[Dan T]

This is an excerpt from a letter that I received from American Honda:

...

You had called me regarding which weight of oil to use in your Odyssey. I contacted our Engineering Department and was told 5W 30 is correct. The Owners Manual is incorrect in stating 5W 20, your oil cap is correct.

...

Anytime, please feel free to call, I'm here Monday through Friday 9 am to 5 pm Pacific Time, at 1.800.999.1009 when the system answers, press 1 and my extension is 021282.

American Honda Motor Company, Inc.

Sandy Palmer
Customer Relations

---
Dan
2001 SS Odyssey EX



[This message has been edited by Dan T (edited 03-21-2001).]

 

[CPSDarren]

Did you originally send a letter or call? I'd prefer to use 5W-30, but don't want any warranty issues. A letter from Honda would be enough for my anal retentiveness. Can you please post the name/address/phone/email of whoever you contacted initially to get your letter? Thanks.

 

[Admin]

I have a couple of pages already worked up with all of the contact numbers an addresses for Honda Customer Relations. I'll put the online tonight.

------------------
Admin

 

[triplecut]

Very interesting!! If you look at the 5w-20 vs 5w-30 thread, we talked about this and I think I theorized that the 5w-30 would work just fine. I have not looked at an Odyssey engine enough to see what the oil cap says.

5w-20 oil sounded just too weird to me, 20 weight is really "thin" when hot, especially in the summer or pulling a trailer.

------------------
Jim

 

[Dan T]

Hi Caviller,
I had telephoned Customer Relations for my area (Northwest Zone) because of the discrepancy between the owner's manual and the engine oil cap. Apparently, Honda engineers recommend 5W30 oil.

Here is my contact:
Sandy Palmer (Northwest Zone Office)
Honda Automobile Division
American Honda Motor Co. Inc.
12439 NE Airport Way
Portland, OR 97230
(800) 999-1009 ext. 021282


------------------
Dan
'01 SS Odyssey EX

[This message has been edited by Dan T (edited 03-21-2001).]

 

[gram_parsons]

This is probably more like a discrepancy between the pinheaded bean counters who care about fleet fuel consumption ratings than the longevity of you car. The engineer you talked with more than likely cares about the product and takes pride in its longevity.

Go with the 5w30.



------------------
'01 SS Honda Odyssey EX
'99 F150 XL Supercab
'00 Kawasaki ZR-7

 

[hgani]

I agree with triplecut, 5W-20 is definitely too thin even for new engine. 5W-30 or 10W-30 is a better choice for any newer gasoline engines. I would even use 10W-40 in older engines due to worn piston rings.

 

[CPSDarren]

Dan,

Thanks! Got my letter from Sandy yesterday. Even though the new 5W-20s are semi-synthetic, and meet the more stringent upcoming API standards, I suspect a quality 5W-30 will be better for engine protection. On the other hand, I have no evidence to support this hunch, and I've searched quite a bit. It is quite likely that the new 5W-20s will protect just as well as a conventional 5W-30 oil.

 

[Dan T]

Caviller,

After much research, I have concluded that for the summer heat and hilly terrain of South Orange County California, 5W 30 is a much wiser choice of engine oil for my Odyssey. I visited my Honda dealer's parts department, and the only motor oil in stock is 5W 20. Go figure!

Dan

 

[hgani]

Looks like 5W-20 is not a misprint or a mistake, check out this link:
http://www.havoline.com/Products/motor_oils/motor_oils.html

If you download and look at the full specification, you'll see that either 5W-20 or 5W-30 will work any any temperature range.
I wonder why 5W-20 has Dark Pale color instead of Amber like the rest of the grades?

 

[ckonarske]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Dan T:
This is an excerpt from a letter that I received from American Honda:

...

You had called me regarding which weight of oil to use in your Odyssey. I contacted our Engineering Department and was told 5W 30 is correct. The Owners Manual is incorrect in stating 5W 20, your oil cap is correct.

...

Anytime, please feel free to call, I'm here Monday through Friday 9 am to 5 pm Pacific Time, at 1.800.999.1009 when the system answers, press 1 and my extension is 021282.

American Honda Motor Company, Inc.

Sandy Palmer
Customer Relations

---
Dan
2001 SS Odyssey EX

[This message has been edited by Dan T (edited 03-21-2001).]</font>

Would anyone who's received a letter from American Honda re: the current oil recommendation please scan it and post it? I'd like the latest info in writing if I can get it. Thanx.

------------------
Chuck
Ody Pics and Projects

 

[CPSDarren]

If I get around to tinkering with the scanner or software to get it working right, I'll post/email a scan. Maybe this weekend or next.

I called Sandy at the # listed above. I referenced Dan's call, gave her my address and VIN, and had the letter in 2 days. Probably faster than relying on me

 

[ckonarske]

I tried that. She was unavailable so I left her a message.

I talked to someone else at Honda America and got nowhere, so I'd like to see the final word from her.

------------------
Chuck
Ody Pics and Projects

 

[jvennitti]

I don't know if this helps or only adds to the confusion. I just received my shop manual from helm, inc. and remembered the oil viscosity issues so I looked it up. The service manual is for 1999-2001 Odysseys and the recommended (preferred) oil is 5W-30 for -20 deg F to 100 deg F (with arrows indicating extension of ranges on both ends of the scale). Nowhere does it indicate a difference for different years. There is also a 10W-30 line that starts around 20 deg F extending beyond 100 deg F (with arrow indicating extension on the upper end).

Maybe someone out there can explain the SJ "Energy Conserving" grade to me.

Thanks in advance.

------------------
Jeff

'01 SS EX

 

[hgani]

SJ - is the current service symbol determined by API, here is this link: http://www.api.org/programs_services/quality/enginoil.htm

5W-20 grade oil is currently recommended only by Ford and Honda for some of their 2001 model. From what I can find, as far as Honda is concerned, they are recommended for Civic and Accord which are categorized as ULEV vehicles.

Both 5W-20 and 5W-30 will give the same kind of protection for most driving condition, use 5W-30 to be safe.

 

[upnorth]

I am checking my 2001 Canadian owner's manual and it said 5W-20 4 times in various pages. It also said 5W-30 MAY BE USED if 5W-20 is not available.

 

[jvennitti]

I have not checked the user's manual, just the shop manual. I will check the user's manual and see if it agrees or not. As for the shop manual, I checked the spec section for fluids and only 5W-30 was recommended.

Does anyone know if there is difference between the US and Canadian models that may contribute to the difference in oil viscosity specification?

------------------
Jeff

'01 SS EX

 

[Jazzfan]

Just received Amsoil's magazine today - they have introduced a new 5W-20 oil specifically for 2001 Honda and Ford vehicles that specify 5W-20. Quote "According to Mike Riley, product engineer with Ford Motor Company, moving to 5W-20 was driven by using best technology oils, CAFE requirements and customer needs". "In order to ensure lighter viscosity 5W-20 oils don't sacrifice engine durability, Ford ran extensive field tests comparing 5W-20 and 5W-30 oils and used the data to create their own oil specification known as WSS-M2C153-H".

In addition, the article stated that most 2001 Honda and Ford vehicles now come factory-filled with a 5W-20 grade of motor oil.

By the way, my 01 Ody should arrive tomorrow. I think I'll be ordering some of this new Amsoil for it.