Do you use the leftover oil that's been sitting in the jug for over 6 months?

 

Sure do, oil doesn't have a shelf life. I usually pour it into quart containers for easier storage but really no need to.

_

 

OK sorry for bring this back to life but I've been reading about oils again. There seems to be some confusion about 0w20 mainly on my part. I will not use it and thinking about going way heavier like 10w60 or 5w40.

Seeing this has made me think about are we really using the right oil. dataStack

If wear and sludge control is better then the motor is cleaner meaning less friction and better protection so better mpg should be right behind. I dont understand why they are going so thin in oil 0w20 when the temps that oil is used only 10 percent sees.

I am just thinking on paper sort of speak and have been using 5w20 but wondering why.

Heavy duty one dataStack

 

You are failing to account for the ability of the lubricating oil to not only penetrate very close clearances to provide separation of contra-rotating surfaces but also sweeping trash from the clearances. Thinner oils indeed penetrate much better and flow faster thus flush the clearances far better.
The difference that matters is the ability of the lubricant to thin out without shredding under heavy loads and that is why synthetics like Mobil 1 are so much better.Their ability to thin out under very high rpm is legendary compared to normal paraffin-based oils and especially napthene-based oils who have to load a ton of additives to even get close to synthetics and those additives don't reward anti-friction needs very much. When the lubricant thins out it shredds and allows some of the surfaces to contact; you always want a nice thin film betwwen all rotating surfaces.
In truth any weight oil greater than 10-30W non-synthetic will not offer great anti-friction or trash flush in normal street use; in racing applications if the oikl is well chosen OK but in any modern engine with the very close toleranced gaps beteen rotating surfaces and their surroundingsdesigned for better performance and lesser friction for better mpg when the manufacturer says 0 -20W they designed that mechanical device to provide the best performance, longevity, and mpg with that lubricant.
When you build your own engine or you install a rebuilt engine you can consider alternate lubricants. Or when your mileage approahes 100,000 miles when those clearances may open a bit.

 

Could you Mix oil like 0w20 and 5w40 to get 3w30 and get some of the benefits of each? I know that in Japan they used to use 10w30 for non vtec and 15w40 vtec. I cant see the bearing clearances being that tight. I dont think they use napthene-based oils in the newer extended drain oils that the dealer would use. I know what your saying about napthene-based oils and the problems they had and I am sure that oil is still out there too but not what the dealer uses. Honda oil in the USA is Kendall. Its semi synthetic or synthetic. Honda used to use M1 and might still have it but they told me Honda prefers Conoco or Kendall same oil.

Thanks again, I guess I better just read the labels better and stop comparing Honda to BMW. I will just keep reading.


I found what I was looking for. When it meets the other oil specification it takes it into the wear and sludge protection. So thinner oil can be just as good as heavier oils.

 

Well you don't want to mix oils that are that different in grade range.

I have been using 0w20 since before it was trendy in my GD3, and "only" 5w40 in the race car 90%+ of the time. Find a service manual and you will see that these motors are run very tight. Excepting extreme scenarios like F1.. hotter, high performance motors are pretty loose in many aspects. This ofcourse depends on duty, environment and fuel but even PTWs can approach 0.0040-0.0045. Depending on piston material, block material, duty and fuel, etc.

Granted I built that motor for that weight of oil. I also use a remote mounted heat exchanger looped with a thermostat off the OFH.

Seemingly almost everyone else on those motors seems to be fixated on the 20w50s or straight weights. Regardless of tolerance or climate... or pressure. Next to none of them log the pressure at the OFH and trust the dummy gauge.

Let alone have remote pressure sending units at critical areas, like the turbo oil inlet.

Motor Oil

 

Umm..

 

Yea I know, I'm hoping none of the usual ignorant suspects show up to leave their skidmarks on the page

 

That is why I hate reading other forums, at least here the answers are corrected. I kinda figured that because of the problems with same wight oil I was having in the van by changing oils. Oil consumption and leaks which higher mileage can bring but messier by different synthetics.

I also was comparing BMW to Honda which is another thing I should not do. The GF5 rating is one of many ratings that make up the oil, so its a complete oil depending on the other ratings.

I will be sticking with the oil I am using 5w20.

 

You may enjoy that link, unless you have already stumbled across Dr. Haas's work before

 

I have read it before but retaining it is the problem. I will re-read it and in a week I will forget. I think it has a lot to do with stress and working hard at work.

 

Definitely hear you on that between work and everything, I think I have amassed 18 hours of sleep since wednesday.

 

DSM get some sleep and don't worry. Here some entertainment.

At work I tell my customers that I dont get breaks and work 12/14 hours a day. They say you had to wait me and I say now I am late to the next stop that needs to be P/U and it snow balls and soon I have 30 minutes to get 4 stops on. Some of the customers will wait put not all. If it weren't for this site to unwind I could not sleep. 7 Hours a night is what I get. I sometimes wonder if going over the road would be better.

 

Its not that mixing is that simple due to the different recipes but you aren't likely to be very wrong either. Protection against sludge and corrosion is pretty much independent of oil viscosity but the viscosities are close but not quite additive. Inventing your own viscosity formulations are pretty much a waste of time.

 

I was not looking at the big picture. I was using the chart and seeing the oil as not complete but there are other ratings so it is a complete oil. I see your point about thinner oils especially for normal driving. Racing is a whole other issue and then its just the additives.

 

My 2c: I know the manual and some Honda dealer websites say don't use synthetic, but I use blended synthetic in all our cars. Since I do mostly freeway (about 15K/year), the MM doesn't call for a change til nearly 10K.

 

No don't do that. It gets stale like beer. J/k.


I mix all my various leftovers (various grades and brands) together and use that for a later oil change. 160k miles of doing that in my other Honda and it runs perfect.

 

I use mine after 6 months in my chainsaw to lube chazins; nothing works better.. Can't get better than that.
The 6 months is letting any solids to settle but likely not necessary. Further, ass an old petroleum engineer, no one in lubrication will state that synthetic oils are verbotten. Non one. Any one that says synthetics should not be used in Honda engines has a mission not valid. And find any racing entries not using synthetics; there aren't any. If they don't use conventionasl oils no body needs to. I've know a couple of Honda engineers and they used synthetics. Dynos and wear tests can't be wrong.

 

Amsoil of course. 0-20wt

 

I drive a GD fit and use NAPA synthetic 5w20 which is made by the same company that makes valvoline. It's 22$ for 5L on sale and that beats the 50$ for a similar jug of castrol or mobil1. I also use a NAPA oil filter (made by wix) and a buy my crush washers at napa.

I've always wondered what the benefits of switching to 0w20 could be. Since I don't know and my oil cap says 5w20, I'm just sticking with it for now.