The Great Debate

[C man]

I change my oil today and I have to add to the debate of how much oil the 3800 takes. A lot people and sources say 4.5qt. I say 5qt and my owners manual says the same thing. When I changed my oil I put 1 gallon (qt) of oil in first turned the car on to get the oil circulating and then a turned it off and let it sit for a while. Went and read the oil dipstick and it was under the add mark. So I added qt of oil and it filled it up all the way but not past the cross hatches. Maybe the changed some things. I do have one of the few 3800's that burns oil though.

[C man]

Here's what it says in my manual

[Sweepspear]

5 Qts. and my level is dead on the full mark.

[Blue Bowtie]

What debate? As always, fill it until the dipstick is satisfied.

[BNaylor]

Originally Posted by Blue Bowtie

What debate?

I don't care what GM car it is with the L36 or L67 SII 3800 engines but 5 quarts is too much and it is over the max mark/lines on the dipstick meaning it is overfilled. Sounds like someone may need glasses.

The most important part if there is any debate is the oil filter. I no longer recommend or will use AC Delco PF47 oil filters. Poorly designed anti-drainback valves. Now made by Champion for Delco based on the crappy Ecore design. Stick with Mobil 1 or WIX brands. Mobil 1 oil filters are made by Champion too but based on a performance design.

BTW - Does this PA have the VIN "L" or VIN "K" 3800 engine?

[Jrs3800]

I use and have always used 5 Quarts, at the same time I use the PF52 Equivalent Filter which is a hair longer than the PF47... So 5 quarts is what I fill with on all of my 3800's due to the filter size..

With most all 3800's over the last 20+ years you will be most likely to use 4.5 Quarts... Fill it to the top of the cross hatch as stated...

C Man

Don't feel bad... I have had 2 L36's that use a little bit of oil... And one that never used any at all...

[C man]

it's a vin K and I use a Pureolator filter. The emission people made me mad today. The said my car had blue smoke when I pushed the gas pedal. Passed inspection with flying colors since I had the car and to make it worse I slammed on the gas pedal harder than I did when I was at the inspection place and no smoke. And I sat in the line for and hour and a half.

[Jrs3800]

Originally Posted by C man

it's a vin K and I use a Pureolator filter. The emission people made me mad today. The said my car had blue smoke when I pushed the gas pedal. Passed inspection with flying colors since I had the car and to make it worse I slammed on the gas pedal harder than I did when I was at the inspection place and no smoke. And I sat in the line for and hour and a half.

Ahhh... Mine used to do that too a little... And only once in a very blue moon.. I almost think the 96-96 L36 May have been a tad looser than the 97-05 series II engines..

My Cousins 95 Burned a little oil like mine did.. The Current 96 engine Burns a little as well... But the 99 Motor I had didn't burn a drop...

Mine made it to the 161k mark... You should get further than I ever did..lol

[HotZ28]

Originally Posted by C man

it's a vin K and I use a Pureolator filter. The emission people made me mad today. The said my car had blue smoke when I pushed the gas pedal. Passed inspection with flying colors since I had the car and to make it worse I slammed on the gas pedal harder than I did when I was at the inspection place and no smoke. And I sat in the line for and hour and a half.

How long did the engine idle while you were sitting in the line?

[C man]

The engine was idle in the line for 1.5 hours. I probably should have revved it a little to clear out any oil seeping past the valve seals. Usually I only have to wait in the inspection lane for about 15 minutes but I went when it was busy instead of the morning like I usally do.

[HotZ28]

I probably should have revved it a little to clear out any oil seeping past the valve seals.

You hit the nail on the head (first swing)!

[Sweepspear]

Originally Posted by BNaylor

I don't care what GM car it is with the L36 or L67 SII 3800 engines but 5 quarts is too much and it is over the max mark/lines on the dipstick meaning it is overfilled. Sounds like someone may need glasses.

The most important part if there is any debate is the oil filter. I no longer recommend or will use AC Delco PF47 oil filters. Poorly designed anti-drainback valves. Now made by Champion for Delco based on the crappy Ecore design. Stick with Mobil 1 or WIX brands. Mobil 1 oil filters are made by Champion too but based on a performance design.

BTW - Does this PA have the VIN "L" or VIN "K" 3800 engine?

I won't use AC Delco filters anymore either after an incident I had 3 years ago.
I changed my oil and filter as usual, and found my oil pressure was all over the map! Never steady.
I took the AC filter I had installed off and compared it to the old one I took off and the new one looked to be of lesser quality.
I put the old one back on until I could resolve the issue.
I contacted AC Delco about it because I thought it may be a counterfeit part.
Turns out the old filter which seemed to be of better quality was a Mexican made filter, and the new filter was made in the USA by Delphi.

I would post pics or a link to my thread on v8 buick.com where I posted photos of both filters and the reply I received from AC Delco, but not sure if any linking to photos or other boards is allowed here.
If it is ok, I will post them.

I only go with NAPA Gold filters now which are made by WIX.

[Jrs3800]

In Buying the AC Delco Filters, from what I understand the PF47 with a sticker is the real deal... The PF47 with the Painted on label is not the one used BY the dealerships, and sold at auto parts stores... I have to date had 0 issues with the Sticker PF47 Filters..

Bob the 1995 Park Avenue has the L36 Vin K in it..

Its funny tho, at the same mileage Cman has mine started to do the little smoke thin once in a while on a warm start...

I think I had piston and ring issues tho.. And had developed more and more piston slap towards the end of my engines life...

[HotZ28]

Bob the 1995 Park Avenue has the L36 Vin K in it..

In order to help clarify the quote above for other members; the 1995 PA came equipped with both the L67 Vin-I, and the VIN K, depending on which option you have. The Ultra had only the Vin-I the Series I in 1995. C man, you have a valve stem seal problem!

BTW, Wix filters are made by Affinia Group, which continues to outsource production to China, India & Mexico! Good luck, especially if you get one “Huncho in Mexico”!

[C man]

I Kinda figured that when I first got the car because I did research and found out that the seals for the 94-95 years were prone to faliure. Plus the fact that I burn a quart of oil ever 1200-1400 miles with no oil leakage on the ground drew me to this conclusion. My question is how hard of a job is putting in new seals and is it worth it. I kinda want to do it but don't know if it beyond my level or worth it or if I will do more damage than harm.