What oil to pour into a car engine in winter

Change of oil

We do not dispute the fact that a machine engine regularly needs to be replaced with high-quality lubricant; this is an immutable truth. Looking under the hood from time to time is a good habit, but in winter you shouldn’t change the oil; you can only top it up if your engine is very thirsty. The engine dipstick, which measures the amount of lubricant remaining in the crankcase, will tell you that it’s time to add oil.

Motorists believe that motorcycle mileage increases faster in winter than in summer. This happens due to the constant operation of the car during forced stops and long warm-up before trips, which most drivers use. Operating a car in winter comes with dangers that most drivers underestimate.

This refers to the ingress of water into the oil system, which is formed due to the condensation of vapors from combustion products. At subzero temperatures, all cars are subject to greater loads than in the warm season, therefore, you need to prepare your car for winter in advance, that is, in the fall. In winter it is harder for the oil to work, so fresh blood will make its work much easier.

How to choose engine oil for the winter

The only question is which oil to prefer? The question is not an easy one, especially if you remember that the shelves of automobile stores offer a wide range of products, something to suit every budget.

As you may have guessed, dear readers, today we will talk about motor oils intended for use in winter, as well as how to correctly read the information placed on the cans.

We adhere to the recommendations of automakers

Experts advise thrifty car owners to use all-season oil (it is very easy to recognize: the packaging container must be marked 5W40 (thickening temperature is -35 degrees Celsius) or 10W30 (thickening temperature is -20 degrees Celsius).

If you don’t mind spending money on servicing your iron horse, then there is a reason to pay attention to fully synthetic oils (0W40 or 0W50). True, if your car has run more than 100,000 km, it is better to opt for semi-synthetic products.

Let's return to synthetics. This type of oil can not only ensure engine starting at 50-degree frosts, but can also protect the cylinder-piston group from increased wear. It's no secret that the first five minutes of engine operation after a frosty night correspond to a couple of tens of kilometers.

What if you drive semi-synthetic in the summer and use fully synthetic oil in the winter? Surely a similar question arises among many motorists.

You can do this, you just need to remember the following points. First. Changing the brand or classification (more about it below) of motor oil is nothing more than an additional load for the engine, and therefore it is very advisable to have time to make at least one more oil change before the onset of frost. Second. When changing lubricants seasonally, you should stick to one manufacturer to ensure maximum compatibility. Third. The oil you choose for use in winter must comply with the car manufacturer's recommendations. Otherwise, costly engine repairs cannot be avoided.

Why are car manufacturer recommendations important? You will say: oil is oil in Africa too. The main purpose of any lubricant is to reduce friction resulting from the operation of the power unit. That's how it is. But it’s not for nothing that car companies insist on using one type or another.

For example, if 10W40 oil is recommended, then, in principle, you can fill in 10W50, but you must remember that it will be more viscous at high temperatures (when the engine is warmed up and running). Which in turn will lead to insufficient lubrication of certain elements of the mechanism and, as a result, increased fuel consumption and accelerated wear of the engine as a whole.

The use of 15W40 oil may very likely lead to difficulties when starting the engine in cold weather, but if you have a warm garage where the minimum temperature does not fall below -5 degrees, the use of such oil is allowed.

As for motor lubricant that is much more viscous than recommended, its use will lead to undesirable consequences - it will be worse for pumping by the oil pump through the lubrication system to parts experiencing high friction. The result is oil starvation. I think what it promises is not worth talking about.

The opposite example is that using a more fluid oil than the manufacturer recommends will lead to increased wear (worse lubrication properties) and possible oil leakage through the design gaps.

It also happens that the instruction manual indicates a specific brand of oil, such as original Toyota oil for cars of the same name or manufacturer specifications, for example, GM 6094M (General Motors), WSE-M2C 9 (Ford). What to do in such cases?

If the car is under warranty, it is better to find oil of the specified type at the dealer, so as not to subsequently have bureaucratic problems under the warranty. If the warranty period has expired, you can fill in other brands of oils with suitable characteristics. In this case, the engine will need to be pre-flushed - as when switching to any other type of oil.

Reading the label

Types of motor oils

When choosing oil (synthetic, semi-synthetic, mineral water), it is worth remembering not only the recommendations of the car manufacturer, but also being able to read (decipher) the information that is available on any canister. For what? For example, you cannot find “factory” oil for your car or it is too expensive. The solution would be to purchase an analogue, but in such a case you cannot do without studying the label.

SAE Viscosity Classification

Oil viscosity is one of the main characteristics. First of all, the ease of cold starting in cold weather depends on it. This specification is considered an international standard and is widely used. It determines three types of motor oils by viscosity: winter, summer and all-season.

Winter oil is indicated by the letter “W” and the number in front of it (from the English winter - “winter”): SAE 0W, 5W, 10W, 15W, 20W, 25W.

Summer oil is simply designated by a number: SAE 20, 30, 40, 50, 60.

All-season, as you probably already guessed, is a combination of summer and winter designations, for example, the commonly used SAE 5W30, SAE 10W40.

The “winter” index indicates the minimum temperature to which it is recommended to use the oil. Here you need to use a simple formula: subtract 35 from the winter index and get the minimum temperature. For example, for motor oil with the SAE 10W40 index, the lower temperature limit is -25 degrees. This rule is true for mineral motor oil and is not relevant for synthetics.

Classification of motor oils by performance properties

There are two systems - American and European. Both define the areas of use of motor oils, but the second is more strict. The belonging of an oil to a certain class is established through tests in engines or stands, motor installations. The detergent, anti-wear, anti-corrosion, anti-oxidation and other properties of certified oils are assessed.

API classification

API (American Petroleum Institute) has two categories of oils: “S” (service) and “C” (commercial). Oils of category “S” are intended for gasoline engines, and category “C” for diesel engines, respectively.

The symbols on the label must have a two-letter meaning: the first will be “S” or “C”, the second letter of the Latin alphabet is used to indicate the quality of the motor oil (the farther from the beginning of the alphabet, the better the oil).

Outdated classes of oils today (SA, SB, SC, SD, SF - for gasoline and CA, CB, CC, CD - for diesel) are extremely rare, and those marked “A”, “B” are not produced at all. Oils belonging to these listed classes have relatively low performance indicators and were produced for engines that were less demanding on oil quality. There is nothing wrong with using oil of a higher class, such as SG, instead of SD or SF class oil. The API variety of motor oils produced today is as follows.

For gasoline engines: SG (1989), SH (1993), SJ (1996), SL (2001), SM (2004) - in parentheses it is indicated from which year of manufacture this class of oil is recommended.

For diesel engines: CD (1955), CD-II (1987), CE (1987), CF (1994), CF-2 (1994), CF-4 (1990), CG-4 (1995), CH-4 (1998), CI-4 (2002). The numbers “2” and “4” indicate that the oil is intended for two- and four-stroke engines, respectively.

If the label contains both markings (SJ/CH-4), then the oil is considered universal and can be used in both gasoline and diesel engines. In addition, the API classification uses the marking EC1, EC2 - this is how oils with energy-saving properties are designated, and the higher the number, the higher the percentage of fuel savings.

ACEA classification

ACEA (Association of European Automobile Manufacturers), which appeared in 1996, more fully characterizes the areas of application of motor oils and pays more attention to their anti-wear properties.

All oils are marked with a letter (A - for gasoline engines, B and E - for diesel engines) and a number (the higher its value, the better the characteristics of the oil).

Oils for gasoline engines of passenger cars, minibuses, vans: A1−96, A2−96, A3−96, A4−98, A5−2002.

Oils for diesel engines of passenger cars, minibuses, vans: B1−96; B2−96; B3−96, B4−98, B5−2002.

Engine oils for heavy trucks and road trains: E1−96, E2−96, E3−96, E4−98, E4−99, E5−99.

Since 2004, ACEA has introduced a new class of oils, C, suitable for use in both gasoline and diesel engines.

The right oil

Most car enthusiasts tend to switch to universal all-season fluid, and special summer and winter fluids have become less popular. But in regions where there are sharp temperature changes, oil is selected even before the onset of winter, taking into account the temperature range that is typical for this area.

If you start the engine with a summer engine in severe frosts, then due to the borderline operating mode you risk the performance of not only the battery, but also the starter. It is permissible to use only the winter series of oils, with SAE ratings from 0W to 20W. It will not be superfluous to monitor oil filling at service points. It is necessary to use a proven product, for example, 0W-30 (from -30° to +20°C), which is easy to pump. With their use, you do not have to warm up the engine for a long time.

If the thermometer drops below 40°C, then it is better not to use the car at all. The oil will harden in the cold and turn into a jelly-like mass; the lubricant will not be able to easily move through the pipeline, which threatens rapid wear of the rubbing mechanisms. It also happens that the crankshaft may not turn, and the engine does not start. Please note that synthetic oils may not harden at temperatures as low as -48°C.

It is necessary to change the oil twice a year:

in autumn;
in spring;
if you do not have this opportunity, you need to do this at least once a year, in the spring.

Remember that if you are changing the oil, it would be a good idea to flush the engine and install a new oil filter. If you are changing the fluid in cold weather, then the engine must warm up the car properly for at least ten to fifteen minutes.

Summer oil, winter oil - is that really true?

Once upon a time (about 30 years ago), motor oils actually had such a division: into “summer” oils and “winter” ones. “Summer” ones were more often made in the countries of the socialist camp, on old equipment, these were only mineral

oils that are cheap to produce. The fact is that much fewer requirements are imposed on summer oils used in warm weather. Despite the fact that there are some types of gasoline engines that can only run on summer oils.

For our winter then we needed a different, that is, “winter” crankcase oil. They labeled their oil (mainly foreign companies) with the indices 15W, 10W, and even the most “non-freezing” - 5W (W-winter).

In fact, let’s tell you a secret, all those “bourgeois” oils in practice turn out to be all-season. And the number after

W denotes “summer” viscosity. But these oils also cost significantly more than the summer “Soviet” ones.

After the opening of “free trade”, volumes of products (high quality, and not so high) characterized as all-season oil poured into Russia. From an expensive, scarce “import”, it has become the most commonly used product. Unfortunately, the idea of “separating oils” into seasonal ones still remains.

To some extent, oil manufacturers contribute to this by offering us a “line of winter oils” every year, which are essentially no different from “all-season” oils. Now most manufacturers offer products marked “W”, which already emphasizes that the oil is produced for use in winter.

Another point of view: the lower the freezing point, the better the oil. Of course, if we are talking about winter use. And it’s hard to disagree with her.

But does this mean: for our winter it is better to buy only 0w oil, ignoring everything else? The answer is no. However, the actual temperature is not always below -30. And also (most importantly), in this case you are unlikely to see the difference between 5W30 and 5W40 (the difference is 5 degrees).

According to practice, at a temperature of minus 17-20, any car should start without preheating, with 15w (and 20w) oil corresponding to the required quality level. A different picture will appear at -27...-30. It will be difficult to start the car without pre-warming it (although it would seem that the oils themselves can cope with such a temperature!).

Of course, 5w40 oil is better than 15w40. However, ultra-low temperatures (as well as a difference of “5 degrees”) - we will leave the choice to the consumer.

What happens if you drive on “summer” motor oil in winter?

One of the important indicators of motor oil is its viscosity. The most popular among motorists are the so-called synthetic oils. Manufacturers take the base and mix it with various additives that provide certain characteristics of the future oil, for the further use of which it is recommended to adhere to certain temperature conditions that affect its viscosity. What if you don't stick to it?

This whole thing, naturally, is reflected in the alphanumeric designation on the container label. But what happens if you disobey the recommendations and use oil for a warmer climate in a cold region?

To answer this question, first, you need to figure out what is written on the engine oil label. Typically, the label contains numbers and letters, for example, 5W30. The first number indicates the viscosity class of the oil at sub-zero temperatures and the lower temperature limit at which it will be pumped through the system without problems. This limit can be easily determined by subtracting 40 from this figure.

Thus, 5W30 oil can be used down to −35 degrees. If instead of a five there is a zero, then the oil works at −40, if 20, then at −20. This parameter is never negative and does not exceed 25, while the step between the previous and next parameters is 5 units.

The capital letter W in the alphanumeric code stands for Winter, which is translated from English as “Winter”. In other words, the presence of this particular letter tells us that the motor oil can be used all year round.

But the number following W will tell you about the viscosity of the oil during its operating heating. That is, the maximum 40 units are achieved at a temperature of +100-150 degrees Celsius. The higher this parameter, the better the oil protects engine parts from wear.

From all of the above, it is important to understand that even universal all-season oil has a gradation according to operating temperatures, and it must be selected taking into account the climate and, first of all, the lowest possible temperatures in the region where the car is used. Simply put, living in Yakutia, where frosts reach minus 50 degrees, using, say, 10W40 or 15W40 oil instead of 0W40 oil, you risk, at a minimum, not starting.

But if by some miracle you succeed, then due to poor fluidity, the oil frozen in the cold will have poor penetration and weak lubricating properties. And this, in turn, will lead to rapid wear of the engine’s rubbing parts, or even complete failure.

Lika Shutter, Autoview

Helpful information:

You can get professional advice when selecting a product by calling 8 (calls within Russia are free).

In Russia, it is accepted that winter always comes suddenly, despite all the calendar warnings and meteorologist forecasts. Experienced drivers, who are familiar first-hand with the peculiarities of operating a car in winter, prepare in advance for the change of season. They change the washer fluid, change the car’s shoes from summer tires to winter tires in a timely manner, and also do not forget about the heart of their iron horse and change the engine oil.