Oil Question
07-20-2001, 04:16 PM
#1
Burning Brakes
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Member Since: Jun 2001
Location: Harrisburg PA
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I just recently purchased my very first Vette. She is a stock 1992 with 118,000 miles on the clock. The previous owner noted that his shop used synthetic oil. When I called his shop to verify that he was changing the oil every 3000 miles, they noted that he first used synthetic but has since changed over to regular oil. I changed the oil shortly after purchasing the car and told my shop to use regular oil. My question is this - should I be using Synthetic or regular oil? I plan to drive this car about 6,000 - 8,000 miles a year and I have recently become hooked on Autocrossing. She does seem to burn oil at the rate of about 1 quart every 1500 miles. I also notice a drop of oil about once a week on my garage floor - not back for a call that now has 123,000 miles on it.
Many Thanks - Ron Gerlach
PS - I have also added the GS paint scheme, custom ZR1 Chrome rims and added a new roof (previous owner had a blowoff).
Many Thanks - Ron Gerlach
PS - I have also added the GS paint scheme, custom ZR1 Chrome rims and added a new roof (previous owner had a blowoff).
07-20-2001, 08:08 PM
#2
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Member Since: Apr 2001
Location: Scottsdale AZ
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Your engine is designed to run on Synthetic oil ONLY, namely Mobil 1 SAE5W30 or equivalent. Oil and filter should be changed every 3000 miles. I hate to think how this has affected your engine over time. Maybe another forum member with more expertise can provide this information. If you do a search in this forum on engine oil you should find several in-depth discussions.
07-21-2001, 04:24 AM
#3
Team Owner
Yes, the LT-1 is supposed to always have synthetic oil in it. That is the way it came from the factory, and that is the way it is supposed to be filled everytime. Without synthetic oil, your oil is breaking down earlier in the high temps and the oil isn't penetrating into the very small parts of the engine keeping them lubricated. The sythetic molecules of Mobil 1 fit into small spaces and don't break down anywhere near the temperature of conventional oils. I suggest you change back to synthetic immediately. If your engine has been run with regular oil for a very long period of time, you might develop leaks when refilling with synthetic, however. Wait and see what other people post here and weigh out the difference and do what you feel seems best.
