bullet02ex

First of all I did some searching and found a lot of mixed reviews. I got my oil changed today and instead of going to the dealership where I work I took it to the guy who does all my installs. I know Honda says the recommended oil is 5w20 but he told me it was better to put in 5w30. I'm pretty sure it was the upper end Mobile1 5w30. Anyways some of the threads said 5w30 was good and some said to use 5w20. I AM NOT TURBO. It's an 2002 ex w/ 72,000 miles with just intake header and exhaust.

So was 5w30 ok and will it be better for the car..

Thanks

beadebaserr

iTrader: (7)

I don't know about yours, but both of the owners manuals for both 7thgens i've owned have said 5w30, and it said it right on the cap, and on my k20.

lxcivic2k1

Our cars recommend 5w20 so I only use it, but when I took it to Firestone for a safety inspection and an oil change(since it was there and needed it) they put in 5w30, I was pissed but it worked. Didn't give me any problems.

rjngo

iTrader: (3)

why in the world would you listen to that guy...tell me does he make cars that are sold all over the world?

follow honda not some guy!

on the other note...nothing really bad will happen if you poured 5w-30

speedfoos

iTrader: (17)

Nope. Been running 5W30 now for about 6 months. Won't hurt the car at all.

bullet02ex

I guess I listen to him because he owns a renowned shop here in Ohio for imports and classics so his knowledge is pretty high!

Thanks foos then I guess 5w30 will be fine. Should I take it somewhere else next time for 5w20?

speedfoos

iTrader: (17)

I'd just buy it yourself and bring it with when you get the oil changed next time, if you really want to run 5W20 again. Either weight won't hurt the car.

Civic_Racer9

iTrader: (9)

u need thicker oil as ur engine gets older.

so if u have 72k on ur car.... then 5w30 is perfect or even 10w30 is good too

Alpha 5

iTrader: (8)

I run the top of the line Mobile the 15k mile stuff. I use the 5W30. No problems.....

bullet02ex

thanks all for the replies... I'm going to stick with the 5w30 I think especially since a lot of people seem to be using it. No problems with the engine yet so I think a little extra TLC will be good for it.

civicarina

Mobile 1 Clean 5000 5W30 !!! Past 2 years since I hit 36k miles and Im on 56k Miles right now no trouble what so ever !

dopes6070

iTrader: (25)

I run 75w90 gear oil lol... JK I use 5w20 Mobil Clean 5000 w/ 5k mile OCI Here

HwNpRyDe_CiViC

iTrader: (17)

i run 10-40 sythetic blend. but im bosted

speedfoos

iTrader: (17)

Ouch dude. That's too thick for a little 4-banger, boosted or not.

HwNpRyDe_CiViC

iTrader: (17)

no way ... boosting 15 psi daily 10 40 is perfect. synthetic blend also. full syn is a no no. reg dino **** or syn blend is teh way 2 go. ask any shop!!!

greeen01civic4d

iTrader: (7)

i used to run 20 w50 conv. in my 93 tercel( had a lot of leaks), never had a problem, now i run 5w20 in my vic, full syn for the last 40k miles, never had a problem with it, u can run 5w30, wont hurt, but next time, look at the oil filler cap, or ur owners manual...

HwNpRyDe_CiViC

iTrader: (17)

if u have a moded mottor internal wise full syn is horrible and worst thing to use. stock motor ok.

jee88

just did the same thing, got some synthetic 5w30 for free thought why tha hell not, runs good so far

emjay

iTrader: (2)

is 10w30 synthetic royal purple bad? i think thats what i use and im boosted

speedfoos

iTrader: (17)

I was running RP 5W30, but didn't like how it seemed to get dirty really quickly. That may just the color of the oil, but the **** looked black coming out of the pan after 2000 miles. Not so with Mobil 1. IDK, it could have been fine - it's expensive enough - but I didn't like the look of it. Car seemed fine though.

wallydude03

I ran 5w30 on my 7th gen vic for 4k miles, It worked fine for me.

HwNpRyDe_CiViC

iTrader: (17)

ull see orver time. sythetic is not a good thing to run. full that is. not good for piston to wall contact or expanding of rods.. reg dino **** or syn blend is what i reccomened.

dopes6070

iTrader: (25)

^ Dude it doesn’t make a difference. I’ve seen engines (especially Honda and Toyota) both go over 500k miles on dino and synthetic both (with proper oil changes of course). The only difference between the 2 is that with synthetic all the molecules are the same size and shape and it has better detergents. When dino oil gets pumped out of the ground there are irregularities and they also use less and cheaper detergents. If you want an OCI longer the 5k miles then synthetic is the way to go. If you’re sticking to the normal 5k then go for cheapo Castrol GTX or Mobil Clean 5000 it doesn’t matter. Please don’t spread misinformation. If you have proof that what you say is true then please post a link as I’m willing to learn. I also frequently read on Bobistheoilguy.com so thats my source.

IMWEZL

Wow...I've been working on engines for 10+years and own a 448whp/494wtq SRT4 and this is first I've ever heard about full synthetics being bad for an engine. (With the exception of fully seating the pistons/rings and internal tolerances)

I guess I'll just let the dealer change the oil on the EX.

electric130

iTrader: (44)

i've got 98k on my 2002 and have always ran the cheapest 5w-20 i can get. either the cheap store brand from autozone if i do it myself, or the cheapest oil change that walmart does with their generic oil.

ONE7thREBUILT

D17A1 -5w30 hurts my gas milage

dopes6070

iTrader: (25)

Dude seriously... There is nothing wrong with synthetic or dino oil... Run what ever you want and be happy with it. Come on, it's a civic for god's sake lol. If you put 5w30 in its not gonna kill it and neither will 10w30... I dont see why people don't just run what honda reccomends unless they are boosted or have done some other crazy stuff.

beadebaserr

iTrader: (7)

hahaha seriously man.

and to hwnpryde or whatever, i really want to know what your source is for your (mis)information. yes, dino oil is necessary when breaking in an engine, but afterwards you can benefit from the OCI with a good synthetic. also, i think you talked about piston to wall scarring or something, and i believe amsoil did a test with their synthetic versus a bunch of others and showed it to leave much less marking. i've also seen engine temps stay cooler with good synthetics, not to mention bumps in oil pressure.

ONE7thREBUILT

Yeah...that information was horrible. I'm a mechanical engineer, granted I graduated two years ago, but I remember my machine lubrication class pretty well (I was real intrested) and to be pretty vauge the only difference between synthetics and non-synthetics (at least during the first 3 to 5 thousand miles) occur under very extreme conditions and I will gaurentee that a street legal civic will never actually experience a difference. That said oil weight makes a HUGE difference.

ONE7thREBUILT

I completely agree...but don't be an idiot and try some 40 weight, on second thought try it. But seriously run 5w-20 as recomended there is a reason they recomend it for your stock 4-banger.