First oil change....AMSOIL 0w20 or 5w30.

[rafaelsmith]

I will be reaching 5k miles on my JTR soon, which is when I was planning to do my first oil change.

I know there have been several discussions on the topic... I know I want to go with AMSOIL Signature series, but I am torn on which one...

Jeep recommends 0w20....however I live in Central Florida so climate is an issue. I have always run 30w oil in my vehicles in Florida.

Which should I go with? Any concerns over warranty if I go with something other than what factory recommends(5w30) or is 0w20 fine for hot climate?

Thanks,

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[Jay Gatsby]

Many, many threads on this subject pertaining to the 3.6 on this forum and outside of this form. Anything other than recommded could cause warranty issues if something were to come up. 5w-30 is a popular alternative and used by people who are in milder climates and feel it gives better long term protection.

 

[Hootbro]

Basically going to boil down to how risk averse you are in not following the manufacturer recommendations? While many to include myself have run a quality 5W-30 in an engine that calls out a 0W-20, it is going to come down to in the rare event of a engine lubrication related failure how FCA is going to push back on a warranty claim for failure to not use the recommended fluid?

Armchair lawyers are going to tell you that Magnuson Moss Warranty Act puts it on the manufacturer to prove that your use of the 5W-30 caused any potential issue. Real world is that the consumer has to sue on their dime in Federal Civil court to enforce the act if FCA just denies warranty based solely use of the incorrect fluid without proving it was the actual cause. You got the money to fight that? Probably not.

Safe bet is to follow the manufacturer recommendations to both weight and material spec. Or take the very minute to almost statistical zero risk of using what you want in a 5W-30 oil. Your decision.

 

[Renegade]

Warranty denial concerns have me using Pennzoil 0w-20. Otherwise, 5w-30 probably offers better protection. I figure 0w-20 won’t allow too much damage in the first 36k miles, then switch to owner preference.

 

[smlobx]

The owners manual says “ we recommend....” not “we require...” so what you use is up to you. Any lubrication issues when using a different oil would be on you.

Having said that I can guarantee that no one on this forum has a PhD in Chemical Engineering and has more experience than the guys who designed the 3.6 so why try to second guess them..??

Driving your Jeep in South Florida does not put a great thermal stress on the truck. Most manufacturers test their vehicles in places like Australia in the summer where temps can run over 120 degrees and Alaska in the winter when it’s 30 below...

The above information plus the fact that the first 4 changes are free at the dealer makes it a no brainer for me...
Just my $0.02

 

[rafaelsmith]

Ill probably go with 0w20 until warranty is up then switch. I personally think the push to 0w20 has nothing to do with life and optimal protection of the engine but rather MPG and meeting government "standards".

Given my experience with my wife's Renegade....I no longer trust dealers to do even the simplest of things like oil changes....so not sure ill use the Wave changes. Not to mention....ill be ready for first oil change long before this whole virus lockdown is over ...not sure I want to deal with having to take Jeep to dealer all things considered.

 

[Jay Gatsby]

Ill probably go with 0w20 until warranty is up then switch. I personally think the push to 0w20 has nothing to do with life and optimal protection of the engine but rather MPG and meeting government "standards".

Given my experience with my wife's Renegade....I no longer trust dealers to do even the simplest of things like oil changes....so not sure ill use the Wave changes. Not to mention....ill be ready for first oil change long before this whole virus lockdown is over ...not sure I want to deal with having to take Jeep to dealer all things considered.

I'm with you. Keep your free oil changes FCA, I'd rather spend a few bucks and do it myself.

 

[Harold0819]

I run 10w-30 in my 3.8L motor in my JKU. Jeep recommends 5w-20. I switched because the 10w-30 isn't consumed the way the 5w-20. My buddy who has been a Ford tech for almost 3 decades and does all the performance work, gas and diesel, at his dealership says the weight is just to get mileage numbers. Nothing more. So to me, warranty concerns aside, run what you want.

 

[Gren71]

I run 10w-30 in my 3.8L motor in my JKU. Jeep recommends 5w-20. I switched because the 10w-30 isn't consumed the way the 5w-20. My buddy who has been a Ford tech for almost 3 decades and does all the performance work, gas and diesel, at his dealership says the weight is just to get mileage numbers. Nothing more. So to me, warranty concerns aside, run what you want.

I know NOTHING when it comes to oils...and feel free to pm me so i dont hijack this fella’s thread.

does the weight really affect mpg that much? As in going from 0w to 5w will add or subtract 1 or 2 mpg?

 

[Renegade]

I know NOTHING when it comes to oils...and feel free to pm me so i dont hijack this fella’s thread.

does the weight really affect mpg that much? As in going from 0w to 5w will add or subtract 1 or 2 mpg?

0w-xx to 5w-xx will do nothing for/to fuel economy, and probably nothing for/to engine protection in most climates. The first number (0w, 5W, or 10W) is a cold flow rating. The second number (20 or 30 in the aforementioned scenarios) might make a slight difference in fuel economy when the engine is warm.

 

[rafaelsmith]

My main reason for thinking 5w30 is due to hot climate. I only want what is best for engine life...could care less about any theoretical MPG savings.

 

[Commodus]

I will be reaching 5k miles on my JTR soon, which is when I was planning to do my first oil change.

I know there have been several discussions on the topic... I know I want to go with AMSOIL Signature series, but I am torn on which one...

Jeep recommends 0w20....however I live in Central Florida so climate is an issue. I have always run 30w oil in my vehicles in Florida.

Which should I go with? Any concerns over warranty if I go with something other than what factory recommends(5w30) or is 0w20 fine for hot climate?

Thanks,

I had e mailed Amsoil and they told me that their recommended 0-20 signature meets-exceeds FCA requirements for the Gladiator. So I decided to go with their recommendation, and not second guess anything.

 

[Commodus]

0w-xx to 5w-xx will do nothing for/to fuel economy, and probably nothing for/to engine protection in most climates. The first number (0w, 5W, or 10W) is a cold flow rating. The second number (20 or 30 in the aforementioned scenarios) might make a slight difference in fuel economy when the engine is warm.

This is old way of looking at first number, it has more to do with tolerances on bearings and such now than ever been in the past

 

[Renegade]

This is old way of looking at first number, it has more to do with tolerances on bearings and such now than ever been in the past

I didn't want to get into the debate on all that stuff, so I kept it simple- It's a flow rating. If people want to learn about oil, I suggest they visit bobistheoilguy.com...

 

[Gren71]

I didn't want to get into the debate on all that stuff, so I kept it simple- It's a flow rating. If people want to learn about oil, I suggest they visit bobistheoilguy.com...

i will, thanks!

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