Accent Engine oil

[Dinesh]

Do you guys know the appropriate engine oil (grade) recommended for Accent 1.6L petrol version?

TIA!

[northey87]

5w-20, its in the owners manual and on the oil cap.

[jmp316]

My manual states 5w30 or 5w20. I'd go with the 20 for better fuel efficiency.


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[Duro5341]

Originally Posted by jmp316

My manual states 5w30 or 5w20. I'd go with the 20 for better fuel efficiency.


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5w20 if only keeping it for a few years, and sell it.
5w30 if your gunna drive it till the wheels fall off.

Synthetic, Synthetic, Synthetic.....especially with a GDI

Duro

[hoosieraccent]

Verify the proper weight based on what your owner's manual advises, also check that oil cap as was mentioned...

I am suspecting they may spec a heavier oil for Australia than they do for North America. At one point I believe that was the case, not sure if it still is. In your owner's manual, hopefully there is a chart showing acceptable grades for certain temperatures the vehicle is operated in.

[jmp316]

Originally Posted by Duro5341

5w20 if only keeping it for a few years, and sell it.
5w30 if your gunna drive it till the wheels fall off.

Synthetic, Synthetic, Synthetic.....especially with a GDI

Duro

I only use full synthetic. 5w20 sacrifices a little engine wear, but not too much. I plan to keep this car and give it to my daughter (6) someday. I think I'll be fine with full synthetic 5w20 for a while...


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[Albinus]

Originally Posted by hoosieraccent

I am suspecting they may spec a heavier oil for Australia than they do for North America.

Yep, 5W30. The bulk of the country doesn't drop below freezing in Winter, but temperatures are regularly well above 40C during Summer. No real point having a 20 weight oil when warm here

In fact, many large older family sedans that were specced for 20W50 originally use 40W70 during long drives in Summer towing it gets that bad...

[az2008]

Originally Posted by Albinus

Yep, 5W30. The bulk of the country doesn't drop below freezing in Winter, but temperatures are regularly well above 40C during Summer. No real point having a 20 weight oil when warm here

I used to apply the same reasoning, living in the desert where it can be as hot as 50C. However, someone pointed out to me that, whether it's winter or summer, your engine has a thermostat controlled cooling system and will always run at a constant temperature.

Evidently, the only thing that matters is the cold-start temperature. Perhaps in a warm climate 10w20 would be ok. In an extremely cold climate, 0w20.

There is a web site where they pick apart the finer details of oil. I'd like to understand this topic better. But, for now, it sounds like heavier weight oil is only beneficial for higher-mileage cars (more wear, more oil consumption due to loss of close tolerance). For a newer car, heavier weight may decrease mileage.

(Some say lighter oil sacrifices wear for economy. But, I think if your engine has to work harder to go the same distance, consuming more fuel, that's going to equate to wear too. Anyway, wear prevention may be a valid reason to use heavier oil. But, I don't think ambient temperature is a valid reason.).

[Duro5341]

Originally Posted by az2008

I don't think ambient temperature is a valid reason.).

Ambient temperature has everything to do with your engine's oil weight, 80% if engine wear is cause at cold start up. If the engine oil is to think it will take to long to lubricate the engine (dry start), if the engine oil is to thin it won't be enough initial film thickness to protect it.

Oil theckens as temperature drops, and thins as temperature rises.

Cold climates need lighter weights because of extreme temperature drops and dry start protection, however hotter climates need thicker oil because the engine runs hotter (cooling system less efficient) and heat soak for longer when turned off, this creates internal varnish and sludge.

When an engine is at operating temperature a...
5w30 oil is only a 10wt oil,
5w20 oil is a 7 or 8wt oil.

Engine need a minimum of a 7wt before wear is increases.

Now we have to take fuel dilution in to account........seems to be more of a factor with Direct injection engines and Common Rail Diesels (same technology).

A 5w30 oil can turn into a 5w20 (cold) or 7wt (hot) when it comes time to change
A 5w20 oil can turn into a 5w10-15 (cold)or 5wt(hot) when it comes time to change

This is why a slight increase in wear is noticed with 5w20, however it increases fuel economy by 0.5-1.0%......

Engine oil is always a balance between long-term wear and fuel economy. An owner must figure out what is more important to them personally.

I drive my vehicles into the ground, so I personally like the long-term protection of 5w30, because 1% fuel economy is negotiable.

Just my 2 cents
Duro

[Albinus]

Originally Posted by Duro5341

however hotter climates need thicker oil because the engine runs hotter (cooling system less efficient) and heat soak for longer when turned off, this creates internal varnish and sludge.

Bingo. Even well maintained vehicles here have a surprising amount of sludge in the crankcase after a decade or more. When your coolant is running at 105c for 8 hours straight under high load in intense heat, every bit of extra protection is greatly valued