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Recently when I had some work done I was shown a minor leak, I believe he told me it was the oil pan. It doesn't drip out onto the ground, but if you look closely you can see condensed oil drops on the side of the block.

I recently noticed that the car is using 10W30 oil from the previous owner, but the manufacturer recommends 5W30 (94 Integra). Will this cause this leak to be a larger issue or possibly be harder on the engine? I've heard some people say that it's better to run thicker oil on older cars both to help seal any leaks and cause better performance/car life.

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3 Answers 3

The first number in the oil rating classifies its' cold start properties. The second number references its' hot properties. Since the oil is most likely to leak while it is hot you should see no difference since both have the same characteristics when hot.

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Oil leak or not, I'd switch and run the recommended oil. Definitely keep an eye on your oil loss and consumption though.

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I agree with Brian! Using a different type of oil you can cause a lot of damage to your engine! I would switch it to the recommended oil type!

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