Oil choice advice

[purpgt97]

Hello to everyone. im new here, and hope i can get some advice.
i just bought my first grand prix. it has 140k on it, its a 1997 GT 3800 seriesII. it has an oil drip, thats not that bad. It will be a couple of months before i will have the time or money to fix this. My question is what kind of oil should i be running? is there any kind that will leak slower? is it ok to run 10-40? my thinking is, it may drip slower. also heard where valvoline Maxlife synthetic is what i should run. i have no history of the car, but it runs and shifts fine. any advice would help. Thanks.

[rubberman]

if you run synthetic it will probably drip more. if you know where the oil leak is, you might be able to torque down the bolts a little more to see if that helps. if not a small slow leak wont hurt. Old chevy 350s were known for the small oil leaks

[GaryFenza]

well i put Castrol 10w-30 High Milage Oil in my Car.

[GPFred]

I prefer Quakerstate and I've never had an engine mechanical problem with any the cars I have ever had. one had 211k on it before it basically fell apart across the spectrum suspension and exhaust wise. I personally would put in 10W40 for that high mileage or you could even use what it called for in the owners manual. Just MHO. If you are up north where the cold wind blows below zero, I would go with a mid-range oil that is good for temps in the 90's to lows in the -20's. Good luck.

[wlkjr]

I've used Havoline 10W30 from new and mine now has 323,000 miles on it. Still runs like a top, although it is temporarily disabled because of an accident.
I change oil and filter every 5000 miles and do oil analysis about every 50,000 miles. Oil analyses have always been extremely good. Synthetic will cause leaks and make other leaks worse.

[1typhoon]

Originally Posted by rubberman

if you run synthetic it will probably drip more. if you know where the oil leak is, you might be able to torque down the bolts a little more to see if that helps. if not a small slow leak wont hurt. Old chevy 350s were known for the small oil leaks

From the Mobil1 site:
Myth: Mobil 1 will leak out of the seals of older cars.
Reality: Mobil 1 does not cause leaks. In fact, new Mobil 1 was tested in dozens of industry standard and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) tests to prove its seal performance. It is fully compatible with the elastomeric materials from which all automotive seals and gaskets are made. If an older engine is in good condition and does not have oil leaks, Mobil 1 provides the same advantages as when used in a new engine. ExxonMobil recommends taking measures to repair the leaks, then using Mobil 1. ExxonMobil also recommends following the automobile manufacturer's manual for the proper oil to use.
I have been running Mobil1 in every car I have ever owned since the 70's and have never had a leak that could be attributed to the synthetic oil.

[eippermx]

Got my '04 GT1 with 28K on her, changed the oil to Mobil 1 as soon as I bought it, and still no leaks with 139K miles later. Got a water leak in the interior, alas that is a different thread...

[purpgt97]

Thanks for all the advice, ill prob stay away from the synthetic.

[guitarfish]

I use Mobil 1 Extended Performance along with a Fram Extended Guard filter, and I change them every 7,000 miles. I used to use standard oil and change every 3,000, but the miles I drive, that's an oil change every month, which gets old. Interestingly, because of the longer interval between changes, the cost of the Mobil 1 and better filter comes out about even when compared to the cost of using standard oil every 3K.

I have no leak issues, incidentally.