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a fine associate of mine designs engines for a german auto maker and he told me that modern engines must always utilize oil that meets the specifications contained in the owner's manual if you're interested in making the engine last. The only thing people accomplish by using oil outside of the manufacturers specifications is cause the engine to fail faster and if you're changing the oil to deal with a problem you should instead fix the problem rather than masking it.
Yeah, the people that write the owner's manuals are actually performing tests and then making recommendations based on the outcomes of their tests rather than just making stuff up like most so-called mechanics do.
Actually, the people who write the owners manuals are nerds sitting in front of computer monitors. They don't know the difference between a crankshaft and an oil pan.
When you want to know about automobile engines, talk to guys who are elbows-deep in them every day - not computer nerds.
That's a long way of saying that an engine with 150k on it does NOT have the same tolerances as a new engine, regardless of what the owners' manual says.
I chaged the oil on my car, and my friend who owns a shop told me to use 10w40, so i did.
i have a 95 accord with 191k, live in an area that doesnt freeze often, and doesnt get too hot (seattle area). on the manual it says to use 5w30, but i was thinking that the thicker the oil, the more the oil pump has to work.
my friend says that with 10w40 this will lubricate the engine better. I plan to use this car for at least another 5 years.
No, sorry, it will lubricate no better no worse.
Your friend was right about one thing, but let me ask you this: does your engine take oil? As the only reason I ever recommend a thicker, or heavier weight oil, is when engines starts taking oil. With heavier oil, that process slows down somewhat.
That's about it. BTW, I live in Seattle area, so I know it quite well. If your engine does not burn or take oil through leaks, stick to good mid expense 5W30. I like Quaker State. Good experience.
instead of going with a thicker oil, it would be better to go with a high mileage oil instead. they are still the same weight as standard oils, but they have a slight different additive package that makes them better for use in high mileage engines. quaker state started the trend about ten years ago or so.
instead of going with a thicker oil, it would be better to go with a high mileage oil instead. they are still the same weight as standard oils, but they have a slight different additive package that makes them better for use in high mileage engines. quaker state started the trend about ten years ago or so.
Best advice in this thread.
Heavy oil may slow consumption, but it's not doing anything better. Probably not doing anything worse.
Actually, the people who write the owners manuals are nerds sitting in front of computer monitors. They don't know the difference between a crankshaft and an oil pan.
When you want to know about automobile engines, talk to guys who are elbows-deep in them every day - not computer nerds.
That's a long way of saying that an engine with 150k on it does NOT have the same tolerances as a new engine, regardless of what the owners' manual says.
Technical writers and legal types put together the owner's manuals based on research conducted by engineers who know way more about engines than the typical guy who is elbows deep in engines every day ever will.
You see, what Joe Bob, from Joe's garage does not know is that the engine builders run all kinds of lubrication tests, so unlike Joe Bob, when an engine builder tells you to use a certain kind of oil for longevity or tell you to use another type for performance, they actually know and understand what they are talking about because they have tested and verified their findings, instead of just throwing nonsense out based upon half baked notions.
You know it's funny...Back in the 60's & 70's the engineers in Detroit would go to the street races on Woodward Ave and get ideas from the racers... So everything that used to be stated in an owners manual was NOT always from the engineer themselves.. It was from the shade tree mechanic and street racer that he got the idea or solution from.....
NEVER underestimate the people who ACTUALLY work on cars.... Or race them....
And just because something is stated or not included in a vehicle only means that the old saying - Every penny saved on a vehicle pays a man's salary - comes true.....
You know it's funny...Back in the 60's & 70's the engineers in Detroit would go to the street races on Woodward Ave and get ideas from the racers... So everything that used to be stated in an owners manual was NOT always from the engineer themselves.. It was from the shade tree mechanic and street racer that he got the idea or solution from.....
NEVER underestimate the people who ACTUALLY work on cars.... Or race them....
And just because something is stated or not included in a vehicle only means that the old saying - Every penny saved on a vehicle pays a man's salary - comes true.....
Back in the 1960's and 1970's automobile engines were less complex than a Briggs & Stratton engine of today. We have 2.0L 4-cylinder engines today that produce more power than a 7.8L V8 did or could, during the 1970's.
Technical writers and legal types put together the owner's manuals based on research conducted by engineers who know way more about engines than the typical guy who is elbows deep in engines every day ever will.
You see, what Joe Bob, from Joe's garage does not know is that the engine builders run all kinds of lubrication tests, so unlike Joe Bob, when an engine builder tells you to use a certain kind of oil for longevity or tell you to use another type for performance, they actually know and understand what they are talking about because they have tested and verified their findings, instead of just throwing nonsense out based upon half baked notions.
You're wrong, on several levels. Have you ever even LOOKED at a typical owners' manual? They tell you NOTHING, other than how to run the radio.
Now why don't you go run along and threaten some old ladies in a parking lot.
Last edited by GarageLogic; 10-11-2013 at 03:00 PM..
Back in the 1960's and 1970's automobile engines were less complex than a Briggs & Stratton engine of today. We have 2.0L 4-cylinder engines today that produce more power than a 7.8L V8 did or could, during the 1970's.
Dead wrong. Again. Geez...
Most of today's engines - the engines themselves - are LESS complicated than a lot of old engines. It's the computers & electronics that have changed.
One thing IS obvious - and that is that you've never had your hands inside an engine. And you've also never been around these "shade tree mechanics" that are rebuilding engines that are BETTER than stock. BETTER than they were from the factory. Those guys know multiplied times more about engines than some engineer, or a computer nerd who is writing, "Call your authorized service center," in an owners manual.
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