Factory Oil Type for Outlander PHEV

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STS134

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Jul 11, 2018
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Location
Saratoga, CA
Anyone know what type of oil (viscosity and whether it's synthetic or not) the Outlander PHEVs have when they roll out of the factory?
 
Probably depends on where the new vehicle is destined for - ie. the temperature extremes the oil is likely to encounter. In the UK you'll be lucky to find much below -10oC or much above +35oC. We seem to use 5W30 fully synthetic oil. Not the case in other parts of the world. I've seen 0W20 quoted for USA.

It'll always be fully synthetic though, especially useful if the PHEV is running on electric and then the motor suddenly starts up from cold, during an overtaking manoeuvre. Apparently synthetic oil is better at coating surfaces than semi-synthetic. The Bearings are also apparently 'resin' coated to cope with this potential sudden demand in use.
 
STS134 said:
Anyone know what type of oil (viscosity and whether it's synthetic or not) the Outlander PHEVs have when they roll out of the factory?

The USA manual recommends 0W-20 Synthetic, so can't imagine they will put anything less than they recommend. There are also some suggestions that manufacturers coat internal engine parts with special lubricants that then becomes part of the engine oil, creating a unique break-in mixture. Either way, Mike Miller, a BMW master technician, recommends changing the first engine oil and filter sooner than normal due to the initial metallic parts that inevitably shave off on break-in. The full description of this recommendation is quoted below (yes he's a BMW guy, but applies to all ICE engines):

'Before they started paying for maintenance, BMW performed a break-in service at 1,200 miles on new cars, which included changing the engine oil and filter, manual gearbox oil, and differential oil. With the advent of Free Scheduled Maintenance, BMW stopped performing break-in services except on M cars.
As of the E90-family M3, BMW has started to dumb-down the break-in service for M cars, as well. Readers report some dealers refuse to change gearbox and/or differential oil at 1,200 miles even though both are specified in the owner's manual.
I have seen that the engine and driveline oils in new modern BMWs are literally full of metal at 1,200 miles – as has always been the case with any new car. For this reason, I recommend a 1,200-mile break-in service. Note: In case of automatic transmission, no ATF and filter change is necessary at 1,200 miles.
As for break-in technique, my best advice is to break-in the engine over an extended road trip comprised of as much mountainous terrain as possible, for as long as possible up to 1,200 miles, and keep the rpms within the limits BMW recommends on the windshield sticker included with all new BMWs.
I also recommend a 1,200-mile break-in service for rebuilt engines and other rebuilt drivetrain components.'
 
Dealership told me it's 0W-20 synthetic. They should really tell this to everyone, as it's important to tell the lab what type it is for oil analysis.
 
STS134 said:
Manual recommends several types of oil, it doesn't say ONLY 0W-20 is acceptable.

I don't know, I took the manual to mean only one engine oil is recommended:

Mitsubishi Motors Genuine 0W-20 Synthetic Engine Oil is recommended for optimum fuel economy and cold weather starting. If Mitsubishi Motors Genuine 0W-20 Synthetic Engine Oil is not available, 5W-20 grade oils displaying the ILSAC certification can be used. However, Mitsubishi Motors Genuine 0W-20 Synthetic Engine Oil should be used at the next oil change to maintain optimum fuel economy and cold weather starting
 
Per the manual about the oil this is what is specified.

Select engine oil of the proper SAE viscosity
number according to the atmospheric
temperature.
SAE 0W-20, 0W-30, 5W-30, and 5W-40
engine oils can only be used if they meet
ACEA A3/B3, A3/B4 or A5/B5 and API
SG (or higher) specifications.

I was asking for 0w-20 oil on my 1st service, but they told me that recommended oil was 5w-30

Interesting enough on my 2nd service using a different Mitsubishi dealer , it was suggested to use 5w-40

Here temperature is as low as -23c (-15c happen every year in winter), and as high as +35c in summer
 
elm70 said:
Per the manual about the oil this is what is specified.

Select engine oil of the proper SAE viscosity
number according to the atmospheric
temperature.
SAE 0W-20, 0W-30, 5W-30, and 5W-40
engine oils can only be used if they meet
ACEA A3/B3, A3/B4 or A5/B5 and API
SG (or higher) specifications.

I was asking for 0w-20 oil on my 1st service, but they told me that recommended oil was 5w-30

Interesting enough on my 2nd service using a different Mitsubishi dealer , it was suggested to use 5w-40

Here temperature is as low as -23c (-15c happen every year in winter), and as high as +35c in summer

That is not in the USA manual, must be Euro or Poland specific. If I had to lean towards one side, I would go thinner, simply because of the on-and-off nature of the phev's ICE, which puts more importance on fast oil movement (another example of on-and-off engines, the 2018 Toyota Camry hybrid, Toyota recommends 0W-16, even thinner than Mitsubishi's). But if one regularly uses ICE and for long periods, maybe thicker is the way to go.
 
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