View Full Version : oil change help
im rounding 155k mi and if i wanted to convert to fully synthetic oil is there anything i have to do before i drop in the new oil? which is the best/preferred brand for f/s oil? ohh i wanted to know if this was true, can i go back to regular oil after converting to synthetic? and do i have to change spark plugs and wires? any thoughts or comments is appreciated.. thanks
a.graham52
08-20-2013, 09:30 PM
IN MY OPINION:
just do it. change over. iv "just changed over" to mobile 1 (fuel economy version) in 4 different vehicles with no real problems. jsut do it. if you want to go back, then go back. but i do recommend you stick with what ever you decide and not just constantly change it up. once again, just my opinion and will remain so.
IN MY OPINION:
just do it. change over. iv "just changed over" to mobile 1 (fuel economy version) in 4 different vehicles with no real problems. jsut do it. if you want to go back, then go back. but i do recommend you stick with what ever you decide and not just constantly change it up. once again, just my opinion and will remain so.
what about the spark plugs and wires?
a.graham52
08-20-2013, 09:39 PM
what about the spark plugs and wires?
what about them? oil chouldnt effect them unless its burning oil.
what about them? oil chouldnt effect them unless its burning oil.
this lady at advance auto told me to change the plugs and wires everytime i get the oil change... smdh:eek: i dunno if she was just trying to get a sale or if she really didnt know what she was talking about...
what are the differences in the oil types like the 5w-30, 10w-30 etc etc etc
sleepyalero
08-20-2013, 10:08 PM
this lady at advance auto told me to change the plugs and wires everytime i get the oil change... smdh:eek: i dunno if she was just trying to get a sale or if she really didnt know what she was talking about...
Shes an idiot and shouldnt work there, but thats advanced auto for ya, dont know a damn thing.
Anyway no, plugs and wires should be done by a max of 100k miles.
As for oil, use Mobil 1 high mileage fully synthetic. 5w-30 (its suggested for the motor) i wouldnt run anything more as it can cause major problems. Usually some run 10w-30 in winter and 5w in summer. But after you change just stick with it, at this point its better for the motor, ive been running high mileage for 60k miles now.
Shes an idiot and shouldnt work there, but thats advanced auto for ya, dont know a damn thing.
Anyway no, plugs and wires should be done by a max of 100k miles.
As for oil, use Mobil 1 high mileage fully synthetic. 5w-30 (its suggested for the motor) i wouldnt run anything more as it can cause major problems. Usually some run 10w-30 in winter and 5w in summer. But after you change just stick with it, at this point its better for the motor, ive been running high mileage for 60k miles now.
alright thanks, i probably do need to change the spark plugs and wires anyway but i knew its not needed after every oil change. which plugs and wires would you suggest?
tw0123
08-20-2013, 11:04 PM
^^ she may have meant to change the plugs and wires for each brand of oil change... as in if you are using regular oil then switch to synthetic, change them, and if you switch back from synthetic to regular oil, change the plugs and wires at that time... not every 5k per oil change...
but at the same time, unless you are burning oil, you shouldn't have to change them besides the general tune up every 100k miles...
AleroB888
08-20-2013, 11:30 PM
http://www.mobiloil.com/USA-English/MotorOil/Car_Care/AskMobil/Motor_Oil_for_Pontiac_Grand_Am.aspx
Of course the manufacturer would recommend it ;) but worst case it leaks, not the end of the world. I go through a lot of oil changes/ miles driven, and use Mobil 1 synthetic.
does it make sense to do a engine flush or seafoam before converting to f/s?
Nas Escobar
08-21-2013, 12:00 AM
The right forum for this would be bobistheoilguy. They have a lot of detailed information about the difference between each oil. I've ran synthetic on my Grand Am (because the p.o. used it) and I will say it DOES last longer, but it can also be thinner. You don't HAVE to use mobil one though if you don't want to. There's tons of other oils out there that do the same thing OR have more features than Mobil one... truthfully, that oil is overrated. I personally ran Pennzoil synthetic and Quaker State synthetic on my GA and it never had issues, other than occasional fill ups (which I never figured out why it would need more oil). I preferred Quaker State but that's another discussion.
As far as the "Different oil types", they're not different types... they're different WEIGHTS. The number you see on the bottle is the oil weight. 5w30 is the most common weight for the oil, but if you live somewhere where it's cold, then it's suggested that when it's winter that you use something like 10w30. That oil is thinner, so it strains the engine less in the winter.
Read this...
http://www.cars.com/go/advice/Story.jsp?section=maintenance&story=choosing-oil&subject=oil
Your car required 5w30, in ideal driving conditions. I see that you're from Illinois but IDK if you're from the Chi, so if you are near an area that gets immense snow or extreme cold, I would suggest the 5w30 for summer time and 10w30 for those days when the weather starts being 40 degrees.
That of course is up to you.
does it make sense to do a engine flush or seafoam before converting to f/s?
Seafoam is seafoam... that really doesn't matter for the type of oil, that's more to help the crank and other engine internals. It cleans them up. An engine flush, you should do periodically anyway. I believe it's every 5 years for Dexcool coolant, unless you bought it used, then just go ahead and do it to be safe.
so since synthetic lasts longer and the winter time is coming up im wondering if i should do the conversion now or should i wait til my next oil change, by then it would be November if i do it the next time, do 10w-30. an the synthetic should take about what? 5k or 6k miles so i'd say april or may would be the next synthetic change then back down to 5w-30.. does this sound right?
as this is my daily driver vehicle i do about 1000 miles a month now, with 155k miles i know im gonna need the plugs and wires changed soon, as of now i dont have any problems with the start up. but i dont when or if they have ever been changed... which plugs should i get when its that time? platinum, double platinum, iridium or what? Im looking at rock auto cuz these seem to be the best prices, can anyone point me in the right direction....
Nas Escobar
08-21-2013, 12:39 AM
so since synthetic lasts longer and the winter time is coming up im wondering if i should do the conversion now or should i wait til my next oil change, by then it would be November if i do it the next time, do 10w-30. an the synthetic should take about what? 5k or 6k miles so i'd say april or may would be the next synthetic change then back down to 5w-30.. does this sound right?
Do as you wish with synthetic. What I will recommend is that you use 5w30 now that we're still in summer then use 10w30 when its cold out (so yeah, nov or oct) and if you feel the car doesn't like it, then switch back to 5w30 and keep it that way. If you don't feel the car resists it, then when it's march or april switch back to 5w30.
as this is my daily driver vehicle i do about 1000 miles a month now, with 155k miles i know im gonna need the plugs and wires changed soon, as of now i dont have any problems with the start up. but i dont when or if they have ever been changed... which plugs should i get when its that time? platinum, double platinum, iridium or what? Im looking at rock auto cuz these seem to be the best prices, can anyone point me in the right direction....
The best way to solve this is simple...
How long have you had the car?
Do you know if the p.o. changed the spark plugs?
Do you feel the car hesitant or shaky at times?
How's your MPG?
If any of these answers are unreasonably questioned then it's time. I know the p.o. for my car used shitty plugs in my GA so I had to change them. Don't get anything but ACDELCO plugs. Most of the time, Bosch, Autolite, and the other plugs don't work so well on these new GM engines. They usually end up needing to be changed sooner than the 100K guarantee that ACDELCO has. I just realized you have the ecotec.... that engine doesn't have spark plug wires. I know it's a bit weird, but that engine has a coil pack on that plastic piece that says "ECOTEC 2.2". Under that plastic piece are the spark plugs. You'll see it has boots, but no actual spark plug wires. As far as I know, you don't touch that unless you need to.
Also, a word of advice... you will need a torque ratchet if you're doing this yourself. The spark plugs in the ecotec are torqued to 15lbnm. Don't be the know it all that tried to do the change with a normal ratchet and ended up stripping the spark plug or messing it up.
Do as you wish with synthetic. What I will recommend is that you use 5w30 now that we're still in summer then use 10w30 when its cold out (so yeah, nov or oct) and if you feel the car doesn't like it, then switch back to 5w30 and keep it that way. If you don't feel the car resists it, then when it's march or april switch back to 5w30.
The best way to solve this is simple...
How long have you had the car?
Do you know if the p.o. changed the spark plugs?
Do you feel the car hesitant or shaky at times?
How's your MPG?
If any of these answers are unreasonably questioned then it's time. I know the p.o. for my car used shitty plugs in my GA so I had to change them. Don't get anything but ACDELCO plugs. Most of the time, Bosch, Autolite, and the other plugs don't work so well on these new GM engines. They usually end up needing to be changed sooner than the 100K guarantee that ACDELCO has. I just realized you have the ecotec.... that engine doesn't have spark plug wires. I know it's a bit weird, but that engine has a coil pack on that plastic piece that says "ECOTEC 2.2". Under that plastic piece are the spark plugs. You'll see it has boots, but no actual spark plug wires. As far as I know, you don't touch that unless you need to.
Also, a word of advice... you will need a torque ratchet if you're doing this yourself. The spark plugs in the ecotec are torqued to 15lbnm. Don't be the know it all that tried to do the change with a normal ratchet and ended up stripping the spark plug or messing it up.
very very good advice... i will keep all this in mind, and if i hapen to forget, then i'll refer back to this thread. or holla atchu.. lol...
RalphP
08-21-2013, 01:36 AM
I second Nas Escobar's recommendation to check out Bob Is The Oil Guy ( www.bobistheoilguy.com ) but as a note - if you switch to a quality full synthetic (like Mobil 1), do the next few changes at 3,000 miles anyway.
You'll be surprised how much it cleans the motor up over the next three or four oil changes ...
Let me add, USE A GOOD FILTER. Do NOT cheap out on the filter!
I used ACDelco on my Malibu, use Motorcraft on the Cougar, and Wix on the Dakota. All three are good.
RwP
sleepyalero
08-21-2013, 01:43 AM
Heres some advice as well, it says 5000 an oil change, but i dont go by that. I do mine every 3000 no matter what oil is in it.
If you want to get your oil cheaper then anywhere else, hit walmart, get a 5 QT jug it runs 22.97$ for mobil 1 high mileage. JUST OIL, do not get filters, all they have is fram really. At autozone the SAME jug of oil is 32.99 so you can save some money at walmart.
As for filter, i do mobil 1 filter from autozone, that is 13.99 for the filter.
a.graham52
08-21-2013, 07:00 AM
If you want to get your oil cheaper then anywhere else, hit walmart, get a 5 QT jug it runs 22.97$ for mobil 1 high mileage. JUST OIL, do not get filters, all they have is fram really. At autozone the SAME jug of oil is 32.99 so you can save some money at walmart.
i buy the 5qt from walmart as well. cheaper then buying it from the dealer i work at! (9.xx a qt at work for regular mobile 1)
sleepyalero
08-21-2013, 08:08 AM
Yeah its crazy how cheap oil is at walmart. Hate the store but love the oil prices lol
Yeah I was checking out prices for the 5qt jugs.. Walmart is definitely the go to place for oil.. But idk about the plugs? And coil pack..? Anyone else see something from rock auto, those prices are the cheapest I've seen, I just dont know which plugs to get..
RalphP
08-21-2013, 09:07 AM
Sleepy - I used to buy my ACDelco oil filters (one at a time) from WalMart. They also carry Motorcraft. I now buy multiple filters from RockAuto, since it's even cheaper even with shipping at the 4+ pricing, but WallyWorld DOES carry ACDelco.
RwP
RalphP
08-21-2013, 09:13 AM
Yeah I was checking out prices for the 5qt jugs.. Walmart is definitely the go to place for oil.. But idk about the plugs? And coil pack..? Anyone else see something from rock auto, those prices are the cheapest I've seen, I just dont know which plugs to get..
It's hard to beat AC Delco - consider how long the OEM parts have lasted!
OTOH, the cheap crap is just that - cheap crap.
I'd get Double Platinum or Iridium plugs, and do a "night time water spritz" on the coils - if there's no corona or discharge, I'd clean and leave the originals in there. One thing to keep in mind - replacements won't have the cylinder number cast into the coil housing (the factory coils do, which helps tremendously when changing the wiring!)
Before I spent on the coil pack I'd buy new plug wires to replace while doing the spark plugs.
RwP
sleepyalero
08-21-2013, 09:35 AM
Sleepy - I used to buy my ACDelco oil filters (one at a time) from WalMart. They also carry Motorcraft. I now buy multiple filters from RockAuto, since it's even cheaper even with shipping at the 4+ pricing, but WallyWorld DOES carry ACDelco.
RwP
Never seen ac delco at mine.
As for plugs... Just go to an auto store. NGK's TR55 run pretty well in thr 3400's. plugs depending on what you want range from 2-12$ each. Probably even higher, i think the TR55's are 6 each or so? Coil pack either rock auto or parts store. If you want AC delco parts rock auto probably has it unlike autozone. Not certain but i think it would be a valucraft or duralast. If you use rock auto, please follow link on home page of alero mod. I believe you get a discount from them by going through the site link?
03Sleepr
08-21-2013, 10:50 AM
I get m1 from walmart with a bosch distance filter and use 5k intervals..
AleroB888
08-21-2013, 12:35 PM
You shouldn't have a short-term (5k-10k miles) problem with plugs unless the heat range is wrong or there is a problem with the PCM tuning or some other component has failed.....
or you are boosted with no intercooler, where it might start eating plugs :awesome:
RalphP
08-21-2013, 09:50 PM
Never seen ac delco at mine.
Huh.
May be a regional thing.
But checking the Walmart web site (http://www.walmart.com/search/search-ng.do?_rel=ac+delco+oil+filter&search_constraint=0&search_query=acdelco+pf46e+oil+filter), they do list ACDelco filters as "In Store Only". And did stock the 3100 filter (should be the same for the 3400, from the books I have.)
RwP
sleepyalero
08-21-2013, 11:47 PM
Interesting, idk.
MMGT1
08-21-2013, 11:51 PM
Penz Plat and AC Delco Iridium, gaped 50 tho, not 60 as your manual tells you! Delco filters have gone for shit in recent years. Go Mann or Mobil 1 for oil filter, my 2 cnts bud
And guys, 5/30 winter 10/30 summer! You want the lower pour temp in winter for those cold starts. Both heat up to a 30 weight oil
Nas Escobar
08-22-2013, 12:16 AM
Yeah I was checking out prices for the 5qt jugs.. Walmart is definitely the go to place for oil.. But idk about the plugs? And coil pack..? Anyone else see something from rock auto, those prices are the cheapest I've seen, I just dont know which plugs to get..
Don't change the coil pack. That's the equivalent of a distributor... you don't touch that unless it is failing.
Order the A/C Delcos at advance auto parts online. Their website is www.advanceautoparts.com Then use retail me not to find coupons for advance auto. The plugs will come as cheap as Rock Auto sells them, except you can go pick them up and install same day.
sleepyalero
08-22-2013, 12:34 AM
Penz Plat and AC Delco Iridium, gaped 50 tho, not 60 as your manual tells you! Delco filters have gone for shit in recent years. Go Mann or Mobil 1 for oil filter, my 2 cnts bud
And guys, 5/30 winter 10/30 summer! You want the lower pour temp in winter for those cold starts. Both heat up to a 30 weight oil
Ive been running 5w in summer. Winter the car doesnt move.
so i picked up the 5qt jug of mobile1 5w-30 f/s ( gold label for extended performance 15,000 mi) at walmart for like $25 and a acdelco oil filter at advance auto for $7.. when i was there i asked about the conversion from to f/s and he also recommended seafoam before the oil change, and not to worry about the plugs..
now my question to you guys is, 1/3 on the gas tank, 1/3 in the crank case, & 1/3 in the vacuum line... BUT WHICH ONE GOES FIRST?
sleepyalero
08-22-2013, 11:28 PM
Read, read, read. Good write up for it here.
http://www.nicoclub.com/archives/how-to-use-seafoam-to-clean-your-engine-the-right-way.html
a.graham52
08-23-2013, 07:11 AM
so i picked up the 5qt jug of mobile1 5w-30 f/s ( gold label for extended performance 15,000 mi) at walmart for like $25 and a acdelco oil filter at advance auto for $7.. when i was there i asked about the conversion from to f/s and he also recommended seafoam before the oil change, and not to worry about the plugs..
now my question to you guys is, 1/3 on the gas tank, 1/3 in the crank case, & 1/3 in the vacuum line... BUT WHICH ONE GOES FIRST?
well the gas tank and vacuum line have nothing to do with your oil at this point... so id say your oil. i pour about half a bottle in mine and drive it for like half an hour, then change the oil.
sleepyalero
08-23-2013, 09:28 AM
well the gas tank and vacuum line have nothing to do with your oil at this point... so id say your oil. i pour about half a bottle in mine and drive it for like half an hour, then change the oil.
In the how to i postef above it suggests 50-100 miles before oil change.
It doesnt matter what order you do it, when you put it in the gas tank, do it on a full tank. It will push it all out itself.
But when you do it, go to gas station fill up, then go home, dump half in tank, half in oil, then drive around till you hit 50-100 miles. Then change oil, simple as that.
Read, read, read. Good write up for it here.
http://www.nicoclub.com/archives/how-to-use-seafoam-to-clean-your-engine-the-right-way.html
read this and will be doing it in a lil while... the only thing i noticed was that i dont have the seafoam spray that goes into the throttle body i have the open top can of seafoam, do you think i need to do the t/b if im putting it into the vacuum line?
sleepyalero
08-23-2013, 10:23 AM
Im not sure on that. I know the kind that goes into intake it will puff out alot of white smoke out your tail pipes for like 10 min
UPDATE!! Ok so i did the seafoam, as the instructions said from the link above.. funny thing is, NO SMOKE? either the car is clean of carbon or i did something wrong... i took the car for a spin as suggested and i noticed the thermostat was reading a lil higher than usual, but there was some traffic i was sitting in.. but as soon as i picked up some speed on the e-way the temp adjusted to the normal driving setting which is about half way mark.. then i noticed the SES light was on.. so i went to the auto zone down the street from my house and had them read the code... it was ***507.. and he printed out the paper of what it was. It was a vacuum leak or hose leak... the only hose i touched was the brake booster line.. ?????IS THIS NORMAL AFTER SEAFOAM CLEANER???? HOW DO I GET RID OF THE CODE????
sleepyalero
08-23-2013, 06:49 PM
Well the liquid that goes in oil/gas will not produce smoke. Only the spray in the intake does, as for the vac idk.
But to get rid of code you have to fix your vac leak. Check to make sure you put it back right.
If it is, after about 3 starts the pcm will notice its fixed and shut off the light. Unless you randomly sprung one somewhere else
Well the liquid that goes in oil/gas will not produce smoke. Only the spray in the intake does, as for the vac idk.
But to get rid of code you have to fix your vac leak. Check to make sure you put it back right.
If it is, after about 3 starts the pcm will notice its fixed and shut off the light. Unless you randomly sprung one somewhere else
I got it.. Thanks.. I put the hose back on the same way it was... I let the car sit while I got some food in me and took it for another spin around the block.. It still didnt turn off but the car is running a lot better I can definitely feel a difference.. So all I did was disconnect the neg terminal (black) from the battery, wait 10 min reconnect and wallah! Off with the light!!!.. Im just confused as to why there was no smoke?
Do I really have to wait til I put 50 or more miles on the car before I do the oil change? I want to get it done today..
sleepyalero
08-23-2013, 08:41 PM
I would, you want it to do its work. I feel a 30 min drive wont do its justice.
well i drove it a lil longer but just under 50 miles, i also read that its safe to leave the seafoam in the crank case cause it helps keep the engine clean. so i did the oil change and topped off the oil with the rest of the seafoam i had left which was less than 1/3 when it was all said and done... i went for a spin and the car runs like a beast.. way quicker when i take off, no hard idle what so ever and its much more quieter. i'm very satisfied with my car now more than ever.. thanks for all the help guys..
sleepyalero
08-23-2013, 10:15 PM
No problem
vBulletin v3.6.0, Copyright ©2000-2025, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.