Best oil for a 17 y/o Honda Civic?

[WildBill99]

I just joined after lurking in the small engine forum for a few days. The information and responses from members was QUITE helpful and friendly. So for my FIRST question:

My son just bought a 2002 Honda Civic with the 1.7 L engine so he could get to his first full-time job. It will be a city commute (Chicago). When we inspected it on the dealer's lot the (very dirty) oil was barely wetting the bottom of the dipstick. Everything else checked out fine for the most part. So we added two quarts of 10w40 just to get it home. 225k on the odometer. Engine purrs like a kitten.

Being 62 years old, I know my way around cars, he doesn't. His last car, a '97 Acura, was neglected (by him) to the point where he'd wait until the oil pressure light flashed when he'd turn a corner. Hopefully, he will take better care of this one.

So my question is, until he gets an owner's manual (ordered on ebay), what is the correct oil to use? We bought a five quart jug (Menard's clearance sale for $15) of Quaker State "High Mileage" 5w-20 for the next oil change, just based on my educated guess. But first, I'd like to see what the oil consumption rate is before we do the oil change.

BTW, the yellow maintenance reminder light just turned on. How do we deal with THAT?

Any advice?

 

[mclasser]

Welcome!

5w20 appears to be spec'd. Considering the car's age and that it's been run low before, a 5w30 HM should serve it well.

Track the consumption and see if replacing the PCV valve helps.

 

[JC1]

Welcome to the site. I would use a 5W-30 for that car. Others may suggest 5W-20. Your choice of Quaker State "High Mileage" 5w-20 is fine for the next OC.
Originally Posted by WildBill99

BTW, the yellow maintenance reminder light just turned on. How do we deal with THAT?

Any advice?

Check this link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5j6Cu6sYu0M

 

[147_Grain]

5W-20 High Mileage in the winter.

10W-30 High Mileage in the summer.

 

[joekingcorvette]

I am only guessing but the 5-20 should be just fine until you locate the manual or look it up online. Not sure how to reset the maintenance minder on those.

 

[PandaBear]

225k miles? definitely 5w30.

 

[andrewp1998]

I have a 2001 with the 1. 7 and it consumes some oil even with 5w30 and 10w30..I would suggest going with a 40w. Mine has 238k on it and runs well . I guess run 0w30 or 5w30 first and keep checking then take it from there. I have heard from an experienced and retired mech on here that HM oils can destroy seals in japanese motors, but it does not make sense since these oils have been around for many yrs and made by many companies ...Also plenty of users on here have run them with no issues that I have seen,,

Good luck,

 

[JamesBond]

5w20 is called for in that engine. I have a civic with the same engine and similar mileage and switched to 5w30 in the last couple of years for no real reason and with no real changes. Mine burns no oil. The head gasket and automatic transmission are weak spots for these cars so check the cooling system and change the atf.

This engine also has a timing belt and is an interference engine so that is a service to look into.

To reset the light, hold in the trip odometer button then turn the ignition to 2 while holding in the button until the light goes out.

 

[Revving2Redline]

Castrol Magnatec 10w30 or VML 10w40

 

[mazdamonky]

I would just continue to run 5w20 and maybe in a high mileage flavor.

 

[FordBroncoVWJeta]

5W-20 winter, 5w-30 Summer

 

[Charlie2015]

VML in 5w20 / 5w30 / 10w30 / 10w40

 

[NormanBuntz]

Your educated guess on what to use is a good one. If it ends up using too much oil, maybe a 5w-30 synthetic blend would be better. You can access the PDF file for the 2002 Civic owners manual by clicking on the owners tab at www.automobiles.honda.com. Here's the official Honda motor oil application chart:

 

[ekpolk]

As Norman suggested, I'd wait to see what it's consumption, if any, with the spec 5w-20 looks like. If it's using (as opposed to leaking) any substantial amount, I'd be right with the 30wt suggestions. If it's leaking from somewhere that's not an obvious and easy physical repair, try one of the HM oils and see if the seal swelling capability works for you. If it's not burning or leaking, I'd use the 20, but on the other hand, it's not as if it's going to blow up if you use a 30wt either.

And welcome to the site!

 

[WildBill99]

To all who responded so quickly, Thank YOU!

It's good to know that my "educated guess" was right on the mark!

I'm also guessing that if we keep an eye on the oil consumption, we'll have a better indication of what weight to use when the weather warms up -- May or June perhaps.

Like his previous car, his Civic also has a 5-speed (his preference), so no slushbox worries.

Also, from previous experience, the timing belt replacement intervals are crucial. Not an easy job, but we managed to complete it on his previous car. Used to be every 60,000 miles, but we'll know for sure when we get the owners manual. Won't take any chances with THAT.

From what I've read, Honda engines are generally long-lived, as long as they are diligently cared for.

Again, thanks for the GREAT advice!

 

[TurboLuver]

I had an 05, same 1.7 with a manual. I started out using the recommended 5w-20 but the oil consumption led me to go to a 5w-30 which helped.

I replaced the timing belt around 90k, then at 139k I replaced the head gasket, might be overkill, but while I had the head off, I replaced the timing belt ,water pump,
tensioner again. At about 156k the TPS went bad, it is riveted onto the TB, that was a bit of a pita, after that no more issues.

Overall it was a decent car, I think the head gasket, on this particular engine, was a fairly common issue.

Being yours has 225k I suspect it may have already had the head gasket replaced.

 

[Bullwinkle007]

Those old school Honda's spec was 5/30. They'll run on anything you put in them. My 2012 2.4L I run motul xcess 5/40. Runs like a champ

 

[Bullwinkle007]

Originally Posted by TurboLuver
I had an 05, same 1.7 with a manual. I started out using the recommended 5w-20 but the oil consumption led me to go to a 5w-30 which helped.

I replaced the timing belt around 90k, then at 139k I replaced the head gasket, might be overkill, but while I had the head off, I replaced the timing belt ,water pump,
tensioner again. At about 156k the TPS went bad, it is riveted onto the TB, that was a bit of a pita, after that no more issues.

Overall it was a decent car, I think the head gasket, on this particular engine, was a fairly common issue.

Being yours has 225k I suspect it may have already had the head gasket replaced.


Why would you need to replace the head gasket unless you over heated it? I've never put a head gasket on any of my Hondas. Even well over 300k on them

 

[TurboLuver]

Originally Posted by Bullwinkle007
Why would you need to replace the head gasket unless you over heated it? I've never put a head gasket on any of my Hondas. Even well over 300k on them


The 7th gen 1.7 was known for having head gasket issues. The issue manifests by a loss of heat followed by coolant erupting from the overflow/reservoir tank.

My gauge never indicated an overheat situation. I took the head to the machine shop anyway and had it checked for warpage, there was none but I had them
"clean it up".

That was the only Honda I ever owned with a head gasket problem, including my current DD 08 SI with nearly 250k on the clock.

 

[zmelli]

Castrol GTX 20W-50! I remember those days.