how bad is 5w-40 for an ecotec with 210000?

[pillzor]

just have some sitting there and im due for an oil and filter change, will the 5w 40 burn up or not provide enough protection or anything?
obviously im not going to use it if its bad for the engine, just checking.

[bandit10]

this might help a little

Motor Oil Viscosity Grades Explained in Layman's Terms

i assume you know the recommended oil is 20w-50

[wortus]

You could go by the owners manual or better still look up the oil company's web sites many of them have a web page where you can input your car's make and model and they give you the oil they recommend. Nulon recommend 5W-30 or 10W-30 for an Ecotech. This option takes into consideration the changes to lubricating oils since the manual was printed.
There are specific oils available for engines that have high milage and evidence of internal wear, Nulon have a product that is 20W-50. In my Ecotech I use Magnatec which is 10W-40 and I used to use it in my VN V6 as well without any problems.

[Adds_05]

i used a 10w-30 i think it was when i got my vy which had 180,000kms at the time,was to thin just drank it.i now use 20w-50,seems to be better,

[wortus]

I just came back from Melbourne and after 2000km the oil had gone down on the dip stick about 6mm, some would have been due to condensation I'd assume. The oil is Magnatec 10W-40. I'll probably go to a thicker oil as the engine ages if it starts to use oil. My old VN had 300,000km on the engine and it was fine with Magnatec 10W-40.

[pillzor]

cool , i used 15w 40 last time so i might stick with that

[Not_An_Abba_Fan]

I wouldn't say it was necessarily bad, just a bit too thin. You may get a bit of lifter noise and burn a bit of oil. Personally I would stick with the factory recommended 20W50.

[Brett_jjj]

I used to use castrol gtx 2 (20w 50 stuff),then I changed to penrite HPR 30 which is a 20w-60 oil which gives a bit better protection in our hot aussie summers as it stays thicker than the 20w 50 stuff when hot,and it also exceeds the manufacturers recommended oil spec of 20w 50.It is a good quality oil and I can recommend it.Around $35 for 5 litres.

[calais24/7]

I wouldnt use 5w-40 mate itl burn to quickly as its to thin for a car with that amount of kms, use anything from 15-40 onwards but i would personaly use 20w 50

[chrisdoesitbetter]

i wouldnt say its that bad, its not going to seize your engine. but as most people have stated, go for an oil with a hot visosity of 50 or above with that many kays if you are after a tip.