Dear Scotty:
Have been following your site for some time, enjoy it greatly.
I would like your thoughts on Oil Viscosity that auto manufactuers recommend now days.
I´v watched several youtube videos of engine take downs and many like the Fords and GMs have been low milage break downs due to poor lubrication or lack of lubrication. Several show sighns of varnish but little sludge, oil that was found through out the engine was in good shape yet the bearings were destroyed.
The manufacturers recommend a 0w20 or 5w20 oil, (says on the oil cap).
I have brought this up with Project Farm and others as too a 20 weight oil being too thin, particularly with Turbo Charged Engines running in hot climates!
No one has been able to give me an answer.
Yoyur thoughts on the subject please.
Mark from Sweden
running in hot climates!
climate has absolutely no bearing on engine operating temperature.
Stick to the manufacturer recommended oil viscosity.
Temps here can range from -40 - +35
So you mean we no longer go by the Viscosity Climatic Chart amymroe?
Thank you for your time Scotty.
I'm not Scotty. But as I explained, all engines operate at 90C. Climate only affects the temperature of the oil when you first start a cold engine, and in that situation you want the thinnest oil possible. ESPECIALLY in a place like Sweden. I would use the 0w20 there. (the zero is the COLD viscosity, and 20 is the the HOT viscosity in case you didn't know).
.
Modern engines have complex mechanisms like valve phasers with tiny oil channels and so lighter oil is required for proper hydraulic pressure (something that PF doesn't test).
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The destroyed bearings might have been from something like oil dilution or just poor engineering. Toyota engines don't really do that even after 100's of thousands of miles.
Thank you for answering MoutainManJoe.
Yes I understand Viscosity and how it works at both ends of the spectrum. The oils pumpability at 0 is -45c, the coldest I have been in was -35 in 1975, normaly it hangs around -10 - -15c here and not for very long. When it get´s really cold i stay inside. Anyway.... it seems to me that the 0 flowability will hold out untill the engine is up to working temp of 90c. In winter the oil is not going to get very hot but in summer it can get hot....expecialy with trips down to Spain, we are talk of tempatures from +15c - +40c. Oil runs hotter than water expecialy turbo charged engines, so what I am tying to get my head around is "WILL A 20 WEIGHT STILL PROTECT THE ENGINE IN SUMMER HEAT? AT WHAT POINT DOES THE VISCOSITY BREAK DOWN?"
🙂
In winter the oil is not going to get very hot but in summer it can get hot
Again, the oil will reach 90c irrespective of seasons or geography.
Oil runs hotter than water expecialy turbo charged engines
Oil runs at 90c. It is regulated by the cooling system. :silly:
"WILL A 20 WEIGHT STILL PROTECT THE ENGINE IN SUMMER HEAT
The manufacturer has specified an oil that meets their chosen performance standards, and satisfies the needs of your engine. They have indicated this specification in your owner's manual.
Do not use anything else.
AT WHAT POINT DOES THE VISCOSITY BREAK DOWN?"
There are a variety of factors that break down oil, including wear (shear), heat, time, contamination, etc.
Change your oil every 5,000 miles to maintain lubricity.
If you need a scientific analysis of your oil properties, then there are labs you can pay to analyze your oil for you.
Howdy MoutainManJoe:
Did some googleing, say´s normal temp for oil is 110c - 127c. It can get even higher with hard drivinig and going through a Turbo.
The hotter the oil the more oxidation.
I have a 2015 SUZUKI VITARA 1,6 M16A engine. "135.000km. 5000km oil/filter change, mostly highway driving".
ACEA A1/B1 - A3/B3 - A2/B4 - A5/B5
Oil: API/ SL - SM - SN
Viscosity: 0w20 - 5w30 - 10w30 - 10w40..........The 0w20 is in bold print, I guess that is for Fuel Economy.
I´v used Mannol Oil, API/SN - 5w30 the whole time, doesn´t take a drop of oil!
As i am planning a trip south this summer i was thinking of going up to a 5w40 weight....(worried about running HOT!!"
That is why I brought up the subject of Viscosity with Scott.
Wishing everyone HAPPY MOTORING,
Scotty's answer was " The engineers know what they're doing"
Since you know better than Scotty and engineers, and are going to do the opposite anyway, then you don't need to come here and ask us.
If the engineees knew what they were doing they wouldn´t be building such [expletive deleted] cars and trucks.
Watch language please, this is a family-friendly forum.
yes clearly you know how to build better cars.
Well met allergy and internal engine designs have changed a lot in the last couple of decades. And they go for that lighter weight oil because it stops engine upper where on cold startups. You live in Sweden and as soon as it gets relatively cold there you will actually have more wear from putting a heavy oil in and the engine wearing on a dry startup. Then you will for having a somewhat lighter oil. Plus the oils themselves are radically different from what they used to be. Especially the new GF6 oils which are lighter but much better oils. The engineers know what they're doing. The only reason that a lot of those crappy American engines fall apart isn't because the oil it's because they're making the engines too cheaply
Dear Scotty:
Have been following your site for some time, enjoy it greatly.
I would like your thoughts on Oil Viscosity that auto manufactuers recommend now days.
I´v watched several youtube videos of engine take downs and many like the Fords and GMs have been low milage break downs due to poor lubrication or lack of lubrication. Several show sighns of varnish but little sludge, oil that was found through out the engine was in good shape yet the bearings were destroyed.
The manufacturers recommend a 0w20 or 5w20 oil, (says on the oil cap).
I have brought this up with Project Farm and others as too a 20 weight oil being too thin, particularly with Turbo Charged Engines running in hot climates!
No one has been able to give me an answer.
Yoyur thoughts on the subject please.
Mark from Sweden
That weight is kinda thin, my wife's EcoBoost Mustang takes 5W-30. Regardless, if 5W-20 or OW-20 was specified by the manufacturer, use it. Engines are completely different nowadays. I'd be curious if those turbocharged engines were driven like a maniac. The only time they'd possibly break down the lubrication is if you're driving it to the yellow line all the time.
My 1979 Pontiac only has a 3-speed transmission with no overdrive, and I fill it with 10W-40 because I mainly drive on the highway. The RPMs are higher, and it's an old school engine with tight piston rings.
"WILL A 20 WEIGHT STILL PROTECT THE ENGINE IN SUMMER HEAT? AT WHAT POINT DOES THE VISCOSITY BREAK DOWN?"
Yes, the actual engine is always the same operating temperature, regardless of climate. You're probably thinking of old school engines that had tight piston rings, and the thickness of the engine oil when cold had an impact. Modern piston rings are less under compression to get better gas mileage. Modern engines are light years ahead of old.
"WILL A 20 WEIGHT STILL PROTECT THE ENGINE IN SUMMER HEAT? AT WHAT POINT DOES THE VISCOSITY BREAK DOWN?"
This might shed some light https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48pviPLgaPQ
The OP seems to be asking more about what is called the SAE J300 standard, which defines the viscometric properties of mono and multigrade engine oils. Briefly, "0W-30 will be thinner at 100F than the 10W-30 at 100F, but they are the same at 212F. This is where viscosity index comes into play"