Thank you. So many of these manuals drive me nuts. The problem is that it seems no one ever takes the oil specification page(s) and rips them up and starts fresh, or, for that matter, writes them while sober.
I've seen manuals make allusions to 5w-40 conventional, resource conserving 40 grades, and other non-existent nonsense. Even the G's manual has phantom references to "other viscosities" and "viscosity choices" on various pages, yet only 5w-30 explicitly mentioned and recommended/required. Looking at previous years' manuals shows they simply yanked certain lines and updated references to older API and ILSAC specifications.
My OM states in one instance, "The engine oil viscosity or thickness changes with temperature. Because of this, it is important that the engine oil viscosity be selected based on the temperatures at which the vehicle will be operated before the next oil change. Choosing an oil viscosity other than that recommended could cause serious engine damage."
This is meaningless nonsense, because, aside from the first sentence, it's all contradictory. Okay, select a viscosity based on the temperature at which the vehicle will be operated before the next oil change, using a recommended viscosity. Now, considering the only recommended viscosity is 5w-30 SM/GF-4 or better, what kind of viscosity choice does one have?
Here's a quote from the FSM: "Select only engine oils that meet the American Petroleum Institute (API) certification and International Lubricant Standardization and Approval Committee (ILSAC) certification and SAE viscosity standard." The emphasis is mine. Compare to the wording in the OM: "Select only engine oils that meet the American Petroleum Institute (API) certification or International Lubricant Standardization and Approval Committee (ILSAC) certification and SAE viscosity standard." The emphasis is mine, again. I'd say it's fairly certain that they want one to use a 5w-30 in SM/GF-4 or better, but they sure take the long way around it. Simply put, "and" and "or" are not synonyms, and one can have API approval without ILSAC certification, but not the other way around. One cannot meet either without following the SAE viscosity standard in the first place, so why mention that at all?
They'll have fifty pages dedicated to how to use a seatbelt to avoid liability issues, yet many cannot make a clear, concise oil recommendation page.