Hey everyone, I plan on changing my oil in the next couple of days and I was wondering what brand and weight of oil to use. I currently own a 1979 L82 with a 350 motor and I live in south texas where the damn temperature gets like a 100 degrees everyday of the summer...So any input to this question would greatly be appreciated..oh yeah..i did check out some of the other posts in reference to oil..and man I just got confused with the argument between regular oil and synthetic...thanks

 

You'll neve get a straight definitive answer. It's like asking 'what's the best beer?'.

Use whatever you like, SBC motors are pretty well bullet proof- oil type doesn't make much difference.

 

If only one oil was good and all the others were garbage, the other companies would be out of business. The only thing I would suggest is a heavier oil for the heat of summer.

 

I agree with the comments above. Have you looked in your owner's manual? My 72 manual gives info on recommended oils. I would assume that yours does too.

With that said, I would go to a 10W-40 or even a 20W-40 for your weather. Use your favorite brand. Fwiw, even a 10W-30 should be fine provided you don't get into really thrashing your car.

Gary

 

recent thread on same subject...

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show....php?t=1432171

 

Long hot summer ... older sbc ... Non-synthetic oil with full wear additive package rated for heavy truck. Such as Rotella T 15W-40 ... available at wal mart for under $8/GALLON

 

Hey guys I don't know what u will think of this but according to Castrol....when asked if snthetics cause leaks they replied....[Definately not..we don't know who leaked this rumor but synthetics do not cause leaks.They are 100% compatabile with all automotive seal n gaskets materiels.In fact syntec meats additional ACEA seal protection requirements not even addressed in API specs.]....Also if it's good enough for our military jet fighters n choppers it should be good enough for our performance vettes....What say u guys............Jerrylee///

 

i asked about synthetics awhile ago and it was split 50/50 that it would either help clean the motor, and rehydrate the seals. or that it would shred the seals to pieces.

personaly, i decided to put in the rotella T 15w40 in mine this year. havnt done it yet but it will be happening shortly.

 

why take the change and spend twice to three times the money on synthetics, especially if you are going to change it every 3-4k miles. I have a 96 240sx bought it with 100k on it used dino for about 15k more like original owner, son decides to change over to Mobil1 synthetic, front timing cover seal starts leaking in about 1k after changing over to syn. Changed back to dino, plus 1 quart of Lucas Oil treatment and leak went away, why waste the money on syn on a high mileage motor?

 

82 Toy truck (DD) 260,000 miles, I drive it like its stolen, 120 miles a day, Mobil 1 syn and a Wix filter every 5-6K miles religiously, fully expect at least another 260K outa it.

01 Impala 105K, Mobil dino and a Wix every 3K

02 Burb 77K, Mobil Dino and a Wix every 3K

78 Vette less than 1K on the clock, Rotella 15W40 and a Wix every 3K

I agree with what was already said....If you change it every 3K and use a quality filter, I don't think it really warrants the extra bucks for synthetic.

 

The beer answer is actually a little easier. Unless it's home brew or micro brew, Old Milwaukee is the correct answer.

 

i have over 325,000 miles on a 4.3 liter v-6 in my 89 gmc safari that only used 10w30 dyno oil.and i still never add oil between changes

 

 

I agree with 63Mako

 

No way. Pabst Blue Ribbon.

 

MGD!

 

FWIW I asked a performance shop mechanic I trust if he had any thoughts on the synthetic/non-synthetic motor oil leak subject. First he said I didn't need to spend the extra bucks for synthetic oil for a stock 74 w/350. He did say that synthetic oils were excellent especially for high performance motors when motor gaskets/seals were in good condition and bolts torqued correctly. However, if motor gaskets/seals are worn/cracked etc. which is more common with older cars, synthetic oil would tend to find the weak point more quickly and leak from it. Just my $.02.

 

I feel that synthetics are definately the way to go...n there not more expensive....reg. oil might be 4 bucks a qt. as appossed to 8 for synthetic..but you don't change it as much[amsoil/1yr-25,000 miles gaurenteed....royal purp/1 yr-12,000]...plus the fact that it's thinner so it circulates better n quicker....plus just being man made means the technology is better.....They use it in racing n aviation so that's good enough for me....N as for leaks there's no truth in that...if it leaks you already had the leak there..it wii not cause the leak.......again just my $0.02

 

I've already seen a couple guys repeat themselves with regard to synthetic oil on this thread so here's my repeat story....a few years back I saw Mobil 1 on sale for the low low price of $3.20/ qt., so I decided to take the plunge and give it a try. Changed wifey's Isuzu Rodeo and my Ford Ranger truck over, as well as my '67 Mustang vintage racer. After about 200 miles in the Rodeo we got an oil light- pulled the dipstick and there was NOTHING showing. I drained it and only two of the original five quarts remained, and at the time that car had only about 40,000 miles and used no oil whatsoever previously. Checked the plugs, showed no signs of oil burning. Checked my Ranger, and it had used a couple quarts also. No evidence on either car as to where it went....it just disappeared. I continued using it in the race car because I liked the Hi-temp properties of synth vs. dino and the thin cold viscosity (15wt) was nice to cooler hoses and my oil pump driveshaft, but I've sworn off of it for street cars. If you frequently see oil temps of over 300 degrees(!) then you've got a reason for using it but otherwise it's just damn expensive. And as far as jerrylee's post about it "being good enough for our jet fighters" I have worked on Navy and Marine F-18's, F-14's, AV-8's, EA-6's, H-60's, UH-1's,AH-1's, and H-53's for many years now and if there's one thing that they ALL have in common it's that they LEAK PROFUSELY. I would submit that they use synthetic oil because of its high temperature performance, which can be important when operating in a middle eastern desert. Smallblock Chevys do however have an occasional penchant for wiping cam lobes, and this Rotella-T argument that I keep seeing is sounding increasingly sensible, especially in a car (like my Vette) that only gets pulled out of the garage once every one or two weekends. And as for beer, I tried some "Fat Weasel Ale" from Trader Joe's a few weeks back- $4.75 a six pack and it was AWESOME.

 

Two words "Bud Light".