1. Home
  2. Saturn Cars Forum
  3. Oil for older engines?

Oil for older engines?

Just heard a castrol ad on the radio for oil for older engines...preventing oil burnoff.

My '94 (157,000 miles) SL2 used just over a quart between oil changes (2,500 miles) when it was new. Now she's burning more. I'm using 10-30 oil.

Anyone have experience with oil for high-mileage cars? Should I use 10-40? How about some of these additives that are on the market?

Thanks.

And thanks for all the help troubleshooting the whining noise in the engine. Turned out it was the idler pully. Piece of cake to change out once I removed the upper motor mount. I replaced the tensioner, too, while I was at it. $51, and an extra 45 minutes. Well worth it, I think.

Barry

Reply to
Barry Schnoor
Loading thread data ...

I've had good luck using an engine flush (add to you oil, run 5 minutes, then change your oil and filter) then filling with Mobil 1. Cut my consumption in half.

engines...preventing

Reply to
Steve

Straight 30 weight will work well. If it had been used from the get go, you probably wouldn't be using oil now. Those thin assed multi vis oils are worthless.

Reply to
Steve Barker

At normal engine operating temperatures 5W30, 10W30, and straight 30 weight have almost identical viscosities. When cold, the 5W30 and 10W30 flow better than the straight 30 weight. There are still applications for straight weight oil, but modern engines, as used by most people, aren't one of them.

Regards,

Ed White

Reply to
C. E. White

That might be true if you lived somewhere where it was constantly hot!

...Cold starts, biggest wear factor on an engine. Why make it worse...

Reply to
Blah blah

Has worked fine here for 35 years. temps from minus 20 to 100+. 30 weight all year around in my personal vehicles AND the fleet of 35 I'm in charge of. Diesels, gassers, 4 cylinder up to DT466

Reply to
Steve Barker

And I have been using multi-viscosity oil for 35 years...including five different farm tractors with diesels. I've never had any sort of engine failure related to the oil.

Regards,

Ed White

Reply to
C. E. White

Straight 30-weight is only thicker in cold temperatures, when you DON'T want it to be. There is no reason to use straight-weight oil in a modern engine.

Reply to
Robert Hancock

Wrong.

Reply to
Steve Barker

Differing opinions.

modern

Reply to
Napalm Heart

Who cares. Keep using your so called straight "weight" oil. Anyone that uses "weight" as a way to discribe oil has already lost the argument anyhow.

Reply to
Blah blah

Why is he wrong? I can't find one rational reason for typical drivers to use straight 30 weight in a modern engine. For engines that are in more or less continuous service, there is a small cost advantage to running straight

30 weight, but I can't find any evidence that 5W30 doesn't provide superior performance to straight 30 weight of similar quality.

Ed

Steve Barker wrote:

Reply to
C. E. White

MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.