TXGirl

I need some advice. The other day my husband took my '98 Honda Accord 4 cyl in for an oil change at one of those quick change oil places. He told the mechanic he would like 5w30. The mechanic told him that because the car was high mileage, 153,000 miles, that he needed to put a heavier oil in it. My husband said that no, he would like the 5w 30 because that's what was recommended. The mechanic said that 20W 50 was much better in older cars due to blow by and that would be the best oil for the car. So my husband finally agreed and they put 20W 50 oil in my car. I live in south texas so the temps aren't bitterly cold. But I am very concerned about my car's engine because of this heavy oil. So here are my questions:

1. Is 20W 50 oil really safe for my car?
2. If not, should I go to the dealership and have them replace it so I have another witness that this other place put the heavy oil in it?
3. How can I tell if any damage has been done?
4. Anything else I need to be aware of that I should do in case some damage has been done as far as calling the place, sending them a letter, etc?
Thanks in advance.

shadow_ridge

thats kinda heavy..... depends how ya'll drive the car...simple easy day driving, or draging of the line everytime.

I think it will just make the parts work harder until it warms up.. i would had used 5w 40 cuz im always near redline when driving off the line.. ONLY way your gonna use that weight if your drive is a old amrican car....my dad used to put in stright 40w and sometimes 50w in his old 350 block.

BudYsr

The mechanic is wrong about that car needing 20w50 just b/c it has over 150k miles. Now days, the so called 'experts' are saying that thinner oils are better whereas years ago they all recommended heavier oils(like the 20w50) Still, I wouldn't worry, its not going to hurt anything in your engine and you don't need to rush out and have it changed again. It will increase friction though a little and you may not get quite as good a gas mileage although you probably won't notice. Just make sure on the next oil change that you go back to the 5w30 which is what the honda calls for. Maybe even consider switching to fully synthetic 5w30

TXGirl

Thanks for the responses. I'll just be sure to let it warm up before driving and have it switched back to 5w30 next time like you said. Thanks.

syclone

20 50 is too heavy if you have a 4 cyl.

also, the thicker the oil is.. usually more wear & tear takes place during start-ups.. if you have to go with a thicker oil, 10w40 is probably the highest you should go.. so if most of your trips are short and frequent, stick with 5w30, if they're usually longer commutes, you can switch to 10w40..

C_H_A_D

20w 50 is what we put in the diesel v8 trucks at work. My brother put it in his 91 prelude si and he said he liked it. I don't know if he noticed a difference or if you can notice a difference but it didn't hurt his car so your car will be fine.

94hondaaccordlx

My friend's Z used to shake a lot or do something (I can't remember) until it warmed up. He put in 20w50 and it stopped. But then again that's a much bigger engine.

satterfield

we live in north florida and i use 0-30 gc in my wifes accord, works well,it is 2.2 4cyl. Satterfield

Hondaspider

Hondaspider

You don't have to worry about it at all, I've been using different oil weight in my cars over the years, to see what is the difference, the only thing you might notice(hardly though ) a less mpg maybe 1 mpg less

tech8

Thread is from over 10 year ago. Thread closed.