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problem with 20w50, thinner oil?

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Old Sep 12, 2010 | 10:57 AM
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Default problem with 20w50, thinner oil?

My rebuild has been running on 20w50 vr1 bt after 10,000 miles I had pitted cam lobes and litter wheels. Wanna run something thinner, anyone have a good recommendation for a thinner oil?
Also is it too late to switch to synthetic?
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Old Sep 12, 2010 | 11:10 AM
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20w50 is way too thick, especially for a freshly rebuilt motor. You probably starved the **** out of the bearings with that thick oil.

If you want to run synthetic, look into the Mobil 0w30. If you want conventional, Valvoline or Penzoil 5w30 will be fine. Run the older 5.3L truck filter which is larger and will accommodate a full 6 qts of oil.
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Old Sep 12, 2010 | 11:18 AM
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Bearing clearances are 0.030, don't plan to go that thin with these clearances as big as they are
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Old Sep 12, 2010 | 11:31 AM
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I run 10w40 year round in almost all my cars and have no problems whatsoever. 20w50 is not really a good choice for any of today engine with the complex oiling systems that they have
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Old Sep 12, 2010 | 11:39 AM
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The factory puts 30 weight in for a reason. They spend millions of dollars to determine the best weight oil for wear (look at today's 5 year 100,000 miles warranty) and they also base it on fuel millage. Remember, the 0w, 5w, 10w is for cold start, low oil temp conditions. If it never gets cold where you live, 0w is fine, here in Southern Michigan 5w is pretty much the norm.
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Old Sep 12, 2010 | 11:56 AM
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Originally Posted by dubrado
Bearing clearances are 0.030, don't plan to go that thin with these clearances as big as they are
20w50 is still too thick, as you've already learned the hard way.

10w40 would be the thickest I'd go.
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