I just got the Z,
it has about 60k on it... and the "oil change" light is on...


Should I switch it to full synthetic?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of switching?



Thanks a lot!

 

I did, it comes in the Corvette from the factory. Better to be safe than sorry. It has proven superior qualities to conventional oil.I don't know about performance gains, but my car sure runs strong with it.

 

With that many miles you probably should NOT switch. In higher miled engines synth will cause oil leaks.

GM is also recommending petrolium based oil in the LS1 due to the oil burning issue. Running synth makes your LS1 more prone to burn oil.

Also, do NOT wait until your oil light comes on for a change. Even if you do run synth you should change your filter every 3k miles.

And check into getting your coolant system flushed. Dexcool gets realy nasty before the 150k miles they say it lasts.

At 60K, if the plugs are original, change them too. You should be able to pull a couple of easy ones to see how they look.

 

Interesting ... especailly since they do put M1 in the 'vette LS1s from the factory, as well as in the 2002 F-bodies ..

 

Yup, it is. But thats what they say. If you have the oil burning issue, switch to petro oil and it'll lessen. If you don't run what you want. The reason being is the molecuels of the synth are smaller.

I imagine I'll be going into my engine for mods before it ever really needs to be rebuilt, so it's pretty much not worth it to run synth. If you don't plan on keeping your car until it run into the ground its not worth it to run synth.

Even then, with regular oil changes using a good filter and oil, your engine will last just as long. If you're racing much you should change your oil and filter very regularly wheather its synth or not.

 

So would a semi synthetic be the way to go?

In my other cars, the oil gets changed a little before 3k, so this will not change in the Z. I am also not looking to mod it much (maybe exhaust, and a lid).. thats what the formula is for...

I use Valvoline Durablend in everything else I own. Will this be sufficient in the Z?

 

Do you have an article or a link or something about GM stating that you should use a petroleum based oil instead of synthetic????? personally I have used synthetic oil all the way up to 159,000 miles on my camaro and I never had an oil leak. I think the arguement that synthetic will lead to oil leaks is a load of crap.

It looks like kiztop got the "oil change" light, and not the "low oil" light. There is NOTHING wrong with waiting until the oil change light comes on. It is just a sensor that triggers when the oil is dirty and recommended for changing.

Switching oil brands and types are what can possibly cause oil leaks. Usually its a good practice to stick with one brand of oil and keep using that for the life of the car.

I'd recommend switching to a synthetic oil now.

The advantages of synthetic are that it runs cooler, and lasts longer than regular oil. Synthetic wont break down as fast.
With synthetic oil, low temperature flow is a huge advantage for engine protection. Most engine wear can occur during the short period when the engine has started and is running but the oil has not come up to operating pressure. Synthetic oils can shorten this period of time and help protect against this type of wear. Synthetic engine oils also provide optimum protection against engine oil breakdown due to high temperature operation. Synthetic base oil is specifically engineered to resist thermal breakdown. Conventional oil, on the other hand, can only provide satisfactory protection under normal engine operation.

 

Nov issue of CHP, answer to a reader's question. It's probably in the TSB about the oil burning. I don't pull info out of my ****.

You switched to synth early and used it all along. The problem with leakage is if it has been petro oil switched to synth after many miles have been put on.

There is NO oil sensor that triggers the oil change light. You have no idea what you are talking about in this aspect. It is a calculation done by the cars computer based on RPM and other driving conditions. Are you going to let a mathmatical equation tell you when your oil is dirty?

Switching oil brands will not cause leaks unless you go from a decent brand to trash.

Ever have a car with an oil pressure guage? Petro oil gets moving in a second. Just switch from 10w to 5w if you're worried about it. If you really care run a block heater in the winter.

Thermal break down, lol. You listen to commercials too much. If your car overheats enough to thermally break down oil, you have other issues that you need to worry about. Tornado air claims they'll give you big HP gains, do you believe all that too?

Ya, they claim synth lasts twice as long as oil. Fine, but its the contaminates I'm worried about. Synth doesn't lessen them. I'll stick with 3k mile oil changes thank you.

Kiz, I use Valvoline in everyting too. Even in total race cars. If it has worked for all your other engines, why wouldn't it work for the LS1? I'd stick with it.

There is a pickup that got 1 million miles on his engine running regular oil with regular 3k mile change intervals. http://www.bizjournals.com/houston/s...0/tidbits.html
Spend more $ for oil if it makes you feel better. It makes no difference to me. Just actually know what you're talking about and don't quote all the commercials.

 

If your engine is already leaking, then a synthethic will leak more as it is more slippery.

(Hope I don't confuse anyone w/ my technical jargon ! )


I put it in my '91 Suburban with ~120K - no leak problems.

I did wind up having the cam & lifters replaced here the first of the year, but I do not believe that is oil related in any way - just my luck rearing it's ugly head.

(Suburban bought used w/ 105K in '99.)

Now, after the cam, oil is going somewhere at a pretty good rate - not on the driveway - perhaps being burned - who knows.

At any rate -

The SS was bought used w/ 24K on the clock, and the oriignal owner had been using Castrol 5W30.

I immediately went to syn oil.

I have no qualms about brand swapping, either - I started w/ Royal Purple, have used Mobil 1, Wal Mart SuperTech, and will be using Quaker State Full Synthetic here the next oil change as I have to buy a case to get the rebate. The remaining 6 qts will either be used for my next change, or go into the wife's car - haven't decided yet.

W/ dino oil, I go 3 months/3K miles. With synthetic, I go 4K on the WalMart stuff, and push for 5K on the "Big Brand" stuff, or 'til the light comes on, whichever is first.

I have 52K on the clock now w/ no oil leaks & have maintained the same 1/2 qt in ~3K consumption level the whole time.

Relatively speaking, oil is cheap insurance - I'd spring for the syn.

My .02.


Britt

 

I had a question as to weather or not this would make a difference in my car. I have a 2002 z28 and on the cap it say 5w-30 which I use regular old oil. I don't want to use regular old oil. Synthetic is waaay better. However I cannot find mobil1 5w-30 synthetic. only 10w-30 synth. Anyone know if they make it or if the weight issue will matter at all (i was told it makes a difference and would hurt the engine if the incorrect was put in)? Anyways I i'd like to use synth if i can. Anyone else run into this?

 

10w should be fine if you live down south and for summer up north.

Royal Purple and Redline make good synth also. Could always order it off the net if you want.

With it being a 2002 you should be low milage and not have to worry the prob I discussed earlier.

Thats just it with higher milage engines, its a crap shoot on if you start to leak or not. I know several guys that developed a leak around their seals after switching with high miles.

I have yet to develop the oil burn issue on my 00 SS, and I use regualr Valvoline w/ 33k miles. The wife's car has 115k miles and still runs strong, same oil.

Yes, you can go longer with synth, but you are still recommended to change the filter every 3k miles. It isn't the oil breaking down its the debris you have to worry about, and you need to change it more often if you race much.

 

Check out the owner's manual - it will give the allowable viscositys.

GM launched an anti 10W40 campaign back in the 80's for added fuel mileage, and some modern motors don't have large enough drain back holes to accomodate thicker weights.

But, 10W30 is not an issue.

See the bottom of this page:

http://www.idavette.net/hib/C5diy/c5diy1.htm

Britt

 

 

http://www.amsoil.com/articlespr/art...l_monitors.htm

The same system is used in all the GM cars.

Didn't mean to come across as an **** earlier.

 

Thanks for the article
It's cool man, no problem.