[Ronin]

Hey all,

So my work has an abundance of 5W30 oil that would love to find its way into my car.

Question is: will my J20A with over 300k complain about getting a thinner oil or will it appreciate having less viscosity to push against?

Cheers guys

[fordem]

The big question is what temperature range will the vehicle be used in - I personally feel that a 5w30 is on the light side (and I suspect, so do you, which is why you're questioning it) - it'll be fine in the colder months, but may not be during warmer months. Have you ever looked at the oil pressure? Put a gauge on it, put the 5w30 in, run it up to operating temperatures and see what pressure you get at idle and at 4000 rpm, if you're say around 20 psi at idle and above 55 psi @ 4000 rpm (FSM spec is 55.5~66.8 psi @ 4000, the 20psi at idle is personal experience), you'll be fine.

[Ronin]

Cheers man.

Yeah my worry is that it's too thin for Aussie conditions. Even our winters aren't that cold here in Brissy. I remember someone telling me that the oil requirements of a car can change based on the wear the engine has, but I feel like 10W40 to 5W30 is too big a change and I'm not much of a mechanic.

Will see if the greasers at work have a pressure gauge and give it a go man.

[fordem]

Ronin wrote:

I remember someone telling me that the oil requirements of a car can change based on the wear the engine has.

I'm not certain I agree with that statement, but, it used to be a fairly common trick to run a thicker oil on older, more worn, engines to try to reduce oil consumption - that might have been acceptable on older pushrod engines or even early OHC engines with solid lifters, but if you try it on a more modern engine with hydraulic lifters, and in the case of a J20a, hydraulic timing chain tensioners, you're likely to run into other issues, and hasten the demise of the engine.

The correct approach is to either rebuild or replace the engine, using a thicker oil is a "band aid" solution.

[fujitsubo]

Ronin wrote:

Cheers man.

Yeah my worry is that it's too thin for Aussie conditions. Even our winters aren't that cold here in Brissy. I remember someone telling me that the oil requirements of a car can change based on the wear the engine has, but I feel like 10W40 to 5W30 is too big a change and I'm not much of a mechanic.

Will see if the greasers at work have a pressure gauge and give it a go man.

i live further up then you in North Queensland and it gets a little bit hotter up here, i think the sweet spot for you would be 10W30 5W30 is way to thin for our summers up here