Hey just wondering if i could use 5w30 instead of 5w20 on my 04 TL

 

Thats not a problem, a lot of the people on the forum use 5w30 including myself.

 

Yes their is no problems doing that. 5W-30 will provide better heat protection than 5W-20. The only pro for using 5W-20 is for the better MPGs, but it will only make a .00000003% difference.

 

acura only went to 5-20 for cafe standards and that .0003mpg improvement-
cafe is no longer used-
The 30 protects the many metal parts that impact each other several thousand times a minute
If you live where temps never below 32F, use 5W whatever
if it gets below that overnight use a 0W whatever for improved flow at start up,, when its most critical to prevent wear of bearings
the W actually stands for ~Winter~

 

As stated you'll be fine. I've actually got 10w30 Mobile 1 in mine right now and the engine loved it out on the track.

 

The key here is to run a quality 5w-30 or it will shear down to a 20wt over time and hard use. If you run a cheap oil, 10w-30 is less likely to shear.

You can get away with a 15w-40 in these engines provided you don't live in an extremely cold climate so a 30wt is nothing to worry about.

As far as 20wts go, Redline makes the best with a HTHS higher than most 30wts. 20wt flow with 30wt protection. I just ordered their 5w-30 which has a higher HTHS than just about every 40wt out there. Truly the best of all worlds.

Mobil One "fully synthetic" which it's not, was caught not passing a couple tests that it claimed it passed. In fact, their 5w-30 is probably the worst oil they make. Use the high mileage version or the 0w-40 depending on where you live.

 

man im soo confused as to which oil to use. at first i used 5w20 but i didnt like it. thinned out way too fast. so i switched to mobil 1 5w30 and it actually feels the same as the w20. i think im just going to switch back to a 10w30 dyno oil..

 

I use Amsoil 0-w20. Amsoil offers extended oil drain intervals and backs it with a guarantee. You will save money and put less used oil into the enviornment. All that plus superior protection for your car. Why wouldn't you use Amsoil?

 

Because not all Amsoil is API certified. Last I checked, the only Amsoil oil that was certified was the XL in 5w-20, 5w-30, and 10w30.

 

just go to the parts store and buy any name brand oil and a good filter

 

Their 0w-20 oil looks very good for a 0w-20. However, I would be more comfortable with a 5w or 10w-30 in there if it is run in warm to hot climates with hard use. IMO the only time I would go with the 0w-20 is with lots of short trips or in an extremely cold climate.

I'm an Amsoil fan but don't put too much faith in their backing of their product. I've seen claims before where nothing happened on Amsoil's part. I ran their ACD straight 30 since my car was new, up to 75,000 miles and made the switch to Redline. I have nothing but good things to say about Amsoil.

I don't worry about it being non certified. My Redline is not certified because it contains twice the maximum allowable ZDDP (zinc and phosphorus) which are anti-wear additives. It blows all Mobil One and Amsoil products out of the water for wear protection yet isn't certified.

 

That's normal. Even my straight 30wt looked like water once at full temp. If you take a look at a viscosity chart, it's normal for an oil to start off well over 10X thicker when cold.

 

How about MOTUL 5w30? i work for them. they produce oil for GT cars as well as track bikes

 

^QFT

The rest is marketing hype.

 

have any of you guys heard of MOTUL?

 

Very, very good oil. I'm sure you know already but Motul and Redline are the only two easily available ester base oil oils available to the public. IMO, these two are way above Mobil One and all the other so called synthetics out there. This is as good as it gets.

 

Motul also makes a great line of high temp brake fluid. I've never used the oil though because it's way too expensive. I have stuck with Mobil 1 0W-20 and it's been great especially on those -20 degree Chicago winter mornings.

 

How do you measure wear protection?

 

That is correct as the new SM standards calls for less than .08% of zinc and phos to reduce emissions, sulfur, etc, but boron has replaced the high levels of zinc/phos and has lowered emissions while reducing wear. Having said that, as Acura calls for an oil with a SM classification, but as the oils you choose do not have that designation, why use them? Just got to love when people say the engine likes this make/vicosity etc. Bottom line, use any oil and it will be fine, but got to clarify, a synthetic does have it advantages at the extremes of the temperature range, no question about that, or if you're going to run the car into the ground it might help.

 

You're right. There's speculation the SM oils are really for the next generation of PZEV cars and the newer cats coming out. Some say they've gone to this designation early to get all of the SL off the shelf.

The way I look at it is if the car burns no oil and has an ultra low NOAK of 6 like Redline, there's little to no phosphorus getting to the convertors through combustion or PCV.

We'll see when mine gets up there in miles. I've run Amsoil ACD which is loaded with ZDDP from the second oil change to 75,000 miles and Redline for the past 5,000. No problems so far.

I understand other additives are used in place of zinc and phosphorus but I want to stick with old reliable.

Off topic but do those Rotaries require anything special from lubricants such as ZDDP? I've heard conventional oils work best since it's supposed to burn some.

 

I hear that last line all the time. I usually ask what do you mean, it didn't blow up so it must have liked it?

I wanted to go into a little more detail about why I use a non SM oil. We obviously don't have flat tappet cams or high spring pressures. I do it because ZDDP has been shown to reduce cylinder and ring wear more than it's alternatives. Even though the valvetrain does not require it, there are no other additives that protect as well. The particular oil I run has 850ppm of moly too. In the usual low doses it's more of a corrosion inhibitor but in this concentration it's an excellent friction reducer.

Personally, I do not think Acura and the oil makers have our best interests in hand. I think it's mpg first, catalytic convertor life second and engine wear third.

I would never expect mass failures. I believe engines will still last a long time but I want something with the priority on engine life, not a .05mpg increase or reducing the number or convertor warranty claims.

 

Matt:
Here's an answer. Going back some years, Mazda officially does not recommend the use of synthetic oils in rotary engines, however, long term and racing use has shown that the better synthetics (Redline, Amsoil, Neo, Royal Purple, Mobil1) are perfectly fine to use in a rotary engine, and will generally result in a 1 to 2% horsepower gain. However use of poor quality synthetics (like Valvoline, Castrol Syntec, Havoline, Etc) will result in build up due to high ash content left from these oils when they are burned. It is believed that is why Mazda did not recommend synthetics, because they couldn't pick favorites.

Simplification. There is a metering oil pump (mechanical or electric depending on year) on the front of the engine and that actually pumps motor oil through tubes and injects the oil into the chamber to lubricate the seals. I, personally run Shell Rotella 15-40 and the engine loves it. Couldn't resist!!!

 

Where do you get these ratings that indicate Valvoline and Castrol are 'poor quality'?
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Don't shoot me, that was a quote from one of the long term moderators over on the RX7 Forum speaking of the ash content. As I'm not one to use synthetics, I haven't examined the ash content of various synthetics to determine the authenticity of the statement.

 

I'll throw this out here:
http://http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/aehaas/101.html

I have been using 5w30 synthetic and following the mtce minder without issue in my TL
My '94 RX-7 gets changed with 5W30 dino every 2K miles due to the fuel dilution issue.

 

Good explanation in plain english. Corrected link = http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/aehaas/101.html

For me, it has been 5w20 Mobil1 on the minder since first change... will be switching to 5w30 Mobil1 next change because it is more readily available.

FOR ME, anything beyond this would be overkill and a waste of my money - considering my driving routine. Any further oil chemistry dissertations would make my head burst.

 

I agree that anything SM or even SL rated will be more than fine. But you have a few OCD sorts like me that have to run the "best" just because. It's a disease lol.

I do have to say though, I can't stand any more articles written by AEHass. He's a surgeon, not a tribologist or even a mechanic. He has a thin oil bias to the point of suggesting things that may be harmful. He flat out admits he believes HTHS has no relation to wear even though there is white paper after white paper showing the importance of HTHS in a high stress environment and multiple teardowns to prove it. I'm tired of poking holes at his theories. Unfotunately he's well educated and it shows in well written articles so people believe some of the nonsense without questioning it.

 

LOL. Thank you sir. That makes a lot of sense.

I've wondered how an ester base oil would work in a rotary since it is designed to burn oil. It seems like esters leave the least amount of deposits behind after combustion. Then again, I wonder if they may hender combustion...

 

I used to use Penzoil Platinum, but have found NAPA's own brand of synthetic which is really Valvoline SynPower, comes at a much better price. Also, the NAPA Gold filters (WIX in disguise) seem to keep the oil cleaner longer. No need to spend $13 for an oil filter.

As I've said in previous posts in other threads, though Mobil1 is good oil, ExxonMobil's $45 BILLION profit last year while ripping us off for almost $5 a gallon at the pump tells me they don't need any of my money, OR YOURS!
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what do they use ath the dealer

 

It depends, each dealer may be different. I don't think they all use the same brand. They get whatever the most cost effective brand is. I may be wrong but I have heard that the factory fill for Acura is Mobil Clean 5000 but don't quote me.

 

It's different from dealer to dealer. Mine uses cheap dino 10w-30 in every Acura that comes in. Typically 10w-30 is going to be cheaper than a 20wt.

 

A non-detergent is the type you're supposed to use for break-in. Is Mobil Clean 5000 non-detergent?

 

No manufacturer, at least no car manufacturer, would never put non-detergent oil in an engine, let alone a new one. Ever see the inside of an engine when non-detergent oil has been used?

 

SA oil FTW!

The only time I've heard of low detergent (not non detergent) being used is a full race engine that gets torn down often. Supposedly with less detergents there's more room for lubrication. I don't know why I go on rants like this lol.

 

I was under the impression all acura dealers use the same oil?

 

5w30 is a reasonable substitue for 5w20 but why if you drive the car the way it was intended with 5w20 you will be fine. While I respect everyone's opinion on this board I must say that the thinning of oil is not a new concept, just fifteen years ago 10w30 was the norm in most cars, then 5w30 came and now we have 5w20 its only going o get thinner. Now if your racing or auto crossing you will see the benefit of a heavier viscosity oil, but normal driving that engine will last a lifetime on 5w20.

 

I'm switching to 5w40 on friday

 

The dealer I went to uses Chevron (says on the receipt). First oil change they used 5w30 (April) and the second time they used 5w20 (October).

 

Not a bad idea. In your climate, you could run anything from a 5w-20 to a 15w-40 and be fine. A quality 5w-40 is an excellent choice.