Milehghcty

Hey, don't know if this topic has been discussed before, but I just registered. I just purchased a new 2002 Accord EX-L V6 Coupe and the owners manual says to use 5-20W oil. I normally use Pennz Oil 5-30W in my other cars and have never even seen 5-20W oil sold in any stores. The manual indicates that you can use 5-30W in a pinch, but to revert back to 5-20W on the next change. Does anyone know where to purchase 5-20W oil other than at the Honda dealer? At Honda I assume you'd have to take out a loan to buy the oil -- does anyone know what the cost is at the dealer Or does anyone know where you can order honda oil over the internet at a resonable price?

So far I really like the car -- here in Denver where we are already a mile high, it appears to have plenty of power ... Thanks ....

ArchAngel Sabastian

you can buy 5-20 at most auto stores youve probably just never looked.

WheAs MaI MojO

yep, i can always find castrol GTX API certified premium grade 5w20 motor oil at the nearest auto zone, or pep boys. When i got my 6th gen, i was confused too, since i never had heard of any car using 5w20, but it does seem to work on my 6th gen.

iam7head

What kinda of oil filter you guy use?

Milehghcty

Thanks for the info -- you are right, I've just never looked for 5-20W oil before when in the stores. I will look next time. I'll probably use regular Honda filters on the car ... the dealer here gives a pretty good deal if you buy 3 at a time. Don't suppose you can go wrong with the Honda filters -- especially for warranty purposes.

KGAccord

I would stick with the Honda oil, it's only like $2.25 a qt at the dealer. It's made by Mobil especially for Honda so it has a special additive package. If you can find Mobil 5w-20, which I have to see get that, they do make it and is basically the same stuff.

btw, this is info obtained from the mobil rep my dad deals with. I had him ask about the 5w-20 for my girls 02 civic. It may be slightly biased, but since when did mobil make shitty oil.

cyrixvsp2

I'd use what the manual says. There are some huge articles on the developement of oil online. I don't have them saved here because i'm at school but search for them. research shows you shouldn't use oil with a change of more than 20w (i don't know what it's called, i'm not an expert), but that means like 10w40 since it has 30 difference. Something about the oil has to contain more polymers to give it that property and it's not as good as an oil that has only a 20w spread. That would probably be the reason it's ok to temporarily use the 5w30 but 5w20 is recommended. About type of oil, i've always used castrol GTX in my race bikes and cars. Syntec is good too, but i stick with conventional (mostly because bikes have wet clutches and you don't want synthetic on your clutch plates). Again, i did research and by numbers GTX shows to be one of hte better oils so i use it and have no problems. On my bikes i use factory oil filters. My cars, i use napa gold, but you can never go wrong with factory if you want to pay the price. STay away from fram filters, every person i know locally has has problems with them so we do'nt use them.

hope that helps any.

SOHCArchangel

the reason honda used 5-20 was to meet the epa federal guidelines for fuel economy for these vehicles

personally i would not run something as thin as a 20w motor oil, thats absolutelly preposterous, yeah it gives a slight increase in fuel efficenct but its thinner than water, in this case forget about what the manual says in this instance and just use 5-30

KGAccord

I felt the sameway until my dad spoke with the mobil rep. If it was that bad though why would Honda use it. I just hope Mobil makes it available in synthetic.

gringo7718

there are many factors to consider when choosing an oil but the most important is temperature and mileage. as you accumulate mileage tolerances get looser and a thicker oil is more appropriate. temp is very important. In oil language W means winter. 10W30 means 10 when its really cold and 30 after it heats up. i live in miami where it hardly ever gets below 70 deg F (extreme conditions) the oil should be thicker also. 20 is very very thin. i would use it for the first couple of oil changes and then move up to thirty by 10k mi. i have info from the crx h-t page (from jdm honda manual) 40W protects down to 0 deg F and off the chart at 100 deg F. 10w30 protects down to 0 deg F but stops protecting at 85 deg F ambient temp. i would imagine 5w20 stops protecting before that.
just some food for thought


[Modified by gringo7718, 7:43 PM 12/10/2002]

SOHCArchangel

if guidelines arent met, gov't no allow cars for sale
no cars for sale/selling, means honda no make money

there you go

KGAccord

yes but if it is determined that engines have failed due to the thin oil Honda will be on the hook replacing millions of engines. Same reason why I use oem filters.

I do plan on using a full syn 5w-30 in my girls 02 civic though once the warranty is up though regardless.

SOHCArchangel

not necessarily because oil is part of regular maintenance, the 5-20 will burn off quicker, if someone is constantly on it and clowns their motor because they are not on top of their maintenace, thats not honda's liability. That would fall under abuse and negligence and they wouldnt see a penny from honda.

the only oem filters that are not crap (or fram quality equivalent) are the jdm filters, here you might find this interesting:

http://www.ntpog.org/reviews/filters/filters.shtml

KGAccord

I am aware of that site, afterall I'm a Po.com member where that lude owner hangs out. I still stand by the 8 years of using the canadien made oem filters w/out a problem. Honda does have companies make parts to their specs, just like the oil which is made by mobil to Honda spec. However since my dad is getting a deal on Mobil 1 filters for $4.86 each I'm switching to that.

I do believe Honda can tell the difference between a motor that has dirty oil and not maintained v. wear from oil being too thin.

Milehghcty

Now I'm getting more confused .. and the website on the filters was very interesting. I thank everyone for their comments -- I think I will stick with the Honda filters I can get at the dealer and the Honda oil for now. Maybe convert to something else after the warranty. In my other vehicles I've used the Fram and STP filters -- but not sure what I'll use now. In my Mitsubishi 3000GT I've been using the STP filter with 10-30W oil (recommended in the owners manual) .. In my 1964 Falcon Ranchero 260 V8, I've always used the fram filter and 10-40W oil. After reading the website, think I will start using a different filter in the Ranchero. In my 1994 Ford Probe (which I just sold) I used 5-30W oil and fram filters -- I had over 113K miles on it and it never used nor leaked any oil. So guess the Fram filters worked okay ... I always change my oil religiously at 3000 miles -- which definitely helps with longevity regardless or the brand of filter used.

Again, thanks to everyone for their comments and opinions.....

Razor

ehh i change my oil every 2000-2500 miles anyways so i don't mobil(although it IS veryy good), i get canada or usa made honda filters for free and that is fine with me. i alslo have no problem with the honda oil filter.


oh yeah, as sohc has already mentioned, switch to 5w-30 ASAP...its perfect for the f22-f23 motors.
[Modified by Razor, 10:13 PM 12/10/2002]


[Modified by Razor, 10:13 PM 12/10/2002]

dlee27

This is not correct. Car manufacturers still can sell their cars. They just pay penalty of $5.00 for each 0.1 mpg its fleet falls below the standard. Honda actually by far exceeds standard of 27.5 MPG and there are many companies that doesn't meet this starndard.
Look for the 2001 report.
http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/problems/studies/fuelecon/index.html

WheAs MaI MojO

Honda has built a reputation over the years for reliability, performance, and overall best buy value. My accord, esp because its the last production year of the 6th gen, requires 5w-20 oil. Im more than positive that Honda wouldnt highly recommend anything that they know is less than excellent for the car. Since its the last production year of the 6th gen, all the bugs have been fixed, and all the corrections and adjustments have been made from the 98 models, which were the first year of the 6th gens. Regardless of what, im following Honda's recommendations. Their engineers know the car better than any of you do, because they have built these cars and not you. Im sure that even if 5w20 is used for great fuel economy, it still provides ample protection of the engine IMO.