Motor oil demystified
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- čas přidán 7. 09. 2024
- There are a lot of brands, boasts and BS out there around motor oil, but it's actually pretty simple: RTFM. Here's why your owner's manual specifies the oil it does. No, your cousin with the awesome tool kit does not know better.
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Coley video! Gets a like even before I watch it!
This is facts
We need much more Brian Cooley
He's in management now I think he just does these videos because people like us whine
RIGHT! He talks like he is on rocket fuel. He has the quality to tell things in a very interesting way without getting bored.
Straight to the point and informative, awesome job.
Brian is THE King!
Your closing statement went through my mind during the working engine transparencies.
I wish Cooley had his own channel, this way I can set it to notify me of new episodes. I don’t like every posted on Roadshow
Yes I agree wholeheartedly
I love videos featuring Brian Cooley. I have been watching videos featuring him since 2006 when it was a flash based web applet called CNET TV. I wish he would still do car review videos...I miss those. He has an interesting take on cars.
Great video! As he said, go by the owners manual for the correct oil, period.
Finally Someone Got It Right ..... " W " DOES NOT Mean WEIGHT ....
it Stands For WINTER !! 🙂👍
We need more Cooley Videos please! 👍👍👍
Great work as always Sr. 👌
Bravo my friend. As a professional auto technician you hit all the topics with facts. I will certainly point my customers to this video when they ask about engine oil.
Solidly the best video I’ve ever seen about motor oil. Should be a prereq video for all drivers.
Good to have you back, Cooley. Regards from Sao Paulo, Brazil.
its simple.....I see Brian Cooley in a video and I click like!
I am a big Brian Cooley fan thanks CNET
Have him do car reviews again please
The thickest crankcase oil I've ever seen was for a vintage British motorbike which was using 40w-70. My Suzuki car requires 0w-20. What a change, from pretty much diff oil to water.
Cooley, where the hell’s the cnet on car vids? Keep em coming!!! 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼
Thank you Cooley, I learned a lot from this video.
👍The last words you said was the best part of the video and I cannot wait
It’s so sad that we still need videos like this in 2021...
Great Information Brian!!!! Who would have Thought.... Motor Oils Ins and Outs!!!!
Actually informative unlike other videos on oil.
nice to see u man
Anyone else here at the Church of Coley? 🙌👍
There is one, and only one scenario where I slightly deviate from the manufacturer. I consistently use oils that have a lower cold viscosity. An example would be a 0W20 instead of a 5W20. Having an oil flow more easily at cold temps provides even greater protection to an engine. Other than that, the "hot viscosity" I always keep as recommended, and I choose oils that meet or exceed OEM spec.
I know in very northern latitudes (IE, Northern Canada and Alaska) this is a common practice as the shear cold adds back the "lost" thickness regardless, and makes the engines easier to start. I'm also aware that Mobil1 sells a 0w-30 that they claim to be 100% compatible in engines that call for 5w or 10w30
We used to put 5W in winter and 10W in summer.
Thanks Cooley
Be careful folks, the significantly refomulated & improved ILSAC GF-6A oil certification was introduced last year. Check the back of the bottle for 6A. A lot of retailers are trying to sell off their old GF-5 inventory under the 6A product label.
Calcium and magnesium are balanced to prevent low speed knocking including better wear, friction, and breakdown resistance over GF-5. The latest & greatest grade.
The best car videos on CZcams are from Brian Cooley. Wish he did more of them.
Predicting before watching: get the one recommended by the manufacturer
edit: yep, pretty much
New vehicle, run a Full Synthetic, the latest oil is GF-6A (existing oil grades) or GF-6B (0W-16 only). GF-6 prices could be high still & finding it in your viscosity could be a problem.
When can we expect a video debating the merits of bias-ply tires vs radials? How about conventional spark plugs vs iridium plugs? Distributor caps vs coil-on-plugs? Carburetor vs fuel injection? How about obsolete vs modern and fully functional?
I love car oil videos, specially the ones with a debate on witch is better.
I work in the automotive manufacturing industry and i have personally seen engineers from various vendors state the product they're supplying needs a certain lubricant. Problem at the OE manufacturer comes when accounting wants a cheap high volume fluid and manufacturing engineers want a single fluid for everything, to simplify complexity in the plant. Because of that i have seen fluid compromises that do lead to shortened life. All that matters is that part lasts through warranty.
Do yog have any examples of the fluid compromises?
I had no idea that a few numbers on an engine oil container had so much information, if you know what the numbers mean that is. Thanks so much for explaining.
Engineering major here, and I often hear about confusion about oil getting "thicker" as it gets warmer due to the rating. It doesn't, and here's why. The "W" part of the rating is the cold rating at 0°F, as Cooley pointed out, while the 2nd part after the dash is the hot rating at 212°F. For simplicity's sake, let's assume at 0°F an SAE 0 weight oil has a viscosity of 100, a 10 weight has 110, and 20 weight has 120, and assume that at 212°F an SAE 0 weight oil has a viscosity of 50, a 10 weight has 60, and 20 weight has 70. What a 0W-20 weight oil means that at 0°F, the oil viscosity is 100, thus acting as an SAE 0 weight oil, and at 212°F the oil viscosity is 70, thus acting as an SAE 20 weight oil. The viscosity still decreased (got thinner) from 100 to 70 due to the temperature change, but the change was less dramatic due to the oil changing in behavior from acting has a lighter weight oil at low temps (SAE 0) and a heavier weight oil at higher temps (SAE 20). Hope this helps!
Oh shoot! It's Cooley! Automatic click!
Oh cool I'm just realizing that you have a Honda L15B7 turbo engine on that podium.
I'm that guy that says I know something they don't. Well, I know they know it's not the right oil for the car, they just can't tell you to use it.
I live in Australia.
Every time Toyota releases and all new model update with a new engine, a flurry of owners pop up with severe concerns for excessive oil consumption.
Most workshops and even Toyota dealerships know not to use what Toyota states on the manual.
We also understand that it's 45c here in summer.
The 0W20 in the Landcruiser 300 pulling 2.8 tonnes up the hill for months on end over a hot summer burns that watery oil up in weeks.
We know Toyota had it emissions passed and certified for its numbers using that 0W20.
But it's not the best for it.
10W40 fixes it. Like it fixed the Hilux. The Prado. The 200 before the 300. The Hilux and Fortuner before the current ones and so on.
We've ran 15W40 in every diesel since before I was born. Even those that called for 5W30 in the 90s.
Bottom Line: Owners Manual - states the amount of oil. grade (Ow-20, 5w-20,5w-30, etc ) , synthetic / conventional , and oil spec the oil in your car must meet.
The engineers who designed it have put these specification in the manual , check the owners section of Ford, Toyota, etc website if you dont have the
manual , you should be able to enter your year & model their and be given an online pdf copy of that same manual. If not call the dealer & have them
look it up based on your VIN # .
My favorite video presenter
Thank you it cleared up some doubts i had over oil, cheshire UK
Need a Cooley vs. Scotty!!!
My 1992 Silverado states in warmer climates 30 weight oil can be used. LOL states that in the owner's manual.😄
One of my cars manual says either 5w-30 or 10w-30 😂 it's got 491k miles to this day
Thanks dad!.... I mean Cooley!
Brian - you must talk about Group 3, Group 4, and Group 5 oils. Only in America is "Synthetic" not synthetic. The consumer is fooled into paying synthetic prices for non-synthetic oil. Be sure to read the article by Patrick Bedard in the November 2000 issue of Car and Driver entitled "All New Semantics for Synthetic Oil". The "Synthetic Oil" Conspiracy is the biggest conspiracy in Automotive second to the "NIMH Battery Conspiracy" that prevented you from driving an EV in 1994.
Common sense Brian, thank you.
My 2017 Acura MDX used to have the oil spec'd at 5w30 synthetic blend. In 2019, they sent out a letter stating that they've changed the spec to 0w20 full synthetic. I imagine that was to increase fuel efficiency and compensate for the lower viscosity with fully synthetic formula vs synthetic blend. I've been using Pennzoil Pure Platinum 0w20 with good results, but no noticeable change in MPGs.
I've been told by multiple reliable sources that full synthetic is the way to go, regardless of the engine, and that the winter viscosity rating should be as low as I can afford with the warmed up viscosity rating to be in compliance with the engine specs. So, 0w30 is better than 5w30, etc. This is because even a 0w oil when cold is still thicker than 40 weight when warmed up, and you want as thin as possible on cold startup.
I remember a long time back Ford did a similar thing for some years of the Triton V8, where 5w-30 was originally called for but then a TSB updated it to 5w-20. I'm pretty sure that move was done specifically to increase fuel economy, however an important note is it may not always translate to the real world, marginal gains may only be noticed in lab environments (which is enough to please the EPA)
Let's be realistic, in the ford 4.6 and 5.4 (5.0) over time as your car ages and accumillate miles, you will want to switch from 5w20 to 5w30, to save the guides, phasers, and Chain. They are known to wear even more if on this oil over 100K+ miles. This is due to oil shear as the oil ages in it's use.
3:50... nope. no oil gets thicker when it gets hotter... they all get thinner. The difference is that a 5w-20 gets as thin as a 5 weight when the 5 weight is cold and then thins out to what a 20 weight thins out to at operating temperature.
Assume an arbitrary standard of viscosity. Say a 20 weight has a thickness of 100 when cold then goes down to 40 when hot. A 5w-20 might have a thickness of 80 when cold and then thin out slower to reach the same 40 when hot. A 10-20 might go from 90 to 40, and a 0-30 might go 70 to 50.
Again... they all thin out. They just thin out along different curves. if you graphed the curves of the thinning with temperature on one axis and thickness on another, a multi weight oil's curve crosses the curves of the two oil weights in its name at the two SAE standard testing temperatures.
Yep ... forgot to mention the Dexos certification but no biggie .
What's oil and the large complicated thing on your left?
some manufactures decide to use a light weight oil to conform to regulations and don’t see it through. For example Maserati called for 5W40 on their twin turbo V6 engines up til 2016 then after some engines seized up they went with a heavier weight. Sometimes you can’t trust what they put in the book.
But I am a firm believer of using what’s in the manual. I used to use heavier weights but it caused more issues than it could have prevented.
That tighter tolerance is a bunch of hogwash. Oil has gotten thinner for fuel economy due to less friction not because of a “tighter” tolerance. A tolerance is referring to the acceptable range of a part. So a part can now be made with greater repeatability. The physical clearance or gap hasn’t changed much in decades. In some cases, manufacturers have increased the clearance to reduce friction and went to thinner oils. Ford had a TSB in 2002 stating the reason for their move from 5W30 to 5W20, “5W20 is an improved formulation for fuel economy.” They started recommending this change to vehicles they previously recommended a 30 “weight” oil.
Great vid
Hello I have 2 cars one is german and a second one is japanese and obviously owner manuals from those cars have foreign language. How do I find out what oil should I use if I can't read owner's manual
Google it.
Google translate works through the camera now. Worst case scenario, it's usually printed on the cap, and say for example, "10w-40" should be fairly stand-out as you flip through a manual as arabic numerals are fairly universal
@@cpufreak101 I've checked 6 cars and NONE of them had oil type printed on a cap. Is it US thing ?
@@Saffy1 it's common, but not exactly universal. Surprised it's not as common as it is here though in other places.
Do we have to use the same grade of oil, as approved by the manufacturer, through out the whole life of the car?
Some mechanics suggest it should be thicker as the car gets older
It's usually suggested for most cases, yes. The only exception I've seen to this are engines that are already very old and wore out and burning a lot of oil, a thicker oil can help extend it's life, but by that point it's not long for the world regardless.
However an exception to this can occur depending on the climate. A car can call for, say, 5w-20 for most normal temperatures, but then day it gets sold and then it ends up in Alaska where it's really cold. I've seen it be common practice (and sometimes recommended by manufacturers) to go for a 0w-20 then, as the colder temperatures will naturally make the oil a bit thicker, but 0w20 and 5w20 would be the same viscosity once the engine is at operating temp regardless. If you live in a region it never goes below freezing in though, you need not worry of this.
Explains why my 392 Challenger is a 0W-40...
That's a common weight for performance applications, which a 392 would be.
There are no bad oils today. The government is up the ass of oil companies. Buy the oil that’s on sale. I’m old school. I change my oil and filter when I can’t see my oil dip stick level lines through the oil. It’s my standards for my vehicles. I’ve been doing this for over fifty five years and never ever had an engine problem. Clean oil is best oil
God I wish Coley still did car reviews.
Ok but what happen the tropical y life in Puerto Rico a tropical island and mosey of the year is hot and mi car is a Mitsubishi Lancer Gts 2008 that use 5w20 but is never winter here so what do you recomen go tropical environment That get those mice call and it gets very hot at the same time
In Europe it is the same oil for diesel and gas engines, and on my two diesel cars, I change it as recommended, every 30,000km...
We have those too but they didn't display it here
Does the oil really leave the surfaces after only a couple days? If so, doesn’t that mean any car that sits for a week and is started is getting damaged at start? Is there any way to prevent that?
Your should overshoot the amount on start up. Just the like fuel injectors. Inject more that is need in order for the engine to run smoothly
I want that truck
Cooley.., you are the best man.. You are the Only reazon I watch Roadshow.. simply the best .. you made my day..
^^ The best about motor oil, it that when you buy an EV ... You never think about again ^^
:))))
Great video
@ 3:55 Gotta wear them Jimmy hats!
So how often do I really need to change my oil........ Is it by miles or days?
.....I have a car that is seldom driven (1K/year)......so more frequent or less frequent oil changes....... and how often?
Once a year in your case.
I'd go 6mos. If you believe the marketing, only a few oils are claiming 1 year protection. If using 1 of these, than by all means 1 year. Just my opinion.
Depends on the exact oil in the vehicle. A cheaper oil is usually 5K miles/6 months while more expensive oils can be 10k+ (seen as high as 25k) or 1 year between changes. You change at whichever occurs first. Mileage or date
slippery included . without any extra cost
Good work! Salute!
CULT OF COOLEY
If the lower the number the thinner the oil, then 0w30 = thinner when cold thicker when hot? I'm confused
It's more like, it behaves like a thinner weight oil at lower temps, and a thicker oil at higher temps. Wonders of modern chemistry.
So, at engine operating temperature (let's just say 90c for now) a 0w-30, 5w-30, 10w-30, and a straight 30 would all be, in theory at least, the same thickness at a temperature of 90c (with minor differences depending on exact formulations)
On the XW-30 side though, the lower this number means the thinner the oil at cold (not operating) Temperature. In very warm climates, I've seen some vehicles suggest 10w-30 as the warmer "cold" state thins the oil, while a colder climate can call for a 5w or even 0w in the same engine, as the colder "cold" then thickens the oil, but viscosity should be the same between all of them once the engine is to 90c again.
Don’t fall for the fancy colored bottles logos and endorsements. Walmart is as good as the any. There are only a few oil blenders. Each oil has to meet government standards. When you buy Napa oil you are buying Valvoline oil. When you buy Walmart you are getting top quality oil. Look on the back of the bottle. It has all the fancy numbers and letters as the big boys and it’s Certified by the API. American Petroleum Institute
Ugh! Informative, but your holding the bottle wrong in the thumbnail! When pouring, you want to hold it by the long side so you pour from the top, not the bottom!
It’s call read the owner manual for motor oil.
1:10 as an engineer, that crowd is usually wrong. There are extremely cases, like if you have upgraded your internals, that are true. But for the most part SAE viscosity specs depend on so many variables, the idea that if someone just "thinks differently" is probably thinking wrong.
Just go with the manufacturer specifications.
One thing Coolie did miss. Oil changes. Just do them when your manual tells you too. There's no harm to you car doing them more often then that, but there is harm to your pocket book.
@@roguedogx
I did mine as per manufacturer's recommendation of 5k miles or 6 months. After my 2nd oil change the manufacturer's service centre ask me to do at 3 months instead of 6 months. Any reason?
@@metzmatu8409 I don't have too many details, so I can't say too much. My best guess is that you have some kind of extreme driving circumstances. I.e.- you tow regularly, or the environment you drive in has a lot of dirt in it.
If you're unsure, get in touch with the manufacturer as to why your service center is asking for this. Every 3 months is quite a lot for a mordern engine (post 2000), so its best to understand why they reccomend that.
@@roguedogx
Yup, the car is only have 50k km mileage but a lot of short trips. Bought new in mid 2018.
@@metzmatu8409 yeah, you should not need oil changes that frequently. Did your service department give a reason? Or does your manual recommend you do it that frequently?
How can I get that bumper sticker?!?!?!?!?!?
Subaru owners love shell rotella.
Just got a used car that recommends 5w20, can I use 0w40 instead for one oil change? I'm overseas where 5w20 isn't available. Will order it for later oil changes.
Do you guys have motor oil conditioner? I use Lucas motor oil conditioner the thick formula that will help so much not to break down but it'll stick to metal components and will dramatically reduce engine wear.
@@2jz4life35
You good flow to your cam and lob on the upper engine part. Those oil call conditioner will restrict flow thru the small channels from down under to the upper part of the engine should it really stick to metal surfaces.
@@metzmatu8409 I've been using it for the past 15 years. Lucas makes the thinner version for modern engine with tight tolerance and especially VVT-i (variable valve timing).
COOLEY!!!!
I use diesel for my motorcycle, T6 for the win!
Cooley FTW!!
The first number is the viscosity the oil "behaves like" at 0*C, not 0*F. The second number is the viscosity the oil behaves like at 100*C.
Did notice that. However, 212 *F = 100*C, therefore his second number was correct.
Welcome 👌
woot woot first comment, go Brian! we miss the car reviews!
Cool.
S = Spark ignition (petrol)
C = Compression (rollingcoal)
SP is similar as SN Plus.
ignore me. Im not here.
I'm honestly more curious about synthetic vs synthetic blend oil
TLDR, synthetic blend is slowly becoming the new minimum as conventional gets phased out, but will always be worse than a pure synthetic. It's a mix of Conventional+Synthetic to get some of the added benefit at a lower price point (IE, 0W-XX oils can only exist in either synth blend or Full synth)
I know Toyota uses the bulk Valvoline synthetic blend. I now do the oil changes myself. I get the Mobil 1 when it's on sale with their annual rebate program that runs once a year.
Please review cars again Mr. Cooley.
Toyota dealer puts the OW20 in my engine
I plan to always own a gas vehicle. I'm not saying I won't drive an EV, but there is just something about gas and oil....
No they don't!
But why?
I miss Cnet on cars
"it's metal on metal in there". Not in my car it is! Which brand do you own?
It is when it's been sitting.
Next up: what's the biggest tire I can run without a lift ;)
ACEA is way more advance than API
EV is the Future...
Pristine edge