Oil change issue...

Just got the oil changed for the first time on my 06 Si.

When I got home, I looked at the receipt and noticed that they used 5w20
instead of 5w30. it's not like it's printed on the oil cap or anything...

Anyhow, I am going back tomorrow to make them do it right, but just for the
interest of information, what would the negative effect of 5w20 be on the
engine? Is it too thin for the performance motor?

Thanks for whatever info I get...

--
Joseph M. LaVigne

http://www.thelavignefamily.us/MyPipePages/ - 9/1/2006 2:31:34 AM
Tobacconist Brick and Mortar Database: http://bam.tobaccocellar.org/

A clever person solves a problem.
A wise person avoids it. -- Einstein

 

There is a difference, but you can't measure it. bob

 

5w20 is the correct oil for most hondas.

 

check the owner's manual.

bob z.

 

Does the Si call for 5W-30? Honda is a little confusing in that they
spec 5W-20 for most engines, but 5W-30 for some. I know that my Acura
TSX calls for 5W-30 while the Accord says 5W-20. This makes me think
that 5W-20 is borderline for Honda designs and that the high compression
versions of their engines need 5W-30 for protection in extreme conditions.

Remember that the oil has to be ready to handle mountain climbing with a
full load on the hottest summer day.

That said, if your Si calls for 5W-30 and they put in 5W-20 I would not
be worried about it unless you have been doing full throttle blasts up a
mountain range in 110 deg F conditions ... but I would make the dealer
fix it.

Personally I am running 5W-30 in the summer in our Accord and only using
5W-20 in the winter.


John

 

a good quality 5w-20 is just dandy. i've used 5w-20 castrol in an older
honda and oil consumption was almost zero compared to the same brand
5w-30. that indicates better quality base oil so i don't think there's
anything to be afraid of.

 

Is the last sentence above sarcasm? In other words, does
your Civic SI's oil cap actually have "5W30" printed on it?

When posting to a technically oriented newsgroup, may I
suggest leaving out the sarcasm, to expedite communications
and quickly get you what you want?

As others have pointed out, a number (all?) of the more
recent Honda models specify 5W-20. I can't get a 2006 Civic
Si owner's manual online at the moment, but the 2006 Accord
owner's manual and the 2005 Civic SI owner's manual specify
5W-20.

Time to break open and read your very own owner' manual.

 

I just got back from the Honda dealer, and noticed on the chart on the
counter that the 2006 Civic is the only 21st Century Honda to take 5W-30
instead of 5W-20. Well, the Insight takes 0W-20. Weird, huh?

Mike

 

Yessir. There has to be a rational explanation for the
discrepancy, either in engine design, or perhaps Honda
changed its mind mid-production.

 

All of the Acuras call for 5W-30 even when similar engines in Honda are
specified for 5W-20. I have always thought that this might be due to
the higher compression ratios generally used in the Acura engines. High
compression ratios mean higher bearing loads.

Perhaps the 2006 Si uses an engine tuned more like an Acura motor.

John

 

But not for the Si...


--
Joseph M. LaVigne

http://www.thelavignefamily.us/MyPipePages/ - 9/3/2006 1:20:22 AM
Tobacconist Brick and Mortar Database: http://bam.tobaccocellar.org/

"I believe that pipe smoking contributes to a somewhat calm and objective
judgment in all human affairs"

-- Albert Einstein

 

I did. I didn't ask what the correct oil was, I asked what the effect of
using the wrong one is...

--
Joseph M. LaVigne

http://www.thelavignefamily.us/MyPipePages/ - 9/3/2006 1:20:41 AM
Tobacconist Brick and Mortar Database: http://bam.tobaccocellar.org/

"(Tobacco is) a companion in solitude; it is a storehouse for reflection
and gives time for the fumes of wrath to disperse."

-Japanese author

 

Yeah, the Si calls for 5w-30...

I didn't use the dealer, and will likely not for most stuff, as they are
not all that close, are a bit pricey, and are very difficult to get
convenient appointments with. On the other hand, had I used a dealer, I
probably wouldn't have had this problem... ;-)

The oil change place (A Valvoline Instant Oil Change, which is the best
around these parts usually) will be fixing it Tuesday. They offerred
sincere apologies...

Thanks for the help!

--
Joseph M. LaVigne

http://www.thelavignefamily.us/MyPipePages/ - 9/3/2006 1:21:29 AM
Tobacconist Brick and Mortar Database: http://bam.tobaccocellar.org/

My girlfriend always laughs during sex - no matter what she's reading.
--Steve Jobs, founder of Apple Computers

 

I thought it was an excellent use of sarcasm... ;-)

Yes, it says 5w-30 on it...

The 2005 Si was, respectfully, a dog. The engine in the 06 is much better,
and more demanding, I think, thus the recommendation of 30, I assume. I am
not, however, a mechanic. I know enough to keep a car running well, and
can repair most basic problems, but I am no expert...

Done it... Actually read through it when I got the car, and made notes of
noteables... ;-)

--
Joseph M. LaVigne

http://www.thelavignefamily.us/MyPipePages/ - 9/3/2006 1:24:49 AM
Tobacconist Brick and Mortar Database: http://bam.tobaccocellar.org/
I don't have all the answers. I haven't yet heard all the questions...

 

IIANM, the 06 Si uses almost the same engine as the 05 RSX. It is tweaked
some, and gets slightly better performance, but a picture of the engine is
damned near a carbon copy of what's under my hood...

--
Joseph M. LaVigne

http://www.thelavignefamily.us/MyPipePages/ - 9/3/2006 1:27:48 AM
Tobacconist Brick and Mortar Database: http://bam.tobaccocellar.org/

Scarecrow (Ray Bolger): I haven't got a brain... only straw.
Dorothy (Judy Garland): How can you talk if you haven't got a brain?
Scarecrow: I don't know... But some people without brains do an awful lot
of talking... don't they?
Dorothy: Yes, I guess you're right.
~ "Wizard of Oz "

 

Thanks for clarifying, Joe, and offering your opinion on the
distinction between the '05 and '06 Sis, to help explain the
difference in oil recommendations.

 

No problem.

And also, besides being a dog, the damned gear shifter was in a funny
place... ;-)

--
Joseph M. LaVigne

http://www.thelavignefamily.us/MyPipePages/ - 9/3/2006 1:44:37 AM
Tobacconist Brick and Mortar Database: http://bam.tobaccocellar.org/

I think computer viruses should count as life. I think it says something
about human nature that the only form of life we have created so far is
purely destructive. We've created life in our own image.
--Stephen Hawking

 

Joe LaVigne wrote:

Ah, that explains it. They probably just looked up Honda Civic in the
book or computer and it said to use 5W-20. I'm not surprised that a
quick lube place missed the Si nuance.

Personally I would much rather do my own oil changes than trust the
quick lube types, but to each their own.

John

 

I suspect you are right. Honda makes many variations on it's basic
designs and seems to specify 5W-30 for the higher performance versions.

John

 

I generally watch them very closely, but I was distracted with the kids
when he was filling the oil. Caught it on the receipt...

I don't do oil changes anymore. For what it costs to get them done, it
isn't worth rolling on the cold ground, especially in Buffalo, where only
1-2 changes a year would be in nice weather...

--
Joseph M. LaVigne

http://www.thelavignefamily.us/MyPipePages/ - 9/4/2006 1:02:55 AM
Tobacconist Brick and Mortar Database: http://bam.tobaccocellar.org/
"My advice is to treat your pipe like your pecker. Keep it clean, don't
work it to death, rest and polish it every once in a while."

-- Robert Crim, alt.smokers.pipes