# Motor Oils > Your opinion



## SuperSentra4203 (Dec 17, 2002)

Figured I'd ask, what oil do y'all use in your B11/B12. Have you had any bad results with a certain type? Tell your story of oil choices and what made you decide.

During the summer, combined with my heavy right foot, Valvoline VR-1 Racing 20W-50 was the oil of choice. Nothing else would hold up with the high engine temps and high revs. During the winter, the 20W-50 would be cause hard starts and excessive motor strain, that is when I swapped to Valvoline Max-Life 10W-40. Now I am a changed man. When I got my Grand Prix, it had a recent oil change with Valvoline Max-Life5W-30, which the this motor just chewed up. I drained it and switched to Max-Life 10W-40. Same results. I decided to change pace and try Shell Rotella T 15W-40, you know, the stuff used in semis. This oil is a godsend. This motor hasn't drinked of burned a drop. I think it will have similar results in 4 cylinder cars.


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## fastpakr (Sep 18, 2002)

I've been running Castrol 5w30 in my E16S, no leaks or other problems at all.


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## dschrier (May 6, 2002)

I was using 5w30 of whatever brand jiffylube uses, then I switched over to 5w30 of mobil 1 super synth. I only lose about 1/2 quart every 3,000 miles which is normal for a car with about 155,000 miles on it.


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## Webfoot (Apr 24, 2003)

Hmmm, good question SS. I got the car about a K ago and put Castrol 20/50 in it right off the bat. I found bottles of Wolf 10/40, NAPA 30 wt and some K-Mart brand or somm in the trunk. It had a leaking filter and dripped a lot of oil. Anyhow, I had to add a quart after about 600 miles cuz of the leak under the timing cover but last I checked it was still full. 

Semis run Odello motor oil. Designed for desiels.

So my question stems from the new breed of motor oils on the shelf called "extra life" or "max life" or so called oils designed for high mileage motors. wtf? Is it worth the price. 

And is it good to switch back and forth with conventional and synthetic oils?


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## BIGBULS (Sep 24, 2002)

I'm not sure if it'd be worth going to a synthetic oil on such an old car as what you guys have, but they certainly DO perform better (but may leak a little more on your old seals).

For natural oils, Castrol GTX is about the best there is (highest flash point, lowest pour point, good viscosity index etc.), but for the most part, ANY brand name oil will be decent (as they all have to pass the same, continually updated government standards). Just don't go with generics, as they have a tendancy to suck BAD.


Also, while heavier weight oils help cure leaks, be careful about running them unless the outside temp is VERY high, as your car may not be designed to run such heavy oils.......check your owners manual for that......I know my old Grand Prix (3.4L DOHC) said do NOT run anything heavier than 10W30 even in summer, as heavy oils could kill the oil pump (and wouldn't flow as well even when warmed up).


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## dschrier (May 6, 2002)

I did a bit of research on synthetics before I switched over because I didn't want my engine to leak more with the synthetic, but I haven't noticed any more leakage at all. The engine seemed a little more smoother at higher RPM's with the synthetic, but that could just be in my head.


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## rice rocket (soon) (Oct 28, 2002)

i use the green mobil 1 synthetic when i feel rich enough


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## dschrier (May 6, 2002)

I get my oil changed at walmart (yeah I know, say what you want), but I get mobil 1 super synth and filter for only $27. That is a steal considering that the oil costs about $20 for 4 quarts and the filter $5 on it's own.


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## xXB12RacerXx (Mar 6, 2003)

ive heard that if youve been using regular oil its bad to just switch to synthetic because it may leak, but i guess you can go to a half synthetic half regular oil and it wont leak, thats only what i heard though....

from what you guys are saying, i think i will start putting synthetic oil in my ride...

and dschrier..that seems to be an awesome deal man...


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## BIGBULS (Sep 24, 2002)

Synthetic Blends are hardly better than normal oils, and certainly NOT worth the extra cost for the tiny boost in performance. Your best bet is to go with a quality full synthetic.


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## dschrier (May 6, 2002)

I did a lot of reading, and depending on who you ask, synthetics may cause seals to leak, they won't cause seals to leak, they aren't worth the money, they offer better protection. Every website or forum I went to I got a different answer so I decided to just go with it. I read on one website that while the synthetics would dissolve the dirt and gunk around and old seal causing it to leak, they can actually help seals since they can keep the seals from going brittle and cracking.


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## SuperSentra4203 (Dec 17, 2002)

Webfoot said:


> * Semis run Odello motor oil. Designed for desiels.
> 
> So my question stems from the new breed of motor oils on the shelf called "extra life" or "max life" or so called oils designed for high mileage motors. wtf? Is it worth the price.
> 
> And is it good to switch back and forth with conventional and synthetic oils? *


Semis also use the Rotella T, good stuff. THe Max-Life is actually worth the extra $.50-1.00 a quart. After using it for 5K miles, it kept my beloved B12 from burning some oil because of bad valve seals. It is not a good idea to switch back and forth from synthetic to dino oils.
Hey BigBuls, I have the good old pushrod 2.8L MPFI. The Rotella T 15W-40 was actually recommended to me. The oil pump keeps constant pressure (no spikes in pressure) and even keeps 10psi of pressure at idle with the engine temp at 210.
B12Racer, don't go to synthetic if you have high miles (over 75K).


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## fastpakr (Sep 18, 2002)

The concept of not going to a synthetic with high mileage is nothing but a myth. The only reason to not switch is if you're leaking oil.


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## rice rocket (soon) (Oct 28, 2002)

yeah i found out the leaking part the hard way, my presious $30 oil is on my driveway now. i should take a picture of it.


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## xXB12RacerXx (Mar 6, 2003)

well i have no leaks except when i undo the oil filter...gobs of oil burning for days making my car smell like a beater!! 

hey my engines got 140K on it, is it ok to switch to synthetic?


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## fastpakr (Sep 18, 2002)

Yes, absolutely.


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## dschrier (May 6, 2002)

I had 145,000 on it when I switched to mobil 1. The only leaks I know of are behind the distributor, and the valve cover, but I just replaced that gasket. Haven't developed any new leaks and I don't burn or lose anymore oil each change over the regular oil.


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## Crazy-Mart (Jul 14, 2002)

if youve done the maintenance correctly you shouldnt have any problem switching to synth... if you let oil change passes... chances are you got some serious deposit everywhere in the block.. switching than would be like flushing all that, taking a chance that seals will leak... at 140k i wouldnt change... before 60k should be ok cuz IMO, chance are youll still have this engine for at least another 60k... at 140k !!..hummmm you know wath .. ive always killed my engines before that !! ... almost my Ford got 250k km ! that would be 150k miles...


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## Guest (May 8, 2003)

My B11 uses Shell 15-50 synthetic blend oil....used to change the oil every 5000km (3000 miles). The other day, I saw my dusty owners manual....picked it up..and the recommended oil and filter change schedule says 10k KM (6000 miles)..so which should follow? change at 3k miles? or 6k miles guys?


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## SuperSentra4203 (Dec 17, 2002)

Newer motor oils are actually "designed" to last only 3000 miles. Back in the day, when the B11 was develpoed, most oils changes were at 6000 mile intervals. My dad's old 77 Camaro RS said to change every 7500 miles via the owners manual. If you pick up a Haynes, which you should, it says to change it every 3000 miles.


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## fastpakr (Sep 18, 2002)

That is absolutely not true. Oils today last longer than oil from 15-20 years ago, not shorter. There is no 'designed' element to them for the additive packages to be used up at 3000 miles or for them to break down in that time period.


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## SuperSentra4203 (Dec 17, 2002)

I figured someone would argue about this. I know ther is no "design element" in them, but they don't hold up as good as some of the older motor oils. This is coming dfrom my father and uncle who have worked on cars for over 20 years. If someone wants to wait until 6000 miles to change their oil, it's your motor. Meanwhile, it'll keep mine changed every 2000 miles.


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## fastpakr (Sep 18, 2002)

And you will continue to waste money. The Nissan spec lists the 7500 interval for 'normal' driving. For hard driving (which is probably closer to what most of us do), it's less than that. Most newer cars list intervals significantly higher than 3000 miles for easy driving just like Nissan did, the only reason the number may have been reduced is perceived liability, not a reduction in the durability of motor oil. If anything, that has increased over the last decade or two.


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## SuperSentra4203 (Dec 17, 2002)

Wow $25 a month. I like to do every thing to keep my car's motor in peak condition. I even drop the oil pan every time and clean it out, something most people never think of.


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## fastpakr (Sep 18, 2002)

At $25 a month that's $300 per year with your oil selection and interval. Running Castrol 10w30 (the factory recommended weight) and 5000 mile oil change intervals (better than factory recommendations) I spend _at most_ $60 per year. At the end of the year each of us has exceeded what the factory spec'd for oil (except that you're running an oil that is far heavier than the engine was designed for), but you've spent five times as much money to get there. Who's wasting money?


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## SuperSentra4203 (Dec 17, 2002)

my 2.8L can run 15W-40 during hot months no problem. Wasting money si spending it on decals, stickers, 'fart cans', wings, and gaudy body kits. Not a little extra insurance. I'm not wasting money, just spending less than you. I'm not cheap like you. Treat your car with a little respect, it deserves frequent oil changes.


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## fastpakr (Sep 18, 2002)

How am I cheap? That's an absolutely ridiculous statement. I am exceeding any specifications every created by the original manufacturer. If you want to state your opinion that's fine, but find some sort of fact to back it up with rather than an unjustifiable insult.

Oil viscosity is selected by the manufacturer based on designed clearances. Running an oil heaver than specified reduces oiling to valvetrain components, bearings, etc. You are increasing wear on the engine by running an oil heavier than is required to maintain proper oil pressure.


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## Guest (May 8, 2003)

whoa..whoa...guys..cool it....
hehe..never knew such a simple question would cooked up a storm...anyways...thanks...i'll keep my oil changes back to every 3000 miles....like what it has been given for the past 10 years...


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## racingnismo (May 4, 2003)

Hmmm I think it is time for me to change oil, guess I am making a trip to Walmart and pick up some good ole $0.97 oil and an eater box. Hehehe. I am not going to synthetic oil cause of the price first of all, the price in the long run secondly hehehe, and the fact that you should not go back to regular oil after running synthetic, right?


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## dschrier (May 6, 2002)

I don't know the whole reason behind it, but yeah, I've been told it's not a good idea to switch back and forth between oils.


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## xXB12RacerXx (Mar 6, 2003)

awww f$#% it!!!


(censored by mod)
- post whore


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## WhiteFox (Sep 4, 2002)

I've ran Castrol GTX 10-40 in both my sentra's, never had any oil troubles. The oil changes were far and few between for many thousand miles. (27k, 21k, etc) The engines don't seem to be in any worse shape, either. Regular oil changes would be nice.. But hey, I get when I can. They'll live..


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## Guest (May 8, 2003)

fastpakr said:


> *How am I cheap? That's an absolutely ridiculous statement. I am exceeding any specifications every created by the original manufacturer. If you want to state your opinion that's fine, but find some sort of fact to back it up with rather than an unjustifiable insult.*


So, should I tell them that I run 7000 miles between changes on my Bronco II with 150,000 miles that gets layed on its side from time to time after driving through Oakland traffic? Nah, I won't mention that.

Oops, too late


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## SuperSentra4203 (Dec 17, 2002)

Eh, y'all do what you wanna do, and i'll do what I wanna do. I still say frequent oil changes are much better than ones done over 3K. The reason I use 15W-40 is that my motor has 161K on here, and slightly worn seals here and there. BTW, i'm pushrod


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## Crazy-Mart (Jul 14, 2002)

frequent oil change in my mind is always better than "too late damages done" flushes !!


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## Guest (May 9, 2003)

SuperSentra4203 said:


> *Eh, y'all do what you wanna do, and i'll do what I wanna do. I still say frequent oil changes are much better than ones done over 3K. The reason I use 15W-40 is that my motor has 161K on here, and slightly worn seals here and there. BTW, i'm pushrod *


boy somebody cant take the fact he got backed into a corner and proven wrong 
161K why that is a brand spankin new motor!! Hell I have been running whatever wally world has cheap for just shy of 200K in my 4 banger, and I might add it runs like it did the day it left the dealer, no drips no sips it is all there when i change the oil at 5K miles so lets see I have saved a butt load of cash by "abusing" my crappy gutless wonder, all of that cash i will be putting into a truck.
Hey Sidewalk, your changing at 7k, hmm i should do that as well, save me even more cash


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## fastpakr (Sep 18, 2002)

SuperSentra4203 said:


> *Eh, y'all do what you wanna do, and i'll do what I wanna do. I still say frequent oil changes are much better than ones done over 3K. The reason I use 15W-40 is that my motor has 161K on here, and slightly worn seals here and there. BTW, i'm pushrod *


I've got 182K on the Pulsar, 150K and 135K on my two trucks. What was the pushrod comment related to?


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## Guest (May 9, 2003)

JuBean said:


> *Hey Sidewalk, your changing at 7k, hmm i should do that as well, save me even more cash *


 Well, I go for about 6000 on the odometer. But, with a little math, I see that I am actually going 7000. Damn those 33" tire with stock gears 

I changed the oil 3 times in the 40,000 miles I owned my Chrysler. It was towed away with 180,000 on the clock because it looked abandoned (it was that ugly). Car would still smoke everything in town, except for when the computer sensed an over boost and shut down the engine. Don't know what it was peaking at, but it ran fine around 12 psi, so I figure it must have been punching at least 15-17 (on an all stock engine)


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## AVERAGE (Aug 9, 2002)

hell, whenever i get a chance to . i havent paid for an oil change or inspection in 2 years and my hook up goes and changes jobs on me. if only maintenance was this simple on a carb


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## Myetball (Dec 15, 2002)

SuperSentra4203 said:


> *Newer motor oils are actually "designed" to last only 3000 miles. Back in the day, when the B11 was develpoed, most oils changes were at 6000 mile intervals. My dad's old 77 Camaro RS said to change every 7500 miles via the owners manual. If you pick up a Haynes, which you should, it says to change it every 3000 miles. *


It's a friggin conspiracy between auto manufactureres and oil companies. Just imagine how much money is to be made if they double their oil sales. I can just see the board of directors at some oil company discussing how much they are willing to pay to have auto manufacturers recommend changing the oil every 3k instead of 6-7k. "Let's see, average $1.80/qt. times 5 quarts times 40,000,000 oil changes a year....if we double that...how much money is that?"


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## Guest (May 9, 2003)

Sidewalk said:


> *Well, I go for about 6000 on the odometer. But, with a little math, I see that I am actually going 7000. Damn those 33" tire with stock gears
> *


* 
yeah i guess tall tires would do it, i guess my little wire rims arnt quite the same, i got em for like $20 at a garage sale. Everyone thinks they are F'd up but my favorite hooters waitress likes em, even got her to pose next to my POS, gotta find that pic now hmm now that i think about it at 33inches your tires are higher than my hood, that is funny for some reason:cheers:*


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## SuperSentra4203 (Dec 17, 2002)

What I meant by saying I have a pushrod motor is that they are a little forgiving on what type of oil you run in them compared to OHC engines. No 161K is far from a new motor, I don't even abuse this thing because I don't know if this GM motor can handle the abuse. Sounds great though, but my lifters will tick like hell if I run a lower viscosity oil.


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## xXB12RacerXx (Mar 6, 2003)

720,000,000


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## Guest (May 9, 2003)

> GM motor can handle the abuse. Sounds great though, but my lifters will tick like hell if I run a lower viscosity oil.


 Hate to break it to you but all GMs are crap and running a thick oil wont help your motor live, running what the factory recomends will give the best life (or the best life a GM can have), otherwise you might as well just put pudding into your engine


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## fastpakr (Sep 18, 2002)

I won't go as far as 'all GMs are crap', but the GM 2.8 was a heaping pile of dung.


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## Guest (May 9, 2003)

Definitely not.


Coming from the person who wouldn't mind a 350/700R4 in my Bronco


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## rice rocket (soon) (Oct 28, 2002)

the gm 3.8 is a great motor, my dads buick lasabre had 650000KM's which is equal to 403977.625854568054692355500310752 miles last time i saw the car 2years ago god only knows what it has now


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## Centurion (Sep 5, 2002)

Sidewalk said:


> *Definitely not.
> 
> 
> Coming from the person who wouldn't mind a 350/700R4 in my Bronco  *


Well look who came over from ORR and TRS....


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## Guest (May 10, 2003)

Centurion said:


> *Well look who came over from ORR and TRS.... *


I don't go to ORR anymore...


I mean, I don't know what you are talking about


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## SuperSentra4203 (Dec 17, 2002)

Is the 2.8L that bad??? Trust me, I would rather have a Buick Regal with the 3800 TPI. The reason I run thicker oil is if I don't, the motor warms up and the lifters or whatever it has ticks like hell and runs like shit.


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## Webfoot (Apr 24, 2003)

I had a 2.8 in a S10 Blazer. Even EFI and a 5 speed it sucked. use the 4.3L and don't fool around. Oh, btw, I got Castrol black cap - 10/40. I'll run it for the rest of summer then go to a thinner viscosity for winter. I heard a lecture one time from a guy that dissed on too much range in multi-viscosity oil. Castrol makes a 5/50.


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## Guest (May 13, 2003)

Too wide of a viscosity range on non synthetic oils is a bad thing. The added polymers needed to get the oil to work in that wide of a range will break down faster. You can get away with it in synthetic oil. I have heard that the Castrol Syntec was kinda crappy based on some ones oil analysis.

I test drove a 2.8 S10 (mind you, I do NOT have any bias towards brand), and it was pretty pathetic as far as power goes. I didn't buy it because the clutch fluid reservoir was dry (so who knows what else has been ignored).


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## SuperSentra4203 (Dec 17, 2002)

The S10's are EFI or carb, but the Grand Prix is MPFI. Prolly not much better than the S10's 2.8L though.


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## mk_sentra (Sep 13, 2002)

*119k motor lives after gunk flush*

three days back, i took the risk of flushing my engine with gunk (smelled like kerosene), used 2 qts of cheapo oil and filter and i qt of gunk flush. engine runs for 5 mins. oil which comes out is black in color but flowing freely. 

drained it out completely and used regular 10w-30 exxonsuperflow and started car. till now i dont see any leaks . mayb the motor has increased pickup , but that could just be my head fooling me. ;-)

great thing is there are no leaks. cool, eh??

by the way, i bought my car 7 months back with approx 100k on it, now it has 119k. high miles, eh???? hope to cross 130k in the next 5 months..


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