The car in question is a 2004 Cavalier with an EcoTec 2.2. It belongs to my dad's girlfriend, and I've been doing the maintenance on it. I'm thinking of running either PP or QSUD next oil change for 6,000. We've been running conventional 5w30 at 3K. She does a pretty even mix of highway and stop and go. Opinions welcome.
Synthetic In a 2004 Cavalier
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Yes of course you can use a synthetic oil such as PP or QSUD 5w30. 3,000 mile OCI is pretty short even for a dino but if you go with the synthetic you can conservatively extend your OCI to about 8,000 miles.
With the highway driving, that engine should be about to handle 8200 miles or 9 months with Platinum.
7900 miles or 9 months with QSUD
7900 miles or 9 months with QSUD
My dads Saturn VUE has a 2.2L ecotec and we run good conventionals to 5k and syn to 7k.
These L61s seem to not like oils with a high noack volatility. From my experience they are not that easy on oil.
Our bests results are from a good conv. oil at 4 to 5k intervals highway.
We didn't get a good return on investment from synthetic. A lot of varnish buildup at 7k from M1 or QSUD.
These L61s seem to not like oils with a high noack volatility. From my experience they are not that easy on oil.
Our bests results are from a good conv. oil at 4 to 5k intervals highway.
We didn't get a good return on investment from synthetic. A lot of varnish buildup at 7k from M1 or QSUD.
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My son's 2003 Cavalier uses M1 5w30 and when he was doing a little more highway driving we would change it at 10,000 miles. Once it went over 11k with no harm done. Now, he's mostly stop and go short trips and we'll probably change it at 7500. I've got a jug of PP 5w30 to use up, after that it will get MaxLife Blend. It's got about 135k on it now, I doubt he'll keep it much past 150k even though it runs great and everything works. The urge to get something newer is calling.
That engine is fitted to the Vauxhall/Opel Vectra with direct injection in the later ones, 07/08.
My BiL has one and i am sure that was one of the fleet biased vehicles with a 20k mile or 24 month service interval.
With obviously very strict oil specs.
The oil specified is actually C3 low saps oil. You can go for 5w30 or 5w40. We went for 5w40 Castrol Edge A3,B4, C3.
He has run it on occasion well past 10k. His usage is good for oil as mostly long runs on quiet roads at a steady speed, usually 50/60 miles of this and msybe 2 or 3 miles of slower urban roads if he takes his car all the way to his workplace in London.
Even at over 10k oci the oil came out fairly clean. I have been told that direct injected petrols can dirty the oil quicker than a traditionally injected petrol engine but i don't know why or if that is true. Just saying what i have heard.
I would probably run 5w30. But to Europran Acea specs. Perhaps something from Amsoil?
And i would run it to 10k unless you only use it round town then i would reduce that sslightly to 7500.
The filters i get for it are high quality Hengst Made in Usa which i found unusual. But as more GM models in the US have that engine it does make perfect sense.
My BiL has one and i am sure that was one of the fleet biased vehicles with a 20k mile or 24 month service interval.
With obviously very strict oil specs.
The oil specified is actually C3 low saps oil. You can go for 5w30 or 5w40. We went for 5w40 Castrol Edge A3,B4, C3.
He has run it on occasion well past 10k. His usage is good for oil as mostly long runs on quiet roads at a steady speed, usually 50/60 miles of this and msybe 2 or 3 miles of slower urban roads if he takes his car all the way to his workplace in London.
Even at over 10k oci the oil came out fairly clean. I have been told that direct injected petrols can dirty the oil quicker than a traditionally injected petrol engine but i don't know why or if that is true. Just saying what i have heard.
I would probably run 5w30. But to Europran Acea specs. Perhaps something from Amsoil?
And i would run it to 10k unless you only use it round town then i would reduce that sslightly to 7500.
The filters i get for it are high quality Hengst Made in Usa which i found unusual. But as more GM models in the US have that engine it does make perfect sense.
I change mother's '08 Cobalt at 7500-8000 miles with conventional (to about 5-10% OLM) and the last UOA I did was fine (on circa '05 Exxon Superflow).
If I run a syn, like QS or PP, I run to at least 10K miles. Anything less, IMO, is waste.
If I run a syn, like QS or PP, I run to at least 10K miles. Anything less, IMO, is waste.
Yes.
But shop around. I think Mobil 1 is available for less money at Walmart.
But shop around. I think Mobil 1 is available for less money at Walmart.
I understand what you guys are saying but on my VUE if I go beyond 5k with PP or QUSD the oil is black and engine rattles. I have since went with Valvoline Max Life and 6 months. I only go about 6k a year and most of that is stop and go short trips. Last 2 oil changes were quiet all the way from beginning to the end. I bought it 4 years ago with 83000 miles from a dealership so no way of knowing previous record.
2006 Vue
107600
2006 Vue
107600
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Originally Posted By: tiger862
I understand what you guys are saying but on my VUE if I go beyond 5k with PP or QUSD the oil is black and engine rattles. I have since went with Valvoline Max Life and 6 months. I only go about 6k a year and most of that is stop and go short trips. Last 2 oil changes were quiet all the way from beginning to the end. I bought it 4 years ago with 83000 miles from a dealership so no way of knowing previous record.
2006 Vue
107600
Black oil is okay, can't really tell anything without having it ananylized for TBN/TAN. The rattle i would guess is from a lesser filter with nitrile rubber anti drain back valve getting stiff and letting you have dry starts. Plenty of reasons the filter could be causing the issue. But you probably don't have the V6, and the 4 cyl has the cartridge filter so thats out of the question there.
It's also possible the oil is shearing out of grade and it just sounds different at the slightly thinner viscosity. This doesn't necessarily mean any extra damage is occurring.
@ the OP - At minimum you could be running the QSUD to 0% OLM
I understand what you guys are saying but on my VUE if I go beyond 5k with PP or QUSD the oil is black and engine rattles. I have since went with Valvoline Max Life and 6 months. I only go about 6k a year and most of that is stop and go short trips. Last 2 oil changes were quiet all the way from beginning to the end. I bought it 4 years ago with 83000 miles from a dealership so no way of knowing previous record.
2006 Vue
107600
Black oil is okay, can't really tell anything without having it ananylized for TBN/TAN. The rattle i would guess is from a lesser filter with nitrile rubber anti drain back valve getting stiff and letting you have dry starts. Plenty of reasons the filter could be causing the issue. But you probably don't have the V6, and the 4 cyl has the cartridge filter so thats out of the question there.
It's also possible the oil is shearing out of grade and it just sounds different at the slightly thinner viscosity. This doesn't necessarily mean any extra damage is occurring.
@ the OP - At minimum you could be running the QSUD to 0% OLM
My girl had a 2000-2001 cavalier with a 2.2. The engine was nearly indestructible. It had something well in excess of 400k on it and didn't burn a drop of oil in between changes.
She hit a deer and totalled it though. Great commuter car and decent in the winter.
I used whatever I had laying around for oil changes in that car. In the summer it was usually a mix of 15w40 rotella and whatever partial 20 grade I had leftover from the winter. In the winter I used a 5w30.
That car got Amsoil a couple times at around 300k because I had lots of it for my truck but the rest of its life was conventional.
She drove it kinda hard to. 80 miles daily at 120-130kms/hr then roughly 20 city miles a day then twice a month she was driving to Alberta which added another 1200km per trip. At 80 I think it revved at over 3000rpm so it was getting buzzed pretty hard.
I seafoamed it every second or third oil change. Half a can thru a vacuum line. The car was still responsive and peppy which just floored me once the mileage was considered.
Original transmission too. The only things I ever changed on that car was tires,brakes and lights,and a sensor or 2.
Bought the car with 200k on it. In almost 4 years my girl more than doubled that mileage and my total investment was under 2500.
Car was 1500 and maybe 1000 in parts over those 4 years.
And still runs like a dream.
She hit a deer and totalled it though. Great commuter car and decent in the winter.
I used whatever I had laying around for oil changes in that car. In the summer it was usually a mix of 15w40 rotella and whatever partial 20 grade I had leftover from the winter. In the winter I used a 5w30.
That car got Amsoil a couple times at around 300k because I had lots of it for my truck but the rest of its life was conventional.
She drove it kinda hard to. 80 miles daily at 120-130kms/hr then roughly 20 city miles a day then twice a month she was driving to Alberta which added another 1200km per trip. At 80 I think it revved at over 3000rpm so it was getting buzzed pretty hard.
I seafoamed it every second or third oil change. Half a can thru a vacuum line. The car was still responsive and peppy which just floored me once the mileage was considered.
Original transmission too. The only things I ever changed on that car was tires,brakes and lights,and a sensor or 2.
Bought the car with 200k on it. In almost 4 years my girl more than doubled that mileage and my total investment was under 2500.
Car was 1500 and maybe 1000 in parts over those 4 years.
And still runs like a dream.
Originally Posted By: hemitom
Originally Posted By: randomhero439
With the highway driving, that engine should be about to handle 8200 miles or 9 months with Platinum.
7900 miles or 9 months with QSUD
And how did you determine this?????
https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/posts/2951003/
My thread^
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?...p=sharing#gid=0
I think Quattro Pete made this which incorporated my formula, and a few different formulas. Then takes the average between them.
Basically i ran the calculations using my formula only, and got the post results.
Originally Posted By: randomhero439
With the highway driving, that engine should be about to handle 8200 miles or 9 months with Platinum.
7900 miles or 9 months with QSUD
And how did you determine this?????
https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/posts/2951003/
My thread^
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?...p=sharing#gid=0
I think Quattro Pete made this which incorporated my formula, and a few different formulas. Then takes the average between them.
Basically i ran the calculations using my formula only, and got the post results.
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