Well, I knew it would happen. The '03 HCH that I drive at work has had it's first oil change (I don't drive it much). The Fleet Manager had the local gas station do it and, just as I thought, the machanic couldn't read "0w20" on the oil cap. So they put in 0w30 in instead.

Does anyone think that will be a problem? I'm in So. Cal., so it doesn't get too chilly here. I know the manual says that in a pinch you could use 5w20, but I'm not sure if the thicker oil will harm anything. Let alone the warranty.

Any thoughts,

Howard

 

I've used Amsoil Series 2000 0w30 in my manual tranny 2004 HCH and it has been fine.

I'm currently on my second oil change using Pennzoil "15,000 mile rated" 5w30, and it's also been fine. I went about 9,000 miles on the first Pennzoil change, and I'm probably going to 10,000 on this one. This oil has a lot more "good stuff additives" which enable it to protect well for that many miles.

 

I believe the "0" part is the cold temperature flow viscosity and the "30" part is the hot flow viscosity. Probably won't hurt anything, but the 30w part may cause a slight FE hit. Most of the newer ICE's have much tighter tolerances and trying to push a heavier than recommended weight oil through the "cracks and crevices" may compromise lubrication slightly, resulting in a bit more friction/heat build-up. ??? Using 40w or 50w racing oil long term may definitely cause some problems. But I would wait to hear from another more experienced forum member.

 

Yea, I thought about all the nooks and cranies that the oil would have to pass through. I always though that the higher number is the cold viscosity and the lower is the hot viscosity?

Anyway, I ran it around today for a couple hours and it seems to run just fine. I'll keep an eye on the FE. I was getting around 51 mpg before the oil change, so we'll see.

Howard

 

Neither number is the viscosity itself, since obviously oil is thicker when it's cold than when it's hot. The numbers are sort of inverse to the viscosity itself however; the first number (0 in this case) is indeed the cold rating, and the lower that number, the thinner the oil is when cold. The second number is the hot number, so a 30 weight oil will be thicker than a 20 weight oil. There's absolutely no increase in sludging from heavier oils and general consumer engines are generally made to permit up to a 40 weight oil without problems. Fuel consumption will be marginally higher on a 30 weight than a 20 weight is all. Keep in mind that you can't make direct comparisions during a seasonal change - you next tank of gas should be worse than your previous tank since the weather will be colder.

 

nice info, i'm due for my first oil change in about 500-600 miles, i'll try to make sure and get some 0w20 if possible

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by inFiniTE LooP

nice info, i'm due for my first oil change in about 500-600 miles, i'll try to make sure and get some 0w20 if possible

How many miles does your car have on it? If it has 2,800 miles on it like the mileage database says, Honda says you should NOT change the oil until the first service interval (5k/10k miles). This has been discussed before https://www.greenhybrid.com/discuss/...ead.php?t=3814 .

If you have more miles then are in the database, sorry... this is just a personal pet-peeve of mine .

~Droid

 

I thought you were supposed to wait until 10,000 as well. My 05 HCH has about 6000 on it now. I checked it the other day and the oil appeared dirtier than I normally let my oil get before I change it.

So now I am wondering if I should go ahead and take it in.

Clay

 

The "wait until 5K/10K" advice is because the factory Honda oil has more Molybednum in it, which supposedly helps break-in to occur faster. It has nothing to do with anything else but that.

Changing the oil sooner will do nothing harmful at all, but will merely slow the break-in process. But at 6,000 miles, your car is most likely already broken in completely.

 

when i purchased my car i also purchased a "car care service plan" from my dealer, which gives me discounts on all of my services (oil changes, tire rotations, transmission fluid changes, etc.) . it all comes in a booklet and tells me at how many miles i should be coming in.

the first ticket in the booklet is for an oil and filter change and says it should be done at 3790 miles. in the booklet it seems they recommend service every 3750 miles (my car had 40 miles on it when i purchased it).

i just wanted to follow my service plan booklet, should i wait until 5,000 miles then ?