Hello Everyone,

I just broke the 1,000 mile mark on my '03. I know the manual recommends oil change at 3,750, but I guess I have old school thinking and want to change the oil at this time.

I looked through the manual quickly and could not find the oil grade that the motor requires.

Can anybody help me with this?
thanks

 

Try the maintenance forum....since this will shortly get moved there anyway.

 

5w-30

 

on me..thanks

 

No problem! Actually was news to me a couple weeks ago when I started noticing oil related threads getting moved left and right...

 

 

whats the deal with 15W-50? Is this the stuff I want for hard driving? I just put in 10W-30 today.
I live in hot Tampa, FL and drive hard all the time - thanks for any advice.

What do these numbers mean?

 

It depends on a LOT of factors such as engine part tolerances, temperature, age(mileage), etc...

You don't need a 15W-50. I wouldn't go that thick ESPECIALLY in a dino. If you don't see sub 20-degree F weather, choose either a 10W-30(dino or synthetic) or 10W-40(only synthetic). However, if there is a chance you'll see cold climate or do lots of short trips without the car fully warming up, I'd choose a 5W-30 for better startup protection.

Honestly, a synthetic 5W-30 will handle anything you can throw at it, but a 10W-30 or 10W-40 will give you a little better protection at 100+F temps. under high load areas like the bearings, cylinder walls, cams, yada yada, where shearing occurs.

The differences in engine protection between the 5W-10, 10W-30, and 10W-40 aren't going to make a noticeable difference, but a 15W-50 or 20W-50 will cause less fuel mileage/performance.