Please help me choose a oil + filter combo

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zimmerDN

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Feb 10, 2006
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Ontario, Canada
This is for a 98 Avenger with the 2.5L V6 and it has 100k km on the car.

This car has never had synthetic oil in it and it's always been serviced at local walmart (I don't know what they use there but I am guessing it's Penzoil).

I am taking over the maintenace of this car so I need to find a suitable oil and filter combo to benefit this vehicle.

This is a vehicle usually driven short distances and clocks very little mileage each year (only 100k km in 8 years).
 
If shopping at Wal-Mart, pick up a 5qt jug of Valvoline Maxlife 5-30. The conventional version (dino) is 12-18% PAO synthetic, though not marketed as a "blend". I used it for a long time until I bought a few cases of the Syn version last year when I found a crazy deal on it.

Super Tech filters are very good.

That combo should be under $15 USD w/ tax.

Replace your PCV valve while you are at it.

If you go the ValMaxLife Synthetic route, and you continue with your 7500 mile/year routine, you might could get away with 1yr oil change intervals. At a minimum I would go 5-6k miles on it.
 
I'd also look at the other maintenance items and decide where you are with :
timing belt
coolant
trannie and diff fluid
plugs
since those all have a shorter of time or mile schedule and you'd classify your vehicke as a short trip/ shorter schedule.
 
Timing belt don't need to be changed until 160k km

Radiator will be flushed this summer.

Tranny fluid was done today. (I don't think there's a differential on this car).

Plugs, wires, rotor, distributor cap were all replaced in Nov 05.

I think I have covered most grounds to keep this car in tip top shape.

I am considering if the brake fluid should be replaced also?
 
I would use SuperTech oil & filters with 3-4k mile OCI's. Quality stuff on the cheap.

Alternatively, I would use:
Advance Auto Parts brand oil & filters
ValueCraft oil & filters from AutoZone
O'Reilly Auto Parts oil & filters

If going the synthetic route, I'd use whatever was cheapest, & any of the above mentioned filters.
 
I wouldn't be driving a car with a 10-12 year old timing belt unless its a noninterference engine (my est. of when you hit 160k km.) They are more like belts and hoses that age
by months. You can check which yours is on the Gates site.

I'd do the brake fluid when you do brakes.

Sounds like you have a new schedule set for maintenance which is more important for long life
Good luck.
 
Since your're from Canada and have access to Esso XD-3 that would be my oil of choice in the 0W-30 flavor with a Napa Gold oil filter.
 
I'm with Greaser's suggestion. With that many miles, go with a 0w-30, not a 0w-20. The "30" is better. Better yet, run M1 0w-40 in the summer and M1 0w-30 in the winter. The M1 0w-40 is really too thick around 0 degF in my opinion. And maybe a Mobil1 oil filter. (Avoid Fram oil filters. Purolator is OK. Anything but Fram, really.)
 
Run a Synthetic as ColdCranker noted, plus since your in Ontario a cold starts are to be expected.

Skip SuperTech, thier changeover to a plastic inner tube was not nice. AC Delco, Ford Motorcraft, Purolator, Mobil 1 etc can not go wrong with those.

All these posts about how high Mobil 1 is across the border & Europe disturbs me. If it were up to me I would fill a USAF C17 Globemaster with pallets of all available Mobil 1 oil grades. Flying low it would be secretly air dropped to avoid a black market international incident. Call it humanitarian aid BITOG style. Of course I would disavow any knowledge of this operation
smile.gif
 
Zimmer, did you change the tranny filter as well?

If you want a good filter go get a Quaker state at Canadian tire and get a load of Castrol GTX 5w30 onboard.
 
Hey Guys, I just bought a jug of SuperTech 10w-30 syn and a SuperTech oil filter for the first oil change in my recently bought '97 Bonneville (115,000 miles on it). I wasn't going to leave the oil in very long as I want to complete the flush after the thousand miles on the Napa 10w-30 the garage used for the first flush from anti-freeze contamination. SHOULD I TAKE THE OIL FILTER BACK TO WALMART, and buy a different brand?
 
Another question? While I have never been partial to Fram filters I have usually bought whatever filter was on sale. My OCI is 5 to 7K miles and I've been using M1 in the wifes 3.8L Bonneville, however I just changed it and used a Fram. Should I take if off and put a better one on before my normal change? We drive these cars gently. Half highway and half lower speeds. It's five miles to town so they get warmed up. Thanks, Curley
 
I've always had the impression that Quaker State isn't a quality brand.

So their oil and filter can be trusted and are on par with other quality ones?

I don't need something extremely good but I don't want something terribly bad either. Just affordable quality stuff.
 
Your impression is wrong when it comes to the Quaker State filters.

They are made by purolator and are an excellent filter for the money.
 
Before running syn.oil at this mileage for the 1st time, please read all the threads here about switching to syn.oil at higher mileages. More often than not, this has resulted in leaks/usage of oil. There are quite a few topics about it, and shouldn't be hard to find.
I personally would go with Pennz/Castrol/Havoline/Chevron dino, and if the car uses oil, then go with the HM formulations of the above oils. (or you can always mix/macth, too)
 
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