I need to add oil to my Mazda MX-3. This is my 1st car and I'm unsure of what type to use.
Normally on the oil filler cap or oil dipstick you will find a recommendation for the oil viscosity such as "10w40" or "5w20". The first number indicates what the "thickness" or viscosity of the oil is during warm weather conditions and the second indicates the cold weather weight of the oil. Hence "10w40" actually stands for "10 ... winter 40." Check to see what the recommended viscosity is for your MX-3 on the filler cap first. I believe the recommended weight for the MX3 is 5w20 but this might be different depending on the year. One thing that is very important though: Studies by Castrol, who are very proud of their synthetic oils, clearly state that it is a very bad idea to put synthetic motor oil in a rotary engine. Therefore it is highly recommended that no matter what viscosity of oil you use, you should be certain to read the oil container carefully to ensure that it contains no synthetics. Personally I have always run either mobil or valvoline in all my performance engines with very good results. I have blown three engines on Castrol synthetic oils, and literally had one vehicle engine (a 276 CI V6) explode running Castrol Syntec. In each case (except the exploded engine since there was little left to inspect) I found large chunks of carbonized solidified burned oil (and by large I mean the size of walnuts or bigger) inside my oil pans. Back to the subject though, simply verify the viscosity on the filler cap or the dipstick. If you don't see it there, you will definitely find it on a label affixed above the radiator or inside the hood. Once you get the right viscosity just make sure to buy a good brand of non-synthetic oil. Also don't trust "in house" brands of oil, such as "Advance auto parts oil" or "Fastrac oil". Many of those are recycled filtered oils which have been used, recycled, filtered and have additives mixed in to "restore life" to them.
×