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About motor & engine oils
Reading 5W-30 and its relatives
The first number with the W describes cold flow, the second how thick the oil stays at operating temperature. A 0W-20 reaches the top of a cold engine faster than a 10W-40, which is why many modern engines specify thin oils. Thicker is not automatically better: modern engines have tight tolerances and oil-fed parts such as variable valve timing that are designed around a specific grade.
The rating matters as much as the grade
API SP is the current standard for petrol engines, and many carmakers add their own approvals on top. If your manual asks for a specific approval, meeting the viscosity alone is not enough. Diesel engines use a different set of ratings again.
Synthetic, blend or conventional
Full synthetic holds its thickness better when hot, flows better when cold and generally lasts longer between changes. A blend sits in between. Conventional oil still works in older, simpler engines that are changed often. For short trips, towing, hot climates or long intervals, synthetic is the safer choice.
Too much oil, too little oil
Both are a problem. Running low starves the pump and the bearings. Overfilling lets the crankshaft whip the oil into foam, which pumps badly and can push oil past seals or into the intake. A small overfill, roughly a quarter of a quart above the top mark, is usually harmless and worth correcting at the next change. A large overfill is worth draining now. Our guides cover the symptoms and the fix for both.
Checking the level properly
Park level, switch off, wait a few minutes for the oil to drain back, then pull and wipe the dipstick, push it fully home and pull it again. Reading a dipstick straight after switching off is the most common reason people think they are a litre low.