So what do those fancy numbers mean on the bottle? The most commonly used motor oil in my area is 10W-40. For some background information, the climate of where I am is typically a mild winter, with an extremely hot winter. Winter’s typically don’t dip below mid 40F at night, while during the summer the highs here can reach up to 120F! Deserts are weird like that, 10W-40 can generally handle the extreme difference in outside temperatures here.

If you live in a place where it regularly gets below freezing during the winter, you have plenty of options.

The lower the first number, the better suited said motor oil is for colder temperatures, remember that.

For me, I use Pennzoil 10W-40 in both my R3 and my Focus. For my gas powered lawn mower, I just use gas station brand off the shelf blend stuff. I change the oil on the R3 every 3,000 miles, and on the Focus every 5,000. The mower gets a change every year.

So, that first number on the front there. The first number on a bottle of motor oil is always going to mean the viscosity. The lower the number, the less viscous the fluid is. While the higher the number, the more it is. To put things simply, the lower number means that the motor oil is more water like, while the higher number means the oil is far more thicker. So 20W motor oil is going to be thicker than 0W. If I ever find out anyone of you refer to higher viscous motor oil as “thicc” I will find you.

When I first started getting into mechanics, I was taught that the W after that first number stood for weight. Hey, it made sense for me at fourteen. But guess what, it doesn’t stand for weight at all. That W actually stands for winter. The first number with the W right next to it will mean that the motor oil will hold a different viscosity right after startup, or on a cold morning.

The second number coincides with that first number. While the first number refers the viscosity upon the engine starting, the second number refers to the high temperature rating for it. If you constantly bang through your gears on your way to work, or carve up the canyons on weekends a higher secondary number is going to be better for you. If you live in an area like I do, where it gets ridiculously hot outside, that secondary number is going to be beneficial to you as well.

You should always go by what your owner’s manual says. If the owner’s manual says use a Synthetic Blend 10W-30, or 0W-20, use it. If you have an older vehicle, or live in a place with odd temp fluctuations, it’s best to do your research before you do an oil change. Just because 10W-40 works for me, doesn’t mean it’s going to be an exact fit for you.

Some additions

The W stands for winter because an engine is almost always going to be cold when it's first started up. It's equating cold with winter.

SAE stands for Society of Automotive Engineers. These guys are behind the rating system for motor oil.

I like my motor oil T H I C C

Ok I got a question. My truck makes a click noise every 20 -25 seconds. Ice timed it. Don't matter if I'm sitting there idling or driving but it happenes at those times. Sounds like it's coming from the engine compartment.

That sound like anything to you. I'm broke so I'm afraid to bring it in.

This is my life

May I ask for the make, model and what engine you've got in that truck?

Ford ranger 6 cylinder

The 3.0 Liter engine?

4

And you said it was happening during both idling when driving. Does it get worse when the engine is under load or is it a level clicking coming from the engine no matter the RPM range?

@Yuma County I have a question for you, I have a 2006 malibu. and my catalytic converter is really clogged(it's miss firing and I'm fixing that as well), it's starting to kick, like a tranny would, and it's heating up to over 200 degrees in like 5 minutes. So I'm trying to pull the damn thing out and I got the shield off and all the bolts except the one on the underside of the cat that holds that section of exhaust from shaking all over the place. It's the one that holds the cat/manifold to the block. My problem is I don't have an impact, and I can't use a breaker bar because you can't get enough ass on it to even start to get tension. Any ideas? I sprayed with cutting fluid, PB blaster, break cleaner and I can't get it to move at all.

It's a tight space between the firewall and the engine

I had the same issue working on a 1991 Toyota Pickup.

Exhausts are tricky to work on if you don't have a professional lift in your garage.

I was about to say I dont have a lift or life would be easy ahah

Lifts always make life easier.

Anywho

my old '91 had a four clinder engine and I ended up blowing a hole in the midpiple. Seperating it from the O2 sensor and the miffler was easy, but seperating it from the headers was a pain in the ass.

Usually those bolts see a lot of wear and tear.

Wait

Does your Malibus exhaust system have a mid-pipe section or is it just in two pieces?

Typically most exhaust come in threes.

Headers, mid, and muffler

oh damn, from the engine the manifold has the cat attached to it then it has a flange that I can seperate it from the muffler

just 1 cat. 4 cyclinder

Ah Chevys

yeah this thing was made during the years they cut every corner to save money to save the company

I would honestly recomend trying to hunt down an impact wrench fore sure. That doesn't mean give up on trying to get it yourself, however.

yeah that's what I was thinking too.

there's just not enough room to work