oil weight

[4play]

just wondering if switching to 5w30 woud hurt anything? I want to switch to a little heavier oil to see if that helps that idle knock... thinking maybe 520 is a little thin once the car warms up... in my case.

[Stranger in the Black Sedan]

5w30 shouldn't hurt but i highly doubt it is gonna help quiet anything either

[4play]

well I figure since it only does it when hot, maybe a thicker oil MIGHT do something, but if not i'll switch back.

[SpartaPerformance]

Use the factory weight and use a bottle of Lucas oil stabilizer in the white jug, works great on my little tracer with 192K miles. Quite as a church mouse.

[RF Overlord]

Using 5W-30 won't hurt a thing, but if you have a "knock" at idle, you have more major problems.

[FordNut]

5w20, 5w30, 10w30, no problems.

[Zack]

5w20, 5w30, 10w30, no problems.

Its amazing how much oil pressure you gain in the hot summer temps with 10w-30. ;)

[Egon Spengler]

I just recently bumped mine up at my last oil change actually! I went from 5w-20 to 5w-30. Just more peace of mind in the hot summer months!

[4play]

thanks ima gana try 5w30 next oil change... serious problem knock nah, other members on here have the same knock im talking about, even someone with a blower has had it for 70,000 miles i think he said, nevr got worse. been to several Mechanics, not a berring knock, not a pisten knock... they dont know. as soon as you rev it to 800 rpms or more it's gone. also on a cold start up, nothing. so I was thinking maybe it has something to do with the oil once it thins out a bit?

[RF Overlord]

4play, do you have the stock non-functioning oil pressure gauge, or has it been replaced with a real working one? (You know the stock one is a fake, right?)

[4play]

I knew that within 5 min after purchasing the car. I keep meaning to get the pressure checked, but never had time. I cant see whatelse would cause the tap once it warms up. Whatelse changes becides the oil weight?... its worth a shot.

[JimmyXR7]

5w20, 5w30, 10w30, no problems.

The 10w30 will be fine in Tennessee, but do not use the 10w30 in the winter months in Canada. In the winter in Canada use the 5w20 or even the 5w30.
Jim

[GetMeMyStogie]

Does anyone know of any reasons why running any of the following oil weights would be a bad idea?

0w30 - this is the Castrol type-5 synthetic made in Germany;
5w50 - same cold start flow as a 5w20, but thicker than 5w20 or 5w30 once warmed up;
5w40 - I've seen this weight too, at my local FLAPS, a bit lighter than 5w50;

[musclemerc]

Sounds like the dreaded cylinder #4/#8 dead spot. Start saving some cash for a new motor some have just lived with it others were'nt so lucky

[4play]

Sounds like the dreaded cylinder #4/#8 dead spot. Start saving some cash for a new motor some have just lived with it others were'nt so lucky

explain more?

[musclemerc]

It's well documented do a search. The rear cylinder's 4 & 8 have a dead spot on the back of the block where antifreeze coolant does not go. The cylinders are hotter there than in any other location because of the lack of coolant. In the end it causes a knock, sometimes the valves get burned, some the pistons and rods just fail. Evenflow made a cooling mod to remedy this issue but if your already knocking the damage is done. Where you been, lately there have been a few engine failures due to this problem.

[4play]

why does it go away when you rev it to 900. and only do it when the engine is warmed up?

[ReefBlueCoupe]

Still running fine at 158,200k miles on 5w20. I see no need to ever change oil weight beyond manufacturer's specs in an unmodified engine.

[Ktorres1]

I use 20w-50 is this bad?

[ReefBlueCoupe]

Oil that thick can rob a little power. It's mainly meant for engines with looser bearing tolerances. Why are you running 20w50?

[Ktorres1]

Well I thought it would give maximium protectection for my hard driving, the car had over heated in the past due to some air in the coolant system but i didn't know I could lose power by use of thick oil! I do have 70,000 miles...