89IRO

Right now I'm running 10w-30 Pennzoil in my Camaro (So Cal.) After the engine gets up to temp. and is sitting in traffic (idle) the oil pressure goes down a little. This is because the oil thins out with the heat right? So when summer time rolls around here in southern Ca, do you think I should change to 10w-40 so the oil doesn't thin out so much like the 10w-30? Or is it going to do the same as the 10w-30? DO I have anything to worry about, I mean once I accelerate the pressure picks up, but only at idle it goes down (when hot.) I'm just asking because I heared that 10w-40 isn't good to use cause it uses so many polymers to make up for that wide range, which aren't good for any engine. Tell me what you guys think. -89IRO

92RSFivePointSlow

5w-30 is the correct oil for your engine I believe. You would use thicker oil if you have alot of miles on it and you want to control smoke, quiet noises, and slow leaks.

RB83L69

It is normal for the pressure to drop at idle somewhat. Normal hot oil pressure for these cars with the correct oil is about 20-25 psi idling, 50-55 cruising. If that's what you have when it's hot, then it's fine. It will always be higher when cold, sometimes alot higher.

I run the thinnest oil, but in the narrowest "range" between the numbers, that gives acceptable oil pressure. If 10W-30 produces pressures like I described, then there's nothing to gan by changing it, I'd just keep using it.

camaro6spd

yeah i run 10w-30 moble 1 in the summer and 5w-30 in the winter...

Vader

89IRO,

The 10W30 and 10W40 are still both the same base stock. The SUS viscosity is the same for both, but the 10W40 has more fortifiers to maintain the viscosity at higher temperatures. Unfortunately, those long-chain polymers added to fortify the high temperature characteristics of the oil are the first thing to break down, burn up, and create sludge. If you decide to use the 10W40, you need to strictly adhere to change schedules of 3,000 miles or LESS.

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6spd,

Good choice on the synthetic. However, if you research it a bit, you'll discover that the actual pour and pumping points of the Mobil 1 5W30 and 10W30 are only five-six degrees apart. Both flow down to -76°/-71° respectively, so unless you experience those extremes, you might not be doing any better by changing to the 5W30 for winter. I only mention it so that you don't have to stock up on both ranges and risk the chance of using the lighter oil in warmer temperatures. Then again, 5W30 Mobil 1 in summer isn't that bad a choice, either. I have noticed that using 10W30 Mobil 1 in cooler temperatures (-20°F and below) will create a little higher oil pressure on cold starts, which isn't always desireable. Just some thoughts.

camaro_1983_383

maybe your problem is the penzoil, it would never come near my ride!

EvilCartman

iTrader: (1)

Get that Penzoil out of there! lol

MdFormula350

i use mobil 1, 5w-30 year round..

Mark A Shields

I use 10w-30 Mobil 1 in the winter, 15w-50 or 40, what ever it is in the summer.

CHRISMAN2000

iTrader: (1)

I'm currently using mobil 1 5w-30 in my camaro. I'm thinking of switching to 15w-50 when my engines built.

89IRO

First of all, I don't have any problem with my oil. And what is wrong with Pennzoil- conventional oil is conventional oil. What's up with that. Before I was running Castrol GTX- but I recently bought a whole case of Pennzoil- are you saying that this is bad stuff and I should go back to GTX. Man, I hate to wast the whole rest of that case of oil. Can any of you give me proof on why pennzoil sucks? -89IRO

89IRO

Anybody else out there against Pennzoil for some unknown reason that I am still unaware of? Why? -89IRO

Marshall89ws6

i use mobil 1 15w-50

ZZ28ZZ

I used to run Penzoil for many years. Never had a problem with it.
The first time I disassembled a Penzoil eng I was shocked by how dull and dingy everything looked. The parafin additive I believe makes that happen.

An old timer mechanic I worked with recommended Valvoline.
I checked out a couple of engs he was tearing down and everything was nice and clean after running the Valvoline.

I switched to Valvoline in 1987. Haven't had a problem yet.

89IRO

Any more opinions? Should I use GTX or stick with Pennzoil? (I'm going to use Pennzoil until I use up that whole case- don't want to wast it.) That's nice how all you guys use Mobil 1, but I'm not gonna put synthetic oil in my engine (please don't ask why, or convince me to use it- I've been through that whole ordeal in a different board.) So once I use up my case of Pennzoil should I stick to the Penn. brand or Castrol, or Valvoline? -89IRO

Aaron91RS

iTrader: (2)

I have a question if these polymers are bad with oils with big ranges in weight why not use staright 30? Wouldn't that eliminate that. If 30 is to thick at start up why not use a 20 or 10 weight so it gets to all the parts? Whats the advantage to a weight range oil. It is thick at startup and doesn't lube as good and thins out when hot like all the weight range oils.

89IRO

If you use a low weight, it provides good start-up protection but not good protection when it heats up. Same as a higher weight- not good start-up but good when it heats up. That's why they make like 10w-30, 5w-30, 10w-40 etc.. so you get the start-up protection and the protection for when the oil gets hot and thins. -89IRO

89IRO

Anyone?

EvilCartman

iTrader: (1)

One engine I pulled apart after a couple of rods didn't want to stay in the block anymore had a bunch of sludge in the bottom. I'm talkin about 3/4 inch of sludge that probably clogged up the oil pickup to cause the engine to go bye bye. Every time I mention the word Penzoil at my buddy's repair shop, they go ewwwww! lol

SSC

Well if you decide to pull your engine apart in the future dont be suprised when you find (you will find) mushy clay like crap coating the lifter vally and the oil pan. If your going to run dino oil the best is Valvoline.

:lala:

89IRO

Is Castrol GTX better than Pennzoil? Just as good as Valvoline? -89IRO

V8Astro Captain

iTrader: (1)

I'd use almost anything over Pennzoil.

For conventional I like Valvoline and Castrol. For synthetic I like Mobil 1 or Valvoline Synpower.

Vader

I used to use Pennzoil (years ago) but began to have ash problems and ring failures. I've been using synthetics since the mid-'80s so I don't have any experience with their products since they merged with Quaker State. All I know is that ALL wide-range multigrade petroleum oils are more prone to polymer/ash/sludge problems than lower range multigrades, and ALL of them sludge far more than any good synthetic.

If you're using a multigrade mineral oil, you MUST strictly adhere to the service interval of 3,000 miles or less to protect your engine. Since I tend to be conservative, I still change the synthetic at 3K, but I know it isn't all broken down to the base stock by the time it gets changed, so my engines are still protected. I also have anecdotal data to prove the superior lubrication of synthetics, so I'm not going backward now.

Use the mineral oil if you want to, but be religious about changing at the correct interval. Read your owner's manual for the correct viscosity ranges for your engine. Make sure you understand the impact of temperature on your oil and select the grade respective to that scale.

And whatever else you might do, don't even THINK about additives like "Slick 50" or "Prolong" or any other snake oils. They'll only empty your wallet and give you a false sense of security. Read the settlement from the class action suits against "Slick 50" and all the depositions, and you'll never again look at them twice.

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"December 7th, 1941. A date that will live in infamy."
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Every idiot I see driving a Honda or Toyota with an American flag stuck out the back window is going in the ditch, so help me Mr. Roosevelt.

Mark A Shields

LOL, ain't that the truth, I always laugh when I see an american flag on an import.

Then again like my economics teacher once said, if you buy an American car, just look at your tires or stereo system

ahh well, I still drive american cars.

89IRO

Since I drive a lot of short distances, I always change my oil before 2,000 miles and if I'm really bored on a weekend (like last oil change), it had only been 1,500 miles since the last. Well even though I still have a half case of that pennzoil in the garage (which I hate to wast) I think I'm just going to go back to GTX. The car has 200,000 miles on it so should I get that high mileage stuff or is that just a marketing thing? Oh, and yeah I know about the additives- I won't put any in. -89IRO

Mark A Shields

I have no hard proof, but I see it as marketing. I mean it's got my GF sold on it.

Vader

Here's why your ECON instructor was an instructor and NOT a paid economist:

Every passenger vehicle sold in the U.S. must list on the sticker the North American (NAFTA) parts content of the vehicle as built. That is a federal law. Most Chryslers are about 45% North American. Fords are typically about 70%. GM vehicles are typically about 85%, but those numbers continue to decrease for all manufacturers. If you really like to keep your relatives, friends, and neighbors (in Canada, the U.S., and Mexico) hard at work and off welfare, it's easy to see which brands are most "domestic". Even the "American built" Hondas are only about 30% North American content. Friggin' rîce-***** - even their rîce is inferior to good old Louisiana rîce!. They might think they're fooling people, but only the ignorant ones. Tell you instructor to stick his blind face under my right front tire so he can see the "Made in USA" label as it rolls over him. Stupid democrats.... I'd let him look at the radio, too, but I don't make it a practice to allow anyone that dense around my personal property.

Incidentally, the '96 Impala I bought was 97% North American parts content according to the sticker. The '00 Astro I bought was 94% North American. Personally, I like using Mexican axles, Canadian engines (and hockey equipment) and U.S. steel. The UNO radio was also assembled in Mexico. Take that, Taiwan!

Call me an isolationist if you want, but I also only buy Phillips/Magnavox audio-ideo equipment since much of it is assembled in Tennesee, not China.

BTW - It's all the economists that have us in our current situation anyway...

EDIT: So much for the board filter...

GilmourD

I knew there was a reason I liked ya. The coolest sport on Earth.

Aren't our F-body's made partially in Canada by Fisher Bodies?

Marc 85Z28

iTrader: (3)

FYI - 10w-40 engine oil is no longer certified for gasoline engine use

GilmourD

Say what?

Dolph88sc350TPI

I've also heard penzoil is crap, along with quaker state.
I've had good luck with valvoline, but I would imagine any oil thats not changed when it should can crud your engine up.

Marc 85Z28

iTrader: (3)

That's right. It's no longer certified for gasoline engine use by the American Petroleum Institute. Check it out for yourself. They stated the oil was "breaking down by 2000 miles under average driving conditions".

GilmourD

YIKES!!! Well, it's a good thing I'm changing to Mobil 1 Synth after 1000 miles on the evil beast.

89IRO

I was just looking on the internet at the Kragen website at the quart of Castrol GTX (I know too much time on my hands) and I noticed the 10w-30 weight didn't have that little circle on the front that says it's for gasoline use.... or is it on the back of the carton? Anybody know? That is the oil I'm planning on next oil change so I would feel a little more comfortable if it was certified for gasoline use...LOL. -89IRO

TomP

Hm, well, cool. I used to use Penzoil; don't quite know why, I guess the yellow bottle looked cool or something. Then when I couldn't find Penzoil anymore, I switched to Valvoline, and have stayed there for the past few years. Penzoil really adds wax to their oil??

89IRO

Was there someone on this board that said they use "parifan" wax or something like that? I'm running Pennzoil right now but I'm not worried cuz I'm gonna change it within 1500 miles and put either GTX or Valvoline in. Anybody have an answer for my above post about the GTX? -89IRO

worldofool

scince I've had my GTA I've used mobile-1 0-30w I always have good oil pressure except for when I brake it goes down to 0 and then when I stop it goes back up. I don't think its the oil because it did that when I bought the car.

RB83L69

World, sounds to me like maybe your oil pump pickup has fallen off the pump.

Does it do that when you put in an extra quart?

"Paraffin" is the name of a type of hydrocarbon molecule structure, not necessarily just "candle wax". Castrol and Valvoline are both paraffin type oils, like Pennzoil. The other type of dino juice oil is known as "asphalt". Gas station brands like Shell and Exxon and Havoline (Texaco) are typically asphalt-base.

Now think about it for a minute... would you rather pour "paraffin" or "asphalt" into your motor?

Anyone?

99Hawk120

Depends on how much I like the motor...

Honestly, I only use conventional oil in two of my motors--one of which I don't care if it blows, and the other one which burns it so fast I doubt it really matters (about 1qt every 500 miles, yeah, the rings are shot, and yeah, you can smell it).

To make matters worse I use 10w40 in both. The burner gets it because it slows down the burn rate and keeps the oil pressure at a level that will hopefully prevent it from grenading, the other motor because it seems to have trouble keeping up the oil pressure (gotta love that Buick oiling system...)

ontogenesis

heh, my friend's sister had a 91 astrovan with a 4.3L they ran penzoil in, after it locked up (80K on it) i bought the engine and trans (usin the trans in my car). I took the 4.3L apart to see what was wrong, i had a friend take the valve covers off while i grabbed a wrench, i came back and bitched at him for not taking the covers off, he turned around and told me to go **** myself and he stood there holding the covers. There was so much weird sludge **** that it filled up the valve covers and molded itself to the inside of the valve covers, when we took'em off the shape remained, it was alot like Gak or silly putty...

penzoil blows

SSC

Good to know I'm not the only one who notices the penzoil build up when its right infront of thier face. I had a similar experiance with a 4.3 El Camino, posted about it a while back couldnt find the thread though.

quote:
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Originally posted by RB83L69
Now think about it for a minute... would you rather pour "paraffin" or "asphalt" into your motor?
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Ive torn apart hardcore Penzoil and Havoline users engines, the Havoline engines are much cleaner but they they do gather crust around the pushrods/rockers and timing chain. I havent seen anything too seroius with Havoline except for some odd reason all the havoline engines seem to always have burnt valves. Related??

RB83L69

I asked the question that way just to see what effect those 2 words would have on people... kind of like walking up to people and asking "Is it OK for a married president to cavort around with unmarried females in the White House?" and recording the answers you get, and then asking "Is the Pesident's personal life behind closed doors anybody's business but his own?" and comparing the answers that you get from the same individuals. It's really the same question, it's just the choice of words that steers people one way or the other.

Actually I've had far better results over the years with "asphalt" base oils than "paraffin" base ones. My preference in dino juice, before synthetics became widely available, was Shell Rotella T, or Exxon if I couldn't get the Shell. Both asphalt-based.

But none of this, or Pennzoil bashing, has anything to do with the original question. Trying to convince somebody that their brand loyalty to a motor oil is misplaced is about as useful an endeavor as trying to convince a Pepsi drinker that Coke is better, or a smoker to change cigarette brands even when they can't tell the difference if they can't see the pack, or trying to change a beer drinker's loyalty. It's all marketing.

Weight, however, is a physical property you can't argue with. Quite simply, it takes more "stabilizers" to make a thin oil stay thick when it gets hot; your crankcase only holds a certain amount of fluid; therefore, the more stabilizers you put in there, the less oil there is. So, you should run the narrowest spread between the 2 numbers that gives you acceptable oil pressure.

89IRO

I'm running Pennzoil right now, as you all know- what do you think of me switching to GTX (I've asked this like 4 times, still haven't gotten an answer?) I know it is Parrifan based just like cheapo Pennzoil, but it's got to be better than Pennzoil right? And does the GTX have the "for gasoline engines" symbol on the bottle- didn't see it on the pic. -89IRO

SSC

Yes its API certified, I have a few cases of the stuff at work 88 cents a quart at the dollar store so I stocked up.

novadude

I think the "Pennzoil is bad" myth is BS. Change it every 3000 miles and you'll be OK. I've had the valve covers off of cars that logged many miles with Pennzoil and Quaker State oils, and I have never seen this horrific sludge everyone talks about. IF you keep it changed, and you run a thermostat (very important), you wont have problems.

Personally, I run Mobil Dino oil cause it is cheap.

bluegrassz

iTrader: (3)

I too have run pennzoil with great satisfaction. I have tore motors down that have ran pennzoil and they were clean as a whistle. Everything looked real nice. No sludge in the oil pan, no build up on the valve covers. I just recently removed the covers on my L98 and everything looked great. I keep the oil changed every 3000 mile. I even use 20w50 in the L98 with no sludge.

As long as you keep your motor tuned up and change the oil regular you will be fine with the pennzoil. I think switching back and forth on brands are hard on most motors. I have seen a good motor, start smoking when changed over to valvoline or havoline. Which I have ran in other motors over the years.

I personally pic pennzoil over valvoline or havoline anyday. I have just had good luck out of it.

I think it is mostly the condition of the motor, miles on it, keeping a regular sceduled tune up. Good plugs, wires , quality fuel, and air filter.

Z dude

so whats worse WalMart or Pennzoil

joshwilson3

.

86Z

iTrader: (4)

you know since i was old enough to drive cars and before, i've used penzoil, i never have any problems with sludge, i tore apart my original lg4 and there was no sludge, when i walk in the auto parts store, i go for the yellow bottle, 10w 30, and i change my oil on time.

88 Formula 355

Royal Purple all out synthetic racing oil is the only way to go for me...