I have a 2005 Chevy Express 3500 cargo van with a V8 6L gasoline engine with 70,000 miles on it. I bought the van new in November 2004 and I'm the only one who drives it. It's one of those big white contractor-type cargo vans like plumbers, electricians, and HVAC techs use.
I do not use this van as a work van. Most of the time it is nearly empty. When I got it I had the ceiling, door panels, and the walls insulated and covered with a maroon corduroy fabric. So it's basically a play vehicle.
I've been taking it to the dealership where I bought it for oil changes and for service when it was under warranty but I've had some bad experiences with them in the last year or so and I'm thinking about starting to change my own oil.
Owner's manual says that the oil should meet: "GM Standard GM6490M" and be "SAE 5W-30". The oil filler cap says 5W-30 and it's had only Pennzoil up until now.
I live near Portland, Oregon. Most of the time I just drive around town and I drive kind of slow, probably from all of the years I drove a VW bus.
I prefer conventional oil and I'll be buying it from an auto parts store locally. I have automotive tools and a Chilton's manual (#28643) for my van.
There are no known problems with this van at this time, but the van seems to be using just a tiny bit of oil. I have been adding 1/4 - 1/3 of a quart every few months. There are no oil spots below where I park the vehicle.
My questions are:
1. What conventional oil is known for its high quality and would be best for this van and my driving habits?
(Before I got this van I had 1969 and a 1971 air-cooled VW buses and changed my oil all the time—always Castrol GTX conventional oil.)
2. What filter would be best/adequate and why? I plan to change the oil filter at every oil change.
3. It is said that one should change the oil every 3,000 miles or 3 months. But seriously, how long can one expect to get adequate lubrication after an oil change—less than 3,000 miles or more?
4. I've been using the Fram air filter, #CA9269. Is that going to be good enough? Other recommendations?
5. What about spark plug replacement? Supposedly I can go 150,000 miles before replacement, but [censored] I find that hard to believe. I haven't had them checked.
6. What are things that I absolutely don't want to forget to do when changing my own oil on this vehicle?
7. How can I get a factory manual?? What about allDATA or other online subscription manuals?
8. Anything else I need to know?
I do not use this van as a work van. Most of the time it is nearly empty. When I got it I had the ceiling, door panels, and the walls insulated and covered with a maroon corduroy fabric. So it's basically a play vehicle.
I've been taking it to the dealership where I bought it for oil changes and for service when it was under warranty but I've had some bad experiences with them in the last year or so and I'm thinking about starting to change my own oil.
Owner's manual says that the oil should meet: "GM Standard GM6490M" and be "SAE 5W-30". The oil filler cap says 5W-30 and it's had only Pennzoil up until now.
I live near Portland, Oregon. Most of the time I just drive around town and I drive kind of slow, probably from all of the years I drove a VW bus.
I prefer conventional oil and I'll be buying it from an auto parts store locally. I have automotive tools and a Chilton's manual (#28643) for my van.
There are no known problems with this van at this time, but the van seems to be using just a tiny bit of oil. I have been adding 1/4 - 1/3 of a quart every few months. There are no oil spots below where I park the vehicle.
My questions are:
1. What conventional oil is known for its high quality and would be best for this van and my driving habits?
(Before I got this van I had 1969 and a 1971 air-cooled VW buses and changed my oil all the time—always Castrol GTX conventional oil.)
2. What filter would be best/adequate and why? I plan to change the oil filter at every oil change.
3. It is said that one should change the oil every 3,000 miles or 3 months. But seriously, how long can one expect to get adequate lubrication after an oil change—less than 3,000 miles or more?
4. I've been using the Fram air filter, #CA9269. Is that going to be good enough? Other recommendations?
5. What about spark plug replacement? Supposedly I can go 150,000 miles before replacement, but [censored] I find that hard to believe. I haven't had them checked.
6. What are things that I absolutely don't want to forget to do when changing my own oil on this vehicle?
7. How can I get a factory manual?? What about allDATA or other online subscription manuals?
8. Anything else I need to know?