YungMoola15

Hello all tried search around but couldn't find anything.

Alright so basically I don't know what octane rating gas I should put in my CL.
The CL has 135k miles and I have maintained it very well.

It's a 1 owner vehicle I bought it at 90k and have no idea what the owner did to the car. After getting the car we have been putting 87 octane and conventional oil change.

I recently just received the car and did timing belt job. I am now thinking how I can make it last longer so I've been researching about every detail on the car.
After receiving the car I've been putting 89 octane gas but before doing that I cleaned the fuel system with Chevron cleaner.

The car calls for 91 octane gas and synthetic oil changes and I am perfectly fine doing both of those but I would like to know if I would be doing more harm than good since we have been putting 87 and conventional oil.

What do you guys think about me switching to 91 Octane and Mobil 1 Synthetic?

BTW the car drives EXCELLENT no hiccups whatsoever.

gnuts

iTrader: (1)

Synthetic is not required. 5w20 is written on the oil cap I believe.

Use premium fuel. You'll get better mileage with it. And keep an eye on the tranny.

o0o0o0

iTrader: (1)

Since we are on the topic of oil, is it bad to run 5w30 in our cls6's? I know it say 5w20 but I was told running a little thicker oil in my high milage cls6 (140kmiles) is a safer.

I would recommend using 91 octane.

Thanks in advance

YungMoola15

Thanks for the info. I will put 91 octane from now on but should I clean the fuel injectors with additives or no? So I should stick with conventional oil? Also why should I keep an eye on the trans? Any possibility that I can hurt the trans by switching octane?

clpassenubye

iTrader: (20)

X100 91 octane or higher if you can get it and in N VA you should be using 93. No chance of hurting trans with switching octane.

gnuts

iTrader: (1)

I'm not sure how effective those additives are to be honest. You could check your spark plugs. Otherwise, if it ain't broke...

I assumed you knew, but the 01-03 Auto CL's had a defective transmission and many failures. There's ample info on that subject here.

gurot1

I get better mileage with 91 octane. I remember when I first got car how much cheaper gas was and I would sometimes buy 94 octane just because (I didn't notice any difference between 94 and 91, maybe if I was turbo charged it might make a difference, but waste of money for my current setup)

clpassenubye

iTrader: (20)

In regards to 93 or 94 octane I don't think you will see the difference using it sometimes you have to use it consistently over a period of time to recognize the difference.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

^?


as usual, gnuts is spot on with everything.
fuel injector cleaners are snake oil.
Because of the Texas heat, I run a 5w-30. my car has yet to blow up.
1 full point of octane 93 vs 94 isnt going to show much difference because your engine isnt knocking, which in turn the ECU will not retard timing.

YeuEmMaiMai

the best fuel economy comes on 100% pure gas @ 93 octane from my observations. Also if you get your oil changed at the Acura dealer, they are most likely already putting in 0w20 and has had no effect on my engine since they made the switch (Honda did) a few years ago...

YungMoola15

Thank you all for your responses so I guess it's unanimous that I should use 91? I thought 91 was the higest octane (it's the highest around where I live) but I guess there's higher octane. Basically near my house where I usually put gas, the highest octane is 91 so would it be hurtful to switch from 91 to 93 since I don't fill up at same spot all the time?

JarrettLauderdale

There's nothing hurtful about switching octane ratings of gasoline assuming you're switching between values that meet or exceed the engine's performance needs. Because the J32A2 is 10.5:1 compression ratio, the need for a more stable fuel is present.

The reason a diesel engine runs without spark plugs is because the fuel/air mixture is compressed so much that the mixture becomes ignitable because of its volatility. The mixture is under enough force that it ignites itself because of the heat due to friction of the air/fuel molecules crashing around against each other. The force behind that ignition pushes against the face of the piston just the same way the process works in a gasoline engine.

Think of octane ratings as a measure of the gasoline's stability under load, or its resistance to ignition. Because of the "high" compression of the J32A2 engine an 87 octane fuel has a greater potential to predetonate before the spark plug fires a spark. During easy daily driving this may not be an issue because the temperatures inside the combustion chamber are not terribly elevated. When you begin to get on the car a little bit and the revs increase, the engine does not have the same efficiency of dissipating heat. This makes the air/fuel mixture likely to detonate before the spark fires when using a low-octane fuel. A high-octane fuel, such as 91 or 93-octane is designed to curb this effect in high-compression engines.

So, high-octane gasoline buys you headroom for error and room for higher compression. By no means is it cleaner or better for your engine if your engine doesn't need it. Pro-tip: yours does.

PeteCLS

Start saving for transmission rebuild or swap funds..

fsttyms1

The only reason Honda (and most manufacturers) have gone to a thinner weight oil is to help meet Cafe standards.

If your motor is in good shape there is NO reason to run a thicker oil just because it has higher miles.

o0o0o0

iTrader: (1)

I feel better to have the extra protection. I've only own the car for the 13k miles. I believe the motor is in good shape but I haven't done any major tune up. 105k service was done at 129k by previous owner.

So running 5w30 wont hurt the motor at all right? And also I find it easier to find 5w30 than 5w20 in stock at retailers.

TaxiDriver

How do the fluids look? That is one of the most important things you can do to keep your car parts running longer.

Most importantly, the tranny fluid. Is it pink in color or dark brown/black? It should spread easily on a paper towel when you're checking the color. If not, do a drain and refill every couple thousand miles.

I'm not too sure on the frequency of brake fluid, coolant and power steering fluid -someone else here can tell us about that!

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

ive ran all types of oil. I live in Texas where it is hot and the extra protection from a 5w-30 is okay with me.
nothing wrong with either weight.
In recent years, like fsttyms1 said, CAFE regulations have caused auto manufactures to increase fuel efficiency across their entire fleet. by moving to a 0w-20 on all their vehicles, Honda has achieved their CAFE requirements

YungMoola15

Yes I know fluids are very important and perhaps the key element to running a car longer. I am actually going to get my transmission fluid checked next oil change but I think I may need to change it. I dont know how to check it or else i'd do it myself. The power steering and brake fluids were never changed. The coolant was also never changed as far as I know.

CL-S progression 01

iTrader: (2)

Coolant is easy there is a drain valve on the. Bottom of the rad. U just need to remove or half remove and pull back the panel underneath.

As for the trans fluid. There is a dip stick located to the left of the battery down... Low u will see a yellow handle. That is it. Fluid should be darkish red pink. If it looks at all brownish then u should change it. I would change it anyways to be honest. I do it every oil change in the summer and every other in the winter.

YungMoola15

Thanks. Is it necessary to change the coolant? So I just drain and refill the tub under hood? Also can you recommend a good transmission fluid because I hear OEM causes tranny fail? I was thinking of Amsoil or Redline D4... Also do you think it's necessary to change the steering and brake fluid?

3.2cls6speedmt

can someone please answer this question?

thoiboi

Follow the service manual intervals


OEM Coolant is great. OEM transmission fluid DW-1 for ATF is good. the older Z-1 stuff is not so good.


power steering fluid use OEM and brake fluid OEM or DOT3/4 equivalent.. Brake fluid is 3 years, mileage independent due to being hygroscopic.