Lifter noise

[Patman]

You don't need 50wt oils to get A3 though, just look at the 0w30 Castrol, or the 5w30/10w30 Schaeffer Oils, or Amsoil or Redline's 5w30/10w30 all have HTHS numbers higher than 3.5.

As far as LS1's in Australia, they call for 40wt oil actually. I do agree that the LS1 would work very well with a 40wt oil in the lower end of the range.

 

[Dr. T]

Yeah I had that too when I first switched to a 50 weight. The engine sounds like it's going to self-destruct because of the build-up from using thinner oils eg. 30 weight.

Patman, there are no clearance issues. LS1's in Australia are using 50 and 60 weight oils routinely. I'm only saying that in my application, the 5-50 has proven a better product than M-1 15-50.

Why 50 weight oils? Firstly, to achieve a minimum of A3. Second, to prevent and eliminate (if possible) consumption.

 

[Leo]

Are you sure about the LS1s in Australia using 50wts? All I know is that they have a diet of M1 10W-30, and Mobil supplies them exclusively with it as u cant get 10W-30 from any other place but the dealer (and the Mobil Distributor of course).

 

[Sin City]

Patman, I know there are a lot of people that don't trust the idea of a 5W-50 motor oil. As for the amount of viscosity index improvers added to the oil I would agree that there must be a lot added to creat this grade of oil. Does this oil need any more viscosity index improver additives than a group I or group II 5W-30 oil? Remember there is also some group V mixed in with the group III Castrol Syntec and almost any other group III synthetic oil that I can think of. The Castrol Syntec 5W-50 does have a TBN of about 10.5 so I do thik it has a robust additive package. I believe it also has about 3,000 ppm of Calcium which is a detergent/dispersant additive.

I am sure most cars on the road in North America don't need an oil this thick but there are still plenty of older European cars on the road that recomend a 50 wt oil in hot weather. I would rather use Castrol Syntec 5W-50 than use some group I 20W-50 that is on sale for $1.19 at Walmart. Also I thik this grade makes since for someone that has a car that uses a lot of oil.

I only started using this oil in my mothers car because I noticed for the first time that I was draining significantly less oil out than I put in the car when I did an oil change. In the past I used Valvoline SynPower 5W-40. Also the car was noisy when first started. The car now takes less time to build oil pressure and is less noisy when it is first started. My mothers Geo Prizm is worth about $1,100 on a good day so I won't let her spend anything to have the motor worked on. If she puts enough miles (3,000 or more) on this car in the next year I will do a UOA and post it here. Sorry for such a long post.

 

[Schmoe]

quote:

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Originally posted by CJH:
Are you sure of what you are saying? I am under the impression that 5W50 is an excellent oil for cold climates. It behaves as a 5 weight oil when cold starting and I think this is all that matters. When the engine is warm, it behaves as a 50W oil, but since the engine is warm, the climate does not matter then. Right? Am I missing something?

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Well, did you read some of the posts above? THAT'S WHAT I'M SAYING...

 

[sprintman]

Aussie LS1's are using, and I mean really using by the litre 10W30. HSV's are using M1 10W30 which is worse as it's a thin 30W. So many rebuilds and replacements. Pretty ordinary effort by GM this engine. IMO needs a 40W at least.