How much of a difference does engine oil make....

[Carnoobie]

When in cold winters, cold starting it? I went from Mobil 1 full syn 5w30 to Castrol GTX High milage Syn blend (50/50) and the past few days its been -3, -4 and when I cold start it (even with car plugged in for few hours) it stutters for 1-2 secs and never had that before. I would think plugging in the car would fix it but guess not.

Just got the battery load tested. Numbers were very good and more than enough power supplied. My Battery is 1.5yrs old, Interstate brand, 500CCA. Shop said they wont replace it under warranty if its not bad.

Tested the alternator with volt meter, was fine.

I was suggested in cold-weather-starting to hold the accelerator at half-throttle, start the car, then slowly release the accelerator as the engine smooths out.

The weather is the issue. Not the car. So are all these remote starts im doing in winter bad and put extra wear on the car? Should I stop doing it?

 

[Loobed]

I don't think it is the oil.

Check your battery. Get it load tested.

If you have a small trickle charger, connect it up overnight so the battery stays warm.

 

[tinmanSC]

This sure smells like a battery problem.

 

[simple_gifts]

Maybe condensation messing up your game. What car?

 

[Mr Nice]

Start your BMW engine and rev it to 7000 RPM's to get the oil flowing faster.

 

[Carnoobie]

Originally Posted By: simple_gifts
Maybe condensation messing up your game. What car?


Civic

Originally Posted By: Loobed
I don't think it is the oil.

Check your battery. Get it load tested.

If you have a small trickle charger, connect it up overnight so the battery stays warm.





Just got the battery load tested. Numbers were very good and more than enough power supplied. My Battery is 1.5yrs old, Interstate brand, 500CCA.

Today when i started it (with car pluged for 3hrs), turn the ignition all the way and there was literally no response for 2 secs and sounded like a dying cat, then 3rd second it started to start and started fully by the 4th.

 

[skyship]

You engine killer!!
15/40 is one bad idea in winter, try a 5w30 or a 5w40 according to manufacturers recommended oil type. You might even look at a more expensive 0/30 or 0/40 if you are heading to the North or South pole for winter.
If you want to kill your engine the real trick is to start it with the throttle fully open, that really gives even the best synthetics no chance of flowing. If it survives that then try a boy racer wheel spinning start then keep red line revs until you hear the cops. Don't give up trying to claim on an engine warranty until the engine is fully warmed up.
If you have used 15w40 and don't want to move to Florida or Southern California, then fit a good sump heater and wire into the neighbours grid if possible as they use a lot of juice.
PS. If the battery load tests OK there is no need to charge it, so if the voltage and warning light is out the alternators is probably good, so that leaves a loose connection or dodgy starter. Try asking on a civic forum, as it's probably not the oil!

 

[volk06]

He's not using a 15w40, no where does it say that. He said 5w30.

Originally Posted By: skyship
You engine killer!!
15/40 is one bad idea in winter, try a 5w30 or a 5w40 according to manufacturers recommended oil type. You might even look at a more expensive 0/30 or 0/40 if you are heading to the North or South pole for winter.
If you want to kill your engine the real trick is to start it with the throttle fully open, that really gives even the best synthetics no chance of flowing. If it survives that then try a boy racer wheel spinning start then keep red line revs until you hear the cops. Don't give up trying to claim on an engine warranty until the engine is fully warmed up.
If you have used 15w40 and don't want to move to Florida or Southern California, then fit a good sump heater and wire into the neighbours grid if possible as they use a lot of juice.

 

[skyship]

Castrol GTX High milage Syn blend (50/50)


I thought Castrol HM was a 15w40, never heard of a HM 50/50.


Originally Posted By: volk06
He's not using a 15w40, no where does it say that. He said 5w30.

Originally Posted By: skyship
You engine killer!!
15/40 is one bad idea in winter, try a 5w30 or a 5w40 according to manufacturers recommended oil type. You might even look at a more expensive 0/30 or 0/40 if you are heading to the North or South pole for winter.
If you want to kill your engine the real trick is to start it with the throttle fully open, that really gives even the best synthetics no chance of flowing. If it survives that then try a boy racer wheel spinning start then keep red line revs until you hear the cops. Don't give up trying to claim on an engine warranty until the engine is fully warmed up.
If you have used 15w40 and don't want to move to Florida or Southern California, then fit a good sump heater and wire into the neighbours grid if possible as they use a lot of juice.

 

[volk06]

Synblend 50/50, he was meaning 50% conventional 50% synthetic, not sure where he got that info from unless he mixed it. Gtx HM is a synblend here. Very few people use 15w40 in USA and CA for normal everyday use. Most are 5w30, 5w-20 and perhaps 10w-30 for petrol engines.

It seems there's a big different from oils used in London than the US/CA.

Originally Posted By: skyship
Castrol GTX High milage Syn blend (50/50)


I thought Castrol HM was a 15w40, never heard of a HM 50/50.


Originally Posted By: volk06
He's not using a 15w40, no where does it say that. He said 5w30.

Originally Posted By: skyship
You engine killer!!
15/40 is one bad idea in winter, try a 5w30 or a 5w40 according to manufacturers recommended oil type. You might even look at a more expensive 0/30 or 0/40 if you are heading to the North or South pole for winter.
If you want to kill your engine the real trick is to start it with the throttle fully open, that really gives even the best synthetics no chance of flowing. If it survives that then try a boy racer wheel spinning start then keep red line revs until you hear the cops. Don't give up trying to claim on an engine warranty until the engine is fully warmed up.
If you have used 15w40 and don't want to move to Florida or Southern California, then fit a good sump heater and wire into the neighbours grid if possible as they use a lot of juice.

 

[Carnoobie]

Im using Castrol High milage says 5w30 right on the bottle. From what i was told, its 50/50 blend.

Anyways, im probably going to get my starter tested tommorow.

 

[hemitom]

If your battery tested good, no way its the oil, at a 5w30 grade, -4 is a walk in the park. Your starter may be drawing to many amps on cranking ?

 

[bullwinkle]

Bad cable or battery connection?

 

[Carnoobie]

Originally Posted By: hemitom
If your battery tested good, no way its the oil, at a 5w30 grade, -4 is a walk in the park. Your starter may be drawing to many amps on cranking ?


Not sure if starter is drawing too many amps when cranking but what would all of a sudden cause that? Going to get it test tommorow. I figure it has to be the starter.

I want to figure it out now because when -30 hits im going to be stranded.

Originally Posted By: bullwinkle
Bad cable or battery connection?


Which cable? Battery cable?

connection is tight. Maybe dirty battery connections? I do have some dirt on them but its not bad, ive seen a lot worse.

 

[JC1]

Carnoobie,

Just switch over to full synthetic and she'll crank a little easier. As for your battery, buy a terminal cleaning brush to clean the contacts and check the level of the water in your battery and if it's low top it up with distilled water. That's provided it's a low maintenance battery and not a fully sealed unit.

Where about's in Canada are you located?

Regards, JC.

 

[Carnoobie]

Originally Posted By: JC1
Carnoobie,

Just switch over to full synthetic and she'll crank a little easier. As for your battery, buy a terminal cleaning brush to clean the contacts and check the level of the water in your battery and if it's low top it up with distilled water. That's provided it's a low maintenance battery and not a fully sealed unit.

Where about's in Canada are you located?

Regards, JC.


Im not going back to Syn cause i just switched from syn to HM oil. Im using HM oil for the high milage addictives.

Im in Calgary.

Do battery cables ever go bad inside where they have to be replaced? Or do they just corrode at the terminals? Ive been wanting to check the batterys water level but cant find out where it is. I have a feeling my battery is a dry cell.

 

[volk06]

Can you find M1 HM or Maxlife full syn? Two of the best HM oil there are and you get the best if both worlds.

Originally Posted By: Carnoobie
Originally Posted By: JC1
Carnoobie,

Just switch over to full synthetic and she'll crank a little easier. As for your battery, buy a terminal cleaning brush to clean the contacts and check the level of the water in your battery and if it's low top it up with distilled water. That's provided it's a low maintenance battery and not a fully sealed unit.

Where about's in Canada are you located?

Regards, JC.


Im not going back to Syn cause i just switched from syn to HM oil. Im using HM oil for the high milage addictives.

Im in Calgary.

Do battery cables ever go bad inside where they have to be replaced? Or do they just corrode at the terminals? Ive been wanting to check the batterys water level but cant find out where it is.

 

[Carnoobie]

Originally Posted By: volk06
Can you find M1 HM or Maxlife full syn? Two of the best HM oil there are and you get the best if both worlds.

Originally Posted By: Carnoobie
Originally Posted By: JC1
Carnoobie,

Just switch over to full synthetic and she'll crank a little easier. As for your battery, buy a terminal cleaning brush to clean the contacts and check the level of the water in your battery and if it's low top it up with distilled water. That's provided it's a low maintenance battery and not a fully sealed unit.

Where about's in Canada are you located?

Regards, JC.


Im not going back to Syn cause i just switched from syn to HM oil. Im using HM oil for the high milage addictives.

Im in Calgary.

Do battery cables ever go bad inside where they have to be replaced? Or do they just corrode at the terminals? Ive been wanting to check the batterys water level but cant find out where it is.


Yes I can but i just did an oil change exactly a week ago so dont want to be wasting new oil. Plus its bad constantly switching to different brands. Is this Castrol GTX HM not good? I thought it was. But is the problem even the oil to begin with?

 

[Garak]

Originally Posted By: skyship
I thought Castrol HM was a 15w40, never heard of a HM 50/50.


As volk mentioned, carnoobie is talking either about the blend (50% conventional, 50% "synthetic") or something he mixed himself. There is no Castrol HM 15w40 on North American shelves, at least not where I shop, and they stock just about everything from Castrol under the sun.

@volk06: No M1 HM up here, and I've never seen MaxLife full synthetic up here. At least the latter is possible.

@carnoobie: The cables can indeed have problems on the "inside." In any case, clean the connectors no matter how good they look and see what happens. You'd be surprised at how much of an effect a little bit of gunk that looks insignificant can actually have.

 

[skyship]

I'm in Germany not Blighty and they use most of the same oils that they do in the US, BUT they tend to have more Calcium compounds as detergents due to the high percentage of diesels. The description of oils in the US is the same as Blighty, it is only the Germans that don't call an HC synthetic a full synthetic and there is no such category as a blend. Castrol, who are owned by BP got the definitions of synthetic oil changed to match their US products some years ago.

Getting back on topic, this could be Chinese or Mexican battery terminal trouble which can give correct readings under load. If a battery main terminal breaks up where it joins the plates and becomes loose it can check out correctly when pressed down during the test, but not when in use. So if it is, the check is easy just disconnect the battery and use jump leads to another battery of the same size.If it starts then ask the battery folks for a new one. The battery post might also be loose.I had that happen to me with a newish hire car and it took me ages to figure out as I kept looking for a loose LT connection. I was about to tell the chaps in their garage to try a new starter motor when I saw the terminal move on the battery even though the clamp was good.

Originally Posted By: volk06
Synblend 50/50, he was meaning 50% conventional 50% synthetic, not sure where he got that info from unless he mixed it. Gtx HM is a synblend here. Very few people use 15w40 in USA and CA for normal everyday use. Most are 5w30, 5w-20 and perhaps 10w-30 for petrol engines.

It seems there's a big different from oils used in London than the US/CA.

Originally Posted By: skyship
Castrol GTX High milage Syn blend (50/50)


I thought Castrol HM was a 15w40, never heard of a HM 50/50.


Originally Posted By: volk06
He's not using a 15w40, no where does it say that. He said 5w30.

Originally Posted By: skyship
You engine killer!!
15/40 is one bad idea in winter, try a 5w30 or a 5w40 according to manufacturers recommended oil type. You might even look at a more expensive 0/30 or 0/40 if you are heading to the North or South pole for winter.
If you want to kill your engine the real trick is to start it with the throttle fully open, that really gives even the best synthetics no chance of flowing. If it survives that then try a boy racer wheel spinning start then keep red line revs until you hear the cops. Don't give up trying to claim on an engine warranty until the engine is fully warmed up.
If you have used 15w40 and don't want to move to Florida or Southern California, then fit a good sump heater and wire into the neighbours grid if possible as they use a lot of juice.