Anyone used 5w-20 in a GM Quad-4 engine?

Status
Not open for further replies.
Originally Posted By: addyguy
HM oils are great oils - add-packs are often better, and they are thicker within the given viscosity range - the 30-weights are usually 11.3cst to 12.1 cst. Maxlife is a 'favourite' on here; but others are great as well. You want the thickest? Go with Castrol GTX HM 10W-30 - they advertise this oil has the lowest 'burn-off' rate of all conventional 10W-30's....


Valvoline does make some darn good products, ive had some very good experiences with them on several cars. But im a newb... what are add packs exactly?
 
Originally Posted By: mpvue
you've made it to 142,500 in a quad4; be happy w/ it. they are noisy as you've experienced, just the way it is.


I thought once the head gasket thing was taken care of,that was their biggest problem?
 
Originally Posted By: lexus114
Originally Posted By: mpvue
you've made it to 142,500 in a quad4; be happy w/ it. they are noisy as you've experienced, just the way it is.


I thought once the head gasket thing was taken care of,that was their biggest problem?


I suppose that might be true, if you're fortunate... although ive heard many, many a complaint about this engine
 
Originally Posted By: Klutch9
Originally Posted By: addyguy
HM oils are great oils - add-packs are often better, and they are thicker within the given viscosity range - the 30-weights are usually 11.3cst to 12.1 cst. Maxlife is a 'favourite' on here; but others are great as well. You want the thickest? Go with Castrol GTX HM 10W-30 - they advertise this oil has the lowest 'burn-off' rate of all conventional 10W-30's....


Valvoline does make some darn good products, ive had some very good experiences with them on several cars. But im a newb... what are add packs exactly?


Slang term for the 'additive package' that is added to the base oil to make a formulated engine oil. They add Calcium detergents, Zinc for anti-wear...etc...I'm not sure where you would start, but there are LOTS of placeas on this sie, and others, where you can find out about this. HM oils just tend to have more 'stuff' in them, so they can potentially protect a bit better....

A lot of oil company sites have 'oil basics' sections on them, and member 'widman' has a link in his sig to a 'motor oil guide', and the first page of this site (I think) setas out oil basics...
 
Get the lucas oil stabilizer out of there! Cripes, I can't imagine having that craap with conventional 10w-30 oil in the winter Michigan climate. VISCOUS! Put some 5w30 in there - HM such as Maxlife would be fine, and don't add anything to it. I'm guessing it'll be quieter.
 
Originally Posted By: Drew99GT
Get the lucas oil stabilizer out of there! Cripes, I can't imagine having that craap with conventional 10w-30 oil in the winter Michigan climate. VISCOUS! Put some 5w30 in there - HM such as Maxlife would be fine, and don't add anything to it. I'm guessing it'll be quieter.


yes im gonna go that route on my next oil change. i just went out and bought some valvoline maxlife 5w30. ill use just that, no additives, and see if that helps
 
Originally Posted By: lexus114
Originally Posted By: mpvue
you've made it to 142,500 in a quad4; be happy w/ it. they are noisy as you've experienced, just the way it is.


I thought once the head gasket thing was taken care of,that was their biggest problem?


These engines (unfortunately) have a reputation for all kinds of problems, including lower end bearings.
Kind of off subject, but in late '87 I purchased a brand new Mercury Cougar. A co-worker of mine shopped around and a few months later purchased a Pontiac Grand Am with the Quad 4 engine. I continuously got razzed by him because I had an old school engine and he had a "dual overhead cam technical wonder". Shortly after his purchase, he had it in the shop for a coil failure. It was replaced under warranty and after he got it back and the razzing continued. About every three months after that, it was in the shop for repeated coil failures, albeit under warranty. The coil failures continued like clockwork, every 2-4 months, until he sold it right before the warranty expired. I also believe there was a head gasket replacement in there also.
My Cougar made it to 300K miles without engine problems, minus the occasional water pump and tune ups.
It's amazing how the razzing stopped after about the 3rd coil pack failure. Needless to say, he has bought foreign cars ever since.
 
I used to have a 94 Grand AM with the 2.3L SOHC Quad-4. It was a noisy engine, but I always kept the oil changed and flushed the antifreeze every 2 years. I ran it to about 260K KM (160K?), the guy I sold it to last June is still driving it. That engine always had a tendency to run a little hot in stop & go traffic, but other than that, it was fine. I always ran cheap old Quaker State 5w30 and changed it about every 5k, I only started to notice a little oil consumption the last couple of oil changes (down less than 1/2 qt). I did try 10w30 when I first got it, but after hearing it one morning at -35C, I changed my mind!
 
MGregoir

you are completely correct, I didnt even look at his signature. He has a different 4 banger in a 97. Good news for him. I would still stick with 10w30 oil and a coolant flush as headgaskets go all the time on those cars especially when they are pushed hard in extreme climates! This is a twin cam with balance shafts with 9.5:1 compression until 2000 models increased compression to 9.7:1 and eliminated EGR. I would give it a good dose of Chevron Techron Fuel System Concentrate to clean the low impedance injectors, as they were sometimes an issue on these cars.
 
Keep the oil level up, I believe the timing chain tensioners use oil pressure to keep tension.

When flushing the coolant, do these require the special additive tablets GM made ?
 
Originally Posted By: Klutch9
Originally Posted By: Drew99GT
Get the lucas oil stabilizer out of there! Cripes, I can't imagine having that craap with conventional 10w-30 oil in the winter Michigan climate. VISCOUS! Put some 5w30 in there - HM such as Maxlife would be fine, and don't add anything to it. I'm guessing it'll be quieter.


yes im gonna go that route on my next oil change. i just went out and bought some valvoline maxlife 5w30. ill use just that, no additives, and see if that helps


Can't go wrong with Maxlife 5w30 - great oil!
 
Originally Posted By: 05Blazer
MGregoir

you are completely correct, I didnt even look at his signature. He has a different 4 banger in a 97. Good news for him. I would still stick with 10w30 oil and a coolant flush as headgaskets go all the time on those cars especially when they are pushed hard in extreme climates! This is a twin cam with balance shafts with 9.5:1 compression until 2000 models increased compression to 9.7:1 and eliminated EGR. I would give it a good dose of Chevron Techron Fuel System Concentrate to clean the low impedance injectors, as they were sometimes an issue on these cars.


thanks for the tip. but thats not an issue my friend. i ran some seafoam through the fuel system, and through the throttle body at 140,000 miles. I noticed a difference too, smoother idle, and better low rpm response. im a huge fan of seafoam
LOL.gif
 
I remember reading about the new Quad4 engine back in the day and how Motor Trend, Road & Track and maybe even Automobile Mags were testing and they roasted several engines. One of the engineers who wished to remain anonymous stated that he recommended 10W-40 for those engines due to marginal oil pump design.

Always remembered that about that engine.
 
Originally Posted By: ewetho
I remember reading about the new Quad4 engine back in the day and how Motor Trend, Road & Track and maybe even Automobile Mags were testing and they roasted several engines. One of the engineers who wished to remain anonymous stated that he recommended 10W-40 for those engines due to marginal oil pump design.

Always remembered that about that engine.


remember though, technically speaking, i dont have the "quad4" engine. I mistakenly called it that, because many times, people do call it that. I have the "twin cam" engine, while although similar to the quad4, is a different engine
 
I purchased a brand new 1989 Olds Cutlass Calais with the Quad Four. The head gasket went at 47,000, covered under warranty. Yes, that engine was LOUD. I asked my old mechnic about the engine, his one word summary "junk". I haven't purchased a GM product since, I went to Honda and Toyota. Sad thing is, 20 years later GM still doesn't have a 4 cyl thats worth a [censored].
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: HARTZSKY
I purchased a brand new 1989 Olds Cutlass Calais with the Quad Four. The head gasket went at 47,000, covered under warranty. Yes, that engine was LOUD. I asked my old mechnic about the engine, his one word summary "junk". I haven't purchased a GM product since, I went to Honda and Toyota. Sad thing is, 20 years later GM still doesn't have a 4 cyl thats worth a [censored].


And WHAT, perchance, do you call the Ecotec 4-cylinder?

I HOPE not junk; its one of the best modern I-4's out there!

Also, the 2.2 OHV I-4 wasn't a bad engine at all either - maybe a bit slow and unexciting, but still a very reliable engine.
 
Originally Posted By: addyguy
Originally Posted By: HARTZSKY
I purchased a brand new 1989 Olds Cutlass Calais with the Quad Four. The head gasket went at 47,000, covered under warranty. Yes, that engine was LOUD. I asked my old mechnic about the engine, his one word summary "junk". I haven't purchased a GM product since, I went to Honda and Toyota. Sad thing is, 20 years later GM still doesn't have a 4 cyl thats worth a [censored].


And WHAT, perchance, do you call the Ecotec 4-cylinder?

I HOPE not junk; its one of the best modern I-4's out there!

Also, the 2.2 OHV I-4 wasn't a bad engine at all either - maybe a bit slow and unexciting, but still a very reliable engine.

I start to evaluate an engine after it hits 100k, to me 0 to 99,999 miles on an engine, so what, big deal. I'll keep my eyes peeled in years to come looking for the Ecotec 4 banger that can boast a couple hundred thousand on the odometer. Not only do I want to see 1 but several. When I see the evidence, maybe I'll change my mind.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

S
'08 CRV swap Delo 5w-40 for VRP 5W-20 or 30?
Replies
18
Views
404
BrendanC
Jd1101
synthetic oil in oil-burner engine
2
Replies
37
Views
1K
50yr Street Mech
S
Mechanic used thick oil
2
Replies
24
Views
2K
demarpaint
6
5W-30 Synthetic in a 2011 F-250 w/ 6.2L gas engine?
2
Replies
30
Views
2K
JimPghPA
S
Viscosity: Engine protection Vs. enhanced mileage
5 6 7
Replies
129
Views
5K
ripcord
Back
Top Bottom