Oil recommendation for 2.2L Ecotec VUE

[burnout]

Hi everybody!

I'm going to be picking up my Saturn VUE on monday, and want to start it off on the right foot oil-wise. I'm planning on changing the oil @ 500 miles to M1 5w-30, and the manual gearbox lube to M1 or Redline ATF.

My question is, is 5w-30 a suitable weight for me?

I live in upstate new york (binghamton). Throughout the year it will be subjected to many long trips, and some short trips. Winters get as cold as -5F, and summers as hot as 95F. Starting in the winter, I'll be making short trips to school and back every day(2mi). After school, I'll probably drive around for the heck of it just to put some miles on every day. (16yr old ) These winters are brutal up here, so would a 0w-30 be right for me? Possibly a 5w-40 for summers? In the summer I'm planning on having some fun with the car, probably just driving around like an idiot.


Theres the background, you decide.

PS: Basically I'm looking for an oil that I can use year round, because of the change interval I'm planning (6000miles, new filter every 3000mi) / (every six months) whichever comes first.

 

[pitzel]

5W-30 sounds just fine. 3000 mile filter changes are a complete waste of money and won't buy you any extra engine life whatsoever compared with 6000 mile changes. With your weather, I would suggest that a 0W-30 might be slightly better due to reduced warm-up requirements, especially on your short trips. Even 6000 miles is pretty conservative, but quite safe with Mobil-1, GC, and most decent dino oils wouldn't have any issues either.

Skip the xW-40's, or anything else exotic. Follow whatever is specified while the car is under warranty 'just in case'.

 

[burnout]

Alright thanks!

Now if I didn't care about warranty, would you recommend a different oil?

 

[Gene K]

I would use a A3 rated 30 or 40 weight.
Mobil 1 30 weights are to thin for the A3 rating.

The following common oils meet A3.
There are of course others.

Castrol Syntec 0W-30 (German)
Mobil 1 0W-40
Valvoline Maxlife Synthetic 5W-30 or 10W-30.

Gene

 

[burnout]

So mobil1 0w-40 will be a good all around oil for winter and summer?

0w for flowability during cold temperatures.
40 weight for good protection once warmed up/summer?

Please correct me if I'm wrong about any of this.

(You're saying that mobil1 40 weight is about equivalent to a good dino 30 weight, correct?)

 

[Gene K]

No I am saying most Mobil 1 30 weights are borderline 20/30 Weight. The 30 weights I listed are borderline 30/40 Weight.

30 Weight is 9.3 Cst - 12.49 cSt @ 100&#176C (212&#176F)

40 Weight is 12.5 cSt - 16.49 cSt (?)

M1 5W-30 = 10.0 cSt
0W-30 Syntec German = 12.1 cSt
Maxlife Synthetic 5W-30 = 11.5 cSt
M1 0W-40 = 14.3 cSt

That said the M1 5W-30 will likely work fine. I am just saying I prefer a slightly thicker oil.

Gene

 

[burnout]

Thanks!

I'll probably stick with the 5w-30, because it seems as if it'll hold up well whether it is cold or hot out.

 

[Al]

Yea you really don't need a 40 wt. As was mentioned the German Castrol is a little thicker than the Mobil and is a good choice.

 

[pitzel]

quote:

---

Originally posted by burnout:
Thanks!

I'll probably stick with the 5w-30, because it seems as if it'll hold up well whether it is cold or hot out.

---

You'd be surprised at the results of some of our Texan and Florida friends who are running 0W-30. Oil 'degradation' really isn't presenting itself as an issue.

 

[McGarrett]

My wife drives a '03 VUE 2.2L 5spd w/26K miles. I use Mobil 1 5W-30. BTW, the 2.2L Ecotec is, by orders of magnitude, the easiest motor to change the oil in. I don't even get a dirty fingernail working on these things. As an experiment, I'm following the oil change indicator in this car to see if the motor holds up 150K miles or so. My OCI in my other cars is 5K miles. Our last light came on at a bit over 6,300 miles of mixed driving. Our most recent oil change came just before a trip to Orlando for Christmas so I would imagine the light will come on a bit later next time. One thing about these motors - they sure seem to dirty up the oil more quickly than any other car I've owned. Maybe it's the cartridge-type filter they use. I don't know. But I'm not worrying. The car runs fine and think GM has a real winner in these Ecotec 2.2L motors.

Good luck with the gearbox oil switch. It's a sealed, service-free unit so getting the old stuff out may be a chore. Also, check your manual - the '03 5-speed manual gearbox (an Italian/Fiat made Getrag unit) uses Dexron III as its oil fill. I'm not touching it. But I'm a firm believer in Redline and have MT-90 in my '00 Sentra's gearbox. So far, great results.

I hope you like your new Saturn. May the odd quirks and annoyances be outweighed by solid dealer support and the experience of owning a pretty unique & reliable automobile. Take this any way you want - There's no vehicle out there like the VUE. Happy New Year!

 

[Pick]

Wife's Malibu has the 2.2L EcoTech engine. Ran the factory fill to 4000, then Pennzoil dino 10W30 to 8200, Oillife monitor said 56% left. Changed to Amsoil 5W30, will run for 6-8K, then maybe switch to GC, or keep it on Amsoil.

DIC says we are averaging 31.8 MPG so far, BTW.