S10 needs some lube and lovin'...

[2003SCT]

Hello everyone. I have a 2000 2.2L 4cyl S10 Automatic daily driver and was wondering about an oil recommendation. At just over 100,000 or so miles, she has been quite reliable however I do have a small leak which I believe to be the rear main seal. It has been doing it for awhile and I honestly don't know when I will get the chance to fix it. Are there any oils to stay away from with a leak like that? Any suggestions? The driving is almost all in town stop and go and in high temps here in Las Vegas. I am a little hard on her as well so I DO want the best oil for the application and stress levels. I also wish to do an oil analysis on the oil that I put into it. Any filter recommendations? For both the oil and filter, I have no problem spending extra to get the best.

Thanks in advance guys!

CHRIS

 

[bobfather99]

If it were me, Id either try Maxlife or Pennzoil HM with a Purolator filter. Might help with the rear main seal leak.

 

[2003SCT]

Forgive my ignorance, but are synthetics worse if you have a leak like a rear main? Do they act differently on the seals because of the composition or do they "patch the leak" as it were?


CHRIS

 

[J_Myler]

Mobil 1 10W30 might help your leak and you could use a pure one filter or a mobil 1 filter

 

[2003SCT]

Originally Posted By: bobfather99
If it were me, Id either try Maxlife or Pennzoil HM with a Purolator filter. Might help with the rear main seal leak.


I checked online and see that Pep Boys has 5 quarts of Max Life and a Purolator filter for $12.99 after rebate until 6/6/09. Sounds like a great deal to me.

CHRIS

 

[2003SCT]

BTW, has anyone tried ELF Evolution 5W-30? I use that in my Pontiac and have for a couple of years now and the car seems to like it. Anyone else using it?

CHRIS

 

[FrankN4]

I have a 1999 Chevrolet Cavalier with the 2.2L I4 and automatic transmission. I put Mobil 1 15W-50 synthetic in it, with a Wix filter, the day it came home from the dealer in December of 1998. It got Mobil 1 synthetic transmission fluid at about 500 miles or so. It now has 211,000 miles on it, is used every day, not a beater. It has no leaks and uses no oil, not a drop, between OCI.

Synthetic oils, whether GP III or GP IV, have to have seal conditioners more-so than older GP I and current GP II. Early GP IV synthetics would find any avenue of escape from an engine. I think this was primarily due to their not having any natural seal conditioning ability, their cleaning action and the fact that they have a much more uniform molecular structure. Today's synthetics, whether HM or not, have seal conditioners.

If you do not want to go to a higher viscosity grade, such as a 50, I would suggest you look at Mobil 1 10W-40 or 10W-30 HM, Valvoline MaxLife 10W-40 or 10W-30, and if you can find it, Valvoline MaxLife full synthetic 10W-30.

My highest suggestion for an over the counter filter for the 2.2L engine is Wix. The bypass valve is built into the engine, not into the filter. You get the WiX protection, Wix strong, well built, durability without the complexity, or used up space, of a bypass valve.

 

[2003SCT]

So the bit about a car taking 5W30 when its newer and 10W30 when its got some solid mileage on it is true? I went to get some oil today and then thought about that so I held off.

CHRIS

 

[FrankN4]

Originally Posted By: 2003SCT
So the bit about a car taking 5W30 when its newer and 10W30 when its got some solid mileage on it is true? I went to get some oil today and then thought about that so I held off.

CHRIS


Well....could be...but. Many folk assume a 10W-30 is thicker/heavier than a 5W-30. That is not necessarily true. Remember that a 30 grade oil has a 100C cSt(the thickness of the oil at operating temperature) that ranges from 9.3 to 12.49. Mobil 1, as an example, makes their 10W-30 with a 100C cSt of 10, but, their 5W-30's have a 100C cSt of 11.3. Mobil says their reason for this is to give a more robust oil for engines that call for a 5W-30. The HTHS difference between Mobil 1 10W and 5W-30 is only .05, so the 5W-30 is not a thin base oil filled with VII.

About any one's 5W-30 HM oil is going to be thicker in HTHS, have a higher 100C cSt, and have a more robust add pack than any one's non HM 10W-30. You could change your engine from 5W to 10W and actually get a thinner oil! Valvoline MaxLife synthetic 5W-30 has an HTHS of 3.5 and a 100C cSt of almost 12(11.7-11.8) MaxLife 10W-30 synthetic has a HTHS of 3.6. Mobil 1 10W-30 HM has a HTHS of 3.66 and a 100C cSt of 11.79.

The 5W/10W tells you the cold cranking, cold flow and has nothing to do with the cSt at operating temperature. 10W does not ATOMATICALLY mean heavier or thicker than 5W.

I am very familiar with the 2.2L engine. We have had 4 of these engines since 1995. Two are still in daily use with 174,000 and 211,000 miles. I am not sure about the winter temperature where you live. If you want a full synthetic oil, M1 10W-30/40 HM, Maxlife synthetic 10W-30 would be good choices. In a blend, I would give greatest consideration to MaxLife 10W-30/40. Just remember that the synthetic MaxLife 5W-30 or blend MaxLife 5W-30 is going to be thicker, heavier, more robust than a standard 10W-30, whether it be conventional, blend, or synthetic. There are some high quality 30 grade oils made for European engines that MAY be the exception.

 

[2003SCT]

Cool. Thanks so much Frank.


Chris