Son bought a 2002 Chevy Trail Blazer SUV with a 4.2L I-6 engine with a 7 qrt oil sump and 102K miles on the odemometer (engine in good shape - no leaks and average oil consumption for age) ... Work is 4 miles one way from house while school is 5 miles one way from house . Engine oil cap calls for 5W30 - what would you run in it ? As for OCI - the Chevy has a OLM included so even for a short tripper the OLM should calculate the OCI properly I assume ?
Oil Recommendation For Short Tripper ?
- Thread starter ChrisD46
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Just go with the factory recommendation on viscosity. I would change the oil a little more frequently as short trips will foul the oil a lot quicker.
Send your son on a longer trip every week or so, about a half hour or more.
Use 5w-30 as spec'ed on the oil fill cap. Chevy knows what oil should be used in their engine.
Look at and/or change the other fluids. Check the brakes and tires, set the tire pressure. Check the spare Check........
Use 5w-30 as spec'ed on the oil fill cap. Chevy knows what oil should be used in their engine.
Look at and/or change the other fluids. Check the brakes and tires, set the tire pressure. Check the spare Check........
For short trips where fuel dilution, moisture and increased presence of soot from enriched mixture are contaminating the oil, there is nothing better than simply changing the oil for a fresh batch.
IMO, I would pick 6 month OCI regardless of miles or type of oil used.
IMO, I would pick 6 month OCI regardless of miles or type of oil used.
I have a similar Commute in my Sable (2009 3.5l v6, 80XXXmi), my Ford OLM just seems to tick down a percentage point per day.
so it wants me to change every 100 days. (reset and keep going)
Had the same commute with my prev car, 2005 dodge neon. the oci i settled on then, and still use now, is 6 mo/5k which ever comes first, which is almost always 6 mos. (Oct/Apr) the only reason my summer run hits 5k most years, is because i wait until i get back from my Oct vacation, where i drive to see my brother in Dallas(1100mi each way)
My Current Fill is PYB, with a Wix Filter. This is first OCI i've not used a syn in this car, but that was only b/c they were the next oldest in my stash.
Bought in late Jan '14, 69,997mi, unknown bulk oil from the dealership with a carquest red filter.
as soon as it warmed up, I changed to Meijer Syn(Warren), & a motorcraft filter for the summer
last october after I got back from TX, changed to PPPP, and a wix.
in april I put in the current fill of PYB, and Wix
Next up will likely be a Motorcraft combo, (if i don't put them in someone's car beforehand ) or some Syntec I bought to get free tix for Furious 7, with either wix or motorcraft filter.
i always used Conv in the neon.
and i know i'm recycling oil that's still perfectly serviceable, if i had a beater secondary car, it would definitely be getting the "Mobil 2" treatment, aka, putting this cars old oil through it.
so it wants me to change every 100 days. (reset and keep going)
Had the same commute with my prev car, 2005 dodge neon. the oci i settled on then, and still use now, is 6 mo/5k which ever comes first, which is almost always 6 mos. (Oct/Apr) the only reason my summer run hits 5k most years, is because i wait until i get back from my Oct vacation, where i drive to see my brother in Dallas(1100mi each way)
My Current Fill is PYB, with a Wix Filter. This is first OCI i've not used a syn in this car, but that was only b/c they were the next oldest in my stash.
Bought in late Jan '14, 69,997mi, unknown bulk oil from the dealership with a carquest red filter.
as soon as it warmed up, I changed to Meijer Syn(Warren), & a motorcraft filter for the summer
last october after I got back from TX, changed to PPPP, and a wix.
in april I put in the current fill of PYB, and Wix
Next up will likely be a Motorcraft combo, (if i don't put them in someone's car beforehand ) or some Syntec I bought to get free tix for Furious 7, with either wix or motorcraft filter.
i always used Conv in the neon.
and i know i'm recycling oil that's still perfectly serviceable, if i had a beater secondary car, it would definitely be getting the "Mobil 2" treatment, aka, putting this cars old oil through it.
I wouldn't do anything special and I don't consider that short tripping especially in a warm climate. You also have a 7 qt sump, so it's a lot more robust oiling system and a 4 qt engine.
I'd just use a quality 5w-30 conventional and change it every 5k unless the OLM says sooner.
I'd just use a quality 5w-30 conventional and change it every 5k unless the OLM says sooner.
Bud_One
Site Donor 2022
Personally I'd use Havoline Conventional or PYB and go by the OLM.
Originally Posted By: Bud_One
Personally I'd use Havoline Conventional or PYB and go by the OLM.
You're right the OLM is excellent in GM models. It counts engine revs, and penalizes cold engine revs very heavily to account for short tripping, very useful.
I do think since a full synthetic can be had at walmart, home depot, costco, or amazon for not much more than a conventional, it's worth using that, and a Fram Ultra oil filter, the best there.
Personally I'd use Havoline Conventional or PYB and go by the OLM.
You're right the OLM is excellent in GM models. It counts engine revs, and penalizes cold engine revs very heavily to account for short tripping, very useful.
I do think since a full synthetic can be had at walmart, home depot, costco, or amazon for not much more than a conventional, it's worth using that, and a Fram Ultra oil filter, the best there.
Nick1994
$100 site donor 2024
I maintain my grandmother's 2002 Trailblazer LTZ with 104k miles, it gets a yearly oil change, usually 4,000 miles per year on conventional oil. Lots of short trips too but it does get out on the highway too. Actually due for an oil change in a week or 2. Going to put Castrol GTX SynBlend 5w30 in it and keep the Fram Ultra filter on it for a second year.
The OLM says somewhere around 60% right now I believe at 1 year and 3,500-4,000 miles.
The OLM says somewhere around 60% right now I believe at 1 year and 3,500-4,000 miles.
Originally Posted By: Nick1994
I maintain my grandmother's 2002 Trailblazer LTZ with 104k miles, it gets a yearly oil change, usually 4,000 miles per year on conventional oil. Lots of short trips too but it does get out on the highway too. Actually due for an oil change in a week or 2. Going to put Castrol GTX SynBlend 5w30 in it and keep the Fram Ultra filter on it for a second year.
Oil filters in Phx AZ shouldn't stay on for more than 6,000 miles or so. Fram Ultra might take it, but man thats a dusty area.
I maintain my grandmother's 2002 Trailblazer LTZ with 104k miles, it gets a yearly oil change, usually 4,000 miles per year on conventional oil. Lots of short trips too but it does get out on the highway too. Actually due for an oil change in a week or 2. Going to put Castrol GTX SynBlend 5w30 in it and keep the Fram Ultra filter on it for a second year.
Oil filters in Phx AZ shouldn't stay on for more than 6,000 miles or so. Fram Ultra might take it, but man thats a dusty area.
Son has same (LTZ) ... Nice to see the approximate OLM readings your grandmother's model is getting ! This helps give me an idea what to expect ...
Originally Posted By: Nick1994
I maintain my grandmother's 2002 Trailblazer LTZ with 104k miles, it gets a yearly oil change, usually 4,000 miles per year on conventional oil. Lots of short trips too but it does get out on the highway too. Actually due for an oil change in a week or 2. Going to put Castrol GTX SynBlend 5w30 in it and keep the Fram Ultra filter on it for a second year.
The OLM says somewhere around 60% right now I believe at 1 year and 3,500-4,000 miles.
Originally Posted By: Nick1994
I maintain my grandmother's 2002 Trailblazer LTZ with 104k miles, it gets a yearly oil change, usually 4,000 miles per year on conventional oil. Lots of short trips too but it does get out on the highway too. Actually due for an oil change in a week or 2. Going to put Castrol GTX SynBlend 5w30 in it and keep the Fram Ultra filter on it for a second year.
The OLM says somewhere around 60% right now I believe at 1 year and 3,500-4,000 miles.
Mobil super 5000 5w30 is all you need
Originally Posted By: ChrisD46
I get the 4 ~ 6 month / 4K ~ 5K mile OCI (which ever comes first) . Would a synthetic 5W30 vs. a good conventional 5W30 yield any better protection against sludge / deposits for a vehicle driven for only 4 to 5 miles at a time ?
You might be right. At only 5 mile trips, there is only some brief extreme heat on the cylinder walls & ring area, and extreme heat is where synthetics really shine, being more stable against deposits per mile. Probably not much difference here. I always use a synthetic since the price is very close anyway in 5-quart jugs at walmart-amazon, or synth on sale at NAPA, autozone autoparts, etc. is very cheap too. Full synth just in case it matters! ...Synthetics may be a little better on cold start-up wear since there should be more polar molecules like esters in there compared to conventional GroupII oils.
I get the 4 ~ 6 month / 4K ~ 5K mile OCI (which ever comes first) . Would a synthetic 5W30 vs. a good conventional 5W30 yield any better protection against sludge / deposits for a vehicle driven for only 4 to 5 miles at a time ?
You might be right. At only 5 mile trips, there is only some brief extreme heat on the cylinder walls & ring area, and extreme heat is where synthetics really shine, being more stable against deposits per mile. Probably not much difference here. I always use a synthetic since the price is very close anyway in 5-quart jugs at walmart-amazon, or synth on sale at NAPA, autozone autoparts, etc. is very cheap too. Full synth just in case it matters! ...Synthetics may be a little better on cold start-up wear since there should be more polar molecules like esters in there compared to conventional GroupII oils.
Nick1994
$100 site donor 2024
I was wrong on the OLM, I drove the Trailblazer today and it's been 1 year and 4,160 miles and the OLM is at 43%.
Nick1994
$100 site donor 2024
Originally Posted By: ExMachina
Originally Posted By: Nick1994
I maintain my grandmother's 2002 Trailblazer LTZ with 104k miles, it gets a yearly oil change, usually 4,000 miles per year on conventional oil. Lots of short trips too but it does get out on the highway too. Actually due for an oil change in a week or 2. Going to put Castrol GTX SynBlend 5w30 in it and keep the Fram Ultra filter on it for a second year.
Oil filters in Phx AZ shouldn't stay on for more than 6,000 miles or so. Fram Ultra might take it, but man thats a dusty area.
I'm not too worried about it. It doesn't get driven in the dust storms, but I have driven it on dirt roads this past year. It has seen 4,160 miles this past year.
Originally Posted By: Nick1994
I maintain my grandmother's 2002 Trailblazer LTZ with 104k miles, it gets a yearly oil change, usually 4,000 miles per year on conventional oil. Lots of short trips too but it does get out on the highway too. Actually due for an oil change in a week or 2. Going to put Castrol GTX SynBlend 5w30 in it and keep the Fram Ultra filter on it for a second year.
Oil filters in Phx AZ shouldn't stay on for more than 6,000 miles or so. Fram Ultra might take it, but man thats a dusty area.
I'm not too worried about it. It doesn't get driven in the dust storms, but I have driven it on dirt roads this past year. It has seen 4,160 miles this past year.
Originally Posted By: ChrisD46
Son bought a 2002 Chevy Trail Blazer SUV with a 4.2L I-6 engine with a 7 qrt oil sump and 102K miles on the odemometer (engine in good shape - no leaks and average oil consumption for age) ... Work is 4 miles one way from house while school is 5 miles one way from house . Engine oil cap calls for 5W30 - what would you run in it ? As for OCI - the Chevy has a OLM included so even for a short tripper the OLM should calculate the OCI properly I assume ?
Hello ChrisD45 – Since your Trail Blazer recommends a 5W-30 viscosity grade (all temperatures) - with the caveat that “if temps might fall below -20F, then a full synthetic should also be used” - we recommend Pennzoil Platinum High Mileage 5W-30. It’s a first-of-its-kind full synthetic motor oil made from natural gas, designed to deliver less oil burn off than other high mileage motor oils. For the OCI, we suggest you closely monitor you oil life monitor system and possibly send in your used oil for a reading to determine future OCIs. – The Pennzoil Team
Son bought a 2002 Chevy Trail Blazer SUV with a 4.2L I-6 engine with a 7 qrt oil sump and 102K miles on the odemometer (engine in good shape - no leaks and average oil consumption for age) ... Work is 4 miles one way from house while school is 5 miles one way from house . Engine oil cap calls for 5W30 - what would you run in it ? As for OCI - the Chevy has a OLM included so even for a short tripper the OLM should calculate the OCI properly I assume ?
Hello ChrisD45 – Since your Trail Blazer recommends a 5W-30 viscosity grade (all temperatures) - with the caveat that “if temps might fall below -20F, then a full synthetic should also be used” - we recommend Pennzoil Platinum High Mileage 5W-30. It’s a first-of-its-kind full synthetic motor oil made from natural gas, designed to deliver less oil burn off than other high mileage motor oils. For the OCI, we suggest you closely monitor you oil life monitor system and possibly send in your used oil for a reading to determine future OCIs. – The Pennzoil Team
The previous owner of my Firebird mainly only used it for short trips of 1-2 miles to work and back, thus it rarely ever really got up to temperature. Looking at his records he gave me, he usually changed it once or twice a year with around 2,000-2,500 miles on it, using conventional Quaker State oil. It leaked a little when I got it, but some Pennzoil HM cleared that right up. It doesn't consume enough oil to worry about adding anything between oil changes, either.
In short, I'd just change it around 3k or so with that type of driving environment.
In short, I'd just change it around 3k or so with that type of driving environment.
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