Oil weight recommended - Specialized Cycling

Try an oil change with the manufacturer recommended oil. Make sure it is the correct weight, type and grade. I never recommend synthetic for older cars with high miles. You can also buy oil additives at the parts store designed to increase oil pressure and quiet noisy lifters/valves. Oil light means low oil pressure, usually due to broken down old oil, dirty oil filter, or incorrect oil weight used.

Generally speaking, we do not make recommendations on products by brand. Any of the brands you mentioned will meet the factory specs.
If the car has over 100,000 miles, you could bump up the weight to 10w-30 or 10w-40. Or stay with the factory recommendation.
The low number is the weight of the oil at zero degrees, and the high number is the weight at 200 degrees.
Keeping the oil and filter changed is more important than the weight.

Use only the oil weight on the oil cap or owners manual if the cap does not list the oil weight. Most older vehicles called for eather 10w30 or 5w30 depending on the ambient temp. In the past 10 or so years, manufacturers updated engines for better fuel efficiency by tightening tolerances in the engines, thereby needing a lighter oil weight to provide sufficient lubrication for the parts So manufacturers started requiring 5w20 oil in their engines. I work as an Auto Care Technician at Walmart, and we will NOT do an oil change for any weight other than the recommended weight by the manufacturer. If it calls for 5w20, we use 5w20, regardless of what the owner wants. This is to avoid any possible engine oil related problems. People will blame someone else if they have a warranty issue the dealer refuses to honor for whatever reason, and it would go back to the last place the vehicle had the oil changed at. So therefore at Walmart, we follow the manufacturers recommended oil weight for all oil changes.

Only the manufacturer's recommended oil weight should ever be used in your engine.

While using a heavier weight oil might reduce the leakage somewhat, (but not much), the benefit will be more than offset by the internal damage that an UN-recommended oil weight may cause to your engine. The engine was built with certain tolerances between the metal parts, and a higher weight (thicker oil viscosity) may not be able to penetrate the spaces, causing premature wear.

In short, don't do it. Repair the leaky seal, or gasket, and only run what Saturn says you should run.

Porter Cable recommends straight 30 weight synthetic oil for their engines. However, If you live in a colde climate or in a hot climate, the use of multi-viscosity oils is my recommendation. Straight 30 weight oil in my cold climate would not work. So, it really depends on where you live.
30/5 works well in a cold climate like mine.

Hope this helps. If it does, I would appreciate a vote. Thanks,

Handie Andie

Yes. 10-w30 will act like a 10 weight oil when cold and a 30 weight oil when hot. 10-w30 will act like ten weight when cold, but like (thicker) 40 weight oil when hot. Your profile only says Cadillac and doesn't say model or year, but most cars since the early- mid 80's use 5-w30. Always use the oil weight recommended in your owners manual. If you are unsure call the dealer and they will tell you what is right for your car.

The usual weight that alot of manufacturers recommend is 5w30 weight because it helps with your gas mileage, however I would look on your oil cap under your hood and also check inside your owners manual for more detailed information reguarding the recommended viscosity oil Ford wants in your particular vehical....

According to the Owner's Manual, 30 weight compressor oil is recommended. I'd use AMSOIL PCK, even though it's 40 weight. The pump will run cooler, last longer, use less gasoline, and require fewer oil changes. I'd also recommend AMSOIL's AFF 0W-40 Synthetic 4-Stroke Power Sports Oil for the motor for the same reasons.

dear bldrnr the proper oil weight for your bic depends on the climate where you ride 20/50 is recommended for hot climates 10/40 is recommended for average temps. jim

O.K. Let's use 20 weight for example. A straight weight oil is just that, a straight 20 weight in viscosity, it doesn't change when it gets hot or is cold, so it won't thin when heated. It will read
sea 20 on the container. A 20/50 has a viscosity that changes when heated. When cold it is a 50 weight, then as it heats up it thins to a 20 weight. A 20/50 might not be too bad to run in this situation, but the viscosity breakdown is quicker with the mixed viscosity oils, so I generally recommend running a straight weight, such as 15 or 20 in the winter, and a 30 or 40 in the summer. Keep in mind that the oil does not thin, so if you have extreme cold in the winter, the car may not start very easy. If it doesn't, then you can go to a thinner oil. In the summer, if you have extreme heat, you can go with a thicker oil if the engine has a little noise, or running hotter than usual. Just remember, the lower the number, the thinner the oil. Running a thicker oil in yours, should cut down on the oil consumption.