Slo Yelo C5

I'm thinking of taking out the 2000 Corvette in a few weeks and doing an oil change. Previous owner always used Mobil 1 synthetic. I've done one oil change on it...Mobil 1. However, there is a little bit of "piston slap"-esque noise. Thinking of changing to a different 5w-30 synthetic oil to see if it quiets down the beast.

A few members on here said they have had great success with quieting their LS1 when changing to Castrol with titanium. Anybody have any other personal experience with Castrol with titanium? Any other brands that are good at quieting down the LS1? Let me know what you swear by.

nullpointer

Pennzoil Ultra Platinum was very quiet for my LS6, but then again it never has been loud. I have a cam, dual valve springs, blower, blah, blah, blah. Switching to Royal Purple HPS for the added Zinc/Phos due to the cam, not sure its needed, but more protection the better. That being said, I beat the **** out of my car and PUP never had an issue.

c4cruiser

I recall that "piston slap" noise was common to earlier LS motors (my old '99 Silverado with the 5.3 motor had it). I think it would be hard to say if changing brands of oil will help to completely quiet valvetrain noise. Most all full-synthetic motor oils are certified for GM's DEXOS1 requirements.

Maybe try something like a 10W-30? There should not be anything in the Mobil-1 oil that would cause a noise like piston slap.

Vetteman Jack

Mobil 1 is a good oil and I doubt the piston slap you may be hearing is related to its use. The LS1 motor does have some piston slap, especially at startup. It tends to go away once the engine gets up to temp.

But, as long as the oil you want to use meets the applicable GM standards, give it a try. You can always go back to Mobil 1 if the new oil doesn't do what you want it to do.

Slo Yelo C5

The noise may or may not be piston slap...that's just my guess. I've only owned the car a few months and only driven it ~25 times (about 1,500 miles), so still learning about the beast. It's louder than the only other V-8 I've owned (a 305/5.0 LO3 in a Caprice), and by louder I'm referring to valvetrain noise, not exhaust note.

My "piston slap" is not terribly loud by any means and doesn't sound "irregular". I've seen tons of YouTube videos of LS1s where owners complain about loud and/or irregular noise...and boy, some of them do sound terrible.

Mine sounds like a medium-loud sewing machine with just a slight "ticking" sound. The ticking sound isn't overly loud or "odd", so I'm sure it's nothing awful. When I bought the car I took it to 3 excellent mechanics in the area (2 of which are Corvette and/or LS1 specialists) and they all said it was just the "normal" LS1 ticking/slapping sound and nothing to be alarmed by. They did say switching to a different brand of synthetic oil on some LS1s dramatically quiets them down so I figure it's worth a shot.

It is ok to switch between different brands of oil at each oil change as long as they are all synthetic, right? I mean, going from Mobil 1 5w-30 to say Castrol 5w-30 to say Pennzoil 5w-30 won't hurt it if they are all synthetic anyway? At least that's my understanding. Just want to experiment and see if I can hush it up a bit.

Slo Yelo C5

Is it ok for an LS1 to run with 10w-30? I always thought they were meant to run with 5w-30 only?

El original

Nothing like gambling with a ten thousand dollar engine! IMHO I would stick with the manufacturers requirements...

acroy

Try M1 0W40
Really good oil, significantly more additives.

leadfoot4

I got a "free sample" of Pennzoil Platinum, a couple of years ago, and ran it for a summer. I thought that my valvetrain was quieter with that oil.

momo20

my 2003 z06 was run on Mobil 1 synthetic for 60,000 miles...15k of that was on a ecs supercharger...with that said when i ringland broke off on lucky #7, when i was taking it apart i was shocked to see how clean the internals of the engine block was inside...i will be going back to a Mobil 1 synthetic once i get my 5000 miles of reg oil done per the builder specs

striper

I have a history of running several different brands of oil in my car with no difference noted from any of them, Royal Purple to Valvoline. At 155k miles it still runs the same, perfectly with no oil usage and it's also still fairly quiet. Recently I started using the Mobil 1 high mileage. It is supposed to have a better additive package for preserving engines. And I've also run 5w-30 and 10w-30 with no differences noted.

GCG

Mobil1 High Mileage 5W30 meets the SL rating and has a phosphorous content of 1000 ppm and a zinc content of 1100 ppm.

Check this chart for more info

leadfoot4

I got into an oil discussion over in the C-3 section, and one of the guys over there posted a Mobil1 "spec sheet", and according to what he posted, the "HM" version, the one that we've come to love, is now "SN" compliant....

Gordy M

A few years ago a club member, who was an engineer at that time with GM, had his 2002Z' with about 215000 miles on it, torn down by the Powertrain engineers. This was his daily driver--even in the winter--car. Each of the previous 10 years he had about 200 autocross runs and several hours of HPDE runs as well. As an engineer he was pretty meticulous about changing oil every 3-4,000 mile with Mobil 1. The Powertrain group were amazed had how little wear was on the engine, how clean the cylinders and heads were. That engine is now longer a daily driver but regularly makes 100+ autocross runs every year and is still running strong. After 200,000 miles he switched to 10W30 Mobil 1.

captaineddie

I've been having my oil changed at the local Chevy dealer and all the work order says is that "synthetic" oil was used. No brand name is mentioned. I'm wondering if they still actually use Mobil 1 or whatever brand GM has a contract with.

Evil-Twin

Mobil one and ACDelco PF44 was tested to 200,000 in the GM test lab, to certify this motor. these motors were inspected and all key specs were still within tolerance.

While the PF44 has been upgraded, I have faith in the testing and still use this oil filter combo with confidence.

Bill aka ET

Lots of members with 300K and 400K on their LSX with no internal problems.. using this combo.

FYI.. A Y body LSX motor is different from an F body LSX in that the conditions it operates under are different. A Y body is a bottom feeder for cooling , not so with an F body with conventional air draw. the Y body motor need a special heat additive, for the increased normal operating temps. Using the OLM, and the correct oil and filter will insure engine longevity.

NSBC5

Amsoil Signature Series 0-W-30.

msandym

I have pretty loud piston slap on start up , 2002 coupe with 38000 miles . It goes away after a little while . I have heard about using the 10 w synthetic , do you think it helps ?

leadfoot4

No.


The "piston slap" going away, is due strictly to the thermal expansion of the pistons, as the engine gets to operating temperature. An oil that is slightly "thicker" at initial start up, isn't going to "fix" that.

After I retied, I worked a part-time job at Advance Auto Parts, for a little over 5 years. At one point, several years ago, we got in a sizeable quantity of 10W-30 Quaker State synthetic oil. Shortly thereafter, the decision was made to no longer stock this oil. Don't know why. Anyway, the store discounted it heavily, to clear out the remaining inventory. I bought two, 12 quart cases, for about $3/qt.

I didn't need the oil right away, so I sort of "lost it" on the shelf in my basement. last summer, I found it, while straightening up, and put it in my 'Vette for the summer. Long story short, the pistons still "slapped" until the car warmed up........

Evil-Twin

SR-71 would leak pounds of fuel until it reached operating temperature..it was in the design.