Amsoil 0W20, 9516 miles, 04 Saturn Ion

[rprx]

Been lurking around here a long time - figured its about time to contribute something.

2004 2.2 Ecotec, Saturn Ion, 5 speed manual
Amsoil ASM 0W20

Miles on oil: 9516
Miles on unit: 56549
Time on oil: 13 months
Zero makeup oil.

Wix oil filter changed around 6k miles when the OLM indicated oil change time. (No oil loss with filter change on these Ecotec motors.)
Wix air filter with about 25k on it

Not a lot of miles in 13 months due to motorcycle and second car. Half of these miles were 50 mile highway jaunts, the rest were short trips 5 - 10 miles or pulling a utility trailer. Most of these miles are in the cooler weather due to the motorcycle.

I put ASM 0W20 in again and plan to run 15k or 18 months this time, again, swapping the filter whenever the OLM fires off.

Oil history: I ran the factory fill until the OLM went off and then ran the old brew Amsoil 0W30 with annual changes (but no UOAs,) up until the point of switching to 0W20. This is my second Ecotec and I take care several others - I am very impressed with these motors.

OAI did the Analysis, anything not listed is zero.

iron 15
aluminum 3
copper 7
tin 1
cadmium 1
silicon 5
sodium 11
potassium 2
molly 4
boron 8
magnesium 15
calcium 3005
phosphorus 635
zinc 714
fuel < .5
soot < .1
water < .1
oxidation 42
nitration 31
visc@100c 9.5

TBN 5.40

 

[buster]

Another outstanding Amsoil 0w20 UOA.

 

[hate2work]

Wow, that's a great TBN number after almost 10k miles. Amsoil continues to stand out as an excellent oil.

 

[EricZoom]

Looks good. I'm also running Amsoil 0w20 on a 1 yr. OCI with my Mazda under similar conditions, using the Eao oil filter.
I hope my UOA comes out as good as that one.

 

[GMFan]

Ecotec 2.2L = one of the best engines GM ever put out. Ecotecs are by and large much better engines wear wise than the Vortecs

Boring UOA = good UOA

 

[zulu]

The Ecotec motor is on of the best things to come out of GM in a LONG time. My 08 2.4 has been flawless so far.

Curious though, why 0W-20? Obviously it did a great job, but what prompted the switch?

 

[rprx]

Originally Posted By: zulu
The Ecotec motor is on of the best things to come out of GM in a LONG time. My 08 2.4 has been flawless so far.

Curious though, why 0W-20? Obviously it did a great job, but what prompted the switch?


Several reasons: My experience with Amsoil's older 0W30's viscosity drifting up being the primary. In another Ecotec back in 03, it had become an SAE-40 in 15K miles, and in another application, a 93', 3.8L Buick with 200K on the clock, at 23K miles and less than 1 quart of make up oil, it had become a strong SAE-50. In all cases the metals looked great, but I figured this SAE-20 would drift up to an SAE-30, so why not start with an SAE-20, and it did drift up. Granted it only moved from an advertised starting point of 9.0 to 9.5, but an SAE-30 never the less. Also, the car does make quite a few short trips, so I thought the SAE-20 might have an advantage there for wear as well as fuel economy. (No noticeable change in mpg though.)

Even though I am very satisfied with the performance of this 0W20, after the next run, I would consider giving the SSO 0W30 a try, leaving it in for up to as long as two years, at the current annual mileage rate. Since the Wix filters that I use don't seem to be anything special, (no Eao filters for this application and the M1 filter is very hard to find,) swapping them in at the OLM rate would keep the filter fresh.

 

[ToyotaNSaturn]

And people say America makes khrap...

Great UOA! Thanks for sharing, especially with a 20grade product which GM doesn't recommend for this motor.

 

[Spykem4e]

Cant wait to try Amsoil on my next oil change

 

[JoeFromPA]

If I may sure one anecdote: I owned a 2003 Saturn Ion 5-speed (not too many of those!).

I found it to be a bulletproof engine that was thrashy, loud, and didn't like to rev.

I ran a variety of synthetic 5w30s in it over the years. Then I switched to Rotella 5w40 synthetic around 48-50k miles.

It literally changed the way the car drove, and it was far more than just placebo. The engine ran smoother and quieter and revved more happily. I liked driving the car more.

I know alot of these anecdotes are considered just that, anecdotes based upon placebo effect, but that Rotella dramatically changed the driving characteristic of the 03 Ion 5-speed.

 

[RI_RS4]

Originally Posted By: ToyotaNSaturn
And people say America makes khrap...

Great UOA! Thanks for sharing, especially with a 20grade product which GM doesn't recommend for this motor.


The Ecotec engine was designed by an international team of engineers, and is an impressive engine:

Quote:
Ecotec

The Ecotec name was adopted in 2000 for the new generation of Family II engines. The name was already used for the Opel GM Family II engine, Family 1 and Family 0 ranges. GM intends this new Ecotec to become its global 4-cylinder.

The Ecotec Family II is a DOHC 4-valve design with an aluminum block and head (L850 for 86 mm bore applications, and L880 for 88 mm bore), designed for displacements from 1.8 to 2.4 L. It was developed by an international team of engineers and technicians from Opel's International Technical Development Center in Rüsselsheim, Germany, GM Powertrain in Pontiac, Michigan, and Saab in Trollhättan, Sweden. Much of the development work on this project was carried out by Lotus Engineering, Hethel, United Kingdom. The engine uses aluminum pistons and cast iron cylinder liners. Vibration is reduced with twin balance shafts.


Quote:
Leveraging worldwide capabilities
From the start, the Ecotec was intended to leverage
GM's worldwide engineering capability by drawing
on the best practices of technical centers in North
America, Europe and Australia. The Ecotec development
team created a template for subsequent global
powertrain development and, more importantly,
a world-class production-car engine. At 305 pounds
fully dressed, the Ecotec is the lightest engine GM has
produced in its class, and one of the most compact
four-cylinders in the world (a distinct advantage for
racing).With a planned displacement range of 1.8 to 2.4
liters, single or dual overhead cams, turbocharger
capability, balance-shaft options and a broad range of peak power outputs, the Ecotec can be used in virtually
all front-drive passenger cars, from the lower end of the price spectrum to premium, up-market applications.

 

[Saab9-3]

Didnt GM steal/borrow the ecotec engine from Saab...

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: Saab9-3
Didnt GM steal/borrow the ecotec engine from Saab...


Like they did with many aspects of the LSx from Ford?

 

[BTLew81]

Amsoil ASM...one of the best oils out there in a 20 weight? I think so. One of the better oils period? I'd venture to say yes.

 

[chet2]

i am running PP5-20 right now in my ecotec...the engine has 77k on it and is very strong, but i wish it got a little better mileage...right now the 2.2 gets 26 in winter....these engines are amde in tonawanda, NY...you will help american workers by buying one...they are a very good engine, dont underestimate GM

 

[chet2]

i went by the ecotec plant on way to toronto 3 years ago...as a worker at a supplier, i was happy i could help out american workers by buying a sunfire with a ecotec in it instead of korea and japan...we have lost too much mfg in this country, which has weakened our economy and hammered our middle class

 

[artificialist]

I always wanted to know if Xw20 synthetic oils would work in our Ecotecs, because it is one of the last few compact car engines that say to use 5w30.

Well, once my 5w30 synthetic stash is gone, I will buy some type of 0w20 and use that instead.

Excellent news.

 

[Jim74]

That's interesting, I almost bought some Amsoil 0w20 for my cobalt ecotec today. Maybe I'll go back and get it now.