I went in for an oil change the other day. I guess the last 2 times I was in, my '96 EX Coupe was a quart low, so this time the guy told me he was going to put in 15W40 to prevent it from ending up 1 qaurt low. How is this going to affect things, most importantly, gas mileage? I've noticed that the mileage does seem worse in the past 2 days. it normally takes 10W30, I dont mind buying an extra quart to put in at 1500 mile or whatever, I'm just worried about gas mileage, as I drive a lot. I live in SoCal, so it's always fairly warm, if that matter. PLease help! Thanks.

 

You should be running 5w30 for better gas mileage. Does your car lose oil occasionally? If it's losing a quart quickly, you've got problems.

 

By saying I should run 5W30, I'm assuming that the 15W will have hurt my gas mileage? He said it was a quart and a half low, It had been about 3,500 miles since last change. It doesn't actually leak oil, so I'm not sure where it goes? Thanks for the reply.

 

5w30 is a "thinner" oil. Do you have any blue or black smoke out the tailpipe? Keep in mind that your oilpan only holds 3.5 quarts, so 1.5 quarts down is really low. Keep an eye on it.

 

No smoke, It is well kept-up, I drive very "economically", never floor it. Its transportation, and I want it to be as efficient as possible.

Should I just go buy some 5W, change my own oil, and keep an eye on the oil level, add a quart now and then? I dont want to risk permanent damage to the engine.

At any rate, the 15W is not going to stay. I'll either go back to 10 or maybe 5W. Do you think I have any leverage to go back to the shop and have them redo it for free? The guy basically told me he was going to put in the 15W, I'm not very car literate, so I said go ahead. He obviously didnt mention any negative effects.

Thanks again for the help

 

There aren't really any negative effects from using a more viscous oil. Changing your own oil is the 1st step to learning more about your own car. Its not difficult at all and its cheaper and more rewarding than dropping it off at Wal-mart to get the oil changed. Keep in mind that they don't ever change the crush washer on your drain plug at a "kwikee" oil change place, and I doubt they change the filter if you're not watching them. I'd say change it yourself, or at least check it every 2nd gas fill-up.

 

15W40 IS FOR BIG TRUCKS AND ****. IF YOUR LOSIN OIL THAT QIUCKLY ID CHECK FOR LEAK. IF NO LEAKS U HAVE PROBLEMS

 

change your own oil, it only takes 15 mins top

 

Big trucks? I ran 20-50 in my last car Of course, I did still loose over a quart a week.

 

there wont be any problems running 15w-40. notice that most "diesel" oils have the API SL symbol making it perfectly safe for you gas engine. any change in gas mileage will be minimum at best. youre probably better off changing your driving habits if you want to conserve fuel. i say continue using the 15w-40 b/c they are the best conventional oils available.

 

I just put 15w40 in mine at 252k. I got it at 224k and used all best synthetic oil changes until about a month ago I noticed she was burning a little more and more as we went along. Gave her a bottle of Lucas and had at her. Pretty good 10$ spent until I needed my most recent oil change last night where she got the 15w40. It's that when it's -40 Celsius is when it makes a significant difference. It'll be a little rough with winter approaching here but I can carpool when needed. The main thing is that she won't burn through a litre or two. I could probably ease up on the gas pedal a bit but LOL No Way ! I like to drive my cars!

 

2004.





eH.

 

10 YEAR OLD THREAD. Never bump a 10 year old thread, especially when you aren't contributing a damn thing. 15W40 should NOT be used in a D or B series engine. If your engine burns or leaks oil, fix the problem.

 

Old thread put to rest.

^^This is agreed upon by all those knowledgeable in the Honda community.^^