Cold Start trouble, Change oil to 0w-40?

[climenuts]

Hi everyone, I have a 2003 protege 5 with the stock 2.0 and during the summer with the recommended 5w-20 it would crank a lot to start so I switch to 5w30 mobil one synthetic, and now when it's -20'C it cranks for 3-4 seconds before starting, and I was wondering if 0w-40 Synthetic would help the cold start problem and if it was still ok for the summer months at 30'C+

I will probably change from 0w40 in the summer back to 5w30 or 40 if 0w40 doesn't put up to the high temperatures, I will be doing some traveling to 120'F climates in the summer (texas) and I need to know that 0w40 will suit my cold winters as well as hot summers.

I'm going to stick with using mobil 1 synthetic, I just want to know if the grade will help me.

 

[curls]

Run a 0W-30 if you can find it. Not too thick to hamper oil getting through the smallest areas in the engine when hot, and definitely thin enough to help with your cold starts.

Then again, -20*C is cold for any engine (I'm in Ottawa and grew up in Thunder Bay, I know cold!). If you're in Canada, which I believe you are, try and find ESSO XD-3 0W-30 full synthetic. Its normally ONLY available at Esso wholesale centers througout the country, and is MUCH better than most oils out there (including Mobil1 which is only a group III oil; Esso XD-3 is a full synthetic group IV and is a very very good oil!). Its not super expensive and is actually probably cheaper than Mobil1.

Another option is Pennzoil Platinum 5w-30 which is another EXCELLENT oil and available in 4.4L jugs right now for $19 CAD (Wal-Mart). Stock up, this is a very highly rated oil that should suit your temperature extremes very very well. I run this in my Acura TSX and have nothing but good things to say about it. Wife's Protege5 gets basic dino 5w-30 year round, in Ottawa, which can go from -35*C to +35*C no problem throughout the year!!

 

[pasadena_commut]

Run a 0W-30 if you can find it. Not too thick to hamper oil getting through the smallest areas in the engine when hot, and definitely thin enough to help with your cold starts.

Honda dealers stock OW-20 for their hybrids. Don't know if it is compatible with P5 motors, probably though, and it is about as thin an oil as one can buy. Might be worth a shot in really cold climates. I wouldn't use it in a P5 in Texas though.

 

[curls]

Honda dealers stock OW-20 for their hybrids. Don't know if it is compatible with P5 motors, probably though, and it is about as thin an oil as one can buy. Might be worth a shot in really cold climates. I wouldn't use it in a P5 in Texas though.

First number (ie: 0W, 5W, 10W) is what the oil is when cold-starting the car (non-operating temperature).
Second number (20, 30, 40, 50) is what weight th eoil is at operating temperature.

A 0w-20 wouldn't be noticeably thinner at startup than a 0w-30 or a 0w-40. But at operating temperature, the 0w-20 would be ultra-thin and in the Protege5, which calls for 30-weight (second number), it'd be too thin and likely not protect the engine nearly enough.

OP: Go with a 0w-30 or 5w-30, preferrably synthetic (my recommendations are in my first post). 0w-20 is too thin and will likely harm the engine.