# Suggested Oil



## x_cruizin_x (Apr 25, 2005)

I have a 90 Maxima what brand/kind of oil is the best for the car? It has over 200k miles on it. Also do u think i should flush the motor? I usually use mobile 1 on all my car's but I just wanted to see what brands you guys choose.


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## Biscuit (Mar 5, 2005)

Nissan recommends Castrol I do beleive


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## dmroberson (Jun 24, 2004)

x_cruizin_x said:


> I have a 90 Maxima what brand/kind of oil is the best for the car? It has over 200k miles on it. Also do u think i should flush the motor? I usually use mobile 1 on all my car's but I just wanted to see what brands you guys choose.


I would suggets Mobile1 or Castrol SynTech. Synthetic oils seem to do better in high-mileage vehicles. They don't break down as quickly and are really good on old worn seals.

On the flip side, a good non-synthetic I use in my 89 Montero is Valvoline MaxLife.


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## Bror Jace (Apr 26, 2003)

Do a search of this forum using the word "synthetic" and/or brand names of oils.

Many good threads on oil here.


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## wildmanee (Nov 21, 2004)

Also, if you want to clean out your engine, try that AutoRX stuff. I have not used it personally, but gathering from what other members on this forum have said (Catman), AutoRX helps to clean all that sludge out, and will actually give you better power on higher mileage engines (no more sludge to deal with!).

*Note: You might leak oil more often if you use AutoRX on a higher mileage engine too..


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## Bror Jace (Apr 26, 2003)

Just be sure to spell it carefully:

http://www.auto-rx.com/

There's a copycat/fake site out there called rxauto.com and it's a pure snake oil rip-off.


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## tom434 (Feb 24, 2005)

x_cruizin_x said:


> I have a 90 Maxima what brand/kind of oil is the best for the car? It has over 200k miles on it. Also do u think i should flush the motor? I usually use mobile 1 on all my car's but I just wanted to see what brands you guys choose.


Ive heard it suggested using a straight weight oil on higher milage engines.


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## Tavel (Aug 21, 2004)

tom434 said:


> Ive heard it suggested using a straight weight oil on higher milage engines.


uhm...thats like engine homicide. 

i've had good results with mobil 1(for the synthetic preference) and havoline(for the mineral preference)...but i like mobile 1 much more (duh). i've also noticed improved fuel mileage and increased smoothness using 5w30 instead of 10w30. i havn't tried mobile 1's 0w20, but i might give it a shot this winter.


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## tom434 (Feb 24, 2005)

tom434 said:


> Ive heard it suggested using a straight weight oil on higher milage engines.


 Why engine homocide?


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## CHRIS/SR/SE (Dec 15, 2003)

I learned allot about oil and what to use from this website, check it out for some enlightening: Bob the oil guy


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## 510Mods (Feb 21, 2005)

Yeah, the lighter weights you would use in winter and because its thinner you wont have pump friction. But then you loose the high RPM breakdown that only higher weights have. In a high mileage car, just go with either 20-50wt, or straight 30wt. The 30wt has always been proven to be the best and most stable. I recommend 20-50wt Valvoline.


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## Joro Corona (Apr 10, 2005)

20W-50 is for a diesel engine. Anyone using 20W-50 in a normal gas engine is just ruining his bearings faster. Heavy weight oil wears at the rod, crank, and cam bearings. The higher pressure can also damage the oil galleys and pump.

Straight weight oils are dinosaur oils. There is no longer a point to using them. A 5w-30 or 0w-30 will perform just aswell, if not better then a 30w oil. 

If you've got engine noise, fix it. Dont bandaid the noise by putting heavier oil in. All you will do is cause more damage to the engine.

And Bob the Oil Guy is a Amsoil supporter. He is biased strongly twards amsoil. Amsoil is a good product, but he over hypes it alot.

Just open up your Owners Manual and use what it says in there. If the motor is in okay shape, then you shouldn't have to mask the problem with a heavier oil.


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## funkpacket (Feb 13, 2004)

as far as a normal off the shelf engine flush is concerned.....don't do it. Products like gunk are usually kerosene based, and they will clusterf*ck your engine's seals. Products like aurorx are nice because they clean slowly over the coarse of a few treatments. Any crash coarse astrigent motor flushes are to be avoided. If you want to want to do a quick flush of your motor, just pour an inexpensive oil into your motor as the old oil is draining during and oil change.


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## 510Mods (Feb 21, 2005)

Thats hilarious  Datsun motors recommend 20-50wt for most of the ones I have had. IF you use 5-30 or 0-30, look on the bottle and its says for normal driving habits, not for high revving motors (Its in plain english on the Mobil 1 synthetic oil). And 30 wt is a very stable oil. Its used in cars that have over a million miles, and I had a 96 Ford Ranger. I bought brand new then, after 3000 miles changed the oil once and filter with 30wt. After 260,000mi, never had to open the hood up once and its still runnind on the same oil, plugs and everything. Plus it being hot here is sac (above 30degrees) 20-50wt works fine all year round. I guess its just preference. 



Joro Corona said:


> 20W-50 is for a diesel engine. Anyone using 20W-50 in a normal gas engine is just ruining his bearings faster. Heavy weight oil wears at the rod, crank, and cam bearings. The higher pressure can also damage the oil galleys and pump.
> 
> Straight weight oils are dinosaur oils. There is no longer a point to using them. A 5w-30 or 0w-30 will perform just aswell, if not better then a 30w oil.
> 
> ...


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## tom434 (Feb 24, 2005)

510Mods said:


> Thats hilarious  Datsun motors recommend 20-50wt for most of the ones I have had. IF you use 5-30 or 0-30, look on the bottle and its says for normal driving habits, not for high revving motors (Its in plain english on the Mobil 1 synthetic oil). And 30 wt is a very stable oil. Its used in cars that have over a million miles, and I had a 96 Ford Ranger. I bought brand new then, after 3000 miles changed the oil once and filter with 30wt. After 260,000mi, never had to open the hood up once and its still runnind on the same oil, plugs and everything. Plus it being hot here is sac (above 30degrees) 20-50wt works fine all year round. I guess its just preference.


Youve only changed your oil once in 260k miles? :jawdrop:


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## Joro Corona (Apr 10, 2005)

All of the nissans you drive are old, with wide clearances and a need for thick oil. We're talking about a 90 Maxima. 5w-30 is what it recommends. If you were to put 20w-50 into it, you would damage the bearings. I guarentee it.

Did that ranger have the 2.3l, 3.0l or the 4.0l? In a high temperature climate, then a 30w should be fine simply because its always hot. 30wt in a cold situation will get thick and not flow well at start. Thus why you have 5w-30. It flows like a 5wt in cold weather and flows like a 30wt once warm. For a 96 ranger I do believe it recommends a 5w-30.


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## 510Mods (Feb 21, 2005)

Your right bud. Those engine do have larger clearances. And I'm assuming the Maxima is the VG30. In which case the 5-30 would be choice. But the recommended is not always the best. I swear by the 20-50wt Valvoline. I only say that because I race and thatw what we use in everything. If you mix in some Marvel Mystery oil, it basically becomes a super friction fighter. I'm talking 20-50 in a blue printed motor. The ranger was a 3.0 V-6. It was a really amazing truck, never hiccuped on me. The only thing is if you run out of gas, you have to reset the fuel pump by the dealer before it will start again. Anyways, just stay with the recommended wt and you'll be safe.


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## x_cruizin_x (Apr 25, 2005)

I went ahead and changed it using Valvoline MaxLife 10w40 and it seems to work good. Should i have got 10w30?


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## Bror Jace (Apr 26, 2003)

With thicker oils, you will lose horsepower and through UOAs, there have been some applications where thicker actually seemed to induce more wear ... but those circumstances are rare.

For the most part, 20W-50 is really old school. It's an obsolescent weight almost no one should use. And mixing it with Marvel Mystery Oil is silly ... and will no doubt accelerate wear as MMO contains solvents which don't belong in a motor in any quantity for any length of time.

Even in racing, the trend is lighter and lighter lubricants to reduce drag and free-up horsepower. Look at Mobil 1's racing oil ... and every one of their oils is light for its published weight.

Hey *x_cruizin_x*, I think you'll be fine with that MaxLife 10W-40 as long as it is fairly warm where you are. It'll probably shear down to a 30 weight after about 2,000-3,000 miles anyway. The newer batches of that oil are high in molybdenum, a potent anti-wear additive.


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## x_cruizin_x (Apr 25, 2005)

Bror Jace said:


> Hey *x_cruizin_x*, I think you'll be fine with that MaxLife 10W-40 as long as it is fairly warm where you are. It'll probably shear down to a 30 weight after about 2,000-3,000 miles anyway. The newer batches of that oil are high in molybdenum, a potent anti-wear additive.


Ya right now it's mostly in the 70's and 80's


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