Is 0-30 sae vital?

[rodgerh3]

I am happy that fully synthetic oil is the best, but does anyone know if I am doing any harm using 5-40 - I couldn't find 0-30

[bernithebiker]

Hi rodger - check out my posts in the Maintenance and Service section on this very subject.

Honda use either 0w30 or 5w30, but I have also used some 5w40 to no ill effect. All are fully synthetic.

[AoS]

I've used 5W40 as well ... as long as it's 100% synthetic, no worries

[jedwardes]

What do these numbers mean?

The Honda garage presented us with a Litre of Mobil1 0 w 30. presumably for topping up during the year. But the leaflet with the oil says it is for light petrol engines and I have the diesel (4 years old now)

Interestingly, in the first two years of ownership I checked my oil every 3 - 4 months and it did not need topping up (about 10,000 miles a year). This year, I lost the habit and noticed last night (8 months since service) that the oil is just below the minimum on the dipstick. I did not top up as I was uincertain as to whether I had the right oil

Hopefully no lasting damage if the minimum allows for a bit of safety margin, or should we keep it topped up towards the top end? Is it a case of the more oil the better?

[bernithebiker]

What do these numbers mean?

The Honda garage presented us with a Litre of Mobil1 0 w 30. presumably for topping up during the year. But the leaflet with the oil says it is for light petrol engines and I have the diesel (4 years old now)

Interestingly, in the first two years of ownership I checked my oil every 3 - 4 months and it did not need topping up (about 10,000 miles a year). This year, I lost the habit and noticed last night (8 months since service) that the oil is just below the minimum on the dipstick. I did not top up as I was uincertain as to whether I had the right oil

Hopefully no lasting damage if the minimum allows for a bit of safety margin, or should we keep it topped up towards the top end? Is it a case of the more oil the better?

Firstly, I'm suprised that the oil warning light did not come on on your dashboard. Mine comes on when the oil level is about 1cm ABOVE the minimum mark on the dipstick.

(Note, this is just the oil level warning, and not the more serious oil pressure warning).

There is alot of marketing guff in engine oil. Many oils, if you look closely, are in fact fine for either diesel or petrol engines. If Honda themselves gave/showed you the 0w30, then I cannot see any possible issues in using it. Topping up with less than a litre or so of a different grade or make, is not going to do the engine any harm.

I use 5w40 on top of 0w30 to no ill effect.

Generally speaking, it is better to keep the oil level near the top of the dipstick, as yes, the more oil in the engine the better. (more = less wear on each oil molecule as the load is spread further).

Be careful not to exceed the max mark on dipstick. My HOnda mechanic said he had seen a diesel engine self destruct because of this - the oil gets into the combustion chamber and burns with diesel, causing an over-rev situation that is unstoppable, and the engine revs way past the redline until it is destroyed!!

[belairbrian]

First, I don't own a diesel powered CRV. I do own a diesel powered Chevrolet truck.

Reading through this there are some comments that could mislead readers. Viscosity (5w-40) is only part of the issue in selecting oil. With diesels you need to verify the API service "Performance Level" is appropriate for diesel service. You can buy oil that has a proper viscosity but is intended for gasoline engines. other oils are diesel only, and some are both.

Diesel combustion chambers operate at much higher temperatures and thus need oils appropriate for these temperatures.

Diesel ratings are compounded by the usability with the amount of sulfur in the fuel. This becomes an issue if you have a particulate filter (diesel equivalent to a catalytic converter).


Here is a link to a 3 page pamphlet on oils ratings.

http://www.api.org/certifications/engineoil/categories/upload/2009_ENGINE_OIL_GUIDE.pdf

[Cobh]

ACEA (European) sequences are the usual standard for diesel car engines. There are currently no NA diesel cars, and API don't test car diesel engines, SFAIK. There are sequences for DPF equipped vehicles (Cx) and, though not relevant to the 2.2 Honda engine, sequences for heavy-duty engines (Ex). The manual should state the minimum standard, e.g ACEA Bx.