It it safe to switch motor oil?

[KhoiFather]

Like pretend if I'm using Pennzoil 10W30 but then I decide I wanna use Motoroil 10W40, would that be fine or would that hurt the engine since it's use to the Pennzoil oil?

 

[olds]

It's fine.

 

[Eli]

"since it's used to the pennzoil oil"

LOL.. dude, your engine isn't alive.. it doesen't have feelings.

It's fine.

Just stick to engine oil though. If you try and use something like corn oil, your engine would definately commit suicide in very short order.

 

[tnitsuj]

"like pretend" .....???

 

[Eli]

Wait...

I misread your post. I thought it said 10W30 both times.

The answer is........ maybe.

Why do you want to swith to 10W40? What kind of car is it? How many miles? Where do you live?

All of those things matter when determining whether a viscosity change is safe or not.

 

[BCYL]

Just make sure you use the same rating motor oil... Like in your example you stick with 10W30...

 

[FlashG]

Originally posted by: Eli
Wait...

I misread your post. I thought it said 10W30 both times.

The answer is........ maybe.

Why do you want to swith to 10W40? What kind of car is it? How many miles? Where do you live?

All of those things matter when determining whether a viscosity change is safe or not.

Three months ago I decided to go with Mobile 1 in my +20yrs old ACVW. I was using 20W40 Dyno Lube with no problems. The synthetic is now leaking out of every over stressed gasket that it can find.

Moral? Dont change oil viscosity if it ain't broke.

 

[Nutdotnet]

Originally posted by: BCYL
Just make sure you use the same rating motor oil... Like in your example you stick with 10W30...

If all you have is a bottle of 10w40 and need to put oil in then go for it. One quart of a slightly different oil won't hurt.

But personally, I would keep with the same weight oil. Brands ain't gotta matter for a commuter.

 

[Eli]

Originally posted by: FlashG

Originally posted by: Eli
Wait...

I misread your post. I thought it said 10W30 both times.

The answer is........ maybe.

Why do you want to swith to 10W40? What kind of car is it? How many miles? Where do you live?

All of those things matter when determining whether a viscosity change is safe or not.

Three months ago I decided to go with Mobile 1 in my +20yrs old ACVW. I was using 20W40 Dyno Lube with no problems. The synthetic is now leaking out of every over stressed gasket that it can find.

Moral? Dont change oil viscosity if it ain't broke.

You could always use a heavier synthetic.

But synthetic is always going to leak more, it is just more fluid.

Also..... It's not a bad thing that the oil is leaking in one sense... it also means that it is circulating in the engine much better... it's the engines fault the oil is leaking, not the oil's.

 

[FlashG]

Originally posted by: Eli

Originally posted by: FlashG

Originally posted by: Eli
Wait...

I misread your post. I thought it said 10W30 both times.

The answer is........ maybe.

Why do you want to swith to 10W40? What kind of car is it? How many miles? Where do you live?

All of those things matter when determining whether a viscosity change is safe or not.

Three months ago I decided to go with Mobile 1 in my +20yrs old ACVW. I was using 20W40 Dyno Lube with no problems. The synthetic is now leaking out of every over stressed gasket that it can find.

Moral? Dont change oil viscosity if it ain't broke.

You could always use a heavier synthetic.

But synthetic is always going to leak more, it is just more fluid.

Also..... It's not a bad thing that the oil is leaking in one sense... it also means that it is circulating in the engine much better... it's the engines fault the oil is leaking, not the oil's.

True, but now it's got a fine stream of pure oil trailing the car. It's the two oil cooler o-ring gaskes. No biggie to fix but the leak does scare the he!! out of me.

After I fix the leaks I am going to try a higher grade. I hope it works cause I truly love Mobile 1. I use it in all my other cars and small gas motors (mower & pressure cleaner)

 

[FoBoT]

how old is the car? if its a beater, do whatever you feel like, as long as it has the right amount of oil so the engine doesn't blow

 

[KhoiFather]

It's a 98 Toyota Corolla with about 59000 Miles, and I drive about 65-70 miles a day. So I need something strong, help me out!

 

[Eli]

If it's a beater, moving to a heavier oil can help extend it's life.

 

[FoBoT]

Originally posted by: KhoiFather
It's a 98 Toyota Corolla with about 59000 Miles, and I drive about 65-70 miles a day. So I need something strong, help me out!

sounds like pre-beater era , why do you want to change?

 

[Vic]

Brand is unimportant. Weight and rating are important and should be kept the same and/or according to your owners manual.

 

[Zenmervolt]

Originally posted by: FlashG

Originally posted by: Eli

Originally posted by: FlashG

Originally posted by: Eli
Wait...

I misread your post. I thought it said 10W30 both times.

The answer is........ maybe.

Why do you want to swith to 10W40? What kind of car is it? How many miles? Where do you live?

All of those things matter when determining whether a viscosity change is safe or not.

Three months ago I decided to go with Mobile 1 in my +20yrs old ACVW. I was using 20W40 Dyno Lube with no problems. The synthetic is now leaking out of every over stressed gasket that it can find.

Moral? Dont change oil viscosity if it ain't broke.

You could always use a heavier synthetic.

But synthetic is always going to leak more, it is just more fluid.

Also..... It's not a bad thing that the oil is leaking in one sense... it also means that it is circulating in the engine much better... it's the engines fault the oil is leaking, not the oil's.

True, but now it's got a fine stream of pure oil trailing the car. It's the two oil cooler o-ring gaskes. No biggie to fix but the leak does scare the he!! out of me.

After I fix the leaks I am going to try a higher grade. I hope it works cause I truly love Mobile 1. I use it in all my other cars and small gas motors (mower & pressure cleaner)

If you have to use a higher viscosity than the manual recommends, the engine needs to be fixed, period.

ZV

 

[Spikesoldier]

ok what about 15w-50 in a 5w-30 car?

vehicle is 1999 mazda protege 1.8L dohc and location is texas

 

[Zenmervolt]

Originally posted by: Vic
Brand is unimportant. Weight and rating are important and should be kept the same and/or according to your owners manual.

Actually, some brands are better. I dislike the paraffin-based oils like Pennzoil and Quakerstate because there's a lot of buzz about them having problems with build-up. I tend to prefer Castrol GTX for regular oil and Mobil 1 for synthetic. I know that there are a lot of people who prefer AMSOil, but I have some issues with AMSOil. First of all, I find their advertising to be deliberately misleading and I also know that the minimal performance advantage of AMSOil does not justify the insane price.

ZV

 

[Howard]

Originally posted by: Zenmervolt

Originally posted by: Vic
Brand is unimportant. Weight and rating are important and should be kept the same and/or according to your owners manual.

Actually, some brands are better. I dislike the paraffin-based oils like Pennzoil and Quakerstate because there's a lot of buzz about them having problems with build-up. I tend to prefer Castrol GTX for regular oil and Mobil 1 for synthetic. I know that there are a lot of people who prefer AMSOil, but I have some issues with AMSOil. First of all, I find their advertising to be deliberately misleading and I also know that the minimal performance advantage of AMSOil does not justify the insane price.

ZV

Check out Schaeffer's Micron Moly line of oils... Supposedly enhances durability of the engine.

 

[Zenmervolt]

Originally posted by: Spikesoldier
ok what about 15w-50 in a 5w-30 car?

vehicle is 1999 mazda protege 1.8L dohc and location is texas

Depends. Does the manual give 15W50 as an alternative for high-heat conditions? The manual should show the acceptable temperature ranges for several viscosities. For a car that normally uses 5W30, I can't imagine 15W50 being a good idea in temperatures below about 60 degrees.

ZV

 

[CraigRT]

I can only suggest stop using crappy Pennzoil and switch to something like Valvoline or Castrol.(for conventional oil) or Mobil or Amsoil synthetic.

 

[Zenmervolt]

Originally posted by: Howard
Check out Schaeffer's Micron Moly line of oils... Supposedly enhances durability of the engine.

I'll use a "Mr. Moly" additive every couple oil changes in my air-cooled car and motorcycle. It reduces oil temperatures (and head temperatures) significantly. Molybdenum Disulfide additives are pretty much the only safe additives.

ZV

 

[Eli]

Originally posted by: Spikesoldier
ok what about 15w-50 in a 5w-30 car?

vehicle is 1999 mazda protege 1.8L dohc and location is texas

Any definitive answer would be a pure guess... consult your manual.

If it doesen't have the information.. Damn, I dunno.. that's a tough one. I would probably go ahead and use it in the summer, but something else in the winter.

 

[Vic]

Originally posted by: Zenmervolt

Originally posted by: Vic
Brand is unimportant. Weight and rating are important and should be kept the same and/or according to your owners manual.

Actually, some brands are better. I dislike the paraffin-based oils like Pennzoil and Quakerstate because there's a lot of buzz about them having problems with build-up. I tend to prefer Castrol GTX for regular oil and Mobil 1 for synthetic. I know that there are a lot of people who prefer AMSOil, but I have some issues with AMSOil. First of all, I find their advertising to be deliberately misleading and I also know that the minimal performance advantage of AMSOil does not justify the insane price.

ZV

I agree, but the OP's question was whether or not it was "safe" to switch or not. While Pennzoil and Q-state may be considered inferior, I would not call them unsafe. As far as pure safety is concerned, any brand is fine as long as you keep it topped off.

 

[boyRacer]

I thought synthetics start leaking in older cars because it washes away and dislodges sludge that has covered leaks before... ?