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how different are they?

15 years ago

I just purchased a 2002 Mitsubishi Galant, which I'm very pleased with. I am fixing to do an oil change. This is my question: what brand and/or viscosity would anybody recommend for a 4-cylinder, FWD, in north Texas?

I've always been a big fan of Castrol GTX, 20-50. Also I'm having trouble reading the tranny fluid level on the dipstick. This of course is most likely because the level is low. Now, should I drain and refill? Should I take it to a lube shop and pay them to do it?

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Comments (4)

bill_h
15 years ago
even in texas with the heat, 20w50 is to heavy! you will destroy the cams, it takes too long to flow to the top of the engine. 5w30 is recomended, you might be safe with 10w 30. as far as automatic trans fluid goes mitsibishi calls for their own specs, its the same as what hyundai, and kia use. use anything else and your trans wont make 500 miles beyond the flush. USE WHAT THE OWNERS MANUAL CALLS FOR!and i would strongly recomend that you use the misibishi dealer for the trans flush.
jemdandy
15 years ago
Read the owner's manual instructions for reading the fluid level in the transmission. Many vehicles require that the engine be running to get the proper fluid level reading for the transmission.

In regard to engine oil, refer to the owner's manual.

A generic guide to engine oil viscosity:

0 to 100 F, use 10 W 30
32 to -20 F, use 5 W 30
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sailor86
Original Author
15 years ago
thanks for the tip! It just so happens that I took the car to the lube guys and for the second time in my life, paid to have my oil changed. I started asking questions and they assured me that 5w30 is what the manufacturer calls for. So I guess they were right. So 20/50 is out of there? I wonder how much damage I did in the past because that's pretty much all I believed in, particularly in the summer.
Also, does anybody believe in oil and/or fuel additives. I just added a bottle of STP white bottle to my gas. Naturally I can't tell the difference since the car is so new. I looked at and passed on a bottle of techroline although a friend once highly recommended it. Is it worth the money?
I think my next step is to take a look at the spark plugs and wires. Is it true that anytime you change the wires or plugs you need to adjust your timing?
jemdandy
15 years ago
Changing spark-plugs and spark-plug-leads has no effect on timing.

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