98 Camry / 97 Taurus oil recommendations

[grm386wa]

I've got, since new, a 98 Camry 2.2 4 cyl.
OCI at 3 to 5K with as hih as 7K if we were slow on getting it done. Always with conventional oil. Engine has 154K on it.
97 Taurus has +/- 4K mile intervals of conventional and 108K miles on it.

Will be doing 2 complete phases of ARX on them as soon as it arrives. (Conventional oil for both cars for both cleaning and rinsing phase)

After my 2 phases and all my cleaning and rinsing are done, what would be my best choice for "over the counter oil" (an oil that I can find readily at most auto parts places)?

To narrow it down, should I use a conventional oil (if so, which weight) or a synthetic (again, which weight)?

I live in the south (TN) and the driving is mostly open road. 30% stop and go and 70% interstate driving.

 

[hominid7]

Your Camry is spec'd for 5w30. Your Taurus has been back-spec'd for 5w20. I'm sure both orig'y allowed for heavier oils which you could use if you have any oil usage problems.

To simplify things, i would use 5w30 in both of them. As far as what brand, hard to say what is "Best".

Among the 5w30's Motorcraft, Havoline, Castrol GTX, Valvoline, and Pennzoil all are very good. Castrol and Pennzoil might be a little easier to find in the gallong jugs, etc... If you have a walmart close by, your choices should be endless. At my walmart Havoline and Pennzoil are the same price, and both are less expensive than Motorcraft, Castrol, or Valvoline.

Unless you are going to do any extreame driving, personally i dont see the financial advantage to using 100% synthetics. Obviously they may protect better, but in most cases conventional will achieve engine life beyond the rest of the car if properly maintained.

edit: I just re-read your post and considering the mileage, if you have been using something other than 5w30 (Like 10w30) you should use caution in switching to a diff viscosity. It wont kill anything but you should be sure to keep your eye on the oil level.

 

[road_rascal]

I've been using Mobil 1 5w30 in my '99 Taurus since I bought it used (had 21K now 62K). I have since switched over to Pennzoil Platinum 5w30 and change every 6 months.

 

[JohnBrowning]

Chevron Suprem or Havoline in 10W30. I would use this in both vechiles. Both of the above have turned in insanely good used oil analysis in everything they have been run in!

 

[milwaukee]

I vote for using whatever name brand SM rated 5/10w-30 is cheapest when you go buy oil.

If you want a "better" oil I would use one of the high mileage oils like maxlife but I don't think you "need" a high mileage oil.

 

[SWS]

I have a '97 Camry 4-cyl that I bought new. I have 80K miles on it and I also live in TN. My Camry is similar in design to yours, and similarly maintained. I drive mostly in the city, however. Note that the V6 mostly, and the 4-Cyl to a lesser degree are prone to sludge in the years '97-'01, due to several design issues. It sounds like you have done well with your car, but keep in mind that the head runs very hot and you may be at the limit of thermal breakdown using conventional oil on a hot summer day, like today. In Apr-04, at 55K miles, I switched from conventional oil to synthetic (Mobil 1 5w30). After 2 short OCI due to the synthetic getting dirty quickly, I extended my OCI to 6 months. I pulled the valve cover 1 year ago and everything is clean. Now I use Mobil 1 Extended Performance 5w30.

Please ensure that you keep your PCV system clean. It is weak on this engine and needs to be in top shape. This is one of the contributors to the sludging problem.

Best Wishes as you Motor Along!