NOBR8KSS

iTrader: (12)

I have been running Valvoline Synpower 10W-30 for quite a while now and it has been a great oil. I have been reading how Mobil 1 0W-40 is actually supposed to be a better suited oil for the LS1 engine, so since it was the same price as the Valvoline I normally use, I figured I would give it a shot.

Well, (according to my 99 temp gauge that everyone says doens't work) my temps have gone from just under 210 to just over 210 at the coolest point, and from around 220 to over 240 at the highest point. My gauge does move around quite a bit, so I figure even if it isn't accurate, I can at least use it as a refernce to show that the car is running hotter than before. I can turn on the engine fans and it will come back down to just over 210.

Additionally, the oil pressure has gone from 35 psi at hot idle, to about 20 psi at hot idle. Normal driving pressures are reduced also, but WOT seems to be OK.

Anyway, I am gonna switch back to Valvoline cuz this stuff seemed REALLY thick when it came out of the bottle and also was kind of "murky" like dirty lake water. The Valvoline was very "clear" and seemed to be much less thick.

Any thoughts?

MOBE

I had no problem switching/running the Mobil 1 0w40. Not sure what to tell ya. Going off your coolant temp may not be the best way to judge that. My oil temp is cinsistantly 30* higher than coolant temps.

Dope

iTrader: (2)

I don't know what oil your put in your car but it doesn't sound like Mobil 1. I use their 0w40 and it's practically clear and flows like maple syrup. I went from ~30psi at idle to right around 40 (hot idle). Big improvement. I have no idea why your coolant ranges would be any different, that doesn't make sense at all. Did you put enough oil in?

Dope

robertbartsch

Mobile One is expensive - how come your Valveoline stuff is the same price; there are very few REAL synthetic oils - Mobile, One, Royal Purple are the two that I know for certain?

Syntec, Valvoline, Quacker State and all the rest that label their products as "synthetic" or "synthetic blend" are LYING - they are really a cracked petroleum product made from the Texas Tee that Jed Clampet found ozzing from the ground while hunting possiums and craw dads...

Mobile One is cheap at Wall Mart - about 20 bucks for a big jug... the same stuff is sold for $5.50 per quart at Martha's Place....

Personally, I would not rely too much on your guages to tell you how well your oil is performing.... Although non-synthetics perform really well in todays' engines, I suspect the Mobile One is a better oil....

In the end, it does not matter much since, in all likely hood, your seats will crack, your mirrors will fall off, your fendors will rust and your car will be a turd before the crank shaft bearings in your engine wear out becasue you used a shitty engine oil..

You should seek the opinion of Patman#1, however, who is very opinionated on the subject of engine oils. He will recommend that you have your oil analyzed (about 30 bucks) by a professional (his uncle) with 20 years in the business such as Blackstone Inc...

In my view, these guys are good for testing the maintenance procedures for truck fleets that do millions of miles... for the average Joe who will drive his car 60K and then trade it in for a new C6 Vette, oil performance is a snore...

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ.....!!!!!

BadAndy

30 psi is low for a functioning LS1 oil pump. With 20psi at idle, you have a ******* problem. There is either some junk in your pump, or there isn't enough oil in the sump to maintain pressure.

12stones

iTrader: (2)

i agree with him

Tranzor

I agree with the above... you have more problems than just what oil you are using. As for the oil, Mobil 1 0w40 is NOT murky, nor is it like dirty water. Whenever I crack open a fresh bottle, the oil is a light amber color, flows very quickly and smoothly out of the bottle... like the analogy above said, just like maple syrup.

My oil pressure with 0w40 is a constant 50 psi at hot idle, around 60 psi for cruising, and 70 psi at WOT. This is through either a K&N filter or a Supertech filter (no difference in pressure from what I could tell switching from one to the other).

JL ws-6

iTrader: (50)

I run 5-30 in my car, the oil is slightly darker in color than standard vavoline, that's what I used for break in, but I'll tell you you're oil pressure sound really low. I run the 5-30, slightly thicker when cold, but once it's hot, probably very similar. Sounds like there's something else up.....

z28racerlt1

I used to be a Mobil salesman. Remember on thing. Whenever you change oils: from Mobil to Valvoline or V to Mobil. The engine has to adapt to the oil. I will definitly argue that the Mobil is a better oil. It has different properties and additives. Just because the oil is a 0 w 40 doesn't mean it is thinner. In reality it has the properties of a 0 weight oil. It might actually be thicker than a 10w oil. I just scanned over the threads. Did you say if the drop in pressure was at start up or at running temp. You went from a 30 weight to a 40. It has properties of a thicker oil. That might be your rise in operating temps. I doubt it though. Just for some added info. Your car came from the factory with Mobil 1. All F-bodies, and corvette do.

Just my 2 cents
Ken

Jimmyz

iTrader: (3)

Wrong. Not all F-Body's come with Mobil one. In fact, I'm not sure if any of the F cars came with Mobil 1 from GM. Some of the Camaro SS's had Syntec but not Mobil 1.

JL ws-6

iTrader: (50)

I have hear many conflicting reports as to what f body's come thru with oil. I have had several dealerships tell me that it's regular, and some tell me it's mobil 1 I know if I call and schedule an appt. to change the oil ( I always do it myself, they aren't allowed to touch my car anymore ) they quote me regular, tell them it's a C5 and the price is 25 dollars more, for the mobil1. Not that it matters now, but did I do any damage by going to non synthetic valvoline for the first 6K, and then to mobil 1 after?

robertbartsch

I suppose you are not aware that the oil pumps in the Gen 3 motors are defective peices of crap...most everyone, including me, replaces them when they do any engine work around the timing chain or cam shaft....

These cars should have been recalled because the oil pumps are defective right from the factory!

I did not focus on your oil presure readings until now.

PS - You have a SERIOUS problem with low oil pressure - it is NOT related to the cloudy Mobile One oil you just bought. Your oil pump is going south fast!

Do not drive the car - have the oil pump changed IMMEDIATELY! The price of the pump is about $80 - $120. Labor should be about three or four hours max...

Do this or die - at least one other guy on this board ignored this advice only to trash his engine after this happened to him..... a replacement is about $8 thousand excluding labor...

PAY ME NOW OR PAY ME LATER!

highgear

My car came with a "5w-30 break-in oil". Dealer handles nothing but Chevron and Mobil 1. However, I get great performance/oil pressure with my current Dino 10w-30. I have been using the Dino for at least the last 35K miles. I get good mileage also.

NastySSoo

Ive never had any issues at all with Molil1. My 00SS did not come with Mobil1. My 97 SS came with the synthetic package from SLP that used synthetic, I believe it was a Quaker product. Vettes come with it its right on the oil filler cap.

Patman

The 97SS's that got the synthetic oil package came with Castrol Syntec 5w30

NastySSoo

That sounds right Patman. I dont know if the synthetics have helped my car or not. But I ask a lot from it and wanted the best protection possible. When I finally tear my motor down well see. 80k so far . It went down the track the first time at 500 miles and its lived there ever since! My 97 never even got headers, and when I sold it it had 50k , about 150 passes at the track, and ran flawlessly. I loved my LT1 also!

sawedoff

iTrader: (3)

I've been using Neo Synthetic in 0w-5 since my car was new. It's a 99' Z28 1LE, and I haven't had any problems. Nobody uses break in oil anymore. You don't need to with today's technology. Two things kill a pump: heat and pressure and they are related. You can run a synthetic at a higher temperature 240-300 degrees and not have a problem. Up to a point the hotter your oil temperature, the better your engine will run. That's why I run a race grade synthetic like Neo. It can more than take it. It's $10 qt or $35 gallon.

http://www.neosyntheticoil.com/
http://www.bakerprecision.com/

NOBR8KSS

iTrader: (12)

Man, you guys are just shooting in the dark.

First, let me clarify a few things. My COLD oil pressure with the Mobil 1 OW-40 is about 50 psi. This is on the stock LS1 oil pump that I have had for 104,000 miles. Until I changed brands of oil, from Valvoline SynPower 10W-30 (which is synthetic and runs about $4.50 / quart) to Mobil 1 0W-40 ($4.50 / quart), the HOT idle oil pressure has dropped from 35-40 psi to around 20 psi.

I understand that the LS1 oil pump has been known to fail, however, my pump has shown no signs of reduced pressure until the change to Mobil 1 0W-40.

The only reason I questioned the oil in the first place, was because it was so thick and cloudy coming out of the bottle. It looked a lot like "Slick 50", if any of you remember that crap from back in the day. I did make it all the way through grammar school, so I'm pretty sure that the label on the bottle said "Mobil 1 0W-40 European Car Formula." I always put in 6 quarts of oil with an AC Delco PF-59 filter. That's not the issue.

The question is, since the oil I poured into my engine looked like grizzly ***, is there a possibility that I got a contaminated batch of oil? It sounds like what I got didn't look the way it was supposed to.

BadAndy

It's not very dark at all in there. There is something wrong with your ******* pump or there is something wrong with the ******* oil. I'd say change the oil and look for any change, but be careful!! No you don't have to have 40 psi at hot idle, 10 psi/1000rpm is fine. Regardless, the pump should be making around 40 psi at hot idle, not because its needed, but because thats what the frigging pump SHOULD be putting out.

NastySSoo

I dont know what to tell ya. My car is at 60psi cold, and about 42-44 when hot.It seems to me if your m6 is 20-25 psi hot there is an issue. Id say go back to what you had good results with and see how the pressure is then. I dont know what the odds are of getting a "Bad" batch of Mobil 1.