Sponsored

Safe to use 5W-30?

Ghosts40

Active Member
First Name
Jordan
Joined
Aug 7, 2023
Threads
5
Messages
38
Reaction score
41
Location
Cincinnati OH
Vehicle(s)
2023 Wrangler High Tide
Occupation
Construction Management
I know this is a beating a dead horse as there are so many threads about this! But for peace of mind im going to put this out again! Is 5W-30 Better than )W-20? I live in SW Ohio. Short winters and hot humid summers. That little tick drives me nuts!
Sponsored

 

Jeep Wick

Well-Known Member
First Name
Wick
Joined
Dec 7, 2021
Threads
17
Messages
1,759
Reaction score
2,053
Location
America
Vehicle(s)
2022 High Tide XR
Occupation
Mechanic
I know this is a beating a dead horse as there are so many threads about this! But for peace of mind im going to put this out again! Is 5W-30 Better than )W-20? I live in SW Ohio. Short winters and hot humid summers. That little tick drives me nuts!
Anything that meets the Mopar spec is allowed. I even run 10w30.
 

roaniecowpony

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 4, 2018
Threads
194
Messages
12,920
Reaction score
20,447
Location
SoCal
Vehicle(s)
2018 JLUR, 14 GMC 1500 CC All TERRAIN
Occupation
Retired Engineer
I know this is a beating a dead horse as there are so many threads about this! But for peace of mind im going to put this out again! Is 5W-30 Better than )W-20? I live in SW Ohio. Short winters and hot humid summers. That little tick drives me nuts!
3.6L?
 

Sponsored

roaniecowpony

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 4, 2018
Threads
194
Messages
12,920
Reaction score
20,447
Location
SoCal
Vehicle(s)
2018 JLUR, 14 GMC 1500 CC All TERRAIN
Occupation
Retired Engineer
5w30 is not only safe, it's a great choice for your weather. Pull up your oil temperature gauge in your dash cluster and watch it while you drive. Do some normal chores around town and maybe a highway excursion with some light spirited driving. You'll likely be very surprised by how hot the oil can get.

But viscosity rating isn't the only thing to consider in your selection. Jeep recommends using oil that meets or exceeds MS-6395 (their Chrysler standard). It's an old enough standard that it's exceeded by many oils. I'd recommend you use a full synthetic that has a rating of API SN as a minimum and SP will ensure it meets a Low Speed Pre-Ignition (LSPI) standard.

I pulled the intake manifold from my 2018 3.6, with ~33k miles to replace the oil cooler that had leaked. My intake ports and valves had very little buildup. Cylinder leakdown (a more critical test of compression leakage) was 79/80 on all cylinders, the best I had ever seen. My engine had been filled with Mobil 1 Extended Performance since the first change, and I went to 5w30 a few years after it was new. So, I can recommend Mobil 1 Extended Performance 5w30. The cheapest I've found it was at Walmart for about $27/5qt jug.

Given that my oil can exceed 245F and local temperatures where I wheel in the southwest, can exceed 100F regulary, I now use a 0w40 oil.
 

DaltonGang

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 29, 2018
Threads
93
Messages
4,064
Reaction score
5,906
Location
Doesn't Play Well With Others
Vehicle(s)
2018 Wrangler JLU Sport S, Rubicon Suspension, Rims. Firecracker Red
OP
OP
Ghosts40

Ghosts40

Active Member
First Name
Jordan
Joined
Aug 7, 2023
Threads
5
Messages
38
Reaction score
41
Location
Cincinnati OH
Vehicle(s)
2023 Wrangler High Tide
Occupation
Construction Management

RhinoJLU

Well-Known Member
First Name
Ernie
Joined
Jul 29, 2020
Threads
13
Messages
189
Reaction score
81
Location
New York
Vehicle(s)
JLU
I’ve always used 5w 30 in my 2012 jk. I did have to replace the rockers and lifters once due to the oil cooler leaking and my engine running hot. But I did have just under 200k in the engine before I sold it and it ran great still. 45000 on my current engine and haven’t switched to 5w 30 yet but probably will in next change. Does anyone have any idea what the first number means?(5w, 10w etc)
 

Rhinebeck01

Well-Known Member
Joined
May 9, 2018
Threads
169
Messages
12,679
Reaction score
19,169
Location
Ormond Beach, Florida
Vehicle(s)
'18 JL Rubi, '26 Cybertruck, '01 Harley FatBoy
Occupation
Retired at 55 ..
I’ve always used 5w 30 in my 2012 jk. I did have to replace the rockers and lifters once due to the oil cooler leaking and my engine running hot. But I did have just under 200k in the engine before I sold it and it ran great still. 45000 on my current engine and haven’t switched to 5w 30 yet but probably will in next change. Does anyone have any idea what the first number means?(5w, 10w etc)
@RhinoJLU

"If the oil is 5W-30, “5W” describes the oil's viscosity at low temperatures. The lower the number, the faster the oil will flow at vehicle start-up. The “30” represents the oil's viscosity at normal engine temperatures or when your vehicle has been warmed."
 

Sponsored

RhinoJLU

Well-Known Member
First Name
Ernie
Joined
Jul 29, 2020
Threads
13
Messages
189
Reaction score
81
Location
New York
Vehicle(s)
JLU
@RhinoJLU

"If the oil is 5W-30, “5W” describes the oil's viscosity at low temperatures. The lower the number, the faster the oil will flow at vehicle start-up. The “30” represents the oil's viscosity at normal engine temperatures or when your vehicle has been warmed."
great explanation thanks!
 

Gunfighter

Well-Known Member
First Name
P.J.
Joined
Oct 7, 2020
Threads
16
Messages
580
Reaction score
949
Location
West Michigan
Vehicle(s)
2021 Jeep Wrangler High Altitude
Occupation
Trying not to get warning points
Vehicle Showcase
1
It's fine, but so is 0W-20. Use full synthetic. I use Pennzoil Ultra Synthetic. Regular oil changes at 5k with either will keep the engine happy. Also, if you don't have one the Fumoto oil drain valve is a plus.
 

Pape

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 4, 2023
Threads
16
Messages
1,913
Reaction score
2,036
Location
Quebec
Vehicle(s)
JLU Sahara
The interesting portion of the viscosity talk is the extra thickness of the 20 VS 30 VS 40 VS 50 at the operating temperature.
The argument that comes back a lot is about the VVT actuator using oil pressure and that the extra thickness will be problematic.

In the instance of w20 VS w30 the cSt index difference at 100C is 1.5 cSt (8.8, 10.3 pennzoil).
According to this chart the difference in viscosity is 10C, therefore if you run w30 the viscosity at 90C will be the same as if you ran w20 at 80C.

If we go on the premise that the VVT will not operate under a certain temperature to protect the VVT system from too thick of oil, the question is at what temperature does the VVT start to operate and this will give us the oil thickness we can use safely for the VVT and probably the rest of the engine.
 

roaniecowpony

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 4, 2018
Threads
194
Messages
12,920
Reaction score
20,447
Location
SoCal
Vehicle(s)
2018 JLUR, 14 GMC 1500 CC All TERRAIN
Occupation
Retired Engineer
The interesting portion of the viscosity talk is the extra thickness of the 20 VS 30 VS 40 VS 50 at the operating temperature.
The argument that comes back a lot is about the VVT actuator using oil pressure and that the extra thickness will be problematic.

In the instance of w20 VS w30 the cSt index difference at 100C is 1.5 cSt (8.8, 10.3 pennzoil).
According to this chart the difference in viscosity is 10C, therefore if you run w30 the viscosity at 90C will be the same as if you ran w20 at 80C.

If we go on the premise that the VVT will not operate under a certain temperature to protect the VVT system from too thick of oil, the question is at what temperature does the VVT start to operate and this will give us the oil thickness we can use safely for the VVT and probably the rest of the engine.
How do you know that?

My understanding of the VVT and VVL systems is that they are binary: on-off. I believe they simply use oil pressure as the force, but the control is purely electronic. That is: hydraulically actuated, electronically controlled, like many hydraulic systems. Typically, these systems are tolerant of fluid temperatures/viscosity.
 

Pape

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 4, 2023
Threads
16
Messages
1,913
Reaction score
2,036
Location
Quebec
Vehicle(s)
JLU Sahara
How do you know that?

My understanding of the VVT and VVL systems is that they are binary: on-off. I believe they simply use oil pressure as the force, but the control is purely electronic. That is: hydraulically actuated, electronically controlled, like many hydraulic systems. Typically, these systems are tolerant of fluid temperatures/viscosity.
OK, maybe did not use the proper wording, at the end of the day the question is :
  1. Does the VVT VVL have a temperature operation range, in particular to protect them from the thick oil ? Remember the argument is about extra thickness of the oil is bad for VVT VVL
  2. If they do, at what temperature do they start operating as this will point toward a certain oil viscosity threshold ?
Simple as that.
Sponsored

 
 







Top