What weight oil in 90000 mile 454 Vortec??

[outback dude]

Hello Guys, New to the board, but love the site. Just picked up a 1999 4wd Chevy Suburban with a 454 and 90000 miles. Looking at the VOA's and UOA's, the Chevron Supreme Dino stuff looks pretty good. My engine calls for a 5-30 weight oil. With the added miles, living in a part of California that never freezes but can get to over 110 degrees in the summer, Chevrons 10-30 and 10-40 weight caught my eye. What do you think?? Big Blocks are known to run hotter than small blocks, would the 10-40 weight be too much?? Truck is completely stock, tows a trailer with a max weight of 4000 lbs on occasion. I have used Chevron Delo 15-40 in our 1985 Chevy Blazer with a 6.2 Liter Diesel. Still going strong with 174000 miles on the clock. Just figured the additves package might be better in the Chevron Supreme for my gas 454. At this point I want to stay with dino oil as opposed to synthetics. Any comments or technical advice would be appreciated. Thanks, outback dude

 

[sbc350gearhead]

From what I have seen, BBC's seem to like 40 weights. Personally, I would not use a 10w40 conventional, as it is not even close to being shear stable. As long as it doesn't go below about 15 degrees, I would use a good 15w40 HDD oil, such as delvac 1300s, delo 400 or pennzoil long life. Schaeffer's supreme 15w40 is excellent, if you want to spend the extra money.

 

[Jelly]

quote:

---

Originally posted by sbc350gearhead: From what I have seen, BBC's seem to like 40 weights. Personally, I would not use a 10w40 conventional, as it is not even close to being shear stable. As long as it doesn't go below about 15 degrees, I would use a good 15w40 HDD oil, such as delvac 1300s, delo 400 or pennzoil long life. Schaeffer's supreme 15w40 is excellent, if you want to spend the extra money.

---

Wow, I don't think I could have said that any better...

 

[outback dude]

Thanks guys, Are there any additives in the conventional oil that might be missing in the heavy duty diesel oil such as boron?? Is this something I should even be concerned with? I will be doing some experiments on oil temperature with the different types of oil. Would putting a sensor on the oil pan give a good average of whats actually going on? Also, could a "hotter" oil temperature actually mean that the oil is pulling more "heat" out of the motor? A company approached me to carry their products, many of which claim to drop oil temps 40 degrees or so. Have not used them yet, did forum seach, but found little on a company called Pro Blend. I cannot and will not sell these products until I can see some real proof that they work as claimed and does lowering temperature really benefit the motor and longevity. I'll do the experiment if I get a good backround on how to do it to make it useable. Bring it on guys!! Thanks [ January 06, 2004, 01:51 PM: Message edited by: outback dude ]

 

[sbc350gearhead]

Stay away from the OTC additives, as most are merely snake oil. There are certain additives that are good, but they aren't widely available. A thinner oil transfer heat better than a thicker one. Most 15w40 HDD oils, do not contain moly, although pennzoil Long Life does. There are many top notch oils that do not use moly, so don't let that be the determining factor in your decision. [ January 06, 2004, 07:14 PM: Message edited by: sbc350gearhead ]

 

[Jelly]

quote:

---

Originally posted by sbc350gearhead: Stay away from the OTC additives, as most are merely snake oil. There are certain additives that are good, but they aren't widely available. A thinner oil transfer heat better than a thicker one. Most 15w40 HDD oils, do not contain moly, although pennzoil Long Life does. There are many top notch oils that do not use moly, so don't let that be the determining factor in your decision.

---

Delvac 1300 does as well, but not as much as Long-Life. When it comes to HDEO's, I do currently use Pennzoil Long-Life, but I've ran Delo (No Moly) in a few different applications (trucks, tractors, cars) with good results, so I'm not exactly sold on an oil having to have moly.

 

[outback dude]

O.K., So a thinner oil may actually allow the bearings, cylinder walls, rings etc to run cooler by transferring more heat to the oil. The oil should have a higher oil temperature when measured, right? Having a large oil cooler with built in fan to disperse the heat out of the oil may ultimately lower engine temps overall?. Are there any specific additives in the oil or OTC that make the oil more "heat" absorbing? I keep reading about claims from oil manufacturers and the OTC additives that claim lower friction and protection from metal to metal contact. But in every engine I've taken apart that didn't have a major blow up ( thrown rod, spun bearings), I saw everything in the motor coated with oil (all engines used dino oil) even after sitting a couple of years. Threre was no evidence of metal to metal contact anywhere with the naked eye or the fingernail scratch test. It almost seems we don't need friction additives to protect metal to metal, but oil that slips pasts itself easier, still coats the metal,tranfers heat, doesn't burn off and can handle the contaminents associated with internal combustion engines. Am I on the right track here??

 

[crashz]

I have a 1978 454 in my GMC with a ton of miles on it. Any 30 weight oil would make it sound like it would throw a rod, but with 15w-40, it would smooth right out. I don't drive the truck any more because its a total gas pig and needs a lot of work. Actually I'd like to swap in another deisel, possibly a Cummins.

 

[TheTanSedan]

1987 Chevrolet Suburban, 3/4-ton, 3.54 rear gears, 454-TBI w/TH-400; currently at about 190k. Mobil One 15W-50. (Do a search for more comments in other threads I've posted about this vehicle. Oil consumption came down and stabilized. Truck is South Texas based, has been towing an 8000-lb Silver Streak since purchase).

 

[John in the ATL]

My question is very similar to outback dudes. I just change the oil in a 97 3/4 ton Suburban 2 wheel drive for a friend of mine recently. I put in the Chevron Supreme 10w-30 since the manual called for a 30 weight of 5w or 10w and auto rx since it has had a life of quickie lubes for its 102K miles. For this engine, would the 15w-40 HDD be preferably in the warmer months (April to October)? This vehicle is driven strictly for commuting to work of 5 miles with no towing. Or, is the 10w-30 okay for year round in Hotlanta? Thanks

 

[Jelly]

Some will disagree with me, but: 102K on quickie-change oil "Hotlanta" climate 454 engine Driven five miles to work This engine is a perfect candidate for a 15w-40, and with the modern HDEO 15w-40's excellent (well, against other mineral oils) cold weather abilities, I wouldn't hesitate to run Chevron Delo, Mobil Delvac 1300, or Pennzoil Long-Life year-round in Atlanta.

 

[John in the ATL]

Jelly, Thanks for the quick response. After I get him through the Auto rx treatment, I will persuade him to try the 15w-40 aleast for the hot months April through October. Will these oils last 6 months? He probaly drives slightly more than 3,000 miles in the whole year. Anecdotely, he said the 454 ran smoother right after I changed it to the Chevron Supreme 10w-30 with Napa Gold and the auto rx.