1999 Civic EX - D16Y8 - Recommend?

[InvalidUserID]

Hello all,

I just picked up a 1999 Civic EX this past weekend to be my new commuter car. It has 107,000 miles on it and the previous owner took very good care of it in terms of routine maintenance. Had it all checked out and it is in very good condition though I still plan on doing a ARX clean-up for good measure.

You'll excuse me if I don't know much about this engine but I did see the owners manual/oil cap calls for 5w30. Seeing as how I'm in the SF Bay Area, would I benefit from using a 10w30? This car would see mostly highway miles (35 miles each way) and I would be interested in doing 5k OCIs. Are there any particular oils this engine "likes"?

Thanks all...cheers!

 

[addyguy]

Keep an eye on the oil level - from my experience in the business, all 1990's Honda 1.6 litre engine juse eat oil. I see them all the time dangerously low on oil......

As far as oil type, they'll do 'well' on anything, but there are some posted UOA's of a honda engine at 10k miles on Havoline 5W-20, so that may be a good place to start, 10W-30 Havoline w/5k OCI's....

 

[Quest]

I beg to differ addyguy, for those Honda 1.6/1.5 that eats oil have been either (a) neglected of their scheduled maintenance or (b) abused.

My father in-law still has a civic EX-V that is running fine until this day and no oil being "eaten" yet....for I'm the one whose responsible for OCI and other maintenance on this car. (and also a few of my friend's civics of this era)

 

[ThirdeYe]

Agreed with Quest. Everyone always says the B18 is notorious for burning/consuming oil, and mine doesn't consume a single drop in over 3,000 miles. The people that say this probably drive them hard, and need a valve seal job from the abuse. As for oil recommendations, here's what I would use (in no particular order):

Havoline DS
Havoline Synthetic
Amsoil
Valvoline
Valvoline MaxLife
Pennzoil
Pennzoil Platinum
Quaker State


Good luck with your new ride! Sounds like you have a keeper there. It's always nice to buy a well-maintained Honda

You should get many years of service out of that ride!

 

[ThirdeYe]

Oh, and as for using 10W30 that would be a good idea in my opinion. You're not likely to experience freezing conditions over there and a 10W30 is actually thinner than a 5W30 at above freezing temperatures. It is also more stable (someone correct me if I'm wrong, just think I remember hearing that somewhere)

 

[ericthepig]

"...just think I remember hearing it somewhere"

bad. bad. bad.

"10w30 ..thinner than 5w30 at..."

depends on the temp, and on the brand of oil.

 

[ericthepig]

InvalidUser, you probably need to narrow down to the brand of oil you'll use, then ask the 5w vs 10w question.

 

[InvalidUserID]

Thanks for all replies so far.

Ericthepig, I'd probably just use a good conventional like Pennzoil, Chevron or maybe MaxLife (blend).

 

[ericthepig]

Once you narrow down the brand, then you need to decide if visc. at different temps is an issue for you. If it's not, then flip a coin for 5w or 10w. If it is, then you have to decide if you want a thick/thin oil at ambient temps and/or a thick/thin oil at operating temps. Note, it is NOT true that 10w30 will be thicker than 5w30 at op temps - you have to look at the brand by brand spec sheets to determine this - some brands of oil are thinner at op temps in the 10w30 line than the 5w30.

Personally I would lean toward the 5w unless you have an oil consumption issue. Your engine's temp guage may show you're at op temp in 10 minutes, but the oil won't be at op temp for about 20 min (oil temp significantly lags coolant temp by 2x or 3x) - the 5w will protect your engine better in the first 20 min of your commute than the 10w - and that could actually be the majority of your trip to work.

So don't just think of 5w in terms of harsh winters. The 5w will flow better and thus protect your engine better for the majority of your commute there w/ your Bay area ambient temps.

 

[Mr Nice]

Cheapest API dino oil you can find. These engines run great on any brand dino. My wife had a 98 Civic EX and at 170K miles, it doesn't use any oil between oil changes.

 

[TeslasLightning]

I own a 96 Civic EX. It has 104,000 miles on it. I have 5-30 Castrol Syntec in it right now(because it was on sale). I also add a bottle of VSOT. My car doesnt burn much oil between oil changes

 

[ericthepig]

LT4 Vette, at 170k you're only halfway thru the life of a Civic. But if you're doing reasonable OCIs I think you're probably right. My sister just hit 319k miles on her '95 Camry and she just takes it to Jiffy Lube every 3 to 5k. There's a huge variance in how different engines treat oil -early Camrys and Civics are at one end of the spectrum.

 

[ericthepig]

BTW, I saw a web page many years ago that was set up for testimonials for people who had taken their Civics and Accords to outrageous mileages - many in the range of 500k. Some of them had bought them new and taken them there, some had bought them with 250k and paid cheap because the previous owners figured the end was near. There were some w/ overhuals, some with new transmissions, but many I remember just said they did normal oil chges, etc. I don't remember reading anything about synth. oil.

 

[ThirdeYe]

Quote:

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BTW, I saw a web page many years ago that was set up for testimonials for people who had taken their Civics and Accords to outrageous mileages - many in the range of 500k. Some of them had bought them new and taken them there, some had bought them with 250k and paid cheap because the previous owners figured the end was near. There were some w/ overhuals, some with new transmissions, but many I remember just said they did normal oil chges, etc. I don't remember reading anything about synth. oil.

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These here: http://www.hondabeat.com/highmiles.php ?

 

[harry j]

Quote:

---

Keep an eye on the oil level - from my experience in the business, all 1990's Honda 1.6 litre engine juse eat oil. I see them all the time dangerously low on oil......

As far as oil type, they'll do 'well' on anything, but there are some posted UOA's of a honda engine at 10k miles on Havoline 5W-20, so that may be a good place to start, 10W-30 Havoline w/5k OCI's....

---

My 1993 Civic with 223,000 miles on it burns no oil or leaks it for that matter. It gets a steady diet of Amsoil 0W-30 and of course the EAO20 filter to keep things clean.

Harry

 

[harry j]

I had the oil changed just before a 5,000 mile trip. After the trip, the oil level was still full.

 

[surfstar]

If you have consumption with regular dino or syn, try Maxlife blend - it slowed the oil loss in my ex's D16Y8. Watch out for a cracked exhaust manifold, too.

 

[alfonso2501]

My 2000 EX has 93,xxx Mi on it & it burns oil. Not real bad but enough to keep an eye on it, & I’ve never used anything other then Mobil-1 or Valvoline synthetic with occasional VSOT.

 

[FCobra94]

Quote:

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Everyone always says the B18 is notorious for burning/consuming oil, and mine doesn't consume a single drop in over 3,000 miles.

---

Well of course. That's because most everyone out there that still has a b16/b18/h22 equipped car more than likely beats the snot out of it. Hitting VTEC frequently = oil consumption. If you drive yours easy then you should'nt have near as much consumption, if any at all.

Also, what's with the n00b "10w-30 is more stable cuz I heard it from somewhere" comments? I figured that someone with that many posts on this board would know better than to reply with such ignorant comments

 

[addyguy]

I'm sure that the cars I'm seeing have been neglected, as the area I work in is notorious for badly maintanied cars (poorer area)....but i still stand by the statement that even a well-maintained 1990's Civic will consume some oil, so keep an eye on the level.....thats all....