Next oil change opinion

[NonHyphenated American]

I'm all out of my free oil changes and will be doing them myself with one this weekend. I have a 2021 Gladiator Sport S with the 3.6. It's still blazing hot here in the Florida panhandle and I have a trip to the Smoky Mountains at end of September. I'm going with Pennzoil Platinum or Ultra Platinum but can't decide on 0w20 or 5w30. The last time I was in the mountains it was early May and was on fresh 0w20 and oil temp got up to 224 on some of the offroad trails. Most of my current driving is in city with no more than a 15min commute in sometimes horrible stop and go traffic. I am still under warranty but was thinking the 5w30 shouldn't cause any issues. Thoughts?

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[Freems]

Stick with the number printed on the filler cap with a quality brand of full synthetic and everything should be fine, the heat shouldn’t be a factor for the oil, especially full synthetic. Extreme cold use to be the worry, but again full synthetic has changed everything, IMO.

 

[Mr._Bill]

Don't try to second-guess the engineers that designed it. Best bet is to stick with the manufacturers recommendation, especially while in warranty.

 

[JTDay]

From my anecdotal perspective, 0w20 is fine. If you're hard on the oil, just change it more frequently. I've done so much research on the 3.6 viscosity topic and can find zero evidence suggesting a thicker oil does any better. If I had, I'd happily switch, warranty or not.

 

[Maximus Gladius]

If you’re lean toward a thicker oil (5/30) has anything to do with viscosity numbers being higher than 0/20, then yes it will obviously. If diving deeper into that to actually seeing how the numbers work as the engine puts on mileage, you’ll see your viscosity drop or become thinner than when it was just poured in fresh.

I’m a numbers hound that runs a sample of the changed oil to the lab every time I change my oil on any of the components and I found that if I mixed three 0/20’s with two 5/30’s by the time you’ve put on your 5000 miles or so, the viscosity ends up being the same as if you’ve just poured in your five 0/20 quarts.

So if a fresh bottle of 0/20 starts off with 7.5 viscosity and ends as 6 or lower, doing the mix as I said above will have that viscosity end at 7.5

It doesn’t take long for viscosity to drop but it does level out quickly. Things that thin it are fuel mix/ running the engine on super short trips etc. Coolant leak will actually raise viscosity which gives the lab a reason to check for it.

There’s lots of debate as to thicker viscosity “protecting more” but I’d say it at least helps quiet the little noises a bit more.

 

[Hootbro]

Path of least resistance to maintaining the warranty is to follow the OM recommendations for both weight grade and spec oil called out in it.

In my opinion, there is no technical encumbrance in using 5W-30 over a 0W-20 grade oil in these engines, but even less shown benefit it will extend engine life given all the other factors that can contribute to premature engine failure besides engine oil choice used.

0W-20 grade oil is the all markets global spec'd oil for these engines to even include the Middle East. No other weight grades are listed or recommended.

 

[bleda2002]

I use 5w30 as I have a small leaking upper oil pan gasket (dealers fault from when they fixed my rms leak) and found it leaks less with 5w30. That said I don't think there is really any tangible benefit between the 2 oils in terms of engine life.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Protection comes from the oil film strength - and that comes from the additive package the oil MAKER puts in the oil when it's made before packaging.
So the protection is the base oil, and the maker's package bundled together to get a good film strength.
Viscosity handles other things - flow rates, oil temperatures, shear and other stuff. But it does not protect.
As long as there is adequate flow to everything through the engine, and the oil temperature stays in a range that it should be in for the better life of the oil, it's fine.
People seem to want to find ways to explain problems others are having and toss stuff out there as guesses - and it gets to the internet, is copied and pasted all over creation and becomes fact by virtue of how many times it's repeated.
The book recommendations are fine.
Unless you are a member of SAE, have a degree + real proven experience and worked determining the recommendations, it's hard to understand how anyone can do a better job than the makers of the engine that's been around for years, millions of them, for hundreds of thousands of miles.

and found it leaks less with 5w30.

That makes sense. "Thinner" flows faster, so thicker flows slower, thus leaks less.

If you’re lean toward a thicker oil (5/30) has anything to do with viscosity numbers being higher than 0/20, then yes it will obviously. If diving deeper into that to actually seeing how the numbers work as the engine puts on mileage, you’ll see your viscosity drop or become thinner than when it was just poured in fresh.

I’m a numbers hound that runs a sample of the changed oil to the lab every time I change my oil on any of the components and I found that if I mixed three 0/20’s with two 5/30’s by the time you’ve put on your 5000 miles or so, the viscosity ends up being the same as if you’ve just poured in your five 0/20 quarts.

So if a fresh bottle of 0/20 starts off with 7.5 viscosity and ends as 6 or lower, doing the mix as I said above will have that viscosity end at 7.5

But did you know that there's a certain amount of "cross-over" in the various numbers? What one oil maker has as a 0w20 and another at a 5w30 - depending on the "brands" - they may actually be the same under certain conditions?
Again, viscosity does not protect. So I'm in the "who cares" if it loses some crowd. That's all taken into account in design and recommendations and also why they may recommend brand A over brand B - because some will hold it better, and they know that some "thicker" oils may well be the same as certain brand "thinner" oils after a time.
There's no benefits to any mixing other than the feeling it gives the owner.
How much it loses will vary with the brand, the contamination, the heat and other factors.
Driver A may use the same oil as driver B, both drive 7,000 miles and in the end, B's oil has lost more than A's oil has.
Again, a lot of it is to do with brands and blends of the oils.
Mine is 7.27
But I'm not overly concerned about that. If it was too low, it would simply mean it's time to change the oil anyway.

There’s lots of debate as to thicker viscosity “protecting more” but I’d say it at least helps quiet the little noises a bit more.

There's no debate among those who know things. The debate is among the armchair Youtube trained people. Viscosity does not protect. Engineers who know anything will tell you that. Thicker oil runs hotter, flows slower, and these have a lot more than bearings and lifters going on. That oil must flow, flow quickly, have a good handling of sheer.
No one who truly knows engines, aside from the shade-tree people who do their own oil changes and put that out as proof that they know what they are doing or "I've not lost an engine" as proof of anything........will claim a thicker viscosity protects more. Engineering information is out there. So I don't get why there's still a "debate" other than it's the internet and everyone knows stuff - just ask 'em.

 

[ZoMojave]

This subject has been beat to death in many past threads.

Keep it simple and stick with the recommended Pennzoil Ultra Platinum 0w20 with a Mopar MO-349 filter.

Do it yourself and don't trust the "Quicky-Lube" next to Walmart.

 

[Badunit]

I have been wondering if thicker oil (the "W" number, though not necessarily 5W) could cause the filter bypass to open on cold start up. I don't see much of anything written about oil bypass valves or what the delta pressure across an oil filter is for various flow rates, viscosities and temperatures. Does it take a completely clogged filter for the bypass to open or will a really cold day and too thick an oil make one open or is it normal that they open when the engine is cold? Anyone have any knowledge about that aspect of the lubrication system?

 

[ShadowsPapa]

I have been wondering if thicker oil (the "W" number, though not necessarily 5W) could cause the filter bypass to open on cold start up. I don't see much of anything written about oil bypass valves or what the delta pressure across an oil filter is for various flow rates, viscosities and temperatures. Does it take a completely clogged filter for the bypass to open or will a really cold day and too thick an oil make one open or is it normal that they open when the engine is cold? Anyone have any knowledge about that aspect of the lubrication system?

One notch up shouldn't be a problem. There are actually cross-overs between the viscosities that are next to each other.
0 is the W number - and 5W would be the next one up.
Every Pentastar I've ever had, it's been the factory recommended stuff.
There's no way you are going to get numbers on when that will open - it's going to depend on the filter material, the surface area, porosity of the filter media (how fine it is), how dirty it is and more. It will also vary with the oil because although you may be running a 0w for example, there's leeway in that number.
Never seen anyone ever wonder or bother trying to figure it out in all of the years I've been in automotive.

these start with the pump in the high volume mode, then drop back. They move oil really fast upon startup.

 

[Badunit]

Never seen anyone ever wonder or bother trying to figure it out in all of the years I've been in automotive.

Me neither but I read or watched something recently that got me wondering about the pressure across an oil filter and if there were times during normal operation that the bypass opens and lets unfiltered oil through. I suppose in general it wouldn't be a problem because the oil in the pan has been through the filter so many times already but there would be that small chance that something "large" might take that exact moment to break loose and go through. Anyway, just a thought.

 

[Escape.idiocracy]

I'm all out of my free oil changes and will be doing them myself with one this weekend. I have a 2021 Gladiator Sport S with the 3.6. It's still blazing hot here in the Florida panhandle and I have a trip to the Smoky Mountains at end of September. I'm going with Pennzoil Platinum or Ultra Platinum but can't decide on 0w20 or 5w30. The last time I was in the mountains it was early May and was on fresh 0w20 and oil temp got up to 224 on some of the offroad trails. Most of my current driving is in city with no more than a 15min commute in sometimes horrible stop and go traffic. I am still under warranty but was thinking the 5w30 shouldn't cause any issues. Thoughts?

Ultra platinum always… significantly better oil over just platinum…. Bob is the oil guy has a lot of data from different time periods to support this statement.
My opinion 5w30.

 

[ErylFlynn]

On a similiar topic, where in the manual does it say how many quarts it needs? Got a 23 and searching for the word quart only finds quarter. I heard the new ones are 5 quarts only, planning to pick up oil for my first change at about 700 miles. Hoping I have my blackstone bottles in time.

 

[whysoserious]

On a similiar topic, where in the manual does it say how many quarts it needs? Got a 23 and searching for the word quart only finds quarter. I heard the new ones are 5 quarts only, planning to pick up oil for my first change at about 700 miles. Hoping I have my blackstone bottles in time.

Look near page 423 in the Technical Specifications section.

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