Topic: First New Car in 13 Years.. have a couple of questions

[Bob Wessner]

Title pretty much says it. I have a couple of questions. When did 0w20 oil come into to vogue? Seems one step removed from water.  The engine incorporates dropping two cylinders from the power train under certain conditions.. cruising on flat roads presumably. How exactly does that technology work? Is it simply a matter of cutting off the fuel injection to the two being dropped or is there more involved? Inquiring mind wants to know. 

[70CB750]

I remember reading on it when Chrysler brought it to market in a Jeep. 

You can read more here:

http://autos.jdpower.com/content/consumer-interest/gnHI9wQ/engine-cylinder-deactivation-saves-fuel.htm

[Bob Wessner]

Thanks, interesting read, particularly the Honda segment since mine is a 2013 Pilot. Things have changed in 13 years.  When you add in all the new electronic doodads, vehicles have become more complicated. Still learning things about it. There is no outward indication that you are running on 4 cylinders rather than 6 (no light on the dash, etc.) which seems more than willing to display every other damn thing. 

[ekpent]

Nice boat Bob   

[70CB750]

You would think that you could hear the difference.

I remember reading some place else that they used exhaust fumes to cushion idling pistons, but can't find it now.

 If I remember correctly, that engine closed all valves on half of the cylinders after the last spark and the exhaust fumes were contained the whole time those cylinders were not firing.

[Bob Wessner]

Funny you should mention the term "boat."  The 13 year old ride was a 2000 CRV and by comparison, the Pilot feels like one. All things considered though I really like it so far. 

[Bob Wessner]

You would think that you could hear the difference.

I don't hear anything different, however, you can at some points, feel a very subtle change, very, very subtle. Not sure if that what is going on, or it's just the variable torque management. Very smooth overall though and for once, I own a car that can actually tow something if needed.

[ekpent]

Do we Dare ask what kind of lawnmower or generator or rototiller or other handy device you own with the H label. Know you own one two stroke,a little Toro snowmachine like mine,may have to use it again soon over here   

[333]

Never heard of 0W20 before. What the heck did you get, Bob?

Back in the mid 70s, I worked for the guy that perfected that tech that turns off cylinders.  And while the history books don't mention him, he sold it to GM, and it showed up in the 1980 Cadillac lineup as the V 8-6-4 engine.

[Bob Wessner]

It's a 2013 Honda Pilot, small six.

[1976verona]

You can thank the EPA for the 0-20 oil. To get to the Govt. regulated fuel mileage the builders have to use this grade oil to try to get as much mileage as they can.

[Roach Carver]

We have a pilot as well. I want to say its a 2011 or 2012. current body style. On ours when it cuts to 4 cyl it says eco on the cluster somewhere. I assume thats what it is indicating. It doesnt stay on very often.

[faux fiddy]

You can thank the EPA for the 0-20 oil. To get to the Govt. regulated fuel mileage the builders have to use this grade oil to try to get as much mileage as they can.

+1. It's all about having a number on the windshield that says what kind of mileage it gets. Thicker oil is harder to push and pimp around.  From there you get, well as Bob says 'watery' oil.

[gerhed]

Bob,

I just got a new car for the fist time in 10 years.
Ford CMax Energi.
The 2 Liter motor uses that 0-20 oil
It's called a plug-in hybrid.
You can charge it up and go about 25 miles all electric.
My daily round trip is around 20 miles.
I haven't bought any gas since I got it in December !

Phil

[Duanob]

I would say cars are just built better these days. You can comlain about regulations all you want but the fact of the matter is cars not only last longer, they get more horsepowere per CC and get better gas mileage as well. On top of that oil is just better these days too.

My wife's Honda Civic hybrid uses 0-20W oil. I made the mistake of putting 10-30 in once and the mileage dropped by 5 MPGs. I changed the oil again shortly after that. It was good for 40+ MPGs again. Oh yeah and this car has 190K miles on it and still running strong. Its not a big deal its just change that some of us seem to have a hard time with. Kinda like electronic ignitions vs points

[Bob Wessner]

I would say cars are just built better these days. You can comlain about regulations all you want but the fact of the matter is cars not only last longer, they get more horsepowere per CC and get better gas mileage as well. On top of that oil is just better these days too.

My wife's Honda Civic hybrid uses 0-20W oil. I made the mistake of putting 10-30 in once and the mileage dropped by 5 MPGs. I changed the oil again shortly after that. It was good for 40+ MPGs again. Oh yeah and this car has 190K miles on it and still running strong. Its not a big deal its just change that some of us seem to have a hard time with. Kinda like electronic ignitions vs points

Couldn't agree more. My 2000 CRV had 183,000 on it and was running like new, but in terms of looks, not so much. We wanted something with more room for road trips and more hauling capacity. I knew we would lose a few mpg but my contribution to our monthly fuel costs are negligible. My wife is still commuting so that's a different kettle of fish. Just returned from a quick 400 mi trip in the Pilot. Simply put, love it. 

[333]

Honda and Toyota have always had good motors.  Nissan? Not so much. I just got my son out of an '03 that had more trips to the shop than my '95 Cutlass, '00 Astro. and '05 Equinox combined(all GM for those not familiar).

[BobbyR]

Bob, as one of the other old farts on here that remember when our cars had manual chokes, and a cable adjusted what vent the air came out of. These things are "different". The SAE 0 oils bother me a bit, but I lease so if it holds together for 3 years, the future does not belong to me. I have a Honda Crosstour AWD or 4WD whatever. It works well in snow.
Unless they changed it it is a six that runs on 6-4-3 cylinders. There is an ECO light that tells you how "Green" you are. It is on mostly down hill or coasting. It is not flat here and I tend to drive quickly. They may have taken the light out since it draws my eye when it comes on.

You will barely notice it, they did a good job covering the changeover. Sometimes you feel like a micro surging when it is hunting for the right number of cylinders.

The Radio is part of the system. On 3 cylinders it sounds like a washing machine. They pipe a frequency through the speakers to cancel out the sound to your ears. This "cancelling" sound comes through with the radio on or off. You can get a hint of the real motor sound if you get next to a wall with the window open on a flat highway and a light pedal.

I like the Honda, but I like my Lincoln better which is also AWD. Hondas are overpriced, and since I lease, long term reliability is not an issue. Good luck on your new ride!!!! Stay away from the Howard Stern on the SiriusXM.     

 

[Bob Wessner]

Bobby, as near as I can tell,  the green "ECO" light seems to be nothing more than a manifold vacuum indicator. I've generally had a light foot for accelerating. So far my mileage is right where I would expect it would be. Still haven't gotten use to the idea there's no chart for oil change intervals. The car will tell me when I need one. 

[azuredesign]

I have been running my manufacturers recommended 0-40w synthetic for 8 years now. It may be as thin as water when it gets hot, but I dont burn any oil and the level remains constant. I figure tolerances are tighter nowadays, and perhaps engine design is more convoluted so that lubricating the nether reaches of a high performance engine mean that thinner oils are needed. I have no idea if this is true, but that was my rationalization.

[BobbyR]

Bobby, as near as I can tell,  the green "ECO" light seems to be nothing more than a manifold vacuum indicator. I've generally had a light foot for accelerating. So far my mileage is right where I would expect it would be. Still haven't gotten use to the idea there's no chart for oil change intervals. The car will tell me when I need one. 

Bob, that is so 20th Century  . Since there is a engine management system, it would command  the reduction of cylinders in use and the light to come on in response.

You can usually pull up  menus on one of the displays. You can usually display the remaining Oil life along with other stuff.

[Bob Wessner]

Yup, knew about the remaining oil life display. Just haven't gotten use to the old fashioned (20th Century ) printed table of recommended oil change intervals based on type of driving. Makes sense that with all the electronics now the car knows how many miles driven since the last change, plus a clock chip to tell how many miles are being accumulated over a given period of time.

[Dream750]

I have an Intelligent Oil Life Monitor (IOLM) in my 2012 Mustang and I’m still getting use to the idea. I would think that Honda and Ford use the same or similar technology. Here is Ford’s description of the IOLM: 

How the IOLM works:

The IOLM does not use oil quality sensors – it is entirely software-based and uses actual engine operating conditions to calculate the oil change interval by using an algorithm. This means the system must be reset after an oil change. Not doing so will result in a premature OIL CHANGE REQUIRED message.
 
What the IOLM measures to determine when an oil change is needed:

Several key factors that affect oil life include:
Driving habits (such as towing and workload)
Hours in operation and at idle
Oil and coolant temperature
Engine speed and torque
Diesel particulate filter (DPF) cleaning cycles

The frequency of oil changes, depending on driving conditions, oil change intervals are approximately:

Up to 10,000 miles - Normal commuting with highway driving
5,000 – 7,500 miles - Trailer tow/high-load driving
3,000 – 5,000 miles - Short trip usage, extreme cold or hot temperature
NOTE: Actual mileage will depend on your specific driving conditions.

Under normal conditions, you will get an OIL CHANGE REQUIRED message at up to 1 year, or 10,000 miles from the previous oil change.

[BobbyR]

You would be amazed at the amount of data the car systems are recording on you.

[Bob Wessner]

You would be amazed at the amount of data the car systems are recording on you.

Actually the Pilot manual spells it out in detail. About 30 seconds worth of data is stored. Better drive safe and hope it blames the other guy.