1991 Olds Calais 2.5L "Iron Duke" 179,000 Mi OIL??

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Hello Board! My FIRST POST! I have a 1991 Olds Cutlass Calais, 2.5L "Iron Duke" with 179,000 miles.. Using 10W-30 thinking of going to 5W-30.

Ive SeaFoamed it twice, i have a half quart of Transmission Fluid in the Oil to CLEAN it (It is very clena SeaFoam had almost NO Smoke,) and ive been using Valvoline MaxLife Synthetic Blend 10W-30 (Want to sitch to 5W-30 FULL Synthetic MaxLife, i Looove to keep my engine CLEAN!) Ive had the car for about 10,000 miles.

Ive been AONIZING about how much ZDDP MaxLife has, and whether to stick with it.. a LOT of people LOVE MacLife one guy says it leaves a brown waxy stuff over inside of engine.. i THINK ive done a good job of de-sludging the engine with two SeaFoams (twice in Oil once in CV Valve) AND two applicaitons of half a quartof Transmission Fluid inthe engine. its now due for a change at about 6000 miles.

This is my car (image) and it also does this...

Shall i be "OK" with going to FULL Synthetic MaxLife 5W-30 FOM Synthetic Blend 10W-30? (I SeaFoamed it twice AND put Trans Fluid in there to try to "Get out" using "Lucas Oil tabilizer, saw a test that shows how lucas makes it Froth, and i was mad at myself.) Thanks..

CAR:
l_eed9f13a494b4f46bc18cd8120827d94.jpg


VIDEO (This is at Start-up first time of the day, people tell me it is my "Valve Seals", so yo uagree? Goes away after 5 o 6 minutes... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qo1Iv4L4vVQ

Thanks! ANd YES i call my car "Cadillacmobile."
 
Valve seals? Yes.

Oil for the Iron Duke? Won't matter 5-30, 10-30, sae 30.

" AONIZING about how much ZDDP MaxLife has,"

Agonizing? The one thing the Iron Duke has going for it is longevity/reliability. I wouldn't worry a second.
 
.. Did you watch the Video? That is Valve Seals huh :)

See, im a -perfectionist.- I think maybe 5W-3o Full Synthetic Valvoline MaxLife? Would you agree, disagree, and why?
 
Nice little car. I looked at a couple of those when I was looking for my first car - I like mid-1980's GM's. The ones with the 3.0 V-6 are nice, and the GT's.

Anyway, the Iron duke 2.5 is a VERY sturdy/reliable engine. 5W-30 Maxlife syn-blend (red bottle) is all you need for 6k intervals, and it will save you a bit of cash. But, if you want to use the full-syn, it will work just as well!

Maxlife oils from Valvoline are excellent!
 
Originally Posted By: JCCADILLACMOBILE
.. Did you watch the Video? That is Valve Seals huh :)

See, im a -perfectionist.- I think maybe 5W-3o Full Synthetic Valvoline MaxLife? Would you agree, disagree, and why?


It looks like condensation because the air is cold but what do I know... doesn't look blue in the video.

EDIT: So to respond to your question, based on the video you posted, no it doesn't look like valve-anything, it looks like a cold engine on a cold day.
 
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Maxlife oils are excellent b/c they are nice and thick in their grade range, so they cushion engine parts well (can reduce NVH), and reduce consumption.

They have a really robust add-pack with lots of detergent AND anti-wear additives to keep the engine clean and well-lubricated. They also survive long intervals very well.
 
Old Timers trick for cleaning an engine. My grandpa used to talk of running an engine for a short bit with nothing BUT tranny fluid in the sump.
 
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I have done upwards of 1 qt of tranny fluid to aid in cleaning. No ill effects that I found from doing it.
 
that doesnt look like blue smoke to me.. more like white..

white is cracked block/head/gasket or condensation.
 
That's a bit too long in duration to be valve seals, imo. Valve seals would be a distinct "puff" at start up that would stop shortly there after.

I mean, I've seen it bad/worse, but to produce that much smoke in a sustained manner... I'd kinda think the consumption rate would be by the hour of operation.
 
The 2.5L iron duke is the engine that is in USPS trucks. They are rated for I think 50 years of service, so I think you'll be fine on regular maxlife 5W-30 blend. No tranny fluid next time though, I can't see how transmission fluid cleans, it doesn't have nearly the add pack that motor oils have, there is no combustion byproducts, or have to deal with nearly the heat that motor oils do.
 
Another vote for conventional Maxlife in 5W-30 weight it seems ideally suited to your situation, but instead of asking why, avail yourself of the resources that we as a community have spent years collecting.

The smoke is most probably condensate, but do keep an eye on your coolant level to make sure you aren't losing any.

Don't run that ATF in the sump except maybe once every 30,000 miles or three years. Once in awhile isn't bad but you need the protection that only quality motor oils can afford.
 
Pull your plugs and see if they show signs of oil or coolant. That seems to me like coolant burning as well. The iron duke is an easy motor to work on. I worked on a couple Fiero's with the old Tech 4 in them.
 
I too have wondred what that is. It ALWAYS stops after "6 minutes' and the car DOESNT use Oil or anything! It most likely is Condensation.. it just comes forcefully out of the exhaust.

5W-30 Blend, huh? I was gonn switch it to Full Synthetic.. i heard that it cleans and suspends better.

Really, it doesn tuse any fluids.

I think im gonna take anther vid in the EARLY MORNING tomorrow before i drive to Ohio, at night. It is whitish/grey.. but it foesnt have the charachteristics of any Engine problem.

Why IS Synthetic Ful better than Blend? I liek to keep the engine Very Protected...

and yeah, i mean i see water srops out the exhaust. Think tha tmeans Condensation, yes?

its not an
57.gif
 
What is coolant "Burning"? I always thought "Steam" going to the Expansion tak is Normal.. but my Water Pump is "Weeping" could THAT have anything to do with that?
 
Originally Posted By: JCCADILLACMOBILE
What is coolant "Burning"? I always thought "Steam" going to the Expansion tak is Normal.. but my Water Pump is "Weeping" could THAT have anything to do with that?


Water pump weeping means it's about to die.
 
Originally Posted By: bepperb


Oil for the Iron Duke? Won't matter 5-30, 10-30, sae 30.



Yes, it has more in common with a tractor engine than most modern Pass. Car engines. Pushrods, dist, all iron......you get the point.

In my area most cars this old are killed by corrosion or cooling system/trans. problems.
 
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