Using GC, was there anything else I could have done??

[rob-the-oil-nut]

I have a sweeping oil pressure guage on the dash ('96 Bonneville with 3800 Series 2, a swap-out such that the engine has under 25,000 km while the odo reads 115....anyway for all I know you have the same sort of guage on YOUR dash)
...anyway, when I start it in this weather it takes 3, 4, 5, 6, maybe 7 seconds for the oil pressure needle to get out of the red zone. After 5 secs there is a dinging sort of advisory chime though no lights on the dash or anything. (The advisory chime is, IMHO a real design flaw. If I have 5 psi after 6 secs of engine running I want to know it; it's a larger issue than driving with a turn signal left on, know what I mean?

BTW I have a block heater and paid $30 to ensure it was in tip-top shape a few months ago, and I use it.
But I'm thinking; I had left the Redline 5W30 in my garage because its pour point and cold pump-ability weren't as good as the GC 0W30. So I'm running GC. I like Moly and GC has none, so there is Schaeffer's Moly in it, which was some good coinage to get into Canada. There is also (full bottle) Auto-RX, which good sources have assured me will NOT affect cold-weather pumpability, since there was a good 1000 km for it to blend the A-RX with the GC before this unseasonal cold snap hit us. And, as luck would have it I got a filter change 1000 km after putting in this custom (expensive) mix, free. UOA from the previous owner (the dealer) support their claim that it was a newer engine (SI was over 40) with just test-drive mileage (under 200 km) on the previous oil change (before I knew that the car was for sale)
Is there anything more I could have done? I of course want the time that that needle is in the red zone to be as short as possible. I would think the time in that red zone is directly proportional to wear metals on next UOA; is that a wrong or over-zealous assumption on my part? What could be done to reduce the time in the red zone? Drain and replace with straight GC? Quickly switch to Redline?

THANKS!
Rob

 

[rob-the-oil-nut]

Replies I have already had on this matter, via email.... Out of respect I will not say who said what, that's too much like finger-pointing and "Well HE said..." plus there's the matter of context and discretion...
'Why use RX with GC when dino does a better job?...I can't think of a worse combination than this for RX cleaning....GC has esters, and esters and the like in synthetic oils inhibit RX cleaning'

'The issue with oil pressure gauge is not as simple as it looks. The oil pressure gauge unit will have a small restricting orifice (or small bore line) built into it – whether mechanical or electrical. This is to dampen pressure pulses. Thus the “real” pressure at the bearings is higher than indicated during initial startup and pressurization, because of the pressure delay due to the orifice. I personally would not worry unless temps get down near -35 to -40.'
(From Rob) It IS -35 to -40! I knew this would happen and spent quite some time getting the finest stuff in the crankcase for winter.
*I AM using a block heater! Another thing is start the car and let it idle to charge / thaw the battery (old Manitoba trick)
Also, if the orifice thing causes a delay, explain my oil pressure guage doing the funky chicken, fluctuating maybe 1/8" at a red light. Temp guage had gone up a bit from cold start and remained above 275 KPa as it shimmied away. Became stable in Neutral. (*As I recall, 14.7 psi is 100.00 KPa)
Hey, anyone want to know the temp, the effects on even us hardly Winnipeggers, email or PM me. School buses are staying in, not because they won't start but because if they are 5 mins late and little kids wait that 5 mins for the bus, they could get harmed.
I went to the car with my camcorder (fearful it would be damaged by even a 3-min exposure to the cold) and focused on the oil pressure guage. "Watch this!" I narrated...the car failed to start as it has the day before and the day before, under identical conditions.
Admin, strip the URLs if you must, but have a look at:
http://weatheroffice.ec.gc.ca/forecast/city_e.html?ywg&unit=i
http://weatheroffice.ec.gc.ca/forecast/24_hour_conditions_e.html?ywg&unit=i

Again, is there anything different I could have or should have done that would reduce the time the needle spends in that 'red zone'
Does anyone want to dispute the expert claims that A-RX will NOT affect cold pour point or pumpability? Or blame it on the Moly additive?
(Engine is a GM 3800 Series 2, under 25,000 km)
THANKS!
Rob

 

[slalom44]

I realize that you're having problems with getting the correct oil filter on your car, but if the ADBV isn't holding oil in the filter and galleys, then it's draining back into the oilpan. That would explain the delay in oil pressure more than the oil and moly you use.

Are you using an oil filter with a silicone ADBV? at those temps, nitrile won't do diddly.

 

[TheLoneRanger]

Rob, I wouldn't worry about it. It sounds like you're doing all you can in an extreme cold situation like that. Oil pressure sensors are usually situated the farthest from the pump, up at the top of the block, and naturally have a delay. That means the engine is being well lubed long before it shows on the gauge.

The moving parts also have a residual film of oil left on them from the previous run, which helps in lubrication on the next start. I would sleep well doing what you're already doing, and dream about warm summer days.....

 

[rob-the-oil-nut]

quote:

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Originally posted by slalom44:
I realize that you're having problems with getting the correct oil filter on your car...

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It's a GM filter. They poo-poo'd my concerns and said that a PF-47-C was just as good and a little bit shorter. What the nature of that one is, I do not know. I DO know I want a K&N in there in weather like this.
The aforementioned controversial starting has been caught on tape, BTW.
If I run it 10 miles and shut it off for an hour, then start it again, the pressure zooms up nicely. It's the overnight stuff (plugged in) that gets it this way.
BTW the bulk of the crisis is over, we are now looking at night-time lows of only -20 (see above URLs, and for goodness sake look again in summer when we are on par with Houston!)
Keep in mind I DID volunteer to be something of a test subject. For one, I cannot think of anyone that has used A-RX at -35 or -40, ever, not even in a lab. Why would anyone?
The 132 Moly MAY have a severe resistance to moving at those temps as well. I can't blame it!
If money allows, getting pour point tested would be a great idea, but even so, how does one 'prove' that either additive precipitates out and becomes like molasses below -30?
Or I could just chill, pardon the pun, as per The Lone Ranger's advice.
BTW I thought super-cold starts caused oil pressure to sky-rocket. What happened to all the anecdotes of 400 psi and blowing a filter right off??
THANKS!
Rob