Chrysler 4.0 takes 10W-30; why?

[HawkeyeScott]

My wife drives a 2007 Chrysler Pacifica. It's the 4.0 V6 that takes 10w30 in an age when seemingly more and more cars call for thinner oils. So what does that say about this engine? Does it have to do with operating temperatures? And is it like my 4.0 Jeep that calls for 10w30 but seems to do just fine on 5w30? (I won't be deviating for warranty purposes...just wondering.)

It seems sort of unique that a vehicle built in 2007 calls for 10w30. (Don't get me wrong, I like it. Both vehicles take the same oil and same filter. Kind of nice.)

Also, anyone have a 4.0 V6? What's been your experience? At 36K, ours has been fine. Knock on wood...

 

[sangyup81]

The only reason it should call for something like that is because it shears oil. I'm pretty sure Pacificas aren't turboed?

 

[HawkeyeScott]

No turbo. But it does have a car seat.


If that is the case, then why do some engines shear oil more/worse than others?

 

[BigNick]

My 2008 Chrysler 300 with the 3.5L V6 also specs 10W30. And if you read the manual, it doesn't really want you using 5w30...

 

[grease_monkey]

I would assume they use 10w30in that motor because it already is an excellent fuel miser. Feel free to correct me if I am wrong

 

[Panzerman]

In my humble opinion because it doesnt need to run 5w20 to meet cafe standards. 10w30 is hardly unique and contrary to popular belief, just about all the quick lubes and dealerships put in 10w30 regardless of the manufactures reccomendations. I have heard this from just about everyone in management positions and it makes perfect sense if you check the prices of bulk oil, 10w30 is considerably cheaper than all the other grades because it is basically a one shoe fits all for most vehicles, new and old. My Dodge dealer told me they put 10w30 in all the Hemi's which are speced for 5w20. They claim it doesnt matter because we live in Florida and the temps arent a problem. My buddy in PA, bought a service package and they also told him they run 10w30 in thier Dodge dealership and havent been having any problems. Id be surprised if they even had a bulk tank with 5w20 in it. Ford may be the only one using 5w20 because Motorcraft is so popular, but even that is questionable because of the price it all comes down to the bottom line and 10w30 is cheaper by bulk.

 

[HawkeyeScott]

I believe it's rated at 24 highway, which it can certainly do IF it's exclusively highway. Mix in any city driving and it tanks pretty quickly. I realize it's a heavy, good sized car but I'm not sure I'd label it miserly.

Other Pacifica packages have other engines and I believe at least one of them calls for 5W-20. So it seems to be this 4.0 that is the difference.

 

[BumpDraft2004]

The wife's 2003 PT Cruiser non-Turbo says 10w30 is fine to OF, the nuse 5w30. Sine I switched back to PYB from PP to save money, I have been running 10w30. Here in North Carolina the 0F is never ani ussue. Plus, I feel the car runs and sounds better on the 10w30.

 

[nfs480]

I work at a VIOC location in MN and we always run whatever the manufacturer specifies. We have bulk tanks with 5w20, 5w30, and only one bulk tank of 10w30 (the rest come in either 55 gal drums or by the quart bottle). We even have a small supply of 0w-20.

 

[Hermann]

IIRC that the 4.0L in the Pacifica is a gift from Mercedes during that lovely marraige with Chrysler. My sister has one and was not happy when the 27MPG of a late 90's Impala, turned into a 18 MPG average. Runs real good though!

 

[opus1]

Originally Posted By: BumpDraft2004
The wife's 2003 PT Cruiser non-Turbo says 10w30 is fine to OF, the nuse 5w30. Sine I switched back to PYB from PP to save money, I have been running 10w30. Here in North Carolina the 0F is never ani ussue. Plus, I feel the car runs and sounds better on the 10w30.
Same with my Dakota (3.9L V-6), they only recommend 5w30 if the temps are something like 32F or less. Never understood it.

 

[postjeeprcr]

Originally Posted By: Panzerman
In my humble opinion because it doesnt need to run 5w20 to meet cafe standards. 10w30 is hardly unique and contrary to popular belief, just about all the quick lubes and dealerships put in 10w30 regardless of the manufactures reccomendations. I have heard this from just about everyone in management positions and it makes perfect sense if you check the prices of bulk oil, 10w30 is considerably cheaper than all the other grades because it is basically a one shoe fits all for most vehicles, new and old. My Dodge dealer told me they put 10w30 in all the Hemi's which are speced for 5w20. They claim it doesnt matter because we live in Florida and the temps arent a problem. My buddy in PA, bought a service package and they also told him they run 10w30 in thier Dodge dealership and havent been having any problems. Id be surprised if they even had a bulk tank with 5w20 in it. Ford may be the only one using 5w20 because Motorcraft is so popular, but even that is questionable because of the price it all comes down to the bottom line and 10w30 is cheaper by bulk.


I can see that being true, a friends mom took her 2005 Honda Pilot 3.5 V6 and the oil change sticker in the window says 10W30, I did not think Honda would specify a 10W30 oil.

 

[OLAFF]

Thiner oil will always help with engine friction and yeld a better MPG, and often the government will give it say 22city instead of 21, and often that can be a winning point in comparison tests.

After all these days its the BIG 3 vs. Toyota... they all compare to it, trying to steal some of its sales.

They will all tell you that 5w20 is great for your engine, but I dont trust it, not when I am stuck in traffic and its 95deg outside, with the AC on... and the engine is 1 click away from overheating, that oil flows like water or even less at that point.

I run 5W30 winter or now on a worn out engine 10W30 all year round...

High compression engine will see more stress at the crank bearings and as a result a thicker oil will help extend its life better.

Most of the 3L engines today are in the mid 200hp... so they are all pushed to the limits of todays technology and thus I think slightly thicker oil is better for their own good.

A friend of mine had a Saturn ION Supercharged, and he then turbo-ed it, but forgo to thicken up the oil and he spun a rod bearing within the first 10mi of driving, as soon as he cranked up the boost..

I heard and I almost laughed at him... He should have known better then that.

 

[marc78]

I just purchased a 2010 caravan with the 4L, I couldn't beleive the oil cap called for 10W30. I assume manufacturers don't use break in oil any more, so before leaving the dealership I purchased a filter, stopped at Wal-Mart got some Penzoil 5W30 and changed the oil before the odometer hit 60 miles.I live where temperatures are ofter -30C and don't beleive the 10W30 would offer the protection I need on start up. Once I hit 5000 miles I will switch to Mobil 0W40 just like I did in my F 150 that calls for 5W20.

 

[dparm]

The 4.0 is not a Benz motor. It was developed exclusively for the minivans and crossovers.

 

[crinkles]

Originally Posted By: opus1
Originally Posted By: BumpDraft2004
The wife's 2003 PT Cruiser non-Turbo says 10w30 is fine to OF, the nuse 5w30. Sine I switched back to PYB from PP to save money, I have been running 10w30. Here in North Carolina the 0F is never ani ussue. Plus, I feel the car runs and sounds better on the 10w30.
Same with my Dakota (3.9L V-6), they only recommend 5w30 if the temps are something like 32F or less. Never understood it.


same with Toyota down under but it is more like 10 deg C and below...

 

[Spazdog]

Originally Posted By: BumpDraft2004
The wife's 2003 PT Cruiser non-Turbo says 10w30 is fine to OF, the nuse 5w30. Sine I switched back to PYB from PP to save money, I have been running 10w30. Here in North Carolina the 0F is never ani ussue. Plus, I feel the car runs and sounds better on the 10w30.


It's the same for the high output turbo GT model.

I didn't notice the 5W30 bar stopped at 100 degrees and 10W30 was recommended after that in the owner's manual until we had owned the thing for a couple of 100+ summmers.

It's working and I already stockpiled a bunch of 5W30 QHorsepower that was on clearence for $1.99...it's going to run on 5W30 a bit longer.

 

[Gokhan]

Originally Posted By: HawkeyeScott
My wife drives a 2007 Chrysler Pacifica. It's the 4.0 V6 that takes 10w30 in an age when seemingly more and more cars call for thinner oils. So what does that say about this engine? Does it have to do with operating temperatures? And is it like my 4.0 Jeep that calls for 10w30 but seems to do just fine on 5w30? (I won't be deviating for warranty purposes...just wondering.)

It seems sort of unique that a vehicle built in 2007 calls for 10w30. (Don't get me wrong, I like it. Both vehicles take the same oil and same filter. Kind of nice.)

Also, anyone have a 4.0 V6? What's been your experience? At 36K, ours has been fine. Knock on wood...

This is somewhat a relic from older, lesser quality days of motor oil.

5w30 and 10w30 are supposed to be identical in high temperatures (in theory) and 5w30 is supposed to protect the engine better in low temperatures and have better fuel efficiency, which helps to protect the engine even more. But in reality since 5w30 contains more viscosity modifiers (VIIs), it's more likely to fail under high temperature and/or high load (high shear) and/or over time when the oil deteriorates. This is the reason why some car manufacturers recommended 10w30 instead of 5w30 in the past -- large amount of VIIs used in 5w30.

But nowadays quality of oils have improved. We have a new specification: ILSAC GF-5. If you buy an ILSAC GF-5 fully synthetic 5w30 oil, it will have minimal amount of VIIs (too much VIIs is the reason why some manufacturers recommended 10w30 instead of 5w30) and it will perform as well as 10w30 in high temperatures, high load, and extended oil-drain intervals.

So, the answer in short is: Use a good-quality fully synthetic 5w30. I recommend Pennzoil Platinum Full Synthetic GF-5 5w30, which became available recently (in GF-5 quality). Other full-synthetic GF-5 5w30 oils should be available soon. Also, make sure that the bottle has the API starburst symbol in the front, even if it's fully synthetic.

 

[cbear]

The 4.0 V6 is a stroked 3.5, which I believe 10w30 is recommended for all applications.

 

[JDD]

Don't know if anyone knows why for sure, unless a Chrysler engineer chimes in. In a somewhat related vein, Ford back specc'd 5W 20 for just about everything, except the Cologne 4.0 which has it's roots in the '60s. They left the 5W 30 recommendation unchanged.