High today -30°C. How did Castrol HM & GC mix do?

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Yuk

Yuk

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Jun 16, 2003
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Edmonton, AB Canada
I have 2L of Castrol High Mileage 5w30 and 1L of GC 0w30 in my 1992 Sentra (3.25L sump). Started the car (no block or pan heater) after 24 hrs of sub-30°C temperatures. It started and ran, but I needed two hands to shift the Amsoil filled gearbox. The oil was syrupy thick, not quite molasses, but close. I wonder how straight GC would have done?
 
Same location.

Diff was making whining noises till i drove for a few minutes otherwise the Amsoil ASL in the sump started up the Toyota just like any other day.

I had just switched from GC to Amsoil ASL when it was -15 C a week ago thinking that the worst of winter was over. At the point of switching oils I left a bottle of each oil in the unheated garage. The next morning I shook the bottles and did a shake test.The Amsoil ASL felt much lighter than the GC which felt a bit like shaking a bottle of maple syrup.



Now that it is -30 C I am wondering if I should have kept GC in the sump. The GC I believe would be thinner than the ASL at these extremes. Going to put three bottles in the garage right now. Formula Shell Synth Blend, Amsoil ASL 5w30, & the infamous GC.........
 
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Same location as well.

1992 Toyota Previa made the most horrible noise I've ever heard out of it. Sounded like the parts were slowing ripping in half. 350k+ kms but I think it's time to change the oil. Amsoil 5w40 topped up with Mobil 5w30 and approx. 14k kms on the oil over 11 months.
 
I'm in Saskatchewan, temp going to work this morning was -32 with a windchill of -50, can't imagine what the windchill was on the nose of the car on the way to work. Anyway, the '97 Escort I'm driving had a sump full of Esso XD-3 0W30. This oil performed well, quick start and quite smooth initial idle. The fan on the defroster literally screamed for about 20 seconds on start up.
 
yeah, cold here too, -47 wind chill, -30 with 70 km wind blowing directly on nose older of 87 Nissan KingCab other night, (I did make an old style cardboard winter front I installed on inside of grille a couple weeks ago) 6 hours block heater on timer, no heat pad, XD3 0-30 with my industrially used metal treatment Lubecorp Powertrain Oil Conditioner in differential, transmission and engine, one crank with clutch in (to reduce drag) fired right up to instantly with no hesitation or drag to a great 1800 rpm fast idle, only thing is the old cast block on this 87 2.4Z engine does not warm up as fast as the Aluminum QR245DE on the X-trail. This morning, calm, -35, same thing, started like summer without the 70 km wind chill that = -47.

Got a 125 watt wolverine ordered for this 87 Nissan, that will really make a winter summer start, I only use a 50 watter on the X-trail with the QR25DE with 0-30 XD3 and works great, it's oil pan has too much lines to fit a 125 watter.

Cyprs
 
Weather in Canada is weird this year (yeah, it always is..but...)
Prairies are getting blasted by cold, but Southern Ont. is just balmy....we'll be over 0 deg. C for a good part of this week...with rain!

No problems starting here!
 
-33C here yesterday. Just got back from Maui on Sunday and my truck was dead. 8 month old Johnson Controls energizer battery down to 7v. Had it replaced free, and when the truck started, the PS pump was making a horrific noise at first, and driving felt like I was towing a 6000lb trailer. My diffs are filled with GM synthetic and there was still a ton of drag.

I generally never plug in my vehicles, and my garage is filled with toys, not daily drivers. This just can't be good for a car.
 
Ill never complain about the 17 degrees f.temps. that we get here in the mid atlantic area once in a while again after hearing the stories you guys have.
 
Don't ya just love a prairie winter.
-35C over night in Red Deer.
You know the guys in the far north call us wimps right?
-47C last night in White Horse. That's cold.
 
Originally Posted By: Silber Igel
What's with mixing two grades of oil??????


Castrol HM 5w30 has been the cars "normal" fill since it started leaking/consuming 1L every 2000 Km. I found that Castrol HM 5w30 was a little slow to start last winter, so this time around I've been adding GC as the top up oil. I'm going to keep adding GC until the weather is consistently above 0°C.
 
By the way.... It's now 1:10 PM and the temperature has risen to -29°C. My cay has been sitting since 7:30 AM, I wonder if 1°C will make it start more easily?
LOL.gif
 
I did not even bother trying to turn my car over this morning. -37 when I woke up, no block heater. The coolant was going to be slush, the car won't upshift until the transmission gets to temperature, and the Mobil 1 5w30 should be good but unti the engine starts to warm up, it seems like the valvetrain taps like a pen on a desk.
 
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