Have you stressed out about what oil to use?

[ChrisD46]

*Considering the 5W30 M1 ESP formation OR the PP Euro L in my Sonata DI engine for the same reasons !
Originally Posted by Patman
Originally Posted by s2krunner
I never...until recently. Most of daily cars & trucks, i just used any brand name at WM and for my performance cars, i only looked for high zddp.

But after picking up my first Camaro and i have started learning more and more about oil. Dexos, SAPS, HTHS etc (still learning lol) and suddenly it starts confusing me more and more. Bought a oil and returned and keep thinking and searching etc etc and even just standing front of Oil section at WM lol.

But after spend more times here and now i have finally decided which oil to go with. (I have decided just forget Dexos and go Castrol 0W40 or M1 0W40.)



I believe you have the same engine in your Camaro that I have in my Corvette and I'm not keen on the idea of using either Castrol 0w40 or M1 0w40 in there, especially while under warranty. But even beyond that, my worry is that both of those oils have too high of a sulfated ash level for our direct injected engines. That's one of the reasons I chose to go with the dexos2 ESP Formula 5w30 in mine, it has a very low sulfated ash level of 0.6%, plus it's Noack value is very low too. I want to keep my Corvette a very long time and I feel in the long run this oil (and other dexos2 5w30s or 0w40s like it) will keep this DI engine much cleaner inside.

 

[ka9mnx]

Originally Posted by CR94
Originally Posted by ka9mnx
... Engines have been running PCV's since 1967. ...
Earlier than that on many US cars. My parents' 1964 Buick had PCV, and it was in cars a year or so earlier than that in California (for good reason). However, neither my '72 Subaru nor my brother's '74 VW Dasher had a true PCV system---just crude venting of blowby to the intake, with no provision for intake of fresh air into the crankcase.

True but I'm not familiar with California. It became mandatory (by law) in 1967. I remember doing tune ups on GM products. They had one under each valve cover (V8's). So that required pulling the valve covers to change.

 

[wtd]

I did years ago but now I don't. I just don't care enough about it these days to worry. I use a brand name oil and change it by the owner's manual and as far as I can tell, all is fine. I have better things to worry about these days than what oil I use.

 

[ka9mnx]

If your vehicle is 20 years old or newer there is nothing to stress about (since the days of API SL). ANY oil that is API, SAE or ILSAC and the grade for your vehicle it will be fine. If your vehicle is older and required SJ or older it's more difficult to find a suitable oil. I know all the oil manufacturers (and API) says newer oils are compatible but in reality (for some vehicles) they are borderline. Ninety eight percent of the population doesn't have this problem so buy the cheapest to most boutique oil (with the spec's) and sleep well.

 

[Virtus_Probi]

For years I had dealers and quick change places do my oil and I didn't care what they put in.
The FXT was my first turbo and I had heard stories about oil coking up in them (from the pre-water cooled days), so I was actually concerned enough about the possibility that I looked at the oil recommendation for the car in the manual. I also asked my salesman about the issue and he told me to just let the car run for a minute or two after making a trip before shutting it down...again, advice for a different kind of turbo. I have to admit that I still do this sometimes...
Then I started noticing the dealer I was using for general servicing kept giving me paperwork that said they used 0W20, even when I would remind them about using 5W30 when I dropped it off...they always blamed it on the computer system or whatever. This repetition was getting on my nerves, then I took my car in for a change on Friday and found a big mess of oil in my garage Monday morning...I guess I must have left an ever bigger mess at my ski condo over the weekend. Had to take more time off work to run back to the dealer, where I was told that my drain plug got mangled somehow with an arched eyebrow from the SA...he was implying that I did it somehow!
Since this dealer couldn't even tighten a bolt correctly, I decided to do my own oil. Bought M1 5W30 because everybody knew M1 was the best!
Then I started trying to learn about oil to make a more informed decision and ended up buying QSUD because it "looked" just as good as M1 and was a bit cheaper.
Then I started to read about LSPI.
It really freaked me out!
Somebody on here or subaruforester.org tipped me off to the possible LSPI connection to calcium levels and I ran back out and bought M1 again after reviewing VOAs and UOAs. That QSUD still sitting in my garage...it would be perfect for my wife's car, but she is convinced that I would destroy it if I touched anything in the engine compartment (I do topoffs and fill up her washer fluid when she is up on the 2nd floor).

So, yes, LSPI made me very stressed about picking oil for my FXT a few years ago.
I have no stress anymore with d1G2 and SN+ to look for.

 

[Pinoak]

Not lately.

 

[JFAllen]

Originally Posted by PimTac

I can assure you that Australia gets much hotter than anywhere in California


Was +40°C for nearly a week in Adelaide where I live (Kind of like Arizona but we have access to the coast

. But here is the thing to remember.

Unless your car was engineered by a potato (I'm looking at you American cars of the 70's and 80's) the engine temp will never exceed 100°C, with oil temps highly unlikely to exceed 115°C. Regardless of ambient conditions. That's how a thermostat works

. Regardless of ambient conditions, the operating conditions within your engine will be the same, once warmed up.

Thus even in the dead of winter a BBC-454 in a 70's GMC truck that doesn't have an oil cooler with a flogged out radiator will over heat and have issues. While a modern GMC Duramax diesel making twice the power will haul all day in +45°C ambient air with the AC blazing keeping the cabin cool and never break a sweat. The day's of your fathers 'winter' and 'summer' oil changes are long gone because the level of engineering to ensure that all components are kept at their correct operating temps has improved so much.

As far as the original question: 'Have you stressed out about what oil to use?'

No:
-Wait until the 30 sale email rolls around form the local parts stores
-Walk in grab 2 5L jugs of Helix Ultra
-Put it on the shelf in the garage and re-stock as required.

Regards
Jordan

 

[PimTac]

Originally Posted by JFAllen
Originally Posted by PimTac

I can assure you that Australia gets much hotter than anywhere in California


Was +40°C for nearly a week in Adelaide where I live (Kind of like Arizona but we have access to the coast

. But here is the thing to remember.

Unless your car was engineered by a potato (I'm looking at you American cars of the 70's and 80's) the engine temp will never exceed 100°C, with oil temps highly unlikely to exceed 115°C. Regardless of ambient conditions. That's how a thermostat works

. Regardless of ambient conditions, the operating conditions within your engine will be the same, once warmed up.

Thus even in the dead of winter a BBC-454 in a 70's GMC truck that doesn't have an oil cooler with a flogged out radiator will over heat and have issues. While a modern GMC Duramax diesel making twice the power will haul all day in +45°C ambient air with the AC blazing keeping the cabin cool and never break a sweat. The day's of your fathers 'winter' and 'summer' oil changes are long gone because the level of engineering to ensure that all components are kept at their correct operating temps has improved so much.

As far as the original question: 'Have you stressed out about what oil to use?'

No:
-Wait until the 30 sale email rolls around form the local parts stores
-Walk in grab 2 5L jugs of Helix Ultra
-Put it on the shelf in the garage and re-stock as required.

Regards
Jordan





Yep. Thanks for that clear comment. The engine should run at the same temperature whether it's 45C or 5C. The cooling system takes care of that.

We did have some embarrassing cars in the70's and 80's.

 

[y_p_w]

Originally Posted by PimTac
I can assure you that Australia gets much hotter than anywhere in California with the exception of Death Valley.

Parts of the Mojave Desert (well outside of Death Valley) regularly hit 120ºF or higher. Death Valley is unique in that there's this convection current that recirculates heat, but other parts of California get plenty hot. I looked it up, and the hottest recorded temperature in Palmdale (Los Angeles County) was hotter (52.2ºC) than the highest recorded temperature (50.7°C) in Australia's history.

 

[BLND1]

Yeah. It's not just the traditional desert regions either. California's Central Valley (technically a desert based on rain fall) also hits triple digits for much of the summer.

California is a very big and diverse place. It has everything from temperate rainforests to the hottest place in the world.

 

[y_p_w]

Originally Posted by BLND1
Yeah. It's not just the traditional desert regions either. California's Central Valley (technically a desert based on rain fall) also hits triple digits for much of the summer.

California is a very big and diverse place. It has everything from temperate rainforests to the hottest place in the world.



Snow too. High desert. Dense forests. Volcanoes.

But if the subject is hot temps, then I'd put up July-Aug in Antelope Valley or Coachella Valley against any other similarly populated area in the world for heat. And people are crazy enough to golf in Palm Springs in July.

 

[nascarnation]

I never stress about engine oil.
My experience in racing and running dyno durability tests are that almost all the engine failures are mechanical fatigue (dropped valves, broken valve springs, broken connecting rods, piston skirts/pin retention, etc.
Look at all those Crown Vic police cars turned into taxis with a half million miles running on bulk 5W30 in Phoenix etc.

 

[TheLawnRanger]

I have it narrowed down to 3 or 4 oils I'm good with. I stress about the cost.

 

[y_p_w]

Originally Posted by nascarnation
I never stress about engine oil.
My experience in racing and running dyno durability tests are that almost all the engine failures are mechanical fatigue (dropped valves, broken valve springs, broken connecting rods, piston skirts/pin retention, etc.
Look at all those Crown Vic police cars turned into taxis with a half million miles running on bulk 5W30 in Phoenix etc.

There are still the sludge monsters out there that cook most "conventional" motor oil at a high rate. It's certainly possible that many manufacturers have gone to 0W-20 recs because the minimum standard is going to be semi-syn that resists sludge better.

Of course the whole definition of performance level associated with an imperfect definition of base oil is problematic. However, it seems to be accepted that most 0W-20 is at a higher performance standard than lower cost 5W-20.

 

[dblshock]

0W40 costs a little more but keeps everyone happy...it's the new 5W30.

 

[AmoryBlaine]

Originally Posted by BLND1
California's Central Valley (technically a desert based on rain fall) also hits triple digits for much of the summer.


I can vouch for that, and I have the Electric Bills from running my AC to prove it. It gets brutally hot. The upside though, relatively mild and short winters.