5w or 10w/30? Options

[mwpayne]

Just bought a '95 celica ST. Needs an oil change, is 5w/30 ok? Reason is I also have a 2002 camry that uses that, it would be nice to stock one oil for both cars..

[Elevindie]

hmmmm....well the way oil is classified is by viscosity. the "W" means winter. 5W-30 is a unit of measurement. The way oil is created is that it wasnts to be thinner in winter time and thicker in the summer. when the number of the oil decreses the thinner it gets (10w to 5W). so this means when you go to 5W (for winter or cold temptures) instead of 10W, is meaning that you are putting less cushioning of the parts in the engine, and could wear out faster. But the 30, which is the viscosity of the oil in the summer time, it would be the same. So it is up to you, if you want to have less protection in your celica, at the expense of organizing the oil in a way that you wont screw it up, is totally up to you. But it is possible.

[Supersprynt]

Your right - kinda. The W isnt just for "winter" its just plainly the viscosity of the oil when its cold. The most wear in an engine come from start up, this is generally when theres no oil pressure and oil hasnt reached every where yet. so a thick oil will take longer to get everywhere while a thinner oil will reach vital parts quicker. Thats the first number in say 10w-30. 10 is the viscosity of the oil when its cold, 30 is when the cars warm. So 5w-30 is the same as 10w-30 when your engine is warmed up.

So theres pros and cons to using a thicker weight oil. 5w will get to your engine parts quicker while the 10w will take longer. And the 10w will add some cushion but take longer to get to the parts. And in the end when yoru cars warm they're both the same.

You'll be fine with a 10w-30. Semi or full synthetic is what i'd recommend for the age of your car.

[lagos]

the "W" means winter

lol, no... "w" dosnt mean winter. you are correct about the rest of the into tho

5w30 is the recomended weight for any celica. if you live in a hot climate, you might try 10w30. either one will work really.

[Jdog1385]

the "W" means winter

lol, no... "w" dosnt mean winter. you are correct about the rest of the into tho

5w30 is the recomended weight for any celica. if you live in a hot climate, you might try 10w30. either one will work really.

yea i use 10w30 all year round. the real question is synthetic or regular? i made my switch to synthetic recently.

[Bigmeanbulldog55]

I use 5w30 in winter and 10w30 in the summer. Car hasn't given me problems yet.

[mwpayne]

That'ts the thing, the 2002 camry has 5w/30 written right on the fill cap, The manual also says use only 5/w30. So, I figured if it's ok for the camry, it should be ok for the celica. But, maybe the newer engines are more designed for 5w, I don't know. The first change will be 5w for sure, since I have a case of it.

[Hanyo]

i've also heard thiner oils make you save gas.
example: 5-30 will be more fuel efficent compared to 5-40.

[Supersprynt]

Slightly just simply cuz the motor isnt working as hard.

[CelicaZR]

I use 5w/30 in my car,
only fully synthetic oil.
Changed every 2500kms

[southwest2118]

The most wear in an engine come from start up, this is generally when theres no oil pressure and oil hasnt reached every where yet.

I heard this before . i was thinking ....

right after a rebuild your supposed to disable spark and just crank the car for a couple of seconds....

soo if you disable the spark from a switch in the car.. and crank for a couple of seconds then engage the "spark switch" then turn on the car.....will that help in the long run??

[Supersprynt]

I dont think so because its the lack of lubrication in the joints and cylinder walls etc. that is getting worn.

[soulshadow]

I used 5W on mine and when I drained it, it came out like water.
I say stick with 10W-30.

[ILuvMyCelica95]

hahah thats fabulous i have been doing this the wrong way... its winter and i have 10w30 in my car. heh, oops. i never really knew what the difference was, i just kinda picked it up once and thats what has been going in my car for a while. I use Castrol high milage oil. Idk if that makes a difference or anything, prob not.

So here is my stupid question for today: what is the difference between reg and synthetic? does it make a difference? all i know is that when you go synthetic you cant go back, is that even right?

[Supersprynt]

Your fine with 10w-30 in the winter.

I dont think theres an actual problem with going back to natural once you've gone synthetic but I dont think its particularly good either, especially for gaskets & seals.

Synthetic oil has better resistance to temperatures, has less impurities, lasts longer, better resistance to breakdown.

[ILuvMyCelica95]

Thanks Erik, good to know i'm not ruining my engine anymore then toyota already has.

[SlowCelica94]

I use 5w30 in winter and 10w30 in the summer. Car hasn't given me problems yet.

+1

[Yellow94GT]

The most wear in an engine come from start up, this is generally when theres no oil pressure and oil hasnt reached every where yet.

I heard this before . i was thinking ....

right after a rebuild your supposed to disable spark and just crank the car for a couple of seconds....

soo if you disable the spark from a switch in the car.. and crank for a couple of seconds then engage the "spark switch" then turn on the car.....will that help in the long run??

I though cranking a fresh rebuild was rough because the oil pressure was extremly low and the internal friction was very high. Since the oil pump is virtually empty and most friction points don't have the oil fed through the oil galley to the bearings and rings.

Opps I hit the wrong key and I think I sent out an incomplete post.
I though cranking a fresh rebuild was rough because the oil pressure was extremely low and the internal friction was very high. Since the oil pump is virtually empty therfore most friction points don't have the oil fed through the oil galley to the bearings, rings and cylinder wall and pistions.
"Back in the old V-8 days "I used to leave the distributor off on my rebuilds and prelube the engine by using a a long slotted screwdriver attached to a drill to turn the oil pump with for a couple minutes. This would send oil through the empty oil passages to the vital friction points, bearing, rings, pistion, cylinderwalls, etc. You could watch the oil pressure gauge pump up to opertating pressure. All the air was forced out of the lubricating system and then the distributor was put in and the engine could be started without all the harmful dry post rebuild scuffing.
I understand that all the good oil filters have check ball/valves to keep the oil volume high for restarts.
The oil filter on the 5S-FE engine faces downward and doesn't allow for me to fill the filter full of oil prior to installing it.
I don't know if disabling the spark while cranking a "not freshly rebuilt" engine will give similar benefits to an engine that has not been just rebuilt, since the lubricating system already has purged the air and of oil in the vital places.

Yellow94GT

This post has been edited by Yellow94GT: Mar 20, 2006 - 9:47 PM

[spunky393]

Just look at your oil cap on the celi. It says 5w-30. At least my gt does.

I've been using Mobil 1 5w-30 full syn for the life of the car, no problems, winter or summer. I don't think i really have ever seen my heat gauge get near the middle of the guage.

This post has been edited by spunky393: Mar 20, 2006 - 9:13 PM

[Jen]

I've always used 10w/30.. even in the winter. *shrug*