oil weight...

[wheres_da_cheese]

im having a major oil leak and my engine was bone-dry so i put some 10W-40 in my car today and it was running fine, until about 30 minutes ago when i tried to start it... my car was just chuggin bad and drove weird as i pulled it out onto the road, so i just drove it back home... i am guessing that i added the wrong weight of oil and would it be safe to drive it just for a day? what oil is recommended? i bought the car without an owners manual so help would be appreciated

[misnomer]

10w40 shouldn't make the difference. . .

Check where your oil level is now. If it did go dry, you may have blown something.

[wheres_da_cheese]

nah, its not dry, i have it half full of oil

im guessing that its just too cold outside and the weight is too heavy? should i be able to run it idle and then drive it safely? im planning on takin it in on monday to get the oil leak looked at

[AKADriver]

10W-40 is listed in the manual as acceptable for temperatures above 0F, but it is honestly a bit heavy. I have 10W-40 in my 140,000 mile 240SX currently, it's a bit reluctant to start on a cold day but it still runs normally.

The recommended oil weight is 5W-30.

[wheres_da_cheese]

so the chugging is normal if i have a weight as heavy as mine? sorry, this is my first car and the first time ive had to deal with winter weather...

my car is just at about 124k miles, and would 10W-30 be worse cuz now that i really think about it, that is what i might have used

it would be nice to know that this is normal for cold weather.. its about 39 degrees outside (sorry, im a texan and thats cold to me! )

[AKADriver]

That's not really normal, especially for 39F. 10W-40 should be fine in that temp range... there's something else afoot.

10W-30 would be the same in the cold as 10W-40.

[wheres_da_cheese]

ok, what do yall think that the problem is then? i really hope this is something i can fix myself... i dont have that much $$$$

[wheres_da_cheese]

i think that its just misfiring becuase water got in the plugs. when i put the oil in i didnt use a funnel and got oil on the exhaust heatshield and my engine bay was smoking after driving for a while. So i washed the engine off at a carwash with a high pressure engine degreaser and water and i probably got some water in the plugs. so i took out the plugs and im letting them air out now. i think that this is probably the problem

[240 2NR]

Slow down the oil insertion next time. If you take it easy you should be able to pour in all the oil without spilling past the little dimple ring around the hole, then all you need is a paper towel to wipe up the excess.

Seriously, cars are not simple machines, take the time to treat it right or you'll have a lot of these threads in your future.

My suggestion is pull out the owner's manual that should be in your glove compartment and read it cover to cover (no I'm not kidding). You can skip the unimportant stuff like presetting your stereo, but you should be able to figure out what's important. It really does tell you what to change and when and what you should be using for oil and the like. It's actually a great source of knowledge for the 240.

[wheres_da_cheese]

Originally posted by wheres_da_cheese
i bought the car without an owners manual so help would be appreciated

[96SEChick]

Originally posted by wheres_da_cheese

You beat me to it.

I know you can probably find an owner's manual on eBay, but it will delay the ability to fix it or find out what it is quickly. Unfortunately my car's up at work so I can't pull my owner's manual out to tell you what weight of oil it recommends. It's either 10w30 or 5w30.

How often did you check your oil level before today? I'm hoping it hadn't been dry or very low for a very long period of time. There is also the possibility that oddly-coincidentally you got a fuel delivery problem today. How was it driving weird? Did your engine sound different than normal, other than the "chugging"? Where is your oil leak (front cover, oil pan, rear main seal, etc)?

[wheres_da_cheese]

i havent checked it since i got the oil changed (2k miles ago) and when i drove the car it just didnt seem right. it wasnt chugging , only when i was idled. i cant tell where the oil is coming from, its all over the bottom of the engine though... It also makes a rattling noise in the engine, its been doing that for a few months now

[240 2NR]

96SECHICK- I'll agree with both weights since I run both myself. 5W-30 in the winter and 10W-30 in the summer.

Cheesy- My guess is you problem is unrealted to oil weight but may be due to too much oil or another problem entirely. The dipstick reads a quart, so if it's at the L it's one quart low, if it's at F it's full and over full means you have too much. If it doen't even make it to low you have problems, but should only add oil one quart at a time and after each one check unless you drain completely before reflling.

Personally, since you can't describe the problem well enough, I would find a person you know who's good with cars and have them look at it. It could potentially be a lot of things (did you check you plugs?) and simply stating that it runs funny doesn't work in the internet world unless you have a vid to go with it. Seriously, it could be the ecu, vacuum leak, plugs or as simple as you putting the wrong grade gas in or something.

Oh, check your oil filter and make sure it's on tight enough. If you've got a lot of oil under your car it could potentially be loose and leaking. Otherwise get under there with some towels and a shop light and find that leak.

[orange-grey]

Definately not an oil weight problem. I run 15W50 Mobil 1 with no problems, just a lot less oil consumption and lifter noise. Might cost a little HP in increased parasitic loss, though. This is California though, I wouldn't reccomend using it in colder climates.

[96SEChick]

Originally posted by 240 2NR
96SECHICK- I'll agree with both weights since I run both myself. 5W-30 in the winter and 10W-30 in the summer.

Same here. BF and I do that in all 3 of our cars (the 240SX w/ 86k, '00 WS6 Trans Am w/ 22k, and '89 Acura Legend w/ 118k). Hasn't caused a single problem.

[wheres_da_cheese]

yeah, i dont think that its related to the oil either. I just checked the oil level and its halfway between L and F so i think im fine, but i know that it is leaking, i can tell by my driveway. The way that it is driving weird is that it idles really low and when im driving it seems that it doesnt respond right. When im just steadily accelerating it seems like it will accelerate a little then a lot and then a little. thats how my idling situation is also, i can be idling from 1100rpm-500 and bouncing back and forth maybe 10 times in a minute. whats the deal? i think that i might have shorted something...

[tnord]

10W-30 in the summer steve? ah c'mon man.......that's weak.

15-50 for me

5-30 in the winter like the rest of you though.

[Hubie]

Sounds like it could be a vacuum leak that could have occured when you used the pressure washer on your engine. Check and or replace all rubber vacuum lines/intake tube that look suspicious or have cracks.

Also, you might want to check your plug wires and replace them if they haven't been replaced. When I first got my car and degreased the whole engine bay I got my plug wires wet and got a misfire. So I just picked up a new set.

[wheres_da_cheese]

ehh, im gettin my sr20 in late march, i dont wanna spend a lot of money into my KA how much are vacuum lines and plug wires?

[240 2NR]

hey, why don't you start looking and thinking about what's going on. I've given you plenty of free things to look at. First off I would find that oil leak of yours, it sounds pretty serious. That alone might be your problem. Secondly you need to do some investigating. You really haven't checked what we've suggested and dismissed most of the answers that cost money (and oddly enough most of the ones that don't).

Take some time and figure out what's going on, then sit down and write a good post about what you think it might be using real words that might be related to cars instead of slang. Tey t describe the sound and where it's coming from and what causes it to change (is it mechaical, pressure loss, related to engine speed, throttle position, etc) Then take the time to care about the engine and the car. Even if you don't plan to keep the KA, what you learn will carry over.

[wheres_da_cheese]

Originally posted by 240 2NR
hey, why don't you start looking and thinking about what's going on. I've given you plenty of free things to look at. First off I would find that oil leak of yours, it sounds pretty serious. That alone might be your problem.

read above, the oil level is between H and F halfway, for some reason it read lower last night, i think its cuz i was parked on an incline

Secondly you need to do some investigating. You really haven't checked what we've suggested and dismissed most of the answers that cost money (and oddly enough most of the ones that don't).

what the hell are you talking about? are you watching me or something? i have checked every single thing you have asked me to.

Take some time and figure out what's going on, then sit down and write a good post about what you think it might be using real words that might be related to cars instead of slang.

I think i gave a pretty good explanation of what the problem was in my posts, and i dont know what slang im using, sorry im not a mechanic, if i was then i would not be posting on here looking for help would i?

Tey t describe the sound and where it's coming from and what causes it to change (is it mechaical, pressure loss, related to engine speed, throttle position, etc)

It sounds just like an engine running except its idling low, then high... im not sure what is causing it to change, that is what i am asking yall

Then take the time to care about the engine and the car. Even if you don't plan to keep the KA, what you learn will carry over.

I do care about the engine, trust me i dont wanna ruin this engine, i need something to drive till i actually get the sr20 anyway and i plan on selling the engine too. If i didnt care about the engine and didnt wanna learn anything about it, i would just drive it till it blew... Im not trying to be an asshole or anything, its just you are trying to make me look like a jackass

[240 2NR]

Well you say it's leaking oil cause you can tell from your driveway, and that it was almost empty in your first post. I still think you need to get under the car and see where it's leaking from if it really did leak bad enough to nearly drain the pan.

Second the idle and acceleration fluctuations sould like either a bad vaccum leak, an ECU/ electrical problem, or some combination possibly incluing the trans. Does it sould like it's bogging and coming back alive, or like it's missing a cylinder and being rough? Do you have electrical drains on the power? Small idle fluctuations are to be expected and some SOHC Ka's would never settle, but yours sounds far beyond the normal weird conditions KA's fall into. The engine rattle sounds bad too, like it may have been low on oil for a while. Or it could be as trivial as a heat sheild that came loose. I'm not trying to sound like a dick, but this thread seems to not progress anywhere since the info you've listed on the problem is limited and jumps around. It's hard to fix a problem you don't have many answers to over the internet. If you really want good help, try compliling a good post and describe in detail the problem(s).

Really, go through wear items like the air filter, check your plugs and wires, do you have any records from the previous owner on when work was done? Were any of these existing conditions?

[wheres_da_cheese]

the only mistake was that the oil wasnt really leaking that much, and i have already corrected that and that is the only "jumpy" thing about this post. i have been checking the oil a lot now and it looks to me as if its staying the same. i cant get under my car because i dont have a jack or jackstands. ive searched the threads and it seems many people have come across this problem but i dont see an answer to it (and most are relating to s13's) the rattle is coming from the engine, i can hear it inside... tomorrow i think i am going to replace my plugs and wires. i dont have electrical drains in power and the car does bog down, it goes all the way to 500rpms sometimes and when it goes below about 1000 rpms it shakes vigorously.

[240 2NR]

Did the car come with the standard scissor jack in the trunk? That's what I use to lift my car half the time since I can't get any dolley jack under it unless it's a low clearance one (my friend's shop has one, it's so nice), and those are expensive.

[wheres_da_cheese]

just replaced the spark plugs and it seems to be running fine now. it ran fine like this earlier today and then started acting up again though, i hope that it stays like this. also, there is a rattling noise coming from the engine, on the top of the head, at the very front left of the head. what could this be? timing chain?

[96SEChick]

I'm glad the plugs & wires helped the idling problem. Good job!! New plugs and wires made a huge difference in the "smoothness" of my idle on my S14 when it had like 75000 miles on it.

The "rattling" coming from the front of the engine could be the upper timing chain guide. Unfortunately, I wouldn't know definitely without looking at it myself. Sorry

[wheres_da_cheese]

thanks for the help, the rattling is starting to get me scared though. im taking it in tomorrow (oops, this morning its 2am ) and i will get the oil leak and the rattling looked at.

im pretty sure that the rattling is coming from the intake cam sprocket

[Hubie]

The DOHC motor isn't known to have the chain guide problems like the SOHC. More than likely it would be your lifters making the tapping noise. I would change the oil out and use a decent oil filter like Purolater if you can't use OEM. Just stay away from FRAM Also, use a good quality oil like Castrol GTX. If not, try using any kind of synthetic, it smoothed things out with my engine. Also, does the tapping noise go away after the car warms up?

[wheres_da_cheese]

yeah, right now im using crappy penzoil cuz i have a leak and i dont wanna be wasting a lot of money in oil, but usually i use Castrol. Wouldnt a synthetic oil be a bad idea to do this late in the car's life (123k miles)? i hear if you havent used synthetic oil since early in the cars life then you might mess some things up. the tapping noise is always there and doesnt go away after warming the engine up

[wheres_da_cheese]

well, it looks like my sr20 is gonna be coming a little earlier this year... my mechanic tells me that the timing chain is coming apart and its gonna be a 18 hour job plus the cost of the components and is gonna cost at max $2500 so... im mad and happy right now in a way, the only thing im not happy about is the fact that im gonna need to find a way to get to work for a while...