Oil suggestions for an Oldsmobile Alero

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Howdy,

My girlfriend has a 2000 Oldsmobile Alero GL2 (2.4 L. 4cyl). It currently has 85K miles on the clock. It's been fed 5w-30 dino oil during its life (at least over the two years she has owned it). The car used to be in Michigan but now lives in Las Vegas, where the temperatures are much higher. The manual recommends 5w-30 when the temperature falls below -0F and 10w-30 if temperature is 0F or above.

So the question... what kind of oil would you guys put in this car? Should I switch it over to synthetic (Mobil 1 10w-30?). I like buying my oil from WalMart, so any stuff they carry would be nice. I also have read you guys don't like fram filters. Does walmart sell any "good" filers, or do I need to buy them elsewhere?

I've been changing the oil on my 2002 VW Passat, which requires synthetic and the larger diesel filters. I've never had to change the oil on a non turbo car (GM), so this is new to me. Thanks for helping the noob out
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~Eric
 
Make your own 3 dino to 1 full synthetic. Makes a nicer syn-blend than what the oil manufacturers give you. Castrol, Pennzoil, Mobil will all work. If your vehicle likes it, either stick to it or then go to an all-synthetic dosage & see what develops. 10W-30 would be a good weight for your climate.
 
API SM conventional 10W-30 Havoline will be just fine. It's available at WalMarts. If you see 10W-30 Chevron Supreme at WalMart for less, use that instead - it's virtually the same product under a different name. They're both made by Chevron. (They've gone back to the old name - it's no longer "ChevronTexaco", though it may be awhile before the change is reflected on the bottles.) If there are Dollar Tree Stores in Lost Wages, look for the API SM version of 10W-30 TropArtic Synthetic Blend. (Guess how much a quart costs.) Going to the expense of a full synthetic in that low-stressed EcoTech motor is a total waste of money - you'll get full life out of that motor with any current, name brand, conventional motor oil with 5,000 mile oil changes, regardless.
 
Welcome Eric Harris.

I too buy my oil from Wal-Mart. Huge selection, great prices, and usually all choices available in 5qt jugs.

Wal-Mart is a great place for oil.

Does the Alero have a 4 or 5 quart sump.

quote:

what kind of oil would you guys put in this car?

Depends, do you want to spend $10 for good Dino and 3-5k mile OCI's, or $20 for good Syn and 5-8k mile OCI's?

Vavloline MaxLife has been on sale for $8.48 for the 5qt jug. I have used it. Good stuff.

A good middle of the road oil would be SuperTech Synthetic for $11.88 for a 5qt jug.

Mobil 1 Syn has 5qt jugs for $19.88 most of the time.

Wal-Mart SuperTech filters are great for the price and made by Champion Labs. I have used them with zero problems.

What do you use for the Passat from Wal-Mart, Shell Rotella 5-40 Syn?
 
Thanks for the good advice guys. Now I got to get under the car and see how easy this oil job will be. It can't be more of a pain than my Passat
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Islandvic: I've been using Pentosin 5w-40, which I buy from ECSTuning.com. But i have bought some Mobil 1 0w-40 in the past. I actually just bought some Shell Rotella 5w-40 for my AutoRX rinse phase. I didn't want to use regular dino, so I opted for a GradeIII synthetic, which was recommended by the people over at auto-rx.com.
 
I would not use Trop Artic oil in my rides for 5K ... not until some VOAs/UOAs come in first to prove it's capabilities. If wanting something inexpensive in the meantime, Havoline is a fine choice for at least 4K in most... 5K in some.
 
In Las Vegas I'd go with Pennzoil 10-30 or Castrol GTX 10-30 in the 5 qt jugs for under $8.

The deal at walmart is the Castrol 10-30 Syntec Blend jug for $10.20. Good oil at an excellent price.

But, in your heat, I would run the 10-30 over the 5-30.

I use 5-30 in my Toyota year round, but durning the summer, it gets to 100 degrees a few times.

My Truck sees 10-30 all the time except December to March. Then it's 5w-30.

I've been in Las Vegas and at midnight it was 103!

Take care, bill
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