QUICK HELP- Oil question, is it ok....?? Options

[Silver94CelicaOw...]

Ok guys, quick question.....is it ok if im running 5w-30 grade oil in my 5s-fe?? After i already changed my oil today to 5w-30 i realized that the oil cap and owners manual both said to use 10w-30....so my question is, is it perfectly safe to run the new 5w-30 in my engine in this summer heat, or should i change it back to 10w-30?? The owners manual sounds like the 5w-30 is meant for colder operating temps, and i dont wanna screw my engine up by runnng a thinner oil.....but at the same time i dont wanna drain the oil back out if its fine to use it. SOMEONE HELP ME OUT!!

[Mynzeyes]

better to be safe than sorry. . i use 10w-30 year round...

-John-

[Guest_Matthew_*]

yea i would say 10w-30 as well

but if you are running more power i would recommend Mobil One 20W-50

its good stuff


you can change it every 6000 miles instead of 3000 and it will be just as good as non synthetic for double the amount of time


one thing though its like $5/quart

[GeEkBoY]

5W30 is fine. I use it in the winter so the engine starts easier. You may consume a little more oil with the 5W30 because it is less viscous. Many people recommend switching to a heavier oil (ie 15w40) when your engine gets older so you don't burn as much oil, but this only kills the engine faster, so never do that.

[1858]

Yeah, 5W-30 would be OK to use. The 1st # is the oil viscosity in cold temperature, and the 2nd # is the oil viscosity during normal operating temperature. So both a 5W-30 and a 10W-30 oil will have the same oil viscosity once the oil is up to normal temperature.

In general tho, you would wanna use a multi-weight oil with the narrowest range of viscosity (10W30 has a 20 weight difference, 5W-30 has a 25 weight difference). The wider the viscosity range an oil has, the more polymers are added, and that makes an oil more prone to viscosity & thermal breakdown.

[macavely]

you'll be fine with the 5W-30W but keep checking up on it your burn it alot faster in the summer heat..and keep a few bottoles around just in cause... or you could just switch back to 10w-30w...

[Silver94CelicaOw...]

Well, today i changed out the 5w-30 for some 10w-30 at like 6 in the morning before work......lol......so yeah, i wanted to be safe just in case. And i saved the 5w stuff for winter, so i should be all set now. Thanks for all the input guys, especially you, 1858.....you always seem to know your sh** when im confused about something i dont know much about - i.e......the amp integration harness that you reccomended for me that ended up saving me like 2-3 hundred plus installation, so i just wanted to let you know i appreciate your help.

[1858]

At least it pretty easy to drain & refill the oil. Won't even need to jack up the car.

Yeah, sure thing; glad to help......hrmmm I guess knowledge comes with old age.....oh crap I'm gettin old.......

Now are you planning on reusing that 5W-30 oil that you drained out? I wouldn't if I were you, because the oil can pick up a lot of contaminates in the process of draining (oil dripping out of the drain hole can pick up dirt and other junk that's on the oil pan's outside surface, and the oil drain pan you use can by dirty (mine is never really clean and I use it for doing the brakes and coolant changes also). If it's dino oil, get rid of it since it's cheap; like 1 bux a bottle when it's on sale.