A variety of Motor oils for your car is available and making a decision is difficult if you don’t know what oil your car uses. There are so many options like, single weights, multi grades, high detergent, synthetics, oil specially formulated for older engines, smaller engines, SUVs, high performance, and the list goes on and on.
Single weight vs. multi grades
If you look at the front of any bottle of engine oil you’ll see some large numbers: SAE 30…10W-40…5W-50 Those numbers are the SAE rating for the oils viscosity. The SAE-(society of automotive engineers) has set standards for viscosity; that is, how thick the oil is or, more accurately, how easily the oil flows. The best way to remember is: the lower the number, the more easily it flows(the thinner the oil). So oil with an SAE rating of 10 will flow more easily than one with a rating of 30. Oils tend to get thicker(more viscous)in cold weather. Heavier oils can become so thick that the engine won’t crank over in cold weather. But when the engine gets hot, thinner oils may not provide enough protection for the engine. That’s why oil manufacturers came out with multi-grade oils. These oils have two numbers, which indicate that the oil exhibits the characteristics of both SAE ratings. So an oil with a rating of 10W-30 will flow like a 10 grade oil when it’s cold but will remain as thick-or viscous-as a 30 weight when the engine gets hot. The “W” indicates the oil has been tested for cold weather performance. So an easy way to remember for “W” is “weather”.
The second symbol is the API rating.
API (the American Petroleum Institute) developed these ratings to indicate whether the oil is for gasoline or diesel engine plus what level of protection it offers.
The third symbol is SJ.
The S indicates this oil is made for gasoline engines. The J indicates that the oil has the latest additive package and rating available. SA was the first o f these ratings. The Letters increase with each upgrade to the specs. SJ oil is approved for use in all gasoline engines with rating requirements from SA through SJ. Oils designed for diesel engines have a capital C code. Capital CF is the attest rating and is approved for all diesel type engines.
Next check the API rating.
If your car has spark engine-which means it uses gasoline, propane, or natural gas look for an oil with an SJ or higher rating.If you’re driving a diesel it should have a CF rating or higher.
Detergent Oils.
Virtually every multi grade oil is detergent oil. Only single grade oils such as strait 30-weight oils, are non detergent. The simple answer is you should be using detergent oil. The only exception are engines that don’t have an oil filter. That usually means lawnmower engines. The last common car to have engine without an oil filter was the Volkswagen beetle the old one not he new one.
Synthetic vs. Standard
The synthetic oils provide better lubrication and can increase the life of your engine substantially. If your engine is fairly new synthetic oil will provide excellent protection against wear. But realistically so will sticking with a good maintenance schedule and using a good quality organic based oil.
Now that you know about the different types of engine oils which should you chose for your car’s engine.Open your owner’s manual and see what the manufacturer recommends. Chances are it will have few recommendations. Depending on the average temperature where you drive. For example say your owner’s manual suggests a 5W-30 or 10W-30 depending on the average temperature. In the winter you may want to use 5W-30 oil and switch to 10W-30 in the warmer weather. If the weather remains fairly warm like in Hawaii, you probably can stick with the heavier oil year round.
For More info or if you have any auto repair related questions please contact:
Avo Asdourian
autodoctor@gmail.com
