Okay to run Mobil 1 and 0w-40 in Minneapolis?

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I'm going on a trip.
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0w-40 is okay in warm California, but in Minneapolis it's already quite cold (20 overnight). Maybe the oil is too thick and I should just run 0w-20 per the manual.
 
It'll be fine.

Wait, why are you running a 40 weight in a car spec'd for 20?
 
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What the heck else would you run besides a 0W ???. Your question doesn't make sense. If your engine needs/(or you want) a 40 grade, then choose a 0W-40. Cold doesn't change the operating temperature requirements.

Originally Posted By: blackman777
, but in Minneapolis it's already quite cold (20 overnight).
Yer not from around here, are ya boy.

Your car will be fine. I don't start plugging mine in until -10, even though they would usually start by themselves at -20.
 
Originally Posted By: mount
What the heck else would you run besides a 0W ???. Your question doesn't make sense. If your engine needs/(or you want) a 40 grade, then choose a 0W-40. Cold doesn't change the operating temperature requirements.

Originally Posted By: blackman777
, but in Minneapolis it's already quite cold (20 overnight).
Yer not from around here, are ya boy.

Your car will be fine. I don't start plugging mine in until -10, even though they would usually start by themselves at -20.


Give em a break....he's from California....whoops....I lived there too? LOL
 
I have had gas engines start at -40F without being plugged in. Trip to Timmins Ontario in the 90s with a Ford cube truck with 460cu in engine. Got to the hotel late and all the plugins were taken. Not recommended but the beast started.
 
Not enough info. What type of car and engine? What does the oil fill cap say for engine oil?
 
From Cali to a northern tier state in late fall?
Seems like a trip that would be better made during the mid summer.
While M-1 0W-40 is already too thick for your engine, a week or so of cold starts in MSP shouldn't do any harm.
If you were going to spend an entire winter in that region, something thinner would be in order, especially when the real cold arrives in Jan and Feb.
 
I wouldn't start worrying about your oil being too thick until the temps are getting well below zero. Even a modern 5wXX will be fine below freezing.
 
Originally Posted By: RamFan
why are you running a 40 weight in a car spec'd for 20?

0w-40 is recommended in the Australian manual (albeit only down to 32F). I wanted to give it a try to see how it works (via oil analysis). And then go back to 0w-30 fuel economy oil.

About 10 years ago I had Delvac 1, 5w-40 in an old Plymouth Caravelle. The temperature was 10 and it barely turned over (and then promptly shutoff). I had to keep my foot on the pedal, even when stopped, to keep it running.
 
Originally Posted By: blackman777
I'm going on a trip.
smile.gif
0w-40 is okay in warm California, but in Minneapolis it's already quite cold (20 overnight). Maybe the oil is too thick and I should just run 0w-20 per the manual.


You're kidding, Right? You'll be fine and then some.

I've used RT6 5w40 right through a MN winter in my WRX. My mom lives in frigid Northern MN and never ran anything in her but RT6 VW TDI, even at -30*F. For her the fuel froze before the oil. You'll be fine.

This is for your Insight I presume? The European manual for a Honda Civic 1.8l (R18) says you can use anything from 0w20 to 5w40 at any expected operating temperature. I'm pretty sure all European Hondas say the same thing. Again, you'll be fine.
 
I'm pretty sure one purpose of Mobil 1 0w40 is that it can be used in a car desiring a 40 weight in operating temperatures but yet still be started/flow in cold conditions (hence the 0w). I believe you should be good to go!

Enjoy your trip. Sounds fun. Be careful on the road though.
 
Originally Posted By: Ayrton
I'm pretty sure one purpose of Mobil 1 0w40 is that it can be used in a car desiring a 40 weight in operating temperatures but yet still be started/flow in cold conditions (hence the 0w). I believe you should be good to go!

Enjoy your trip. Sounds fun. Be careful on the road though.

The measuring point for 0W flow is some really low number that most vehicles will never see in their lifetime. I don't know the exact numbers, but I thought that a conventional 5W-20 might be thinner at typical winter ambient temps (around freezing point) than a 0W-40.
 
Originally Posted By: y_p_w
Originally Posted By: Ayrton
I'm pretty sure one purpose of Mobil 1 0w40 is that it can be used in a car desiring a 40 weight in operating temperatures but yet still be started/flow in cold conditions (hence the 0w). I believe you should be good to go!

Enjoy your trip. Sounds fun. Be careful on the road though.

The measuring point for 0W flow is some really low number that most vehicles will never see in their lifetime. I don't know the exact numbers, but I thought that a conventional 5W-20 might be thinner at typical winter ambient temps (around freezing point) than a 0W-40.


-35C
 
Originally Posted By: blackman777
About 10 years ago I had Delvac 1, 5w-40 in an old Plymouth Caravelle. The temperature was 10 and it barely turned over (and then promptly shutoff). I had to keep my foot on the pedal, even when stopped, to keep it running.

If you're having a problem with starting a vehicle or keeping it running with any 5w-XX (assuming it's plugged in when appropriate) anywhere in North America, it's not the fault of the oil. Battery, fueling, or tune is the issue.

In all my outdoor stored vehicles in all the -40 weather we've had, I've never used anything thinner in cold cranking conditions than a 5w-XX, and it was never an issue. The old Audi had some RP 0w-40, but it was usually indoors anyhow.

When I had a vehicle that didn't start or run right in the cold, assuming it didn't have something utterly silly in it for oil choice, I tended to check things like the battery and connections, alternator output, and fueling (i.e. if a carb, does the choke even remotely work). Oil was the last thing on my mind.

I realize it's tempting to blame the oil, since that's an "easy fix." At least, it's easier and/or cheaper than replacing batteries, cables, alternators, starters, or diving into the fueling system. But, it won't be the oil.
 
0w-40 is thicker at freezing point than 0w-20.
Originally Posted By: Garak
If you're having a problem with starting a vehicle or keeping it running with any 5w-XX (assuming it's plugged in when appropriate) anywhere in North America, it's not the fault of the oil. Battery, fueling, or tune is the issue.

The engine squeeled like a pig. The Delvac 5w-40 was definitely too thick, and the metal-on-metal sound didn't go away for about ten minutes (when it finally warmed up).
 
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