Oil for the winter.

[Borisw37]

Its time to change oil in my 93' Camry ~100K miles.
What grade should I use for the winter months?
I live near Philadelphia, PA. It does get kinda cold over here.

Thank you,

Boris.

[ghettosled]

the owners manual has a break down of what to use when. i believe it says if the temp is constantly above zero degrees fahrenheit, then you should use 10w30. if the temp is constantly below 50 (i think its 50) then use 5w30. i get the same weather as you, and i use 10w30 all year even through the winter in all 3 of my cars, but thats just me.

[AutoBox]

A 10w30grade will be ok.
Thats the grade of oil I use year round. I'm near Pittsburgh btw.
Although some owners& mechanics swear by switching with a lower grade in the winter months, like 5w30, to aid with low temp conditions / cold startups I'm not one of them.

I have had no problems with 10w30 in the cold, as of yet for 5+ winters.
Keeping in mind that I have to park outdoors and cannot garage her, she always starts up on cold days right away, every day.
*If your camry isn't your daily driver and is parked for days at a time in the cold I would switch to a lower grade then.
When changing the oil have your battery and coolant system checked as well.

[Davee]

Originally Posted by ghettosled

the owners manual has a break down of what to use when. i believe it says if the temp is constantly above zero degrees fahrenheit, then you should use 10w30. if the temp is constantly below 50 (i think its 50) then use 5w30. i get the same weather as you, and i use 10w30 all year even through the winter in all 3 of my cars, but thats just me.

You guys have never experienced cold How about minus 40F or C We go to 5W30 and synthetic although with a good battery you can get started at these temperatures. The cold is the only reason IMHO that synthetics should be used . Strts are easier & initial damage is minimized. I have 4 cyl LE with 183,000km and no oil burning except a puff on start ups The transmission gets so stiff you need two hands to change gears . I am trying synthiic in there this year

[stir_fry_boy]

USE WHATEVER THE OWNERS MANUAL SAYS! ALWAYS BE CONSISTANT WITH THE OIL (wt and brand) THAT YOU USE!!

[bronzemaxell]

Originally Posted by Borisw37

Its time to change oil in my 93' Camry ~100K miles.
What grade should I use for the winter months?
I live near Philadelphia, PA. It does get kinda cold over here.

Thank you,

Boris.

my engine oil cap is stamped 5w30,
i use 5w30 valoline, or quaker state whichever i can find lowest price from walmart all year round
250k miles no problem in lately in philly.

[95camguy]

i use 5w30 in the winter months and 10w30 in the warmer months.

the stock oil filler cap on my 95 1mz recommends 5w30 all year round.

[stockrex]

how about crisco?

I have 10w30 dino now and today at 8 am it was 8 F and the car was quite rough (loud) till it warmed up, took a long time,

I am switching to 5w30 blend,
getting a filter with a bypass valve,


remember, about 1 quart of old oil remains in the system. so if you are switching grade or switching oils first change will be a mix.


after reading this, I am sticking to 5w30 for the remainder of the winter
http://theoildrop.server101.com/ubb/...=013158#000000

Funny, I've also been performing this freezer test with Castrol GTX 5w30 (SM/GF-4) and a quart of straight non-detergent 30 wt (cheap API SA). The 30 wt SA oil has no additives at all. I just wanted to see the hoopla about multi-vis for myself. Anyways, They've both been chilling at 6.8*F since 28 Nov. The GTX still pours surprisingly well, like a thin maple syrup. The straight 30 wt on the other hand, doesn't like the cold. It took 40 seconds to get the first bit to start exiting the bottle. It's worse than the original Heinz ketchup (when you'd have to stick a knife in the bottle). Honestly, the 30 wt is like a gel. Not solid, not liquid.
I am definitely sold on a 5w30 (which is good, cause my car calls for it). Now I've got to get some 10w30 and compare, as the wife's '88 Nissan P/U calls for it. Would there be much difference? And would a 5w30 be better in an 18 year old engine (176,000 miles) than a 10w30 when our outside temps only get in the 20's a couple days per year?

[spc_toyota]

Up here in Canada we tend to do the 5W30 in the winter and 10W30 in the summer months. Never had any troubles with any of the cars I've owned following this plan.