting the car after the oil change. Yeah the oil light went off a couple seconds sooner.. but what was more important was that it *sounded* much smoother. Much moreso than with the Castrol I was running in the other cars before. I'm definitely converted.

Thanks!
-k