NASTY engine noise: Chevron 15w-40!

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Drew99GT

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I just did an oil change to drain my last auto-rx clean cycle, and decided to go 50/50 Chevron 10w-30 with 15w-40 Delo. Every time I start my car, it sounded HORRIBLE, like there is no oil in it! I changed the filter one more time, cause my car is VERY senstitive to different oil filters. Same thing, NOISE and sluggish as **** (beyond the already sluggish nature of the monstorous 1.8L 115 hp bad boy Corolla ENGINE
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). So, I thought maybe 10w-30 is the highest viscosity this sucker likes; drained the delo/supreme mix, and installed straight 10w-30 Chevron supreme. Motor is whisper quiet like it always was.
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I do not get it. It has a cam over bucket valvetrain, so no hydraylic lifters to act up or anything, but this engine is the most sensitive to viscosity changes or different oil filters that I've ever had.
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Oh, I bought the Supreme for .69 cents per quarts, so only chump change lost to do 2 oil changes in two days
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I doubt any damage was done, but it sounded like there should have been! It sounded HORRID. I wonder if it is the lack of friction modifiers or something. Regardless, I'm not jumping on the 15w-40 HDEO bandwagon, that's for sure.
 
It's a 94. Temps are in the high 60s/low 70s. On the first cold start with the Delo mix, it took a good 4 minutes for the clatter to start subsiding, and it did completely go away after achieving operating temperature. With the 10w-30, it still clatters upon cold start on occasion, but lasts about 30 seconds to 1 minute before it becomes silent. It sounds strangely like my 99 Grand Am did; sounds like piston slap to me
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THat is really strange. I belive every word you are saying to be true even though I have never had anything like this happen!

That just blows my mind! Every Toyota we have owned since 1971 has been ran on 20W50,15W50,5W40 in warm months and 10W30 or 5W40 in the winter. Never have I had what you experinced happen. Even my Dodge,Ford,Buick and Geo have been treated the same with out a single incident.

I wish I could witness this one time first hand. It is not that I doubt anyone that claims this I just would like to hear it myself to try to figure out what it is.

I wounder how Buster's Carolla is going to do on either M1 15W50 or 5W40???
 
I tried straight Delo 400 in my 99 Corolla for a 400 miles.It made the engine feel incredibly smooth but kind of lethargic,like I had something heavy in the trunk.Gas milage was pretty much the same as the 5W30 I used before in it.No start up noises at all,turned over easily.
 
Well I sort of got caught in between on my last oil change on my Impala 3.8 and used the exact same thing 50/50 mix Chevron Supreme 10W-30 and Delo 15W-40...with a K&N oil filter..... It's been in there for about 500 miles now and the engine is quieter than before and there has been no difference in fuel ecomony or power.... Runs great !I'm even going to do a UOA at the same mileage on this oil as my last UOA just to see if there is a difference.
 
Calvin, I also changed my 98 Monte Carlo 3.8L over to a 15W-40 as it's about to turn over 100K and from the UOAs here it seems to like a thicker weight oil. It has used Schaeffer 10W-30 Blend for the last 20K and I just filled it with Schaeffer 15W-40 Blend and will do an UOA in 6 months. It also seems to run smoother on the 40W over the 30W.
 
quote:
Originally posted by Ryan00TJ:
Calvin, I also changed my 98 Monte Carlo 3.8L over to a 15W-40 as it's about to turn over 100K and from the UOAs here it seems to like a thicker weight oil. It has used Schaeffer 10W-30 Blend for the last 20K and I just filled it with Schaeffer 15W-40 Blend and will do an UOA in 6 months. It also seems to run smoother on the 40W over the 30W.
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Check out the UOA on the Havoline 10w30. Unless you beat on it, or want extended OCIs. I don't know why you'd use anything else. My 3800 "likes" 10w30.
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-T
 
Of course some of you will think I'm a tad bit biased, but I've never heard of this, seen it, or understand it!

The only time I can think of something like this happening is when operating in temperatures that are way too cold for the viscosity, but that's just not the case here.

I've ran 15w-40's in many different gas engines and have never experienced anything like this.

Not to pass blame, but I've NEVER mixed oils before. That's the only variable here IMHO...

BTW, what are you trying to accomplish with this mix? To make a HDEO 10w-40?

Why not go to a 5w-40?
 
In my case it wasnt something I planned on doing.I simply thought I had enough Chevron Supreme 10W-30 to do my oil change and I was wrong.I didnt have enough.... But I do use Delo 15w-40 in my solid lifter Big Block Chevelle and I had several gallons of it.I quickly called Chevron and they said it wouldnt hurt a thing to mix the two oils.( They dont recommend it but it would be perfectly acceptable to do so.).... I was going to order up some Scheaffers but simply hadnt done so yet....
So in went the mix.....

Somewhere here MolaKule had an example of a GM 3.8 engine that they used a slightly heavier oil in and reduced the wear metals quite a bit.I cant recall where that example was tho..... Even if you average this 50/50 mix it's what a 12.5W-35 oil.I know it doesnt really work that way but I still have to think that all that really amounts to is a real deciently thick 10W-30 rather than anything much thicker..... Anyhoo the UOA on my 1st batch of CS 10W-30 sheared to a 20 weight rather quickly.... We'll see in a couple months when I sample this batch.
 
Doesn't surprise me if the car has had a steady diet of 5-30 or some other thin oils especially if the intervals were extended and/or there is a large amount of build up. Except the key to this thread is that auto-rx was used. Guess the one interval didn't do adequate cleaning to step up to the plate with the 15-40 or else you have internal engine problems. Possibly suggest another round of auto-rx. What is the mileage on the corolla?
 
I am with you Dr. T. There has to be a blockage somewhere that the lighter oil can squeze through.
I would do an anto-rx for sure on this engine. It is only a matter of time before the 10w-30 will give you the same noise.
 
Unless something like this happens to you, you won't know what I'm talking about. I bet there's something in the valvetrain that wasn't cleaned up completely by auto-rx's "slow" cleaning process.

I experience the same thing when putting a 15-50 or some other 'thicker' viscosity in my BMW that you guys "think" was "designed" for such viscosities afer many thou mi's of 5-30 weight use. Parts are either sticking/still dirty/worn out. I thought the thought was that auto-rx doesn't do overly well with varnish build up....just a thought...
 
quote:
Originally posted by Dr. T:
Unless something like this happens to you, you won't know what I'm talking about. I bet there's something in the valvetrain that wasn't cleaned up completely by auto-rx's "slow" cleaning process.

I experience the same thing when putting a 15-50 or some other 'thicker' viscosity in my BMW that you guys "think" was "designed" for such viscosities afer many thou mi's of 5-30 weight use. Parts are either sticking/still dirty/worn out. I thought the thought was that auto-rx doesn't do overly well with varnish build up....just a thought...
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From reading some of Molekule's stuff, I think VARNISH is only acetone soluble. I have a hard time believing that anything you would want to put in your engine would actually, really clean varnish. Lacquer in a diesel, yes, but varnish in a gasoline engine, I doubt.
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Varnish is best not allowed to happen.
 
I agree...and how does 'varnish occurring' show up on a UOA? I'm guessing it doesn't...and may even account for some of the superlative showings...
 
quote:
Originally posted by Dr. T:
I agree...and how does 'varnish occurring' show up on a UOA? I'm guessing it doesn't...and may even account for some of the superlative showings...
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I'm guessing you are right. I don't believe uoa's can show you much about the state of engine cleanliness until something is really compromised, but I'm not sure that was ever a realistic function of the uoa.

A good varnish coating might help to show some good low numbers, because wear metals get sealed in with the coating.

I think you can be building light varnish even with 3K oci's. imho.
 
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