correct motor oil for my corolla

**kikoteng** · December 29th, 2008 04:21 PM

[SIZE=4]Hello Tsikoteers ![/SIZE]

I'm currently driving a corolla xl year 2000 model. Odo is around 80t kms or so. Recently had an oil change and the oil used was valvoline 20w-50 mineral oil.

Question is ... is this the correct grade / viscosity for my car ? I'm currently experiencing difficult cold starts. Car idle is ok during startup (while cold) but vibrates more upon reaching normal temp.

Should I be using synthetic ?? How about the grade ? 10w-40 ? 10w-30 ? Any experiences / suggestions ?

Thanks in advance ! [SIZE=4]Happy new year to all ![/SIZE]

**pr462** · December 30th, 2008 08:55 AM

hi, if you still hav the manual check the recommended oil for your engine otherwise call toyota and inquire what is best to use. synthetic is good which is supposed to be used if you do not want to chnge your oil less frequently but if you sick to every 5000 km change then it should be alright. the vubration in your engine considering that it is already 8 years old can be caused by the transmission support bushing or engine support bushings. have it checked. regards

**vinj** · December 31st, 2008 12:25 AM

The 20W-50 should be quite fine. Just keep changing at 5000kms; using synth and extending your drain intervals wouldnt be too adviseable given our hot, dusty and traffic driving conditions.

**kikoteng** · December 31st, 2008 07:51 AM

Originally Posted by pr462

hi, if you still hav the manual check the recommended oil for your engine otherwise call toyota and inquire what is best to use. synthetic is good which is supposed to be used if you do not want to chnge your oil less frequently but if you sick to every 5000 km change then it should be alright. the vubration in your engine considering that it is already 8 years old can be caused by the transmission support bushing or engine support bushings. have it checked. regards

bought the car 2nd hand ... no manual anymore.

Newbie question on the bushings though. Are bushings basically rubber pads ?

**kikoteng** · December 31st, 2008 07:55 AM

Originally Posted by vinj

The 20W-50 should be quite fine. Just keep changing at 5000kms; using synth and extending your drain intervals wouldnt be too adviseable given our hot, dusty and traffic driving conditions.

If I used, for example, a less viscous oil, say 10w-40, how do i know if it's the right viscosity for my engine ? Would it shake more, make weird noises if I used the improper viscosity ?

**rion** · December 31st, 2008 08:33 AM

ano ba ang engine model?

kung 97-01 4AFE - moderate climate: 15w40 or alternative moderate climate: 15w40

kung 92-97 4AFE - moderate: 10w30 or alt: 10w40

imo, 20w50 is too heavy...

**vinj** · December 31st, 2008 02:53 PM

Originally Posted by kikoteng

If I used, for example, a less viscous oil, say 10w-40, how do i know if it's the right viscosity for my engine ? Would it shake more, make weird noises if I used the improper viscosity ?

Per experience, the only main concern with using a "thinner" oil would be when your engine is already aged or high mileage as this would have more propensity to leak through worn seals/gaskets. Other then that, there's not much concern with using 10W-40 or even 0W-40. 0W-30 or 5W-30 can still be used also but isnt adviseable on the high mileage or "heavy use" vehicles.

**mbeige** · December 31st, 2008 06:49 PM

Originally Posted by rion

ano ba ang engine model?

kung 97-01 4AFE - moderate climate: 15w40 or alternative moderate climate: 15w40

kung 92-97 4AFE - moderate: 10w30 or alt: 10w40

imo, 20w50 is too heavy...

Agreed, 20W-50 is way too thick. This is why you have difficult cold starts in the morning. Switch to a lighter weight oil such as 10W-30 or 10W-40.

**attyallanlatras** · December 31st, 2008 09:10 PM

Originally Posted by mbeige

Agreed, 20W-50 is way too thick. This is why you have difficult cold starts in the morning. Switch to a lighter weight oil such as 10W-30 or 10W-40.

My car (Innova gas a/t G) is new, just had its 1k pms sa casa. The regular engine oil + filter costs me P 1,400 only. While if I had it full synthetic it would cost me P 5,200.00. Due to financial concerns, I intend to have a regular change oil every 5k pms with the regular oil (which I think is 20W-50) + new filter. Would this be ok? In other words, hindi ako magpakarga nang full synthetic dahil sa gastos. Ok lang kaya?

**kikoteng** · December 31st, 2008 10:30 PM

Originally Posted by rion

ano ba ang engine model?

kung 97-01 4AFE - moderate climate: 15w40 or alternative moderate climate: 15w40

kung 92-97 4AFE - moderate: 10w30 or alt: 10w40

imo, 20w50 is too heavy...

engine model is 2e. 1300cc. corolla 2000 lovelife model. I think it has the same engine as the corolla big body.

I was also thinking the 20w-50 might be too thick. If there's no major drawback, I think I'll try 5w-30 or 10w-30 on my next oil change.

If anybody here is using the same engine, I'd appreciate your feedback re which oil you tried and which oil you using now.