Preparing my Saturn SC2 for the "Switch"?

[dmcnelly]

Alright, my '02 Saturn SC2 is about 300 miles away from oil change time, and I've picked up some supplies:

6 qts. Mobil 1 0W-30
K&N Oil Filter

I'm reading "OH IT'S TOO THIN FOR A DAILY DRIVER" all over the internet, but yet, here, folks seem to love it.

So I ask you, BITOG members, is 0W-30 too thin for a daily driver?

And second, there doesn't seem to be a consensus on K&N oil filters other than "It's better than Fram", which isn't saying much.

What's the BITOG take on K&N filters?

 

[Bill in Utah]

Good overpriced filter.

0W-30 is fine for daily driver.

WATCH your oil level!

Bill

 

[dmcnelly]

Originally Posted By: Bill in Utah
Good overpriced filter.


As I've been told. But hey, sometimes you feel like a nut.

Quote:
0W-30 is fine for daily driver.

WATCH your oil level!

Bill


Got a locking gas cap with the key welded to the dip stick.

 

[hominid7]

At operating temp (100*C) your 0w30 is 11.0 cSt, which is thicker than most traditional dino 10w30's at operating temp.

So no, it's not too thin.

 

[LS2JSTS]

I use 0w30 and 0w40 oils in all my engines that are out of warranty, and maybe even a couple that are still under warranty and call for 5w30. Whoever said it was too thin doesn't understand oil.

Are you in a Northern climate? If so, I think the 0w oils are your best option for all season use.

 

[dmcnelly]

Originally Posted By: LS2JSTS
I use 0w30 and 0w40 oils in all my engines that are out of warranty, and maybe even a couple that are still under warranty and call for 5w30. Whoever said it was too thin doesn't understand oil.

Are you in a Northern climate? If so, I think the 0w oils are your best option for all season use.


I'm in Michigan, so yeah, it's cold.


I forgot to ask, with a synthetic oil (Mobil 1 0W-30 in my case), what change interval would you recommend using? 5,000 Miles? 7,500 Miles?

 

[Johnny]

Originally Posted By: dmcnelly
Alright, my '02 Saturn SC2 is about 300 miles away from oil change time, and I've picked up some supplies:

6 qts. Mobil 1 0W-30
K&N Oil Filter

I'm reading "OH IT'S TOO THIN FOR A DAILY DRIVER" all over the internet, but yet, here, folks seem to love it.

So I ask you, BITOG members, is 0W-30 too thin for a daily driver?

And second, there doesn't seem to be a consensus on K&N oil filters other than "It's better than Fram", which isn't saying much.

What's the BITOG take on K&N filters?


How many miles are on your 02 Saturn? The Mobil 1 0W-30 is a great oil.

Forgot to ask, what were you using before the Mobil 1?

 

[Johnny]

Originally Posted By: dmcnelly
Originally Posted By: LS2JSTS
I use 0w30 and 0w40 oils in all my engines that are out of warranty, and maybe even a couple that are still under warranty and call for 5w30. Whoever said it was too thin doesn't understand oil.

Are you in a Northern climate? If so, I think the 0w oils are your best option for all season use.


I'm in Michigan, so yeah, it's cold.


I forgot to ask, with a synthetic oil (Mobil 1 0W-30 in my case), what change interval would you recommend using? 5,000 Miles? 7,500 Miles?


Depending on your driving style, it should be able to go 7,500 without a problem.

 

[LS2JSTS]

Originally Posted By: Johnny
Originally Posted By: dmcnelly
Originally Posted By: LS2JSTS
I use 0w30 and 0w40 oils in all my engines that are out of warranty, and maybe even a couple that are still under warranty and call for 5w30. Whoever said it was too thin doesn't understand oil.

Are you in a Northern climate? If so, I think the 0w oils are your best option for all season use.


I'm in Michigan, so yeah, it's cold.


I forgot to ask, with a synthetic oil (Mobil 1 0W-30 in my case), what change interval would you recommend using? 5,000 Miles? 7,500 Miles?


Depending on your driving style, it should be able to go 7,500 without a problem.


+1 M1 0w30 will go 5,000-7,500 no problem. I'm conservative and fighting my old school 3/3000 tendencies, so I tend to swap out my oil in the 4,000-6,000 range.

 

[dmcnelly]

Originally Posted By: Johnny
How many miles are on your 02 Saturn? The Mobil 1 0W-30 is a great oil.

Forgot to ask, what were you using before the Mobil 1?


115,000 with 89,000 on the motor. Doesn't burn oil, thankfully.

I've been running Castrol GTX High Mileage 5W-30 for the past 3,000 miles. I don't know what was in it prior to that.

Originally Posted By: Johnny
Depending on your driving style, it should be able to go 7,500 without a problem.


What exactly do you mean by driving "style"?

 

[Johnny]

Mostly short trips, a lot of highway trips, etc. With that amount of miles and not knowing what was used before, keep an eye out for any extra oil consumption. The Mobil 1 will do some cleaning.

 

[pbm]

I read about somebody using 5w20 in a Saturn without issues (even though it spec'd 5w30) so I don't see any problem with 0w30.

Does it burn oil like a lot of Saturns?....if so I wouldn't 'waste' synthetic ($$$)...but if it doesn't I think M1 0w30 is a great choice.

I would use Purolator or Wix or even the oversized Motorcraft 400 before Fram or K&N.

 

[LS2JSTS]

Stop and go? City driving? Lots of cold starts? Long commute with many highway miles? What is your city/hwy percentage? Idling? And also, your personal driving style, fast and furious or granny on Sunday morning?

 

[dmcnelly]

Originally Posted By: LS2JSTS
Stop and go? City driving? Lots of cold starts? Long commute with many highway miles? What is your city/hwy percentage? Idling? And also, your personal driving style, fast and furious or granny on Sunday morning?


It's about 70% city driving, 30% freeway. The car usually doesn't sit for more than 5 or 6 hours at a time. And I'm middle of the road as far as personal driving style goes. If the speed limit is 70, I'm doing 75 to keep up with traffic, that sort of thing.

And the oil consumption as it stands is less than a half quart every 3k.

 

[Johnny]

Keep an eye on the oil level and enjoy your Mobil 1 0W-30.

 

[LS2JSTS]

Thats a lot of city driving. I would use a 5,000 mile OCI to be on the conservative side. If you want to extend it out from there, maybe consider doing some UOA on the oil at 5,000, then 7,000 miles.

And like Johnny advised, keep a close eye on oil consumption after the switch.

 

[dmcnelly]

Originally Posted By: LS2JSTS
Thats a lot of city driving. I would use a 5,000 mile OCI to be on the conservative side. If you want to extend it out from there, maybe consider doing some UOA on the oil at 5,000, then 7,000 miles.

And like Johnny advised, keep a close eye on oil consumption after the switch.


I was planning on a 5,000 mile/6 month OCI to begin with, so this is a-ok.

And I plan on watching the consumption. I always do thanks to the fine folks over at the saturnfans forums nagging me about it.

 

[mechtech2]

dmcnelly - If you were burning oil [not uncommon in those cars], then a slightly thicker oil could be used.
For now, 5-30 is great.

 

[dmcnelly]

Originally Posted By: mechtech2
dmcnelly - If you were burning oil [not uncommon in those cars], then a slightly thicker oil could be used.
For now, 5-30 is great.


Yeah, I don't burn oil (yet), and 5W-30 Castrol GTX seems to have been great in the engine.

I just changed the oil over to the Mobil 1 0W-30. From what I can tell thus far, it's turning over faster, and that's about it. No oil pressure issues or anything of that nature.

I'll watch consumption in the coming weeks and keep you updated.

 

[Silver02ex]

When i had amy SL2 i used whatever cheap 5w30 at 3K OCI, and a Supertech 3614 filter. Even after replacing the valve cover gasket, it still used up about 1qt in 1K miles. I don't see a point using Mobil one or K&N filter.