best oil? 93 blazer, mail delivery, stop and go

[rastoma]

Hey everyone. Great site. The more I read the more I want to be an oil 'geek' and do what's best for my car.

I read the sticky, but unfortunately I do not have the owner's manual so I am not 100% sure on the oil type and change interval.

It's a 93 S10 Blazer 4x4, 4.3 V6 'W' engine (Vortec) with 93k miles. I just bought it a couple of months ago and it had 91k original miles which I think is fairly low for this year vehicle.

I am a part time mail carrier so that's the main use it gets 2-3 days a week, but I still use it to run errands in between. No long trips and not a lot of highway use. The 4wd does not work but I am going to get it fixed. I don't plan on taking it 'mudding' but as I am rural carrier it will come in handy sometimes on muddy driveways and snow (if we ever get any, doesn't snow a lot in this part of TN (USA)).

I had to use it for work the day after I bought it and didn't have time to do my own oil change. I was told it had regular maintenance, and externally it appeared to as it's way above average condition for it's age and runs great, again for it's age (the slightest of stumble on steady speed I'm trying to fix but to most people they wouldn't bother with it).

I watched them change the oil and it was black as black can get so I'm not so sure about the maintenance now. It does not leak or use any oil. After it sits for many hours, when I start it I get a slight puff of whitish/greyish smoke the second it starts and then no more. I was told it was the valve stem seals and it's common on this model/year/age/engine.

I had them put in 10w30 Castrol and I don't know what filter, didn't have a name I've ever seen, came in a plain box with just numbers on it I think.

O'Reilley's has had a sale on oil for the past month and I have been stocking up on Valvoline Durablend 10w30 ($2.79/quart).

So..... I didn't mean to write a book here but the sticky said give a background I've never put this much thought into oil and the brand of filter until I found this site. It's been years since I've done my own oil changes because Wal-Mart used to be so cheap I didn't think it was worth getting my hands dirty and hauling away used oil, but now it's cheaper to do it myself and I can use better oil for less money than they charge.

Well, any suggestions?

 

[addyguy]

Some years of 4.3 V-6's have problems with leaking intake manifold gaskets. Might want to keep an eyeout for that problem.

As for oil, i'm pretty sure your engine would have been spec'd for 5W-30, but if you are in an area with a mild climate, 10W-30 will work just as well.

I personally think Valvoline durablend is one of the best syn-blends you can get. It always shows great results, so I'd say great choice on the oil.

For service intervals, change it evwery 5k miles, and that truck will run a long, long time. Keep an eye on the level, and top it off as required.

 

[rastoma]

So 5k on the Durablend for lots of stop and go traffic?

K.. got it.

What if, due to funds availability and no sales I had to go with all Dino as you call it. Would the interval be closer to 3k then maybe?

Any picks on filters on this engine?

I've read what the 'good' filters are on this site, but do you match up filters to certain engines or a 'good' filter is good on any engine? (if that makes sense).

 

[addyguy]

You could go 5k on either dino or a blend. A lot of modern 'dino's' are actually a blend, just not marked as such.

Bottom line: Any modern SM/GF-4 oil will easily do 5k mile intervlas, even under harsh conditions.

For filters, whatever you can get for a good price. Lots of people will say not to use regular Frams, but they are fine, too.

 

[cchase]

Originally Posted By: rastoma
So 5k on the Durablend for lots of stop and go traffic?

K.. got it.

What if, due to funds availability and no sales I had to go with all Dino as you call it. Would the interval be closer to 3k then maybe?

Any picks on filters on this engine?

I've read what the 'good' filters are on this site, but do you match up filters to certain engines or a 'good' filter is good on any engine? (if that makes sense).


A good filter is a good filter for this engine. Some engines need very good anti-drain back valves but since this engine has a vertically mounted oil filter, no need.

 

[lexus114]

Originally Posted By: addyguy
You could go 5k on either dino or a blend. A lot of modern 'dino's' are actually a blend, just not marked as such.

Bottom line: Any modern SM/GF-4 oil will easily do 5k mile intervlas, even under harsh conditions.

For filters, whatever you can get for a good price. Lots of people will say not to use regular Frams, but they are fine, too.


Fram?? No,no,no!

 

[addyguy]

Ah, the Fram bashers come out....wondering how long that would take!

 

[lexus114]

NOT LONG!!

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: addyguy
Ah, the Fram bashers come out....wondering how long that would take!



ALWAYS watching

 

[bubbatime]

I would use one of the 10w30 high mileage oils, preferably maxlife, or 15w40 Rotella since you use it for hours on end stop and go driving.

 

[jstutz]

hello, i own an 01 w 185k miles on it. I have read a lot about these vehicles. I can tell you that the brand of oil you choose is the least of your worries. Todays dinos are made very well and can provide enough protection to make that engine last a very long time. Just choose a name brand as it is only about a dollar more per five qts at walmart and they generally have better add packs. GTX is a fine oil and you could continue to use it is you would like too. If i were you, i would use the 10w30 as it is a slight bit more stable than 5w30s of similar brands. You are in TN so you will never see temps lower than about 0 probably and 10w30 is fine. If you choose 5w30, you will get a small improvment in cold weather performance but for your temps it isnt much. Also those engines have a tendancy for valve stem seals to start getting leaky after a while. Using a high mileage oil like Pennzoil HM could be a good choice becuase it has some extra seal conditioners. It is also a little thicker than there standard dinos. Personally that is probably what i would do is run the pennzoil 10w30HM and do a couple 3-4 k changes and than go to a normal interval of 4-5 k miles. As mentioned above, many of the 4.3s have intake manifold problems. I dont think yours is one of them. yours calls for regular antifreeze and i believe the issue was with the dexcool and seal compatibility. That being said, i would insure that your cooling system is good and clean and working properly. Do your self a favor and keep your fuel filter changed every year or two. my 01 just blew a fuel pump and it was close to 700 dollars for the pump. I bought the cheap one from autozone and it cost me 300 and the fuel pressure is low and causing starting problems. Keep your pcv valve changed every couple years. Plugged pcvs can lead to some sludge build up ect. PCVs are only about 5 bucks so its cheap insurance that it is working properly. You mentioned that your 4x4 wasnt working, there is a few main issues with that truck that could cause this. Instead of me typing all this, visit blazerforums.com and click on 1st gen blazers, and you will find a lot of useful information.