I have a 2005 Civic VP with about 15k miles on the odometer. Its valvetrain is quite noisy. In fact I had the dealer check the clearances and all were right in the middle of the spec. They felt the noise was normal, for what that's worth.
I left the factory oil in until 5k, then went with the dealer's bulk dino (I believe its Chevron), then tried Mobil 1 and then Pennzoil Platinum), each at roughly 5k intervals, all 5W20. The engine has been somewhat noisy on all of them, but noticeably worse with the Mobil 1 and especially the Platinum. I haven't had any oil analyses done yet because I though that normal break in would probably dominate the results anyway. Its probably time to do one. The car runs very well and uses no oil that I can detect.
I'd like to quiet this engine a bit. I'm thinking of going to Havoline with the next change. Perhaps the higher moly content will help? I'm also thinking of using a blend of 5W20 and 5W30. As the valvetrain is actually quieter when cold than when warm, I'm thinking a slightly higher viscsity may help. Although I realize the reported viscosity data is a typical not an absolute number, it appears I could blend 1.4 qts. of 5W30 and 2 qts of 5W20 and still meet the viscosity spec of 5W20 oil. Or I could simply try 5W30.
Does this sound reasonable or does anyone have any other suggestions? I live in Central PA so temps are pretty chilly right now, but it will get hot in the summer - I'm hoping this doesn't make the engine noisier.
I left the factory oil in until 5k, then went with the dealer's bulk dino (I believe its Chevron), then tried Mobil 1 and then Pennzoil Platinum), each at roughly 5k intervals, all 5W20. The engine has been somewhat noisy on all of them, but noticeably worse with the Mobil 1 and especially the Platinum. I haven't had any oil analyses done yet because I though that normal break in would probably dominate the results anyway. Its probably time to do one. The car runs very well and uses no oil that I can detect.
I'd like to quiet this engine a bit. I'm thinking of going to Havoline with the next change. Perhaps the higher moly content will help? I'm also thinking of using a blend of 5W20 and 5W30. As the valvetrain is actually quieter when cold than when warm, I'm thinking a slightly higher viscsity may help. Although I realize the reported viscosity data is a typical not an absolute number, it appears I could blend 1.4 qts. of 5W30 and 2 qts of 5W20 and still meet the viscosity spec of 5W20 oil. Or I could simply try 5W30.
Does this sound reasonable or does anyone have any other suggestions? I live in Central PA so temps are pretty chilly right now, but it will get hot in the summer - I'm hoping this doesn't make the engine noisier.