oil choice

[c formaldehyde]

hey i gotta change the oil in my s-10, is there a 'best' kind of oil for it? thanks

[BlazerLT]

Engine? Year? Miles? Budget?

[c formaldehyde]

i think its 4 banger, 95, lil over 110,000, dont know budget (i just started driving)

[J-Ri]

I think most people agree that Adsoil is the best, but last time I looked it was about $20 a quart... but it lasts 12,000 miles. In my 86 Silverado 350ci, I use 15w40 Truckella oil (Advance Auto store brand). It's thick enough i don't worry about letting it idle for long periods of time, it's a high quality oil... even approved for diesels. In my 93 S-10 262ci, I use Quaker State High Performance Synthetic. As long as you don't go with Super Tech (walmart brand), you're probably ok. That stuff ruined 2 of my engines (a 4.3L Chevy, and a 1.5L toyota)

[c formaldehyde]

Originally Posted by J-Ri

I think most people agree that Adsoil is the best, but last time I looked it was about $20 a quart... but it lasts 12,000 miles. In both 86 Silverado 350ci, I use 15w40 Truckella oil (Advance Auto store brand). It's thick enough i don't worry about letting it idle for long periods of time, it's a high quality oil... even approved for diesels. In my 93 S-10 262ci, I use Quaker State High Performance Synthetic. As long as you don't go with Super Tech (walmart brand), you're probably ok. That stuff ruined 2 of my engines (a 4.3L Chevy, and a 1.5L toyota)

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you said you use 15w40 and you also said you use Quaker State High Performance Synthetic. which one do you think would work better?
thanks

[c formaldehyde]

nevermind i misread, i understand

[J-Ri]

If you don't burn/leak any oil, use the weight that is recomended on the oil cap/owners manual. A small leak, or a puff of smoke every now and then can be held off by a heavier oil. Both of mine use oil, S-10 burns, Silverado leaks, so I use slightly heaver oil than is recomended anyway, and it does help a bit.

[c formaldehyde]

how can you tell if it is burnin or leakin

[BlazerLT]

Originally Posted by c formaldehyde

nevermind i misread, i understand

Woah woah woah there!

You don't use 15w40 in a 4 banger.

5w30 Castrol GTX if you are going with normal oil or Mobil 1 5w30 synthetic if you are going synthetic.

Also, do NOT buy a Fram or Penzoil oil filter. Anything else will be fine.

[c formaldehyde]

whats the difference between synthetic and normal oil?

[BlazerLT]

Originally Posted by c formaldehyde

whats the difference between synthetic and normal oil?

One is made from oil from the ground, the other is synthetic from a lab.

DON"T PUT IN 15W40!

5W30 ONLY.

[J-Ri]

Originally Posted by c formaldehyde

how can you tell if it is burnin or leakin

When you change the oil, amke a mental note of where the oil is on the didpstick (should be right at, or right under full). The next time you fill 'er up, if it's lower than that, you're burning or leaking. A leak will show up on the ground where you park, burning it will give you bluish/grey smoke out of the exhaust.

[J-Ri]

Originally Posted by BlazerLT

5W30 ONLY.

I can see not going all the way to 15w40 in a 4 banger, but why 5w30 only? 10w30 would be fine.

[BlazerLT]

Originally Posted by J-Ri

I can see not going all the way to 15w40 in a 4 banger, but why 5w30 only? 10w30 would be fine.

Although it would be fine, it would not be as good as 5w30.

5w30 is thinner when cold and would flow faster to the top end during cold start up for less engine wear.

In your trucks case, you should run 5w40 for proper start up protection, but a thicker oil when the engine is up to temperature.

XwYY

You should always go with the lowest number for X for better cold starting and faster warmup and enhanced fuel economy.

Take for instance:

10w30
5w30
0w30 (Synthetic Only Available)

The lower the number, the better the flow at a given temperature.

[c formaldehyde]

thanks