Hello everyone,
I've been browsing the forums for a few days now... reading up on different brands and mixes of motor oil. I never knew it could be so complicated. So here I am, about to ask for some recommendations for my vehicle.
I have a 2003 Chevrolet Impala with the 3400 SFI engine. It has around 88,000 miles, and I live in upstate NY where we can have some pretty cold winters. I tend to drive easy, aside from the occasional bout of road rage (which still isn't very bad), though I do drive the speed limit, I just take my time getting there. Short trips usually, 6-10 miles one way twice a day. Sometimes I go on longer trips (a month ago went 4 hours.. highway). I don't do very much stop and go city traffic.
My car's engine is known for LIM gasket problems... which I did end up having not too long ago. My dad and I replaced the gaskets and replaced the coolant with non-DEX stuff. Unfortunately, my dad took a few weeks to complete the work (yeah..) and my engine did NOT sound good upon starting it back up (took time to get the oil pumping). Ever since then, I've had "piston slap"? only when the engine is cold, a very slight tapping sound that increases with RPM. Not a big deal, goes away when warm.
More recently, I decided to try an Auto-RX treatment... since when I first got my car, it wasn't kept up as well as I would like (the oil barely registered on the dipstick when I first took the car), though it has had regular oil changes in the past and just got low for some reason. It doesn't seem to burn very much oil at this point, but I think when it got low there was some sludge buildup so that was why I decided on the Auto-RX treatment (also to see if I could get my engine to quiet down).
Unfortunately, my engine has gotten LOUDER about 1500 miles into the treatment with Auto-RX (where I am now), and has developed a kind of knock, which almost completely goes away when warm. Engine seems to run fine, and is very reliable. This knock did not exist before the Auto-RX treatment, and may be a side-effect of the brief dry-start after the LIM gasket replacement job. I'm hoping it goes away after I finish the ARX treatment.
So, down to what oil to use... right now, I use NAPA brand oil (5W-30) and NAPA Gold oil filters, since my dad has an account with NAPA and gets discounts (he races at a local raceway, builds race cars, etc). I know NAPA oil = Valvoline... but Valvoline seems to have only a mediocre reputation on this board. My owner's manual recommends ONLY SAE 5W-30 oil.. it doesn't mention any specific certifications.
Is there a better oil for my vehicle, or should I stick with the NAPA stuff that I've been using for a while? I tend to change oil at 3500 mile intervals, just out of habit. I don't have any brand preferences or synthetic vs dino preferences. From what I've been reading, good dino oil is comparable to synthetics and is good enough for normal use. So, I'd appreciate any suggestions and if something is missing, let me know - because I wrote this at 1:30 AM
Thanks!
I've been browsing the forums for a few days now... reading up on different brands and mixes of motor oil. I never knew it could be so complicated. So here I am, about to ask for some recommendations for my vehicle.
I have a 2003 Chevrolet Impala with the 3400 SFI engine. It has around 88,000 miles, and I live in upstate NY where we can have some pretty cold winters. I tend to drive easy, aside from the occasional bout of road rage (which still isn't very bad), though I do drive the speed limit, I just take my time getting there. Short trips usually, 6-10 miles one way twice a day. Sometimes I go on longer trips (a month ago went 4 hours.. highway). I don't do very much stop and go city traffic.
My car's engine is known for LIM gasket problems... which I did end up having not too long ago. My dad and I replaced the gaskets and replaced the coolant with non-DEX stuff. Unfortunately, my dad took a few weeks to complete the work (yeah..) and my engine did NOT sound good upon starting it back up (took time to get the oil pumping). Ever since then, I've had "piston slap"? only when the engine is cold, a very slight tapping sound that increases with RPM. Not a big deal, goes away when warm.
More recently, I decided to try an Auto-RX treatment... since when I first got my car, it wasn't kept up as well as I would like (the oil barely registered on the dipstick when I first took the car), though it has had regular oil changes in the past and just got low for some reason. It doesn't seem to burn very much oil at this point, but I think when it got low there was some sludge buildup so that was why I decided on the Auto-RX treatment (also to see if I could get my engine to quiet down).
Unfortunately, my engine has gotten LOUDER about 1500 miles into the treatment with Auto-RX (where I am now), and has developed a kind of knock, which almost completely goes away when warm. Engine seems to run fine, and is very reliable. This knock did not exist before the Auto-RX treatment, and may be a side-effect of the brief dry-start after the LIM gasket replacement job. I'm hoping it goes away after I finish the ARX treatment.
So, down to what oil to use... right now, I use NAPA brand oil (5W-30) and NAPA Gold oil filters, since my dad has an account with NAPA and gets discounts (he races at a local raceway, builds race cars, etc). I know NAPA oil = Valvoline... but Valvoline seems to have only a mediocre reputation on this board. My owner's manual recommends ONLY SAE 5W-30 oil.. it doesn't mention any specific certifications.
Is there a better oil for my vehicle, or should I stick with the NAPA stuff that I've been using for a while? I tend to change oil at 3500 mile intervals, just out of habit. I don't have any brand preferences or synthetic vs dino preferences. From what I've been reading, good dino oil is comparable to synthetics and is good enough for normal use. So, I'd appreciate any suggestions and if something is missing, let me know - because I wrote this at 1:30 AM
Thanks!