I just bought a 03 Chevy Cavalier 2.2 Ecotec that has 201,000 on it(i got it dirt cheap) The lady that owned it before me said that the past two oil changes she did on it she used castrol gtx high mileage 5w30. My question is should I use the same kind or should I switch to a different brand?
Cavalier oil help
- Thread starter CloudVII
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Those engines run fine on whatever you put in them. Personally, I'd use 5w30 Valvoline MaxLife and see how it does. Maybe Pennzoil 5w30 YB to get a baseline and do some cleaning...
I had good luck with Pennzoil Platinum 5w30 in winter...
I had good luck with Pennzoil Platinum 5w30 in winter...
We used to have a 2002 Cavalier (I hated that car), it ran good and still does...
after 75K I ran MaxLife and in the last few years we had it I always ran PNZL HM now pushing 200K (family member owns it currently) and runs smooth as new with no consumption.
after 75K I ran MaxLife and in the last few years we had it I always ran PNZL HM now pushing 200K (family member owns it currently) and runs smooth as new with no consumption.
I had an 04 Saturn Ion with the 2.2 ecotec. It did fine on anything , but I am pretty sure the chain tensioner guides were wearing out based on the noises I was hearing...especially on startup. If I were you I would run something cheap in it. It will not know the difference.
My first car was a Cavalier. MaxLife treated my well with an oil change. On a side note I used Royal Purple in it 6-7 years ago and couldn't the difference between the two.
Brand wont matter too much. If it's not leaking or burning, the 5w30 will be fine. Personally, I would keep it on HM oil since it has a history with them.
My very first car was a '96 Cavalier. Had 249k miles leaked a great deal of oil and was loud. Withing 2 changes the leak completely stopped and it got noticeably quieter.
I don't claim MaxLife to be the best oil ever produced but its always treated me well and I love the stuff.
I don't claim MaxLife to be the best oil ever produced but its always treated me well and I love the stuff.
Originally Posted By: Noey
Any brew is going to be OK, "Max life" sounds so appealing..but I'd frankly go with a semi syn like Motorcraft. And make sure you get that recall attended to.
What recall are you talking about? I didn't know that there was one
Any brew is going to be OK, "Max life" sounds so appealing..but I'd frankly go with a semi syn like Motorcraft. And make sure you get that recall attended to.
What recall are you talking about? I didn't know that there was one
Originally Posted By: 3800Series
My very first car was a '96 Cavalier. Had 249k miles leaked a great deal of oil and was loud. Withing 2 changes the leak completely stopped and it got noticeably quieter.
I don't claim MaxLife to be the best oil ever produced but its always treated me well and I love the stuff.
Mine was a '96 Cavalier as well. Small world. Mine had lower miles though, I wanna say 96,000? I only had the car for 6 mos before I sold it and bought a Nissan instead.
My very first car was a '96 Cavalier. Had 249k miles leaked a great deal of oil and was loud. Withing 2 changes the leak completely stopped and it got noticeably quieter.
I don't claim MaxLife to be the best oil ever produced but its always treated me well and I love the stuff.
Mine was a '96 Cavalier as well. Small world. Mine had lower miles though, I wanna say 96,000? I only had the car for 6 mos before I sold it and bought a Nissan instead.
Originally Posted By: Noey
Any brew is going to be OK, "Max life" sounds so appealing..but I'd frankly go with a semi syn like Motorcraft. And make sure you get that recall attended to.
MaxLife IS a syn-blend...
Any brew is going to be OK, "Max life" sounds so appealing..but I'd frankly go with a semi syn like Motorcraft. And make sure you get that recall attended to.
MaxLife IS a syn-blend...
Originally Posted By: CloudVII
Originally Posted By: Noey
Any brew is going to be OK, "Max life" sounds so appealing..but I'd frankly go with a semi syn like Motorcraft. And make sure you get that recall attended to.
What recall are you talking about? I didn't know that there was one
There are several Chevy recalls, most notably on the Cobalts having to do with faulty ignitions. You might want to have yours checked at a dealer to see if it applies to the Cavalier...
Originally Posted By: Noey
Any brew is going to be OK, "Max life" sounds so appealing..but I'd frankly go with a semi syn like Motorcraft. And make sure you get that recall attended to.
What recall are you talking about? I didn't know that there was one
There are several Chevy recalls, most notably on the Cobalts having to do with faulty ignitions. You might want to have yours checked at a dealer to see if it applies to the Cavalier...
Originally Posted By: CloudVII
Originally Posted By: Noey
Any brew is going to be OK, "Max life" sounds so appealing..but I'd frankly go with a semi syn like Motorcraft. And make sure you get that recall attended to.
What recall are you talking about? I didn't know that there was one
You may be OK. I think the recall is only on the Chevy Cobalt, Pontiac G5 and maybe the Saturn Ion's. I would still check with the dealer to be on the safe side.
Originally Posted By: Noey
Any brew is going to be OK, "Max life" sounds so appealing..but I'd frankly go with a semi syn like Motorcraft. And make sure you get that recall attended to.
What recall are you talking about? I didn't know that there was one
Originally Posted By: 2KBMW
Originally Posted By: CloudVII
Originally Posted By: Noey
Any brew is going to be OK, "Max life" sounds so appealing..but I'd frankly go with a semi syn like Motorcraft. And make sure you get that recall attended to.
What recall are you talking about? I didn't know that there was one
You may be OK. I think the recall is only on the Chevy Cobalt, Pontiac G5 and maybe the Saturn Ion's. I would still check with the dealer to be on the safe side.
They announced a string of recalls relating to older models, such as the Grand Am and the Malibu, so the Cavalier might also be included. They haven't "officially" recalled them yet, but they did announce it.
Originally Posted By: CloudVII
Originally Posted By: Noey
Any brew is going to be OK, "Max life" sounds so appealing..but I'd frankly go with a semi syn like Motorcraft. And make sure you get that recall attended to.
What recall are you talking about? I didn't know that there was one
They announced a string of recalls relating to older models, such as the Grand Am and the Malibu, so the Cavalier might also be included. They haven't "officially" recalled them yet, but they did announce it.
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My 2003 Cavalier runs great at 202,500+ miles now. It's seen Castrol Syntec, Pennzoil Ultra, and Mobil1 (Mobil1 the last 40,000 miles or so). It uses a little bit of oil when I'm climbing steep grades on the highway, but has never dripped anything onto the ground.
I've never used Max Life engine oil (I certainly wouldn't be afraid to though), but my transmission seems to love that Valvoline Max Life transmission fluid (Red bottle).
I've never used Max Life engine oil (I certainly wouldn't be afraid to though), but my transmission seems to love that Valvoline Max Life transmission fluid (Red bottle).
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