Thicker or thinner oils for '98 Cavalier?

[Hardware_Monk]

I just picked up a '98 Cavalier, and I wondered what the 2.2 engines preferred. It currently sounds decent, hot or cold.

I notice that some oils at or near factory spec are characterized here as thicker or thinner. I wondered what 2.2 owners may have noticed their engines like best.

A high school/college age girl owned this car, but her Dad advised her on car stuff. So, its my assumption that the oil got changed OK, but with average dino factory-weight oils.

I don't plan any big changes in type type or weight, but I plan a few short changes to help clean things out. With winter coming, I'd hoped to get a feel for what these engines might like best.

 

[jstutz]

i cannot answer your question, but my mother had a 96 model, standard shift, in PA and at that time i was 18 and drove it hard. My brother also learned on this car and from the time he was 16 until he was 19, he drove this car. After i left home for the military, the car got little maintenance. I could only guess how long that car went between oil changes and many times it ran around with the dang oil light on becuase it was low on oil. I know, i dont understand it either. The engine finally blew a head gasket at 135000 miles. It does burn some oil, about a qt every 2000 miles. This car has been abused and neglected and realisticly, if i would fix the head gasket, it would probably last a long time. My point, is you dont need to do anything special, just use a good conventional oil and change it at reasonable intervals and i believe that oil related issues will be the least of your worries. I believe these engies are overhead cams so dont get crazy with the viscosity, meaning dont go with a 15w40 or anything. Stick with the 5 and 10 w 30's. Most speak highly of maxlife. It is a little thicker than most standard 30 weights, and has a great additive pkg. Personally i would just put quality oil in it like Pennzoil conventional, 5w30 and do a few 3k changes. If its not burning oil or making racket, this is all you will need. Good luck

 

[RedOak]

I have the 2.2 ohv in a 01 Pontiac sunfire. With 91,000 miles the only thing I have noticed as the weather has become colder is more piston slap on cold starts. I purchased the vehicle with 82,000 in August and did not notice the piston slap in warmer weather. I have been using Carquest 5w30 conventional with LC to help clean up the engine. If you let the car idle for a few minutes the motor will settle down. I had a quart of Havoline 5w30 Deposit Shield laying around so I bought 3 more for the next change. I think any high quality conventional oil will do fine in this engine. Keep the intervals in line with your driving conditions and the motor will last a long time. These are durable engines, just not very smooth engines. Maybe another poster could chime in about piston slap and what a different oil could do?

 

[daman]

Thick is not needed in that engine...use a 5 or 0w30 or even a 0w20.

 

[The_Jeff]

If it sounds quiet leave it alone and count your blessings! They are a cam in block with a short little timing chain. But even that short little chain can get noisy. That motor will make 200k.

Hint, check the valve cover gasket, it's real cheap, like $6 at advance auto and easy to change and the once soft rubber turns into this hard leaky junk. And you can see how clean the rockers are!

 

[daves87rs]

That 2.2 will pretty much live on what whatever you give it. It's a tough engine, though it has no balls (115hp)


How many miles on that Cav?


5w30 will be just fine, depending on the milage, it may like some maxlife even more. You could run 0w30 if you wanted to (won't make a MPG difference though) A co worker has a 99 with 156k,and has used ML since 90k....does great.


My Cavs (03,04) like their Mobil 1 5w30/5w30 Napa syn....

 

[RedOak]

Originally Posted By: eljefino
If it sounds quiet leave it alone and count your blessings! They are a cam in block with a short little timing chain. But even that short little chain can get noisy. That motor will make 200k.

Hint, check the valve cover gasket, it's real cheap, like $6 at advance auto and easy to change and the once soft rubber turns into this hard leaky junk. And you can see how clean the rockers are!

Funny you mentioned that. My gasket needs replaced. It has sort of melted and it weeps a bit of oil. Looks easy to replace and a good idea of how clean things are.

 

[Jakegday]

i had that exact car (98 2.2) i bought it with 70000 miles and got rid of it with 150000 miles. i fed it a 5w30 synthetic blend the entire time i owned it. it still ran like new the day i got rid of it. the ONLY repair i ever put into it had nothing to do with the engine

 

[GMFan]

My dad had a 97 chevy s10 pickup with the 2.2L. He used cheap 5w30 in it for 160,000 miles with no engine problems before his truck got totaled in a wreck....he had to shut the engine off after the wreck as it was still running.

 

[tomcat27]

I'd use 5w30 winter and 10w30 summer. this engine can go 200k with any oil - although (coincidence or not) I have a friend who used Amsoil with 15k OCI's and never got any piston slap - even at 200k. I've seen them develop poston slap as early as 45k miles but its really no problem and no harm - just noisy.

 

[Colt45ws]

Mine liked 5W30 Maxlife. Also ran Rotella 10W30 and Castrol Syntec 0W30.

 

[Nickdfresh]

Originally Posted By: daves87rs
That 2.2 will pretty much live on what whatever you give it. It's a tough engine, though it has no balls (115hp)


And 135 foot lbs. of torque, which is really where the "balls" come from putting it pretty much on par with any small car engine current or past...

As for the thread, just use a 5w30 if you're not using oil. The manual states that 0w30 or synthetic 5w30 should be used in extremely cold climates and that 10w30 is fine above 0F. No need to over think it...

 

[JohnBrowning]

Most people that I know that have 300,000 or more miles on this engine have been useing Mobil 1 5W30 since day one. When you work for GM for 7 years you see a lot of high milage GM engines and a lot of low milage ones ontheir last leg.......Almost everyone at GM from office clerk to Engineer's run Mobil 1 in anything they intend to keep past 2 years. ALmost all of them use Mobil 1 5W30 and follow the Oil Life MOnitoring System. THe once that lease use Jiffy lube or some place like that when the oil life monitor comes on.

My aunt had 500,000+ miles on here and it went through 6-7 starters, 3-4 alternators but the engine was never touched internaly.Mobil 1 5W30 the inside was just as clean and shiny as the day it rolled off the assembly line.

 

[FrankN4]

I have a 1999 Cavalier I bought new in December 1998. It has the 2.2L I4 and 3 speed automatic.

I drove it home from the dealer and changed out the factory oil and filter while it was still hot. I put in Mobil 1 15W-50 and a Wix filter. That is what I use at every OCI. In now has almost 216,000 miles. It is used every day. It does not use ANY oil between OCI. There are no leaks and no seeps around gaskets. The engine is quiet, no piston slap, no valve noise, just quiet. It gets somewhat better mileage than the EPA estimates.

A low temperature where I live would be 0F and a high would be 100F.

 

[tig1]

Both of my Duratech 4s are on 5-30. Both engines are very quite.

 

[xtell]

Any conventional 5w30 oil will work in this engine. I have a 1998 (with the 2.0 engine) and a 2001 (with the 2.2 engine). I've tried Mobil 1 synthetic, Quaker State Synthetic, Pennzoil conventional, Kendall semi-synthetic, Mobil Clean 5000, Citgo, Valvoline, etc. and both of the engines run the same no matter what brand is in them. My gas milage never varied between synthetic and conventional. I have always used AC Delco or Purolator filters and change out the transmission fluid, power steering fluid and bleed the break lines every 20,000 miles.

 

[addyguy]

I have a 2002 Cavalier with the 2.2 OHV. Bought it with 55k miles on it; it now has 133k miles.

Been using 5w30 conventional in it as long as I've had it, and have gone anywhere from 4k to 8k on a change. Some used oil analysis are posted for it.

It doesn't burn or leak much oil at all; and besides a lot of piston slap in coller weather, it runs like a top. Rest of this car will fall apart long, long before the engine will!

 

[Hardware_Monk]

Thanks for all the good input!

The car has 105,000 on it now, and since its the most quiet Cavalier I've heard start up, I'd like to keep it that way.

By the sounds of it, my initial plan to keep it on 5w30 is in line with the long term results posted here.

I would like to move it to something better than basic dino after a bit, but I don't want to upset the groove its in.

I've used commercial oils for awhile, especially after hearing about the change in anti-wear components in consumer oils (a year and a half ago, was it?). There isn't much in a suitable weight for this car in Rotella locally, though.

I've recently tried synthetics, trying to make another high mile vehicle last longer, but with mixed results - possibly related to the weight oil I initially tried. So, I'm trying to learn from that, since most of my experience was with older engines.

From what I've heard over the years, Mobil 1 seemed at its best when used in engines that are nearly new, or at least very clean.

Locally, a synthetic blend was suggested as a transition oil to full synthetic, following some cleanup changes.

All things taken together, I think I'd rather move no further than a good synthetic blend, if I knew of one that would hold up well, like Valvoline Durablend did when it was first introduced.

Thanks again for all the good info so far!