Motor Oils

[fenderbender]

Is there a noticeable difference in engine responsiveness when shifting from those usual 20W-50 motor oils, to those "thinner" synthetic 10W-40 motor oils?

Why do some call these 10W-40 synthetic motor oils "Energy Conserving" motor oils?

[boyscout]

consult your car manual in which oil to use in a particular driving environment which is the normal ambient temperature in where your car is used. (ex. tropical climates etc. etc.) para you would know the engine oil viscosity designed for your car.
engine oil is primarily used to lubricate and protect the moving internal parts of the engine kaya sa tingin ko walang so called "energy conserving" oil, baka marketing gimmick lang yan.

[SubbieDoo]

difference is kung gaano ka "labnaw" yung oil. kung mas ma-labnaw ang oil, mabilis umakyat ito sa makina (from start up), so energy saving kasi hindi hirap ang makina due to friction.

but, kung pre-1990s ang kotse mo or high milage, hindi adviseable ang masyadong ma-labnaw coz papasok ito sa pistons and susunugin lang ito dahil malaki na ang "tolerances" ng makina (wear & tear, etc.) and maririnig mong kumakatok ang makina!!

so ganito ang conversion ng "oil weights" ... 10w30 means "10" is ang minimum temp ng makina from cold (mas mababa, mas mabilis umakyat, esp kung malamig ang temp sa labas) and ang "30" is ang temp before the oil changes chem composition (yata).... hindi ito ang "10 / 30" in degrees C ... pero ito lang ang rating ng langis ... for example, Mobil 1 Synth is 0w50 ... so very high performance and very expensive .... pero pang high tuned cars lang (from 400HP and above) coz parang tubig na ito

[fenderbender]

Originally posted by SubbieDoo
difference is kung gaano ka "labnaw" yung oil. kung mas ma-labnaw ang oil, mabilis umakyat ito sa makina (from start up), so energy saving kasi hindi hirap ang makina due to friction.

So, meron talagang such a thing as "Energy Conserving" motor oils? I get your point of mas malabnaw will help in reducing friction, especially during start-up = less wear and tear. But do you think this scenario of less friction can actually be felt by the driver in terms of better engine responsiveness?

[SubbieDoo]

hahah ... yeah .... well ... and ang ibang taxis dito sa Auckland ... for about since dumating ako (10 yrs na ako sa Jan) ... Holden or Ford V6 or V8 na (3L-5Ls!) so kung nagmamadali ka ... hahahah ... makadadating ka agad sa pupuntahan mo

as for kung ma-feel mo, hindi masyado coz kaunti lang ang na-dadagdag na HP ng oil (wala pa yatang 1HP) but possibleng maramdaman kung sobra ng madumi ang luma mong oil ...

do this test, kung ano ang oil mo ngayon, ibang tao ang pag-drive mo ng kotse, then oil change ka (with enging oil flush para walang residue ng lumang oil) then pag-drive mo ulit yung tao ... wag mo lang sabihin na ang oil change ka para walang "bias", post mo kung anong nang-yari ok ...

as from experience ko, even difference ng 5w medyo ramdam mo (or kasi madumi lang ang dating langis ko hahah) ... so kotse ko (up to 180,000 km na) ang standard from factory yata should be 5w or 10w (kung bago) pero 15w ang linalagay ko kasi kumakatok (tunog tappet ito) kung mas-mababa ang linagay ko ... para naman sa high end number, obvious mas mataas (w50) mas mabuti. ang nakalimutan ko sabihin kangina (nag-mamadali ako sa trabaho hahaha) pag na-reach ang higher number na ito, ang chemical change ng langis is lumalabnaw ang langis (not sure pero sa tingin ko is totoo) ulit, mas malabnaw pa sa lower limit!! so wala kanamang protection ulit from the oil kasi pupunta sa oil pan sa ilalim ng makina.

as for quality ng oil, always choose FULL SYNTH (0w - 15w unless stated) kung ang kotse mo is bago, low milage and 1990-above ... wag semi-synth or organic/natural (15w - 40w?) coz mabilis "masunog" ito sa init ng makina ... and kung full synth and linagay mo, kahit liang beses kang mag-oil change (without using engine flush!!), may protective film na-iiwan sa makina

so, ano ba ang kotse mo, year and ilan na ang tinakkbo??? and as kung kailan dapat nag-oil change, ...

5,000km kung hi-po, panay harurot mo and turbo ang kotse mo ...

10,000km (like mine) if turbo ang kotse, or v-tec na hinaharurot pero hindi pa hi-po ...

15-20,000 ang iba

best oils, Mobil 1 series, Castrol RS series, Elf ... Valvoline, Shell, Penzoil, ewan ko kasi puro gawa sa Australia ang naandito eh ...

[fenderbender]

Oooops. Nabura ko yung tungkol sa mga taxi ng NZ. Yes, I did remember riding in those big Holden cars. I hated 'em, and preferred riding in the Coronas and Altimas. Baka hindi lang ako sanay dun sa suspension ng Holden, kasi nahihilo ako. Parang barko.

Anyway, my car is a '91 Corolla - AE92 1.6 GL. I don't know what the engines are for this model in other countries, but mine is a 16 valve and still carburated. Mileage is about 90T km. Yes, 90T km for a 13 yr old car. I know its orig coz we are the first owner.

Engine is still bone stock / orig, and in good condition (I think, and I hope). No white smoke, and the tailpipe still drips water in the morning (whether that is a good sign, as others claim).

I have been using the standard 20W-50 type of oil ever since.

[SubbieDoo]

thats good kung may tubig na lumalabas (make sure its tubig, not gas hehe) coz it means gumagana ang Cat ng kotse ... water is just condensation from the heat/oxygen mix, no CO2 coz nasusunog ng Cat ang CO2, so O2 lang ang lumalabas ...

as for the oil, try going for 15w and see kung may katok, if not then go for the 15w or 10w but not lower. tignan mo kung makakakuha ha ng Synth in 10w - 20w ... even kung 20w ang ilagay mo ulit, make sure Synth lang ok ... mas-stable ito sa vs. chamical changes dahil sa init

[dudepare]

the reason why they call 10w-40 or 5w30 energy conserving oil are the follow

1. when your engine is cold metal expands, so its easier for the engine to crank. it lessens the damage to ur motor.
2. the letter W means winter inwhich in motor term all weather. u can use it anywhere.
3. ones your engine reach operating temp the oil expands to what number is next to W whether its 30 or 40.
4. the numbers you you see in the motor oil is the grade of the oil and not the temp. inside the engine temp. develops upto 2500 degrees farenheit.
5. synthetic oil last longer than mineral oil but they have the basic same composition.

[mazdamazda]

always check your car's manual on the proper oil to use against the operating temperature. this may vary from car to car.

for example the 5W-30 Caltex Energy Synthetic. some may claim that this is too "thin" for use in the Philippines based on the 30 rating that it has. but upon checking my 323's manual, it is compatible with our temperature range and can perform like a 20w-50 in high temperature.

for our Rav4, the 2.0L engine does not recommend the 5W-30 oil for our temperatures. yet for the 1.8L variant it is the preferred engine oil for our climate.

btw, changing from mineral to synthetic oil at your car's age requires a bit of caution. use first a semi-synthetic oil (like Caltex Energy Synthetic) in between the shift from mineral to synthetic.

synthetic oil or semi-synthetic doesn't break down that easily as compared against mineral based oils. for the 323, my last oil change was almost a year ago and yet the oil is still thin. no oil leaks so far despite changing my oil from mineral to synthetic to semi-synthetic.

[Bud_wiser]

I just did my first oil change is this car I got second hand. the manual says it can use 15W 40 or 50. i was able to find 15W 40 (shell helix fron true value). It says it's designed for older cars.

I noticed lang that I can here the tappets more with this thinner oil. Is this ok or a sign that I'm using too thin an oil?

BTW, the car is 7 years old and has 70K+ kilometers on it.

[aLVin]

Bud-wiser yung 15w-40 ba e semi-syn? kc yung nkkta ko sa ace with blue dispenser 10w-40 yung viscosity, nabasa ko sa mga websites na pag mas lower yung viscosity dpat yung engine will run much more quiet compared to heavier oil.

mazda i noticed sa manual ko 5w-30 is for lower climates ata but for tropical climates la nkalagay e. btw my ride is 1.8 altis. still confused if im gonna use 10w-40 semi-syn since la nkalagay na 10w-40 sa manual meron 15w-40 and 10w-30 konti lang diff in viscosity ok lang kya yon?

[jackaroo]

Bud,

A thinner oil should lessen tappet noise. At your mileage, have the tappet clearance checked.

[ericp]

Please double check this part
" water is just condensation from the heat/oxygen mix, no CO2 coz nasusunog ng Cat ang CO2, so O2 lang ang lumalabas ..."

nabaligtad yata ... hehehe Cheers!

Originally posted by SubbieDoo
thats good kung may tubig na lumalabas (make sure its tubig, not gas hehe) coz it means gumagana ang Cat ng kotse ... water is just condensation from the heat/oxygen mix, no CO2 coz nasusunog ng Cat ang CO2, so O2 lang ang lumalabas ...

as for the oil, try going for 15w and see kung may katok, if not then go for the 15w or 10w but not lower. tignan mo kung makakakuha ha ng Synth in 10w - 20w ... even kung 20w ang ilagay mo ulit, make sure Synth lang ok ... mas-stable ito sa vs. chamical changes dahil sa init

[iqaruzz]

few things to watch out for.

too low number (5w, 10w or 0w) hindi advisable kapag nasa tropic country. since na madali namang umangat sa operating temp ang makina. sa sobrang labnaw ng oil masyadong manipis ang langis hindi kayang protektahan maigi ang mga moving parts.

low rating are design for subzero start. sa winter tama lang ang viscosity ng oil.

also turboed car prefer synthetic at high viscosity. since operating temp ng turboed engine is hotter than n/a engine. malapot na langis, I prefered 15w50 synthetic.

what im saying is hindi lahat ng malabnaw na langis magandang gamitin. masyadong malapot naman hirap umandar ang piston. kailangan I-match nyo sa klase ng kotse.
ang energy conserving oil means it does not need a lot of energy to move the oil around.


kung dadalin ko naman sa pinas ang kotse ko siguro nasa 20w50 or even 25w50 (paranoid yata!)

fender bender 20w50 ay okay lang. sa tingin ko pupuwede ka ring gumamit ng synthetic. but double check if u will.

[aLVin]

magkaiba ba mobil and mobil 1? just went to truevalue and saw these 2 containers of oil. naghahanap kc ako ng semi-syn na mobil 1 pero mobil lang nkalagay na brand na nakita ko and also at the back of the container it states from the makers of mobil 1. ano ba yon? tnx

[aLVin]

magkaiba ba mobil and mobil 1? just went to truevalue and saw these 2 containers of oil. naghahanap kc ako ng semi-syn na mobil 1 pero mobil lang nkalagay na brand na nakita ko and also at the back of the container it states from the makers of mobil 1. ano ba yon? tnx

[jackaroo]

Mobil 1 is their full synth oil line while "mobil" is used for both mineral and semi-synth oil.

Their semi-synth oil locally is mobil Super S 10w40.

[aLVin]

oks! ayos ba semi-syn ng mobil, price wise d sila ngkakalayo ng castrol magnatec and shell helix d ko tuloy alam kung ano bibilhin ko. tnx

[jackaroo]

Mobil semi-synth should be ok, price about P270/L.
Castrol magnatec is also a semi-synth but i've seen it priced close to P400- not worth it at this price.

[ian_rex]

speaking of motor oils. i'm ano nga ba ang mas advisable, yung magpalit sa certain mileage (say, 5000K) or after every 3 months (for mineral based)? kasi di ko naman masyado ginagamit na yung ride ko, once or twice a week na lang. kung after 3 months di ba mukhang lugi ako? e kung sa synthetic naman, ilang kilometers ba dapat? kasi ginagawa ko after 10K e, e halos 1 year na rin kaso di pa ako nagpapalit. i heard sa synthetic e dapat 1 year lang then palit. thanks for the advice.