Considering a change of diet for my s10

Status
Not open for further replies.
Joined
Sep 17, 2013
Messages
429
Location
Cascadia
I've got a 2002 4cyl s10 I've owned since it's 100k mile mark, it's at 145k now and aside from it being a little noisy(apparently normal for these motors) it's run just fine. It's been getting a steady diet of whatever dino is on sale 5w-30, sometimes an HM blend and sometimes not. It doesn't burn any oil and it seeps just a tiny amount, not enough to need any oil added between 3 month change intervals(I rarely ever drive more than 3k miles in 3 months). I suspect the valve cover gasket may be a little leaky since there appears to be a thin film of oil coating the head. I cleaned it up and tightened the valve cover and it's mostly gone away.
Lately I've been thinking about picking an oil and sticking with it. I know newer gm vehicles require dexos oil, should I bother getting something that's dexos certified? I've also read about people using diesel oil for cleaning, I'm not too concerned about that since it gets regular changes but some people also seem to prefer the add packs in diesel oils.
Perhaps some of my driving habits would help in making a suggestion:
I mostly use it for commuting, 20 miles a day or so of stop and go, the occasional highway run and 'italian tune-up' on my favorite stretch of road. I let it sit and warm up for 30 seconds to a minute before driving depending on the season.
I drive like grandpa except during the aforementioned 'itu' but the engine never gets 'lugged'.
I'm interested in some of your opinions about whether any change in the oil I choose is needed or if 'staying the course' of on sale name-brand dino is just fine.
 
Yeah I've been thinking about giving it HM oil only. Even though I run a variety I tend to favor penz HM
Is Mobil 1 HM all it's cracked up to be?
I did a bunch of work on the truck over the winter (new braking system, rebuilt suspension, replaced u joints and carrier bearing, wire wheel and repainted frame, putting a new muffler on shortly) so with all that work I'd like to keep the motor in as good a shape as everything else is.
I know the 'old Chinese saying' of if it ain't broke, don't fix it applies to most things, but an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. So if frequent dino changes are just as good as running syn or something else then I'll stick with that
 
Last edited:
HM sounds good. I might try it in a different truck of mine too.

What kind of oil psi do you have? I have a '96 that i run valvoline syn blend in. The only reason is the previous owner used full syn and i am too cheap for that.
 
I've had good luck with Pennzoil HM, but if you have all your leaks squared away and it doesn't burn anything... why not just use a full synthetic ?
 
Cold it's in the high 50's. Fully warm is 20psi. I ran some Mobil 1 a couple years ago shortly after I bought it but then noticed the leak. I perhaps erroneously believed the Mobil 1 had 'found' a leak but in all honesty I hadn't really looked for a leak before that fill. I haven't used syn since but since the leak is pretty much taken care of after tightening down the valve cover I may give it another shot. I have a new gasket for the valve cover but it's been a little too hot out to be monkeying around in my apartment parking lot.
If I do give syn another shot I'll see what's on sale, lol.
 
Originally Posted By: slowdime
Cold it's in the high 50's. Fully warm is 20psi.

Mine is the same motor and tranny, and similar miles. PSI Numbers are identical. I was always a little concerned with the low numbers, but now me thinks this could be normal for that motor. Good luck.
 
MaxLife is rolled back at Walmart - coupons.com has a $6 off coupon on purchase of 2 jugs. Leave it in for 5k - stop with the 3 month OCI routine - that's just a waste of money & oil.
 
Yeah don't let the orientation of the needle fool you into thinking its 'low'. The 20 psi mark is pretty far to the left on the gauge so it looks like it's too low. According to gm at least, 1 psi of idle per 100 rpm is the low end of normal. So you could theoretically be idling and 9 psi and still be 'ok', at least according to gm.
As for the 'too short' oci, there's a thread in this forum somewhere I read, actually I'm sure there are several, regarding the 3 month 3000 mile oci. Everyone has their own answer and own opinion regarding the subject. My opinion is that it's cheap insurance. If I can get pyb for $2.50/qt and a purolator classic(going to get something else now because of the puro tearing issue), I've just spent $15 on an oil change. Doing that every 3 months is hardly breaking the bank; if it were I wouldn't go out to eat once in that 3 month period. So as I say, it's cheap insurance.
 
Often the 2.2 OHV gets noisy over time due to timing chain stretch and chain guide failure. Don't ignore if it gets really loud, it could snap and leave you stranded.
 
And demolish the valves and pistons pistons the process. I've poked around and done a lot of listening and the noise is all from the valve train and disappears when warmed up. At some point I'll go ahead and replace the timing chain just as a preventative measure. Tbh I love working on my truck, it's my 'zen' activity lol.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top