Manual says one thing, Oil Cap says another?

[TheDude266]

Hey guys,

I have the 2019 Ram Classic 1500 with the 3.6L Pentastar engine.
My manual states to use 0W-20 oil while the oil cap has indicated on it to use 5W-20.
I am so confused. LOL.
I live in Canada, so the winters can be cold. Not sure if that is why the oil cap indicated to use 5W.
Anyone else find this or have insight on it?

Thanks
Take Care

 

[El Huapo]

I go with the 5w-20 on my engine. If it has trouble cranking up in your wintertime, maybe 0w-20 would be better. Either way I would think you would be covered, warrantee-wise since you could point to either one in a claim situation. remember that the lower number is only with a cold engine, once temps are up the 20 is the working number.

Have you noticed the 90+ psi oil pressure when you first start it up? It worried me and a lot of other folks, but after thinking about it, that would truly ensure that the crankshaft had good enough oil pressure to lift it off the bearings if it had sat for long. I love my V6!

 

[huntergreen]

I don't believe there is enough of a difference between the 5-20 and 0-20 that one would make a difference when starting in colder weather. In my 15 wrangler I use 5-30. Runs very smooth and quitely.

 

[dexter]

Hey guys,

I have the 2019 Ram Classic 1500 with the 3.6L Pentastar engine.
My manual states to use 0W-20 oil while the oil cap has indicated on it to use 5W-20.
I am so confused. LOL.
I live in Canada, so the winters can be cold. Not sure if that is why the oil cap indicated to use 5W.
Anyone else find this or have insight on it?

Thanks
Take Care

You a Canadian go with 0.

Some alcoholic on the assembly line put the wrong cap on.

 

[TheDude266]

I go with the 5w-20 on my engine. If it has trouble cranking up in your wintertime, maybe 0w-20 would be better. Either way I would think you would be covered, warrantee-wise since you could point to either one in a claim situation. remember that the lower number is only with a cold engine, once temps are up the 20 is the working number.

Have you noticed the 90+ psi oil pressure when you first start it up? It worried me and a lot of other folks, but after thinking about it, that would truly ensure that the crankshaft had good enough oil pressure to lift it off the bearings if it had sat for long. I love my V6!

Thanks, and I didn't notice that but will check.
I appreciate your feedback.
Take Care

 

[TheDude266]

You a Canadian go with 0.

Some alcoholic on the assembly line put the wrong cap on.

Hahaha.
Thanks!

 

[TheDude266]

I don't believe there is enough of a difference between the 5-20 and 0-20 that one would make a difference when starting in colder weather. In my 15 wrangler I use 5-30. Runs very smooth and quitely.

Thanks for that.
Take Care

 

[marc cormier]

i asked the exact same question to my dealer last week. from what i undersdtand sometime on the production line they switched from 5w20 to 0w20. (so from mineral to synthetic oil). they checked with my serial number and told me mine needed 5w20. that being said my previous 2015 wrangler (also with the pentastar) uses 5w20 and i switched to full synthetic (royal purple) at the first oil change and never regret it. since i'm in quebec, canada we have both extreme weather all year long. hot temperature in summer and extreme cold in winter, truck is outside all year long, no heater block in winter or nothing, never got a single problem. i'm sold to synthetic oil since a long time

 

[leowes]

The 0w20 is synthetic only and it is used to reduce drag on motor to squeak out extra mpg’s. the industry has been using it for over 15 years now

 

[DILLIGAF]

0w20 is literally junk ! look at the oil thread and Blackstone lab reports.

 

[Burla]

You need to look at the specs of any oil. 0 winter rating has nothing to do with the weight of an oil, it's very likely both 0w20 and 5w20 will have the same flow when warm. The difference is if the oil is a standard group 3 oil, the 0w20 will have more vii's in the formula, but depending on the specs it could be pao based, meaning the 0w20 can be better then most 5w20's as far as quality.

So you can look for oils with Mercedes, Porsche, or even GM dexos1:GEN2, which are your stay in grade specs, meaning those oils base oils likely will have some pao's in there in the 0 winter ratings. You can also see if it is written in mds. While ms6395 is an oil spec mostly concerned with cleanliness, it doesn't address the use or heavy use of vii's.

I'm surely not saying that oil that only have ms6395 aren't execclent oils, because they are, I'm just saying that 0w20 oils most of the time are the highest quality oils as well. If I lived in snow area, I would use 0 winter rated oils. The main thing to consider is pricing, the 0 winter rated oils that have a larger price tag will likely be your stay in grade oils, likely a little better at everything then 5w20. The one exception might be PUP, as it isn't pao but most people believe the group GtL should have it's own grouping, maybe 3.5. Bottom line, the knocks against 0w20 are a fallacy based in myth not science.

 

[Burla]

ACEA A3/B3, A5/B5 and C3 oils are the better quality, stay in grade performance oils as well. But some specs are more stringent than others. Usualy if you see mercedes or porsche specs those will be top shelf, and usually have other specs as well.

look for higher Viscosity index as well.

 

[Burla]

Ask yourself why 0w20 tends to have higher viscosity index then 5w20, and why 0w30 tends to have higher viscosity index than 5w30. This answers any questions about the quality of 0 winter rated oils.

 

[stenerson]

I always use full synthetic 0w oils in my vehicles. I didn't notice a price difference with the 5w at Walmart. In reality I doubt it makes a difference unless you're living in Northern Siberia.