Oil for '99 Malibu.

[MGregoir]

I have a 1999 Malibu with the low output 3100 V6 and I am coming up to the 135,000 km (80,000 mile) oil change (5000 km change intervals like clockwork) and I am trying to choose a better oil for this job.

They reccomend 5w30, which I will use in the winter, but this summer I used regular Valvoline 10w30 and noticed a lot less engine noise. It drives smoother and the vibrations it normally has don't become noticeable except under wide open throttle over 4800 rpm. The engine does not use oil and the heavier oil did not hurt the summer mileage.

I have almost always used cheap (well, free from where I get it) Esso Extra, mineral Petro-Canada or Pennzoil.

I live in northern Alberta so temperatures can get down to -40 and stay pretty steadily below 0 all winter. It is probably 85% highway miles and 15% urban miles, but most of the trips are less than twenty minutes. The thermostat almost never gets wide open, and that was this summer in 85 degree heat driving 80 miles per hour with the AC on full during a trip.

Any suggestions?

 

[Camu Mahubah]

Well...if you live in northern Alberta...you know a lot about Winter...I would recommend synthetic Xw-30 for the temps you are going to encounter...Valvoline 10w30 is fine for your Summer...Anyways I bet the scenery makes up for the cold...

 

[ThirdeYe]

I use Valvoline MaxLife 5W30 in my mom's '03 Malibu with the same 3100 V6 and it performs great. Not so sure how well it would do in -40 weather though!

 

[BradC]

I just used Petro-Canada 5W30 in the 2001 and 2003 Malibus I had, but it doesn't get as cold in Ottawa as it does in Northern Alberta. I always plugged them in during the coldest part of winter here.

I would say use a good quality synthetic or perhaps a synthetic blend in the winter. With that mileage, you could also use one of the "high milage" oils.

The possibility exists that you might encounter leaking seals for a bit if you went to a full synthetic at that mileage if you've been running dino for that whole time.

My 89 Cavalier with the 2.8L V6 started leaking around 150,000 kms...it only saw dino oil the whole time I had it.

 

[bmwtechguy]

Maxlife full syn 5w30 in the winter, and regular Maxlife 5w30 or 10w30 in the summer, if these are available up there.