1994 Saturn and oil

[MattKenseth1711]

Just curious on what the best brand of motor oil is for older saturns. I switched to Castro after having knuckle heads at Jiffy Lube changed it using Valvoline.

 

[Bob Shuman]

What don't you like about Valvoline?

 

[blah blah]

Just curious on what the best brand of motor oil is for older saturns. I switched to Castro after having knuckle heads at Jiffy Lube changed it using Valvoline.

Well I dont think Fidel Castro wants to be shoved into your engine. You're throwing a fit over nothing. Any name brand oil with a api of SL or SJ will do fine so long as you change it. One of the best "synthetic" oils on the market is Mobil 1 and Valvoline Synthetic is nothing more than rebadged Mobil 1. Let me guess. You seen the Castrol commercial where they say "we compaired castrol syntec to other leading conventional oils and blah blah blah..." Hint, keywords: Syntec (synthetic) and Conventional (dino oil). Of course Castrol outpreformed other brands in that lame ass test.

 

[Larry Grapentine]

I have been using 15W40 Chevron Delo motor oil in my 96 SL for years. This oil is primarily for HD diesel engines, but I can get it for free at my place of work. I know some people reading this will say I'm a fool, but the Chevron engineers I talked to use the oil in their own cars, and I've got 110K on my engine, and it feels like it has the same power as when I bought it new. The engine doen not burn enough oil in 3000 miles to need any added between changes. I've never had any engine problems except lately I seem to have a bad sensor or EGR valve, and a few months ago I replaced the fuel injectors (unrelated to motor oil)

It was explained to me that most big oil companies now use hydro-cracked base stocks, and the only real difference between motor oil brands is the additive package, and Delo has a proven package.

I live in Phoenix, AZ where it is hot as hell, and I don't think the temp.even got to freezing last winter, and it gets up near 120 in the summer, so I feel the 15/40 doesn't hurt me at all, I'm not sure how it would work if you have to dig your Saturn out of a block of ice in the morning.

Just curious on what the best brand of motor oil is for older saturns. I switched to Castro after having knuckle heads at Jiffy Lube changed it using Valvoline.

Larry Grapentine
IPMS #40310
Peoria, Arizona, USA

visit the IPMS Craig Hewitt
Chapter web site at
www.ipms-phx.org

 

[Jeff McDonald]

valvoline has a relatively weak additive package. But it's not a "bad" oil, the only "bad" stuff is SF-rated "double X lube" sold at convenience stores and supermarkets.

You can get more oil questions than you ever wanted answered at http://www.bobistheoilguy.com they like chevron, havoline, pennzoil for "standard" dino oil and argue rather incessantly over synthetics (but they're all at least good).

Having used pennzoil Longlife 15w40 in the summer, I must say I liked how it ran, but it's way too thick for winter around here.

 

[EDeneen]

I ran whatever was at the nearest convenience store, in my 94SL, IMHO Oil is oil for this car. Luved mine, it ran 168,000 miles with Never, ever any major problem, got over 30 mpg, was cheap to insure & repair, and to be honest the last 80K, I did NO maintenance and ran the crap out of it. it did, and yours will, eat about a quart of oil every 2,000 miles like clockwork, I used the odometer like a dipstick- always 2K, 1qt, as it got older. Most realiable, practical car I have owned. It is what it is. It finally threw a rod or a bearing, in any case the engine croaked @168k, I was tired of it and it was showing its age anyway. Adios SL. Now in '04 Ion, it's growing on me, I'll keep ya posted...
E

 

[Mark (4)]

I ran whatever was at the nearest convenience store, in my 94SL, IMHO Oil is oil for this car. Luved mine, it ran 168,000 miles with Never, ever any major problem, got over 30 mpg, was cheap to insure & repair, and to be honest the last 80K, I did NO maintenance and ran the crap out of it. it did, and yours will, eat about a quart of oil every 2,000 miles like clockwork, I used the odometer like a dipstick- always 2K, 1qt, as it got older. Most realiable, practical car I have owned. It is what it is. It finally threw a rod or a bearing, in any case the engine croaked @168k, I was tired of it and it was showing its age anyway. Adios SL. Now in '04 Ion, it's growing on me, I'll keep ya posted...
E

Well, I have a '95 SL2 Saturn and have Zero oil consumption. It used to burn a quart every 2500 -2k miles like you say. After installing a bypass filter the problem went away! Currently has 145k miles on ODO.

Here are some pictures of my installation:
http://theoildrop.server101.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=36;t=000144

A webpage for the US military:
http://www.uscg.mil/SYSTEMS/GSE/P2OA.2-1-1.htm

my 2 cents,

Mark

 

[Ron Herfurth]

I ran whatever was at the nearest convenience store, in my 94SL, IMHO Oil is oil for this car. Luved mine, it ran 168,000 miles with Never, ever any major problem, got over 30 mpg, was cheap to insure & repair, and to be honest the last 80K, I did NO maintenance and ran the crap out of it. it did, and yours will, eat about a quart of oil every 2,000 miles like clockwork, I used the odometer like a dipstick- always 2K, 1qt, as it got older. Most realiable, practical car I have owned. It is what it is. It finally threw a rod or a bearing, in any case the engine croaked @168k, I was tired of it and it was showing its age anyway. Adios SL. Now in '04 Ion, it's growing on me, I'll keep ya posted...
E

So are you saying you didn't do any oil and filter changes in the last 80 K ?

I'm at 105,000 and still do an oil & filter change every 3,000 miles but in between I have been adding a half quart every 1,000 miles. I just felt better topping it off every 1,000 miles than letting it get a full quart low then dumping it all just 1,000 miles later. I'd be in an 05 ION but they discontinued green when they made those 100 or so improvements so I'll nurse the 04 SL1 along for another year. Maybe in 06 they'll offer a green Ion wagon with the speedometer in the middle...

ron

 

[Mark (4)]

I'm at 105,000 and still do an oil & filter change every 3,000 miles but in

between I have been adding a half quart every 1,000 miles. I just felt better topping it off every 1,000 miles than letting it get a full quart low then dumping it all just 1,000 miles later.

Good Idea. I've heard that when the oil is low the head doesn't get enough oil and the timing chain mechanism tightens the timing belt excessively - which wears the timing belt guide excessively.

Mark

 

[EDeneen]

So are you saying you didn't do any oil and filter changes in the last 80 K

?

No, what I mean is I did no maintenance repairs, no mechanical work, none. I changed oil & filter every 5K miles.