0W-20 Oil... Anyone ever use it in their Q?

[Q45Owner]

I also disagree with the use of 0W-20 weight oil in a VH45DE.

Really? Why is that? please elaborate...

Hell when Fall/Winter passes I may use a 50 weight oil.

Wow.. Infiniti recommends a 30 weight oil at operating temperature and you want to put a 50 weight oil in there instead??
You do realize that you're putting more pressure on your system to move all that heavier oil around, right?

Here are a couple of excerpts taken from Bob Is The Oil Guy:

People sometimes use a thicker oil to minimize gasket leaks. This seems obvious to me. Repair the gasket. Do not destroy your engine with an oil that is too thick for proper function.

I truly believe that oil is much better being too thin than too thick. Over the years we have been going to thinner and thinner oils despite hotter engines with turbos and the like. The tendency is that people figure they need a 40 grade oils but then use a 50 instead. Better thinking is that if you think you need a 40, use a 30 grade oil instead. I firmly believe this based on all I know about oils.

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/motor-oil-104/


and then there was this little nugget:

It seems that many engines work best with a multi-grade 30 weight / grade oils. Others would do better with a 20 grade oil and few would require a 40 grade oil. You can only determine what is best by experimenting.

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/motor-oil-106/


I think I'm gonna stick with my 0W-20....

[Infinitiguy19]

Tell me this, Is your cars engine louder at startup and cold idling with the 0W-20 oil?

[Q45Owner]

Tell me this, Is your cars engine louder at startup and cold idling with the 0W-20 oil?

No, it's actually a little quieter.. it also seems to start up quicker as in it takes less time to turn over (we're talking milliseconds here, but still, it's noticeable). Why do you ask?

[Infinitiguy19]

Tell me this, Is your cars engine louder at startup and cold idling with the 0W-20 oil?

No, it's actually a little quieter.. it also seems to start up quicker as in it takes less time to turn over (we're talking milliseconds here, but still, it's noticeable). Why do you ask?

I thought that a thinner oil would allow more metal to metal contact. I am no scientist....

This oil change I plan on using Mobil One (Supposedly synthetic) 5W-20 oil. We shall see if it blows my engine!

[OwnerCS]

Here's a chart to reference about Mobil oils. Usually higher the zink and phosphorus numbers provide better protection.

It is interesting to note M1 0w40 is recommended for the Nissan GT-R.

http://www.mobiloil.com/USA-English/Mot ... _Guide.pdf

An Infiniti Master Tech guy I know suggested I use M1 EP 5w30 for my type of easy suburban driving and mild climate (rarely lower than 30 degrees in January) then spend a couple dollars extra for a WIX or NapaGold filter. So far so good but the Q only has 135,000 miles at this point.

[Q45Owner]

I thought that a thinner oil would allow more metal to metal contact. I am no scientist....

This oil change I plan on using Mobil One (Supposedly synthetic) 5W-20 oil. We shall see if it blows my engine!

Right on!
I used Castrol Titanium 0W-20 in the Q, but have used Pennzoil Platinum 0W-20 and Mobil One 0W-20 in other cars, with similar results.
Don't worry, it's not gonna blow up your engine. Let me know what your experiences are using it.

[Infinitiguy19]

I don't have MPG numbers but I usually get 350 miles on one tank. So far I han't notice much of a difference. It might idle smoother. The oil light is on less at startup. I am not sure I will keep using it though.

Can Shell Rotella 5-40 be used in a VH45DE?

[Brew Q]

Remember too that an oils stated viscosity will vary from real world viscosity.

for example:

Mobil 1 0W40 is actually very close to a 5W30

I like Castrol Edge 0W-30 SPT (German Castrol) - I can't find the link, but it is closer to 35w when warmed up.

With the cold weather looming I may give some 0w-20 a try too! at least until the summer like heat kicks in next April.

[Q45Owner]

I don't have MPG numbers but I usually get 350 miles on one tank. So far I han't notice much of a difference. It might idle smoother. The oil light is on less at startup. I am not sure I will keep using it though.

Can Shell Rotella 5-40 be used in a VH45DE?

I wouldn't use a 40w oil in my Q . I don't know why anyone would use a thicker oil than what Infiniti recommends to be honest. It's only going to hurt your fuel economy and slow everything down a bit.

I noticed in my Q that it definitely idles a lot smoother using the 0W-20 and it just sounds quieter than with the 10W-30 I was using previously. I doubt I will ever go back to 10W-30 again and I certainly would never use a 0W-40. I might try the German Castrol 0W-30 at some point since I hear so many good things about it. But anyway, I would say no on the 5W-40 Shell Rotella. Too thick in my opinion.

[Infinitiguy19]

As it has been said before in this thread. A 40 weight oil is usually less than a 40 weight most of the time. I would rather run a thicker true synthetic than a thinner conventional oil.

[silverQ]

would never put in any oil with viscosity lower than the oil cap recommends
there is a spring in the oil pump spec'd by the engineers to maintain a minimum oil pressure when cold.

[Infinitiguy19]

Checked the oil on the 1993 Q45 with Mobil 1 5W20 this morning. It was nearly black on the dipstick after a mere ~1000 miles! Must be cleaning something? The Mobil 1 0W40 took 2000 miles to turn black on the dipstick.

I may change it out at 2000 Miles. No change in engine idle noise when cold though.

[BCC93QT]

Weird. Paul you said you rarely take your Q over 2500rpms. I rarely keep mine under that and change my oil every 10k miles with M1 0w-40. Oil has a slight discoloration than when new. Perhaps you need to thoroughly abuse it for a few oil changes!

[Infinitiguy19]

I found oil in the plenum I assume thats due to a clogged PCV right? The EGR port was clean, I could see the light from a flash light. I will try to "beat on" the car some. I do love the sound of the engine. But I hate to work on it!