Hey Guys,
I'm normally over in the Prelude forum, but I changed my friends oil on his 2002 civic dx, 72,000 miles. The oil cap called for 5w-20, is it alright to use the 10w-30? All my friends use 10w-30 on their older civics. The car is driven in California, so it doesn't get too cold or too hot here. Should I change it again with something lighter? Please let me know, thanks.

 

Use what oil the car calls for. There is no reason to use anything other unless you are using the car in severe duty conditions (turbo, towing, etc).

 

you should use the 5w20 its what the engine was designed for. 72,000 miles is not "old" for a civic. with the 10w30 there will be slightly worse gas milage and also a little bit more wear on startup than with the correct 5w20

 

So is it worth it to drain it out? Its my friend's new car and I don't want anything to be messed up on it.

 

I would. non synthetic oil is cheap. just drain and refill