5w-30
 

Just put 5w-30 in the car. Haven't read the owner's manual in years and noticed 5w-30 is frowned upon. I check the forum and noticed one other post on this subject.

I'll be on a road trip this weekend and will be driving aound 70mph with a few punches of the throttle. Will things be fine for the next 3000 miles before I chage it? I'm sure over the years of owning the car I have run this grade of oil before.

Thanks,

Paul

Hmmm, well I think you'll be fine unless you start to notice any diffrent running... Worse gasmileage included... Then I would just change it again as soon as ya get the chance...

Oil??
 

What weight do they recommend?

What do you guys use?

I think 5W-30 is fine for the colder weather winter time and oil is cheap compared to an engine. I think I would change it. :)

I use 10W-30 most of the time and maybe 10w-40 in the summer. I now take it easy most of the time unless the temperature is between 50 and 70F :D It would be nice to have an oil sump temperature gauge.

OIL
 

Hi Paul, I think what it says in the owners manual is not to drive at highway speeds with 5W-30. So if your going to be doing some traveling I would just change the oil. not the filter and you should be okay. If you do that remember not to put the whole 6[six] quarts in without checking the dipstick. I have no idea how much would be left in the filter. Take care and have a safe trip, BOBB

Good ol' SL 10W-30 dino
 

Worked just great for me on a 5K+ cross country trip last summer. Across mountains, down to Florida, etc.

Averaged in excess of 28 mpg at 65-70 mph average speeds. Sometimes a lot higher.

Chevron Supreme is a very good oil and really cheap, too! Like $.69 per quart when on sale with a rebate.

If I lived where it was hot all the time I would probably gravitate to a HDD 15W-40 (Delo, Pennzoil LongLife, etc.) as the miles added up, say after 150K or so...

These well-built engines should be good for 250, 300K+ with just minimum care.

Cheers!:cool:

I don't often do THIS...
 

Doubling up on a posting...

The BEST advice I can give to you is to thoroughly check out your belts & cooling system before you start out on an extended road trip.

Even if you have recently changed out your coolant, be sure to check out your hoses, radiator & the one's going to the heater, too.

I figure it is always better to replace hoses prior to them failing: you know they've been replaced and you have a set of spares to clean, inspect and put in a plastic bag down with the spare tire.

MUCH easier to replace a hose when the replacement is in the trunk!

Same thing with belts...;)

Cheers!

belts/hoses
 

Hi Paul, On the hose and belt deal, some auto part stores will sell you a set of belts/hoses, like before a trip, and then take them back when you return. Sounds like a good idea to me. Take care BOBB

i have about 140,000 on the clock and have had to top off the oil between changes. the last few changes have been at jiffy lube (and i sure do watch everything they do) and have gotten the "high milage oil" (no, that is not like used oil that's been recycled). i do think it's made a difference in consumption.

consumption
 

Hi calmone, If you have consumption I would see my doctor ASAP! Take care, BOBB

Re: 5W30
 

Manual says " 5W30 not recommended for sustained high speed driving."

The kicker is quantifying high speed, to me it's cruising 90 ~ 100 (and above) for long periods, then again your outside ambient temperature is an important variable.

I agree. sustained 70 mph cross country with an occasional spurt would be fine.

Changing (or carrying spare) belts and hoses idea is great, especially the hoses, I'd also include a couple quarts of oil and a few wrenches. I'd also program my cell for AAA or whatever emermency road service you may use. For some strange reason mechanical failures don't occur in the parking lot of Auto Zone or Pep Boys.

I once changed a water pump in Wyoming in the middle of winter, and was damn glad to have found a rebuilt right one before they closed down the town for the night. Talk about cold.

Remember, when changing belts, don't over tighten the tension, this causes unnecessary stress and premature failure of the bearings (I've seen supposed qualified mechanics do this).

Have a safe trip.

you're probably right bobb, especially as the cough is keeping the whole house up at night.