CranMaro, another choice of oil after the M1 runs out would be Pennzoil Platinum. A lot of good things have been said about it over at BobIsTheOilGuy.Com. You could use 5w or 10w-30 with equal ease. A decent filter would be Wix, Purolator, M1, K&N, or ACDelco.

5k mile changes would be fine for a daily driver, though a change after track day would be a good idea. 3k mile oil changes are pretty much a thing of the past, but it won't kill you either way. Anywhere in between would work, too.

The whispered words about M1 are that all weights are no long a true synthetic (actually, that one's pretty much shouted) but still costs like one, it produces a slightly higher iron level when analyzed at end of use, and that it is lost to evaporation at a slightly higher rate in most vehicles (but not all).

I get my diff fluid anywhere and the LS additive at the GM Parts counter, though you could also get it at the parts store if you felt like it. I use the gasket with some Gaska-Cinch on all the surfaces. You need to be mindful of torque values when closing it up. A torque wrench would be a necessary investment if you haven't already done so.

+1 for DexCool change. You could stay with DexCool but the thing to remember is that its Achilles heel is contamination by air and non-deionized water. If your system is tight and clean, no problems. I wouldn't try to get every one of the 50,000 mile/5 years of the warranty out of it though. Best to change early. You could change over to green, but you'll lose the extended coverage and have to resort to 2yr/24,000 mile flush/refills.

I would say the brake fluid you would use is fine as long as it hasn't been opened. If opened, toss it. If you do your brakes and flush the fluid, flush like crazy and really clear out the old. I wouldn't bother with any kind of vacuum pump, just go with somebody on the brake pedal. It's SO much faster and more thorough.

Hope that helps.

 

Thanks Incredible.

Non of the products like the brake fluid are opened; they are rather newly bought and all sealed yup like new.

I still would like to know the answers/recommendations from my last post. Is the ATF and the Brake Fluid I already have ok to use for my swap (more wondering about the mixing the "synthetic" brake fluid with the OEM stuff when doing to reservoir maintenance.)

And I'll add one more to it: Should I change the coolant with DexCool or the usual green stuff? (No problems with it so far, it just needs to be changed)

 

well as long as the brake fluid is dot 3 or dot 4 you should be fine

 

Thanks fuseone.

 

Yeah those steps seem to be what to do if I am not changing my Thermostat (I dont plan to.)

However it seems if I dont change the t-stat there is not a way for me to get rid of the possible air out of the system is there? The hose on the throttle body technique that they used seems like it would only work if I swapped the t-stat and the fluid in those lines.

So is it really just emptying the fluids from under the car and then filling it back up via the radiator cap? Or do I somehow need to get air out?

Sorry for my n00biness. Just think of it this way: Another F body will be well taken care of! Haha thanks guys, I really do appreciate it.

 

Mixing DOT 3 & 4 brake fluids is not an issue. Mixing syn w/non should not be an issue, either. Modern syns are compatible with other fluids.

If you're going to race or autoX, you should probably go to DOT 4 for its higher boiling point. If you're going to change you should flush out the old fluid extensively and have as much of the new as you can get. Your boiling point won't raise at the brake caliper if you haven't flushed the new DOT 4 down to them. If you need more DOT 4 than what you have, cough up the bucks or live with the lower boiling point of DOT 3.

I don't have a five speed in my Z28 so I don't know much about them. But, in general, mixing synthetics with conventional are not an issue. The issue is whether the new syn is the correct application.

Should you change out the DexCool to use green? That's up to you. It really doesn't matter, but if you do it you should do it thoroughly since DexCool doesn't play well with others. It would be good to follow up soon with another flush/fill of green if you go that route. I changed over to green when I replaced my water pump. I haven't reached the flush/fill date yet, but will sometime next year. Modern green anti-freeze is compatible with aluminum engines and modern seal materials since most use those now.

Getting the air out isn't that hard, and to fully de-air could take up to 100 miles. After I got everything back together and refilled the radiator, I started the engine and stood over the filler neck with a bottle of A/F. As bubbles came out and took the fluid level down I simply refilled as required.

Eventually, the t-stat opened and more bubbles came out of the block. Refilled as required.

Again, eventually those bubbles ceased. I reached over and raised the RPMs and forced out more bubbles. Refilled as required.

I filled the overflow bottle (which I had previously flushed out and cleaned of DexCool and D/C junk) to about 75% and went for a drive. Came home checked the bottle level, and refilled as required.

Keep an eye on the bottle and radiator level for a couple of days to be sure nothing is amiss, and ...... refill as required.

 

Thanks for the in depth advice. I still wonder if just draining the fluid from the radiator plug underneath the car then refilling as described is enough or thought of as a total "change."

Lets say if I did that yearly... is that enough?

 

For some people, it would be enough.

If you want absolutely cheap, then that would be enough. If you want complete, then you'd pay for it either with $$ at a shop or with $ and money at home.

Drain via petcock, maybe take off the lower hose. Close up and fill with distilled or deionized water. Run the car until the t-stat opens, idle for 10 minutes. Drain. Repeat. Repeat until water is quite clear. Leave the radiator empty after the last drain.

Then, refill with 100 percent anti-freeze (color of your choice) in a quantity equal to 1/2 the total fill of your cooling system. Top off with the aforementioned waters. This will be a clean 50/50 mix. It may take the better part of half a day, but it will be done and it won't cost but for the store-bought water and anti-freeze. It'll be done and you won't have to fool with it for another two years.

Or take it to a shop and pick it up later, but leave behind hard earned cash. It's quicker and easier, and there's no old anti-freeze to get rid of.

It just depends on how broke or how **** you are.

 

Thanks for the responses.

 

you can buy a home flush kit from walmart for like 5 bucks. Splice a T fitting into your radiator line, plug a hose into it and flush away.

 

Thanks

 

i have run mobil 1 10w30 synthetic in all of my ls1's and never had a problem. guys on this site just love to argue, ther are still huge debates on the fact that the walmart brand is just as good as any other motor oil out there. despite the comercials you see on tv about sludge and stupid crap like that cheap oil wont kill you car.

dont know what you would call horror stories about mobil one, i have never seen any threads about mobil killing a motor. hell by switching oil and you thinking your car runs better is like me saying i think my car gained horsepower when i switched my K&N filter to a seven dollar fram filter, you can prove ****, in the end its just how you feel about your car

 

Thanks guys.

And for the final Q: I know how to drain and fill the radiator. But where are the plugs to drain the rest of the entire coolant system? Where are they located?

 

I also am now debating on whether to use the GM Syncromesh instead of the Chevron Dex-III tranny fluid I current have waiting to use.

It is a lot more money, but I'm not sure if going with the Chevron ATF is the best way since I found out GM Syncro is what is what originally comes with the car off the line.

 

To empty out the coolant reservoir, first take out your battery. The battery mounting bracket is molded to the reservoir, itself. There are two bolts underneath where the battery was sitting; which secure the unit to the car. Unhook the overflow tube, and the whole thing can come out and be dumped. When you put everything back together, be wary of sheet metal screws sticking out from the front wheel well. These were covered by rubber covers at the factory. The protection is needed so you don’t abrade your battery cables.

If your battery bracket has broken and you want to replace the reservoir, the best deal I found was to get the new one from these guys. (http://www.gmpartsdistributor.com/partlocator/index.cfm?siteid=213761) They no longer allow orders to be placed on the web (you pick the parts and send an inquiry from your cart) but they are the best deal around. (Different dealers across the country have different markups on parts.) You can also get new reservoirs from F-Body restoration dealers, but they are usually more expensive when GM continues to stock the part.

 

Thanks a ton for the information wssix99. I'll give it a looksy within the next couple of days.

 

Since no one mentioned it, change the fuel filter. 20 minute job and worth it every 30K. Also spark plugs, I do it once a year and wires every 3.

 

Yeah I got my spark plugs and fuel filter bought and ready to do at the same time. I'm doing everything possible since its running on 10 yrs old and 30k. I'll sleep better at night.