Oil question
10-20-2010, 07:39 PM
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Oil question Ok I just did my oil change and after I was done I noticed the guy gave me 5W-20 instead of 30. What difference will this make? Am I fucked? Mods in sig. Thx guys!!
10-20-2010, 07:51 PM
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You will probably need a new car. Even an engine rebuild will not be able to fix this. The car is totally hopelss, you should probably just part it out.
Not a huge deal. Just change it out with some 0/5/10 w30 or 0/5 w40.
Not a huge deal. Just change it out with some 0/5/10 w30 or 0/5 w40.
10-21-2010, 08:09 AM
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my stupid question would be, what if i dont change it until 5k more miles like a normal oil change? and i do get on it? can this damage the engine? i have no idea what the idfference between 20 and 30 are so thats why im asking.
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10-21-2010, 12:19 PM
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20w and 30w refer to viscosity. Lower number means thinner oil. If you get oil that's too thin, it will not lubricate properly and you will have more metal to metal contact than you would have with a thicker oil. If your oil is too thick it will not flow well and lubricate properly. Engines are designed to work with an oil of a particular viscosity. In the case of the LS1, it works properly with a 5w-30 oil.
It will work with a 40w and will work with a 20w oil. In the case of a 20w oil of good quality I do not believe you will hurt it. If you go to a track day, if you race it, if you start it on a cold morning and rev it to 4 grand, if you drive across Death Valley in 110*+ weather, you might definitely hurt it. But if you drive normally it is not going to kill it.
Five thousand miles on 5w-20? There aren't that many people that can go 5k miles without changing their oil no matter what they've put in it.
Just pay attention to what's going on next time, and spend a half-hour Googling OIL WEIGHT +VISCOSITY .
It will work with a 40w and will work with a 20w oil. In the case of a 20w oil of good quality I do not believe you will hurt it. If you go to a track day, if you race it, if you start it on a cold morning and rev it to 4 grand, if you drive across Death Valley in 110*+ weather, you might definitely hurt it. But if you drive normally it is not going to kill it.
Five thousand miles on 5w-20? There aren't that many people that can go 5k miles without changing their oil no matter what they've put in it.
Just pay attention to what's going on next time, and spend a half-hour Googling OIL WEIGHT +VISCOSITY .
10-21-2010, 02:50 PM
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20w and 30w refer to viscosity. Lower number means thinner oil. If you get oil that's too thin, it will not lubricate properly and you will have more metal to metal contact than you would have with a thicker oil. If your oil is too thick it will not flow well and lubricate properly. Engines are designed to work with an oil of a particular viscosity. In the case of the LS1, it works properly with a 5w-30 oil.
It will work with a 40w and will work with a 20w oil. In the case of a 20w oil of good quality I do not believe you will hurt it. If you go to a track day, if you race it, if you start it on a cold morning and rev it to 4 grand, if you drive across Death Valley in 110*+ weather, you might definitely hurt it. But if you drive normally it is not going to kill it.
Five thousand miles on 5w-20? There aren't that many people that can go 5k miles without changing their oil no matter what they've put in it.
Just pay attention to what's going on next time, and spend a half-hour Googling OIL WEIGHT +VISCOSITY .
It will work with a 40w and will work with a 20w oil. In the case of a 20w oil of good quality I do not believe you will hurt it. If you go to a track day, if you race it, if you start it on a cold morning and rev it to 4 grand, if you drive across Death Valley in 110*+ weather, you might definitely hurt it. But if you drive normally it is not going to kill it.
Five thousand miles on 5w-20? There aren't that many people that can go 5k miles without changing their oil no matter what they've put in it.
Just pay attention to what's going on next time, and spend a half-hour Googling OIL WEIGHT +VISCOSITY .
10-21-2010, 02:54 PM
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20w and 30w refer to viscosity. Lower number means thinner oil. If you get oil that's too thin, it will not lubricate properly and you will have more metal to metal contact than you would have with a thicker oil. If your oil is too thick it will not flow well and lubricate properly. Engines are designed to work with an oil of a particular viscosity. In the case of the LS1, it works properly with a 5w-30 oil.
It will work with a 40w and will work with a 20w oil. In the case of a 20w oil of good quality I do not believe you will hurt it. If you go to a track day, if you race it, if you start it on a cold morning and rev it to 4 grand, if you drive across Death Valley in 110*+ weather, you might definitely hurt it. But if you drive normally it is not going to kill it.
It will work with a 40w and will work with a 20w oil. In the case of a 20w oil of good quality I do not believe you will hurt it. If you go to a track day, if you race it, if you start it on a cold morning and rev it to 4 grand, if you drive across Death Valley in 110*+ weather, you might definitely hurt it. But if you drive normally it is not going to kill it.
It's true that GM calls for a 5 or 10 (depending on weather conditions) w30 for an LS1. Thing is, not all 30 weights are exactly equal in viscosity (nor 20s, or 40s). For example, one 30 weight might fall at the "thin" end of the 30 weight spectrum (such as Mobil 1), while another might fall at the "thick" end of the 30 spectrum (such as German Castrol). Oil analysises have shown that LS1s tends to like oils that are at the thick end of a 30 weight or the thin end of a 40 weight. Mobil 1 always seems to run on the thin side of it's rating, which is why I use their 0w40 in my LS1s with great results. You won't find details like this on the bottle of oil, you'd have to do the net research to find such specifics. I know Mr Incredible posted a nice chart a long time ago with some of this info for popular brands and weights.
Keeping all this in mind, any 20 weight is going to be too thin for optimum results in an LS1, and thus I would refrain from any severe conditions (such as high rpms, temp extremes, or extended drain intervals) while using such thin oil.
10-21-2010, 05:49 PM
#13
You don't need synthetic oil but it's a much better choice since most of us drive our cars hard. Synthetic oil withstands heat better and doesn't break down as easy as conventional oil, plus it lubricates better since the molecules are smaller. You can put what you want in your motor but I'd rather spend a little more for synthetic and know that my motor is protected better.
10-22-2010, 09:36 AM
#14
agreed but I've talked with several vendors and conventional is just fine. plus when i was using synthetics my lifter were alot louder. I switched over and alot quieter now. I've had several buddies with fbodies and used non synthetics and have 120,000 of hard driving and car still performs great.
10-22-2010, 03:52 PM
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Thank you for your expansion, RPMWS6. I try not to be too wordy, and short answers can often lead to more questions. That's not always a bad thing.
I've attached the two charts you mentioned. They show the relative viscosities of a variety of oils. Be advised, however, that the chart is a couple of years old. Some oils have changed since it was put together. You can still find out about particular oils by going to the manufacturers websites and doing some reasearch on your own. The Mobil site has very good info.
I have used a number of oils in my '98 and it seems not to mind anything I've put in. I have used a very thin 5w-30, a thick 5w-40, and several mid-pack 5w-30s. Looking at oil analysis' from them you couldn't tell them apart if you covered up the oil weights. The only real difference I found was that the LS1 felt sluggish using the old Truck&SUV M1 5w-40. I still have some of that oil that I put in my garden tiller to keep it from smoking.
I have an '89 CRX that I use as a daily driver. The book calls for 5w-30 or 10w-30. I've currently got some Rotella T6 5w-40 in it. I've use a number of different 5w-30s and 10w-30s. I've even used a 5w-20. The analysis numbers were similar in all instances except the 20w. Single digit increases in some of the wear metals over the norm. Nothing to worry about. I would bet 5w-20 oil in an LS1 would be similar. However, the preponderence of viewers here have an itchy gas pedal foot, which might raise the numbers a little more.
I've attached the two charts you mentioned. They show the relative viscosities of a variety of oils. Be advised, however, that the chart is a couple of years old. Some oils have changed since it was put together. You can still find out about particular oils by going to the manufacturers websites and doing some reasearch on your own. The Mobil site has very good info.
I have used a number of oils in my '98 and it seems not to mind anything I've put in. I have used a very thin 5w-30, a thick 5w-40, and several mid-pack 5w-30s. Looking at oil analysis' from them you couldn't tell them apart if you covered up the oil weights. The only real difference I found was that the LS1 felt sluggish using the old Truck&SUV M1 5w-40. I still have some of that oil that I put in my garden tiller to keep it from smoking.
I have an '89 CRX that I use as a daily driver. The book calls for 5w-30 or 10w-30. I've currently got some Rotella T6 5w-40 in it. I've use a number of different 5w-30s and 10w-30s. I've even used a 5w-20. The analysis numbers were similar in all instances except the 20w. Single digit increases in some of the wear metals over the norm. Nothing to worry about. I would bet 5w-20 oil in an LS1 would be similar. However, the preponderence of viewers here have an itchy gas pedal foot, which might raise the numbers a little more.
Last edited by Mr Incredible; 10-22-2010 at 04:05 PM.
10-22-2010, 07:32 PM
#18
Valvoline SynPower synthetic is about $20 a bottle at Walmart and it protects much better than conventional oil when pushing the motor hard. I can go longer between oil changes with synthetic, so in the end it's basically the same price. Plus I'm disposing of less used motor oil over a period of time so that's better for our environment.
GM requires that synthetic oil should be used in the LS3 because it's a high performance motor. Since our modded LS motors match or exceed the output of the LS3, we should use synthetic oil too. The internal parts in the motor are constantly wearing away, so why not slow down that process by using synthetic oil.
GM requires that synthetic oil should be used in the LS3 because it's a high performance motor. Since our modded LS motors match or exceed the output of the LS3, we should use synthetic oil too. The internal parts in the motor are constantly wearing away, so why not slow down that process by using synthetic oil.
10-26-2010, 03:30 PM
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Since you asked, I would have gone back and had the person that installed the incorrect oil drain it and do it right.
If it's too late for that now, drain it and put in what you want. You'll worry yourself to death if you don't, and you'll cry every time you did/didn't mash the gas.
If you can't afford synthetic, put in some Pennzoil Yellow Bottle (PYB) 5w-30. No need to change the filter. You'll live, your car will live, and it'll be a lesson learned.
I have the space, the equipment, and the time to do all the wrenching and oil changes on the eight vehicles we have. If you want it done right, do it yourself.
If it's too late for that now, drain it and put in what you want. You'll worry yourself to death if you don't, and you'll cry every time you did/didn't mash the gas.
If you can't afford synthetic, put in some Pennzoil Yellow Bottle (PYB) 5w-30. No need to change the filter. You'll live, your car will live, and it'll be a lesson learned.
I have the space, the equipment, and the time to do all the wrenching and oil changes on the eight vehicles we have. If you want it done right, do it yourself.
