Hey everyone. My buddy recently bought an s4. Its an 88 base and i drove him down to pick it up. When we got there i sat in the car but i could hear this guy telling him all about the car. The previous owner pretty much said he talked to a mechanic that told him with how old the car is and the motor to use a 60 weight oil!

It sounds like bs to me, but i figured i would get some other opinions on it.

Anyone have any ideas?

 

10W50 Elf Synthetic oil is what I use on an 85K motor.. I plan to use the same on my T2 engine too...

I dont think a 10W60 would be that big of a problem either.

 

JEEZUS CHRIST ON A CHRISTMAS TREE! kill the mechanic. 60 weight?!?!? Am I just ignorant or was the the guy asking what to use in his transmission, or what to use in the motor? I use 20 weight on both my 86 N/A and 89 T2, 75 weight for the trannies.... jsut to give you a clue.

 

Just use whatever the FSM says to use for whatever temperatures you'll be experiencing. You might also have a sticker under the hood outlining that, too, but I can't remember for sure if there's supposed to be one there.

 

Well the seller gave him some oils that we have to go through still. I'll let you know what we dig up.

 

ya i agree with the whole JEEZUS CHRIST ON A CHRISTMAS TREE!! 60 is way to thick i dont know exactly what the oil injectors can with stand but 60 is pushing it DO NOT USE IT!!!! it wont lubricate properly...maybe if you lived on the surface of the sun where the heat can thin it out some

 

"60 weight" is NOT the same as "10W60".
Straight 60W should not be used in an automotive vehicle.
It's approaching the viscosities of a gear lube.

It's true that heavier weight oil will minimize oil burning on older, tired (piston) engines.
But, that's really an extreme!
Please don't use it in your engine!


-Ted

 

Thanks for the help!! were not puttin any of that in the car any time soon.

 

I dont know where clearlake is but here in TN, with starting temps reaching as low as 14 F, I use 5W-30. In spring, starting temps around 60-70 F, I switch to 10W-40. I dont quite understand why so many people dont follow the charts given by MAZDA.

 

He is full of crap. Single weight oil? hell no.

My engine builder, Ken Carswell, said to use 10w30. This can change based on climate/temperature. Look in the Haynes manual for good info on this.

 

As RETed mentioned, thicker oil sometimes helps out a beat-up old engine that really needs a rebuild but the owner is too broke, lazy, or otherwise needs to try to make the engine last a little while longer. However, I recommend sticking with the oil weight recommended in the service manual. If the engine has 150,000 or more miles on it and smokes a lot, especially large puffs of gray smoke out the exhaust pipe when shifting, then you can pour in some Motor Honey if a compression check indicates a severely worn engine. Yes, it does reduce oil consumption on a rotary engine. No, it will not fix the engine which will fail soon due to worn parts. Yes, your engine stands a better chance of ruining some hard parts if you drive it until it blows as opposed to rebuilding it before it blows.
http://www.casite.com/product.asp?prodID=4&prodCatID=1

 

Well I know he said 60W and I was hoping he understood that car engines don't use STRAIT 60W.. I guess I was mistaken..

If he gave him 10W60 you can use it.. IF he gives him STRAIT 60W then don't use it..

I guess I just figured everyone should know not to use STRAIT 60W oil...

 

Are you reffering to 20 weight as in a 5W20 or similar or something along the lines of a 20W50?

The thinnest oil Mazda recommends is a 5W30 and thats Only recommended for temperatures under freezing. They only recommend 10W30 for up to 80*F and down to 0*F.

I feel the safest running 20W50 for the better part of the year and 10W30 for the winter.

A multigrade like 20W60 (racing brands like Motul and Redline sell it as a motorcycle oil) would be fine for the hottest part of the year or in particulary warm climates, but probably overkill. A straight 60 weight would be like molasses on a cold engine in no way good.

 

20 weight 50

 

The "W" stands for Winter, not Weight.

 

I always thought it was for weight.... now I know....

 

You know the RX-8 calls for 5w20 no matter where you are or what season it is.


btw, if you followed the chart you'd be running 20w50 year round.

 

Hahahaha, 60w? get out of here with that nonsense.

 

And knowing is half the battle.

 

Actually, I got it wrong too. :P

"Straight 60 weight" should be denoted as "SAE60".


-Ted

 

Wow, what's wrong with that mechanic? That's not true in a piston or anything. It will slow down leaks in an old motor but it's so thick when cold that it will greatly increase wear before warm-up. 20w50 is the better option if you want a thick oil (for ongoing super hot weather or to slow down leaks). Don't use his mechanic.