5W-20

[snail415]

All,

I screwed-up. For my 5k first oil change, I put in Mobil-1 advanced synthetic 5W-20 into my EX-T last night. Wasn't until I had the undertray off and everything prepositioned that I realized I bought the wrong weight.

I'd ask those of you who feel qualified in the field of oil (love the pun..) to weigh-in on this oversight. I live in SE Virginia, and it shouldn't get terribly cold in the Winter months. I typically drive 15 miles a day in stop-and-go, and like to stretch its legs on the weekends. Any major concerns over the next 6-12 months I should be mindful of? Appreciate your time on this.

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[NorthernEX-T]

Why didn't you go get the proper stuff when you still had the chance? IMO, I wouldn't run the car with that oil. Who knows if the tolerances during a cold start will accept a 5W compared to 0W that is called for. Not to mention if you have an issue caused by wrong oil, Honda will be quick to point fingers at you. Just better safe than sorry IMO. Good luck.

 

[Snoopyslr]

@NorthernEX-T is definitely right. I'd be worried about tight tolerances in the engine that 5w can't fit into when it's cold.

It's only $30-40. I'd drain out that stuff and replace it with the correct stuff. Use a super clean pan to catch the 5w stuff in so you can save it. There won't be anything wrong with it.

 

[TimberWolf]

Unless you live in a really cold climate, 5w20 is fine. You will lose a bit of gas mileage, but there will be no permanent engine damage. The difference between the 2 are minimal.

 

[snail415]

Thanks for the feedback guys. Life lesson for all of you- When you have an ego that tells you 'DIY'...and you also have a bad back...at least get the right damn oil. Took me 2 hours (albeit with a dinner break) to get done what I used to do in 30min. I got to the final step and facepalmed, but figured the same that TimberWolf posted. I'll keep doing the remote-start warmups in the morning, and work to change the fluid before year's end.

 

[NorthernEX-T]

Unless you live in a really cold climate, 5w20 is fine. You will lose a bit of gas mileage, but there will be no permanent engine damage. The difference between the 2 are minimal.

How do you know this? Are you a Honda engineer? IMO you don't want to fuck with oil weight, especially on the cold rating of the oil (0w) vs (5w)

What happens when he goes and starts his car when it's freezing outside? That 5w is going to produce more wear than the proper 0w ever will. That's a fact. A cold start is when the most wear on engines occur. Seems just too risky to keep that 5w20 in there. My opinion though, but I like to have piece of mind and be on the safe side of things.

 

[snail415]

I think we can all take a deep breath and call the topic closed.
I'm changing the oil this weekend to 0w-20 in a balmy 70*F (not Frozen February).

 

[NorthernEX-T]

I think we can all take a deep breath and call the topic closed.
I'm changing the oil this weekend to 0w-20 in a balmy 70*F (not Frozen February).

Good man! Just better safe than sorry ya know.. What oil will you be running? I'm running Castrol Edge with Titainium (0W20 lol) and it seems to be holding up very well and looks a lot cleaner than the Honda oil did with the same amount of usage.

 

[snail415]

I'm running Mobil1 Extended Performance (not the Advanced Fuel Economy one).
https://mobiloil.com/en/motor-oils/mobil-1/mobil-1-extended-performance


It's hard to find in 5 gallon jugs, but I got 5 individual quarts at Advanced Auto Parts for $30 altogether. I'm sure there are fancier brands out there, but I've always used Mobil1 synthetic in my cars and never had issues. Also running the flagship FRAM oil filter, which I'll replace each change. Thanks.

 

[NorthernEX-T]

I'm running Mobil1 Extended Performance (not the Advanced Fuel Economy one).
https://mobiloil.com/en/motor-oils/mobil-1/mobil-1-extended-performance


It's hard to find in 5 gallon jugs, but I got 5 individual quarts at Advanced Auto Parts for $30 altogether. I'm sure there are fancier brands out there, but I've always used Mobil1 synthetic in my cars and never had issues. Also running the flagship FRAM oil filter, which I'll replace each change. Thanks.

Nice, that's good oil for sure. Only suggestion I would make it to use a OEM filter. Compared to the fram, it does a much better job at filtering from the tests I've seen. You can see the part number in this pic :

 

[snail415]

Appreciate it!

 

[TimberWolf]

How do you know this? Are you a Honda engineer? IMO you don't want to fuck with oil weight, especially on the cold rating of the oil (0w) vs (5w)

What happens when he goes and starts his car when it's freezing outside? That 5w is going to produce more wear than the proper 0w ever will. That's a fact. A cold start is when the most wear on engines occur. Seems just too risky to keep that 5w20 in there. My opinion though, but I like to have piece of mind and be on the safe side of things.

It's called using your brain.

First, oil viscosity varies with temperature. Which means a 0w20 oil at a low temperature (say below the freezing point) will be more viscous than a 5w20 oil in a warmer climate. So if you think that Honda can't design an engine that will self-destruct simply by switching to 5w20 oil, then how do they sell these cars in northern climates? Again, both oils are very "thin" at low temps.

Second, my Fit engine is also designed to use 0w20 oil. Yet the owner's manual recommends 5w20! Why? Because 0w20 was not widely available when the 2nd gen Fit was released, so Honda recommended 5w20. So clearly, Honda has no problems interchanging 0w20 and 5w20 oils. It was only when 0w20 became more widely available that Honda changed the recommended oil viscosity. And the main reason for using 0w20 is for improved fuel economy, not engine protection.

 

[Ghostinnc]

Why didn't you go get the proper stuff when you still had the chance? IMO, I wouldn't run the car with that oil. Who knows if the tolerances during a cold start will accept a 5W compared to 0W that is called for. Not to mention if you have an issue caused by wrong oil, Honda will be quick to point fingers at you. Just better safe than sorry IMO. Good luck.

I Concour...If it was 10 years old or had 80000k on it wouldnt worry bout it but this a new vehicle and like @NorthernEX-T says tolerances are tight not worth taking that risk to save a few bucks JMHO

 

[snail415]

While I think everyone's offered fair points, I'm making the deliberate effort to switch back to 0w simply because this is a rather complex engine (1.5T) that I'd avoid comparing to non-turbocharged variants. My car has the 5w in it and runs fine...but it's also the first brand-new car I've ever owned (out of 8) and it's driving me nuts. I'll sleep better knowing I'm (finally) following instructions that people more qualified than me put together...which was my original intention.

Let's be glad this isn't a craft beer forum!

"My Southern English Black IPA can handle two dollops of non-ultra-pasteurized creamer even if the Brewmaster intended it to only take one dollop of the grass-fed variant."

Good weekend,
JM

 

[NorthernEX-T]

2 final points from me:

1. This engine is years newer than the fit engine. I am willing to bet $ that the L15B7 in our new cars, has tighter tolerances than say a 2012 Fit. Sure 0W is for fuel economy, but I'm also willing to bet that it is better for tight tolerances than 5W.

2. @snail415 you're engine will 99% likely indeed, be fine. But you just never know right? Especially since I think I saw you report start-up rattle, AND you are DIY'ing you're oil change. Imagine if something happened on Christmas morning when this oil is @ 15% and Honda asks for the receipt for the oil and sees 5W20 (not saying you're that dumb) but could you imagine!? And heck when you put the new proper stuff in you will feel soon much better

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