Cant decide what to use for my blazer

[fireman32]

Finally decided on mobil 1 high mileage 10w30 for my silverado and it loves it, nice smooth and quiet, chevys seem to like a little thicker oil it seems, but my other vehicle which is my winter vehicle and what i drive to work, kind of a beater i guess you would say i need to decide what to run in it, its a 97 chevy blazer 4x4 with the 4.3 v6. has 163000 miles on it as of now, it has a slight front differential leak and other things i like to check occasionally so i usually do 3500-4000 mile oil changes so i have a chance to get under there and check things out often, the 3 oils ive been debating over for this are:
castrol GTX 10w30 or 10w40
castrol GTX high mileage 5w30 or 10w30
pennzoil high mileage 5w30 or 10w30

 

[Corvette Owner]

Castrol Edge runs better (quieter and better UOA) in my 1998 Corvette than Mobil 1. I use 5w30 weight.

 

[mongo161]

IMO...Any of the oils you mentioned...Pennzoil High Mileage, Castrol GTX or Castrol High Mileage with synthetic oils would all run fine. I too have a 1997 vehicle that burns no oil and runs fine.

Just get the best oil, at the best price, for your winter run. You could also do a Castrol Edge with Syntec/Castrol GTX 50/50 blend or get some already blended with Castrol Synblend on sale at AAP.

For my winter run I plan on using Castrol Synblend 10w30, API SM, GF-4 and some vintage Castrol Syntec 5w30, SM, GF-4 from clearance sales at AAP and Kmart. I'll use 3 quarts of each for the winter with a K&N oversized filter.

Change it out when spring arrives.

 

[KCJeep]

I had a 4.3 for twelve years and it didn't seem to much care what I put in it. But of those you listed I'd opt for the Castrol High Mileage in 5w30. It's a very thick 5w30 that runs very quiet in my Jeep, but it's scary quiet in my daughters high mileage Chevy, much more so than anything else I've ever put in her car. It also cleans well, after a 6 month run I could see shiny silver spots through her fill hole that had never been there before, that hadn't happened with any other oil including some HDEO's I'd run in it.

Castrol doesn't get a ton of love on here either, but it usually turns in really good reports as well.

 

[KCJeep]

Oops mongo made a good point, not sure I'd want GTX HM for a PA winter, the plain GTX 5w30 or Edge he suggested would probably be better choices for winter.

 

[bourne]

question

Why no Maxlife ????? This would be a perfect application for some FAR Nextgen Maxlife. And if you are close to the border and willing to make the trip, Meijer in OH and KY stock Maxlife Full Synthetic in 5w30 and 10w30 flavors for 24.99 all day. These have an HT/HS rating of 3.5 and meet the specs for European ACEA A3 regulations.

Full specs available here : http://www.valvoline.com/pdf/maxlife_full_synthetic.pdf

 

[DannyBoyG]

Yea, my car ran so nice on Maxlife full syn. Honestly think its a lot better than regular Maxlife. I noticed a 1-2mpg drop when I dropped to reg. Maxlife too. Engine seems a bit more noisy and like its working a bit harder.

 

[Jocephus]

Originally Posted By: bourne
question

Why no Maxlife ????? This would be a perfect application for some FAR Nextgen Maxlife. And if you are close to the border and willing to make the trip, Meijer in OH and KY stock Maxlife Full Synthetic in 5w30 and 10w30 flavors for 24.99 all day. These have an HT/HS rating of 3.5 and meet the specs for European ACEA A3 regulations.

Full specs available here : http://www.valvoline.com/pdf/maxlife_full_synthetic.pdf


+1

 

[fireman32]

only reason i didnt put maxlife in the choices is that its a little more expensive then the rest, valvoline is the most expensive oil around where i live for some reason, and no one carries the full synthetic maxlife, only the syn blend

 

[Gabe]

The 4.3L is EXTREMELY easy on oil. I believe the manual calls for an API 5w30 oil every 7500 miles if that gives you an idea of how picky these things are. Some people claim the best 4.3L used oil analysis are with a conventional oil, but I am getting slightly below average wear with a synthetic (PU). Intake gaskets and bearings are of a concern with these engines.

My '98 Bravada is getting PP this winter; at $4 a qt, it is very tough to beat.

 

[bourne]

Originally Posted By: fireman32
only reason i didnt put maxlife in the choices is that its a little more expensive then the rest, valvoline is the most expensive oil around where i live for some reason, and no one carries the Full Synthetic maxlife, only the syn blend


Huh ??? What all retail outlets are available near you ?? I cant believe that Maxlife is more than GTX HI Mileage or Penn Hi Mileage for that matter. Like I mentioned earlier , Full Synthetic maxlife is available at Meijers which are located in OH and KY so if you are ever driving through , you can always stock up.

 

[fireman32]

Gabe: i know the intake gaskets are very common problems on these 4.3's.. what about the bearings though? i never heard anything on those.

and bourne.. i pretty much live in the middle of nowhere, the only thing close by is a wal-mart and advance auto, if i want anything else the closest area with any shopping is about 50 miles of driving. and at our wal mart, all the valvoline is above any other brands price, conventional or high mileage, they dont even stock valvoline synthetic lol GTX and pennzoil are identical in price both regular and high mileage.