Oil Choices for the Honda V6 - & Filters

[Bismarck318]

Knowing the Honda is recommending the 5W20 , my last change incidentally was 5W30, I found after the fact as I was "upsold" the synth blend without my knowledge as 5W20 wasn't available in that grade ....& was told that 5W30 is fine because it has over 100K (BS or not? it sounded logical at the time, + I also wanted a passing emissions certificate too.)

With having said that since I'm changing it again myself this time is it best to go with the 0W20 or 0W30? I do't see anyone variating from the 5W20 in reading here, but with the extreme cold coming I've heard wonderful things about 0 weight oils.

One other Item I decided to cross look for a filter for my Hyundai Elantra, & found out the Quaker State Filter 14612 is also the same for the VUE V6, yet other Brands Bosch, Fram are all different. Hyundai appears to also use 2 different filters depending on the brand, Bosch & Fram are a bigger diameter shorter filter where the Quaker State is a longer filter much like the Fram &bothers I had been using on the VUE in the past.

I'm sure there is some magic science to this , though I had a similar experience years ago with the Pontiac 301 Engine using 2 sizes, why couldn't I use the cross references on the Hyundai on the VUE, & vise versa?

[Cavell]

odd that a shop would not have 5-20. been around for ever. i think they sold you what they have in bulk. i am pretty sure your motor is spec'd for dino oil. a synth blend is 90%dino/10%syn. aint going to get you much. they make 5-20 synth blend too, ya know. 0-20 is good for winter use. i have used it. i would even use 0-30 if thats all you can find

[Bismarck318]

Correct they only had bulk product there... In that grade of oil he did not have the 5W20, but after the "upsell", I asked what grade & brand was put in, he said the Castrol High Mileage Synth Blend, & since he did not have the 5w20, he took the liberty of putting in 5w30, & rationalized it by saying over 100K it could go to a 30 weight.

I also had my Coolant changed at that point, said it was universal yellow coolant yet it still looks like Dex in the Reserve, though I know they swapped what was in the motor as they had me running the heater controls while the process was taking place & it went cold, so god knows what is actually in there being a sealed system! I don't think they bothered to purge the reserve tank... that takes time.

I hate taking vehicles to these type of places but needed my annual Emissions Certificate for registration.

The filter they installed was an EcoTech (or Ecoguard) X4612, which was a very small filter, compared to the Fram 7317... I had a problem getting a grip on it to get it off.

So in the "blends" they are only giving you 10% Synthetic?

Yesterday, I put in 0w20 Full Synthetic, not much of a price difference anymore considering.

[Cavell]

old car used 5-20. than the next one used 0-20 but it was honda and they said they have 0-20 synth blend but it costs same as 0-20 syn. i looked at a few junkyard 3.5 vues and several had the timing cover removed. 1 had a lot of cracks in timing belt on the exterior surface. i would worry about that before the spec of oil.

[fdryer]

At the risk of creating a raging debate, I found some info on oil formulations between fully synthetic and synthetic blended oil.

There are two types of synthetic oil, Semi-Synthetic and Full Synthetic. Semi-Synthetic is mixed with conventional oil with 75% to 85% of full synthetic oil and 15% to 25% conventional oil. Full Synthetic oil is 95% to 100% oil made from chemicals. Some full synthetic oils may have 5% conventional oils to help with engine wear.

If this is correct, it explains the higher costs of syn blended oil compared to regular. Being a blend, my initial presumptions were blends were leaning towards more regular dino oil and less synthetic but according to sources it's the other way around. This makes sense to reflect the higher cost per quart of syn/regular blends above regular oil. This places blended oil prices in the between regular and full synthetic.

I'm nowhere near subfreezing cold temps in NYC. 5w20 or 5w30 are my two oils whether using Mobil-1 or Walmart (full synthetic). Even tried Castrol syn oil. Severe cold weather starting, maybe as cold as 5F(?) is uneventful with imperceptible differences in hearing starting noises (slower than normal cranking speed).

Since the difference between 5w20 and 0w20 oil are about 10-15 degrees in subzero temps, perhaps switching to 0w20 may be more advantageous for really cold temps in your area to guarantee normal starting without need for an engine oil heater. '0' in 0w20 M-1 oil is good to -47C or -52F. '5' in 5w20/30 M-1 oil is good to -35F. Your choice. Going with syn blends or full synthetic seems to be the better choice for long term ownership. Even budget minded owners can use regular oil with similar cold temperature starting. In theory, whether synthetic, blended or regular, oil viscosity standards are adhered to so oil changers can make informed decisions on individual oil change intervals for personal preference. In reality, I think regular oil with the same viscosity tends to thicken some in very cold weather when starting and thin out as soon as the engine runs. Some may not want this in very cold temps and switching to blended or full synthetic may give added reliability to freezing weather startups.

[Vue6]

...I have used mobil 1 5w20 full synthetic since new ,along with a K&N oil filter, driven year round , the motor looked brand new inside til I sold the vehicle. there are mobil 1 filters you can use also, wally world has the best prices for the oil ,that I have seen, just my .02, DC.

[ScotSHO]

I've always owned Fords, and the Motorcraft filters are highly rated by the masses. The FL822 is what I've been using.

For oil, well pretty much any synthetic 5w-30 changed between 3-5k miles will do the trick.

[Bismarck318]

Originally Posted by Cavell

old car used 5-20. than the next one used 0-20 but it was honda and they said they have 0-20 synth blend but it costs same as 0-20 syn. i looked at a few junkyard 3.5 vues and several had the timing cover removed. 1 had a lot of cracks in timing belt on the exterior surface. i would worry about that before the spec of oil.

It was just an inquiry on if others were going this route on oil. I can't rationalize a repair on a vehicle of its condition & yet also when the repair exceeds it's market value (sad but true)... & I'm one that attempts to hang on to things as long as I can.

Originally Posted by Vue6

...I have used mobil 1 5w20 full synthetic since new ,along with a K&N oil filter, driven year round , the motor looked brand new inside til I sold the vehicle. there are mobil 1 filters you can use also, wally world has the best prices for the oil ,that I have seen, just my .02, DC.

Last time I did it myself I used the Mobil 1 5w20, though the Mobil 1 Filters are pricey. I noticed the 4612 is a lot smaller than the Fram & Bosh, I tend to go with the larger filter..... more filter media, & easier to grip!

[Cavell]

Pennzoil blend is 40-50 % mix. I don’t believe any brand is 90syn/10 Dino. Unless it costs 90% of full syn.

[Bismarck318]

You had said earlier 90% Dino, & 10% Synth, correct? (which would hardly be worth the effort anyway).

Originally Posted by Cavell

odd that a shop would not have 5-20. been around for ever. i think they sold you what they have in bulk. i am pretty sure your motor is spec'd for dino oil. a synth blend is 90%dino/10%syn. aint going to get you much. they make 5-20 synth blend too, ya know. 0-20 is good for winter use. i have used it. i would even use 0-30 if thats all you can find

Originally Posted by Cavell

Pennzoil blend is 40-50 % mix. I don’t believe any brand is 90syn/10 Dino. Unless it costs 90% of full syn.

I would think it is about 50/50, but the price difference being only a couple dollars for 5 qts of full synth as opposed to blend or full dino. Event the Wal*Mart Full Synth house brand is a buck or so less (on the 5 qt) than name brand Dyno.

Got into this discussion years ago on F-Body I believe that was stated that Synth is actually hydrocracked dino oil with additives anyway.

I went with 0w20 Quaker State Full Synth, seems to get a bit faster warmups.. but I wouldn't swear to it.

[fdryer]

0w20 QS is more than adequate for getting thru any midwest sub zero weather in early morning startups. While I can't swear by your weather starting issues in your neck of the woods using syn oil, I know syn oil works in NYC's balmy 5-10F freeze without worrying about oil turning into molasses. Hopefully, the first subfreezing startups don't disappoint you.


For naysayers not accepting blended oil formulations, my response is to search for info on your own, Far too many refuse to search for facts to separate facts from fiction. Fact checking seems to be the new phrase in the internet world where lies are accepted without question. With the internet providing more information than any encyclopedia did in olden days, seeking out facts is more important now than assuming what's spread on forums, blogs, public message boards, news, etc are factual. The old saying about spreading a lie long enough until its accepted as truth applies now more than ever to refute lies and hearsay. With blended oil using synthetic and regular, the price difference should be a clue why blended oil costs more than regular but below full syn oil costs.

[Cavell]

i heard it online. thats my excuse. i used mobil 1 in some of my prior cars. not all, just the ones i liked. i use dino non-blend oil now as i dont have syn spec'd cars now.

[Bismarck318]

Originally Posted by Cavell

i heard it online. thats my excuse. i used mobil 1 in some of my prior cars. not all, just the ones i liked. i use dino non-blend oil now as i dont have syn spec'd cars now.

I heard that online too, (& therefore it MUST be true!)

Point of the thread was to see if anyone was having issues running 0 weight oil, & from reading here & elsewhere that's the way to go. Of course if your in a warm weather area your going to get different response, but I find this is a better advantage with my driving habits & such.

Then again some of these folks wouldn't understand the need to spray the undercarriage with oil for winters either... but that's for another thread.

Originally Posted by ScotSHO

I've always owned Fords, and the Motorcraft filters are highly rated by the masses. The FL822 is what I've been using.

For oil, well pretty much any synthetic 5w-30 changed between 3-5k miles will do the trick.

Thst filter is a cross for the Fram 7317, also crosses with the QS14610 (not but not the smaller 14612) or QS 7317. I would imagine now there are several filters that would cross, but I find the longer & larger is easier to install & remove.