Looking to get an LS in the near future

[eL eS]

I was looking for an SS when I stumbled upon the LS. Man I love those cars not enough of them to go around. Seen a grandma puttering along in one the other day at the grocery store. Some where out there is a son or grandson waiting for his inheritance

 

[captainalias]

Thanks for all the incredibly detailed info, Jim!

Thanks everyone!

 

[Putter-GLHT]

If you had a sample of your oil sent to a lab, they can tell you the useful amount of life left in it. If you were to do it with a full sythetic you could adjust your oil change intervals accordingly.

 

[SoonerLS]

If you had a sample of your oil sent to a lab, they can tell you the useful amount of life left in it. If you were to do it with a full sythetic you could adjust your oil change intervals accordingly.

If you can find an Amsoil dealer, they have kits for this. Basically, synthetics don't break down like dinosaur juice, but they do pick up contaminants (mostly acidic compounds from the combustion process), so Amsoil actually has you change the oil based on the chemistry of the oil rather than on mileage or engine hours. Amsoil costs more, but it lasts longer, since you don't throw out oil that's still doing its job. As I recall, if you did the 35,000 mile oil change, you still changed the filter fairly regularly--but it's been too long since I used Amsoil to remember.

Personally, I just run Mobil1 and a good filter and change every 5,000 miles. No worries (oil-related, anyway) so far--I still own or have close contact with two of the cars to which I've done this; one has over 70K mi on the clock, and the other has 114K mi, and both are still running.

 

[Putter-GLHT]

I've got 171,000 miles and change on my 92 Tempo with conventional oil, same for the transaxle.

In my turbocharged Omni, I run sythetic blend, but conventional would probably fit the bill. Since the added blowby of a boosted engine, and how much time it spends at full throttle, I run about a 1,000-1,500 mile interval on it. Oil is still cheaper than an engine.

Not a single car I own goes over 3,000 mile oil changes. I've seen alot of engines prematurely fail running 5,000 miles or more, its usually upper cylinder failures though. One of them 80k miles, another at less than 60k miles. These engines were using synthetic blended oils. 5w20.

Since its not the engine oil suspending the contaminants and the additive package instead, how is a sythetic oil going to trap more contaminants than a conventional unless the additive package itself is different? If the additive packages are the same, how can one suspend significantly more impurities than the other?

I do agrees synthetics have better lubrication properties, but I'm not sure if I go along with the extended service intervals as well. You can only hold so many impurities per volume.

Now I'm not saying NOT to use it, I am just weary of claims as I've seen engines go engines go well over 100k miles with conventional oil and 5,000+ mile oil changes, and I've seen engines with even blended oil fail very prematurely. So I have have definatly seen both sides of the arguement, and niether one is obviously better.

Between the 3 of my cars I have over 380,000 miles on the clock, all with origional engines and transmissions. Granted I have not owned them the whole time, only about 100,000 miles of those are mine.
:steering

 

[Putter-GLHT]

It definatly makes more sense to change it based on its condition rather than an interval though, I think I may look into one of thoe DIY chemistry kits....

Hope I don't blow my eyebrows off...

 

[SoonerLS]

Not a single car I own goes over 3,000 mile oil changes. I've seen alot of engines prematurely fail running 5,000 miles or more, its usually upper cylinder failures though. One of them 80k miles, another at less than 60k miles. These engines were using synthetic blended oils. 5w20.

Since its not the engine oil suspending the contaminants and the additive package instead, how is a sythetic oil going to trap more contaminants than a conventional unless the additive package itself is different? If the additive packages are the same, how can one suspend significantly more impurities than the other?

I do agrees synthetics have better lubrication properties, but I'm not sure if I go along with the extended service intervals as well. You can only hold so many impurities per volume.

Now I'm not saying NOT to use it, I am just weary of claims as I've seen engines go engines go well over 100k miles with conventional oil and 5,000+ mile oil changes, and I've seen engines with even blended oil fail very prematurely. So I have have definatly seen both sides of the arguement, and niether one is obviously better.
:steering

I'm not saying that the synthetic is going to trap more contaminants, only that the contaminants are the reason for more frequent changes of synthetics, rather than the breakdown of the oil itself, as is the case with dino juice (conventional oils).

As for conventional oils doing well, I'd agree, in some cases. The 302 in my dad's '70 F100, which got its dino juice changed every 5,000 miles--and survived several years with me driving it as a teenager/young adult--was in excellent shape when he rebuilt it to go in his '65 Mustang. It had 120,000 miles on it, and it had been sitting for several years when he did that.

He actually has several vehicles with well over 100,000 miles on the clock, and put almost all of the miles on them himself. He's replaced various driveline parts, but he's never had an engine failure. Some run synthetics, some run dino juice, and some run blends, but they all get their oil changed at 5,000 miles.

On the other hand, a 1970 302 is a far cry from an '04 3.9l V8, so I think I'll stick with the Mobil1, thanks.

 

[eL eS]

I'm not saying that the synthetic is going to trap more contaminants, only that the contaminants are the reason for more frequent changes of synthetics, rather than the breakdown of the oil itself, as is the case with dino juice (conventional oils).

As for conventional oils doing well, I'd agree, in some cases. The 302 in my dad's '70 F100, which got its dino juice changed every 5,000 miles--and survived several years with me driving it as a teenager/young adult--was in excellent shape when he rebuilt it to go in his '65 Mustang. It had 120,000 miles on it, and it had been sitting for several years when he did that.

He actually has several vehicles with well over 100,000 miles on the clock, and put almost all of the miles on them himself. He's replaced various driveline parts, but he's never had an engine failure. Some run synthetics, some run dino juice, and some run blends, but they all get their oil changed at 5,000 miles.

On the other hand, a 1970 302 is a far cry from an '04 3.9l V8, so I think I'll stick with the Mobil1, thanks.

Yeah engines are no longer the blunt instruments of the past. They are tuned, tweaked and teched out to the 9's and they deserve the very best we can give them both in quality and periodicity of the change.

 

[Putter-GLHT]

The cost of an oil change is 2/3rds the cost of a tank of fuel. Why must everyone go 5,000 to 7,500 miles on an oil change? Its not exactly an expensive thing. If they deserve the best, changing prematurely will never cause an engine failure.

I've put a lot of engines in at the dealership, and most engine failures are oil related.

 

[doctorj]

Gas Question

The only porblem I have had out of my 30(V8) is the electronic brake like. The Service Park Brake warning keeps coming on...taking it to the dealer tomorrow. Question for those that own the V8, do you all put premium gas in or can you get away with med-grade?

I have an 04 LS V8 Ultimate, when I drive it arround town I keep premium in it if I'm on a long road trip I will alternate fillups between the two. I get 24-26 mpg on the road (not in the slow lane either).

I have the electronic parking brake and it failed the day I bought the car. 4 trips over 3 1/2 months to fix it, no problems since.

I love the car, fun to drive fast, handles great, wish it had a stick! :L

 

[eL eS]

I am now getting 22.5 mpg with mostly hwy driving. That is up from 13 mpg that I was getting prior to all the work I did to my car over the last two months. I am very pleased with the results to say the least.

 

[Jim Henderson]

Using extended drain intervals with synthetic is technically OK BUT, if for some weird reason your engine failed while under warranty, you might get bit because you didn't do the 5,000 mile change.

Until you are out of warranty, you have to follow the manufacturer intervals.

I have used syn for over 25 years, but I still follow mfg change intervals, especially while still under warranty.

Jim Henderson

 

[eL eS]

Using extended drain intervals with synthetic is technically OK BUT, if for some weird reason your engine failed while under warranty, you might get bit because you didn't do the 5,000 mile change.

Until you are out of warranty, you have to follow the manufacturer intervals.

I have used syn for over 25 years, but I still follow mfg change intervals, especially while still under warranty.

Jim Henderson

No doubt about it. I even went to so far as letting the delaer make all the oil changes on my wifes 03 Altima.

 

[captainalias]

Well, thanks everyone for the great and helpful info! I'm still saving my $$ to get the LS, so when I do get it, I'll be sure to post some pics.