is it ok to put 10 w 30 oil in recommended 5w20?

Question

i was just wondering if it was ok to put 10w30 in my car that recommends 5w20 thank you

Answer 1

Some newer Ford, Honda, and Chrysler vehicles call for 5W-20 or 0W-20 motor oil. Here is info from Amsoil:

New for model year 2001 and Newer: Ford and Honda specify 5W-20 motor oil for most all cars and light trucks.

Here are the facts behind 5W-20:

Question: My owners manual species 5W-20 oil. Do I really need to use 5W-20 oil and why did my 2000 model year vehicle require a 5W-30 oil, while the exact same engine in my 2001, 2002 and newer engines "requires" a 5W-20 oil?

Answer: You do not need to use a 5W-20 oil. Do not let your dealer scare you by telling you that you have to use it for your warranty. That is a tactic that some dealerships use to scare customers. Once you know the facts and the Federal Magnusson Moss Act law http://www.amsoil.com/redirect.cgi?zo=1463115&page=magnuson_moss
you will be much better informed to protect your rights and use the type of oil you want to use.

The main reason 5W-20 was specified for your engine is to increase the CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) reported to the Federal Government. CAFE is the combined average fuel economy of all of a vehicle manufacturers product line. Minimum CAFE levels are specified by the Federal Government. In order for a vehicle manufacturer to continue selling profitable large trucks and SUV's, which typically have poor fuel mileage ratings, as compared to smaller cars, and still meet mandated CAFE requirements, they must also sell enough of the smaller cars which have much better fuel economy ratings to offset the poor fuel economy ratings of the larger vehicles. For model year 2001, the change to a 5W-20 oil will allow Ford and Honda's overall CAFE to increase by a very small amount, typically in the tenths of a mile per gallon range. 5W-20 oil is a lighter viscosity than a 5W-30 oil and therefore has less internal engine frictional losses, or less drag on the crankshaft, pistons and valvetrain, which in turn promotes increased fuel economy. This increased fuel economy is virtually undetectable to the average motorist without the use of specialized engine monitoring and testing equipment under strictly controlled test track driving when compared to a 5W-30, 10W-30 or a 0W-30 viscosity motor oil.


With that said, Amsoil does make 5W-20 and 0W-20 : http://www.amsoil.com/redirect.cgi?zo=1463115&page=storefront/asm

The choice is yours.

Answer 2

1

Answer 3

Can I put a 10 30 when it says 5 30

Answer 4

NO!!!

Normally Dodge Man has good advice but now he is showing his age.

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When a car manufacturer recommends 5w20, that's because newer cars has closer tolerances and need the thinner oil. The 20 and 30 viscosity is at working temperature (100C or 212F). You will NOT be lubricating you engine correctly with ticker oil. No matter what the outside temperature is, when your car is warmed up it is (or should be) at 212F. So don't think "I can add heavier oil because it is summer." NO! 20 viscoscity stay 20 winter or summer, etc.

The lower number (the first number) can be changed depending on the whether. And in the winter it is recommended to go with the manufacturer or even lower. This is the only number that can be changed (to lower). But the second number MUST be at the recommended.

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People think of oil getting thinner when it get warm. It is better to think of oil getting thicker as it get cold. At operating temperature the oil is at it's designed viscosity (the second number). The first number is what the oil thickens to when the temperature gets down to 0C or 32F. So if you live in warmer area (and never gets down to freezing) then you can get away with slight higher first number. And if you were to use lower first number (all the time) it would not hurt.

In the old days, thinner oil meant less slippery (less oily and more watery). That's also changed. Oils like Valvoline (synthetic) are so slippery that it can NOT be used in some motorcycles with wet clutch (normally OK with regular engine oil). So thickness of oil does not automatically mean more lubrication. In fact now thin oils get into tight fitting places and mean more lubrication.
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The good old days of "just about" right numbers are over with oil. You have to get specific oil for the newer tighter tolerance engine.

Good Luck.

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Answer 5

5 20 Oil

Answer 6

Holy....there's a lot of different opinions on this subject. For a second I thought I was watching an infomercial for an oil additive!

And that's what they are....opinions. Ford Girl is spot on with her assessment. The reason a specific weight of oil is specified by a manufacturer is because that is what the engineers designed it to use. Now, some may not hold much faith in engineers but for the most part, when it comes to what they are doing, they know a bit more than us....for the most part. The reason the manufacturer states a specific weight oil can be cost related, CAFE rating related or design related.
Here's an example: The Jeep Liberty 3.7 liter V6 engine stipulates 5W-30 at 3,000 mile intervals. Why? Because the camshafts on this engine use teenie-tiny little oil holes in the camshaft to lubricate the cam journals. If you use a heavier oil or go longer between oil changes, say good-bye to the cam journals.
Now, on to VISCOSITY: the weight of the oil (20,30,40,50) is a UNIT OF MEASURE established by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) to evaluate the flow characteristics of oil at a specific temperature and gravity. Oil's viscosity changes in accordance with temperature....of the ENGINE. Unless you live where it gets down to -25F for extended periods of time....changing the weight of your engine's oil based on outside temperatures is, for the most part, irrelevant.

This is my opinion, take it for what it's worth.....

Answer 7

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
is it ok to put 10 w 30 oil in recommended 5w20?
i was just wondering if it was ok to put 10w30 in my car that recommends 5w20 thank you

Answer 8

If you have low miles on the vehicle, you should use what is recommended i.e. 5w/20. If you car has high mileage 80 - 100k or more, the probability is there is plenty of normal wear on the internal parts and using a slightly heavier oil will not hurt anything. It is only when the car is new and the tolerances are tight, that you should use the recommended oil for your vehicle.

Answer 9

IF YO USE A THICKER OIL Than recommended by the manual that comes with your vehicle then your looking for short engine life., some engine have such small oil passages to let the oil go to the top of the engine that in due time the thicker oil will clog them little passages up to where your engine will soon need to be replaced ,

Answer 10

That oil is WAY too thick for that engine,Use 10-30 or lucas if you wanna thicken the oil up a bit.The real problem here is that oil hasn't been changed or even checked in 10,000 miles.The clearances in the bearing journals.oil pump and passages,etc. is not set up for oil that thick.Just keep an eye on the lil ladies car from now on