Wrong oil grade...ooops!

[spikerizzo]

Hey, I changed my oil and accidentally used 5w30, instead of 5w20. Will this do any permanent damage to the V^ Honda engine?

Thanks

[Uzzy]

No, it'll be fine. It's a little bit thicker, but not a whole lot.

[mellissam]

Hey, I changed my oil and accidentally used 5w30, instead of 5w20. Will this do any permanent damage to the V^ Honda engine?

Thanks

I'm sure someone will come on (an oil god), and tell you it is probably ok (or a melee will start:dazed: )...the smaller number is important at startup, both are the same (good)...it is just that you now have a thicker operating temp motor oil...(not good). Call up your dealer and ask them....if worse came to worse, it should be ok to drive to a lube place to get it changed....but if you are under warranty, check with them. :)
Just don't 'gun it' to the lube place.....

[mkuz13]

It will not hurt your vehicle if you put in 5w30 instead of 5w20.

Now if you put in anything higher than 10w30 in,you might have a problem.

[harsha]

Call up your dealer and ask them....
....but if you are under warranty, check with them. :)

down the line, when a warranty repair question raises, they might deny the repairs stating the cause for mechanical breakdown is "usage of thicker engine oil". LOL.

to the PO: you should be fine with that grade of oil. if you are not comfortable, change it.

[mellissam]

down the line, when a warranty repair question raises, they might deny the repairs stating the cause for mechanical breakdown is "usage of thicker engine oil". LOL.

to the PO: you should be fine with that grade of oil. if you are not comfortable, change it.

Well, when I call them up, I would not give them my name or VIN, in case they tried to screw me...I got this from the threads long ago...
http://63.240.161.99/motoroil/index.html
Very informative, as is http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/ - can ask on that forum....:)
After re-reading the above link (top one), the viscosity is nearly identical at operating temps (see Oil Data Sheets).....so, it shouldn't matter that you have slightly higher viscous oil (at operating temps) in there....The only caveat I have, is that I don't know the tolerance level of the Honda pp. :)
I agree, if you can't sleep, it is only $30 odd bucks to change it out...

[Uzzy]

Serously, it's fine. The Honda engine, or any engine isn't going to blow up because the viscosity is higher by 10. Put some 20W50, and beat the tar out of the engine, and then maybe you might have a bit of an issue, but probably not.

[Tom92SCm]

Have you checked the owner's manual? I bet it says that you can vary the viscosity a bit- especially depending on the weather temps.

Don't sweat it. And if you do, pull the drain plug and put the right stuff in.

[drivehard]

This engine is spec'ed to use 5w-30 in other countries. The 5w-20 rating year round is only for here in the US due to CAFE requirements. You may notice a slight decrease in fuel mileage with the 5w-30.

[Ritz]

It won't hurt. If it bothers you, pull the drain plug and dump 4 qts of 5W-20 or 0W-20 in. As others have noted, you may notice a slight decrease in mileage.

Cheers,

[cjhsa]

I think you've done major damage to the engine and should sell that heap cheap immediately to a skilled Honda mechanic, such as myself.

[Uzzy]

I think you've done major damage to the engine and should sell that heap cheap immediately to a skilled Honda mechanic, such as myself.

It's obvious you work at a dealership. My buddies would have said the same thing. :p In fact they do all the time, but that's how they get decent running cars for $100-$300. :cool:

[cjhsa]

Nope, I'm a techie who currently works at an automotive supplier, never worked for a dealership, but I've done my best to work them over, as they have me.

[Uzzy]

Nope, I'm a techie who currently works at an automotive supplier, never worked for a dealership, but I've done my best to work them over, as they have me.

So you've learned the tricks of the trade, as have I. The dealer is great to deal with once you know how they work, and have people on the inside. :yes: All of my cars only get serviced by the dealer, or dealer mechanics. ;) Not to say the independats suck. Many are great, but experiance with a certani type of vehicle. especially something like a Saturn, which was all new in '91 is a bonus.

[burnout]

I'm using 5w-30 syn right now, only because its what I had in the garage and I got it for cheap. I switch between 5w-20 and 5w-30 depending on whats on sale.