2006 Cobalt 2.4L, Castrol GTX

[PF52]

Oil: GTX 5W30
Car: 2006 Chevy Cobalt SS 2.4L Ecotec

CHARLES: We found no significant change in this sample from the last. Your ~5000 mile oil runs have kept wear to a minimum. All wear read well below average and in the proper balance, which has become the norm for your 2.4L. The viscosity of the oil was again low but this doesn't seem to be a problem. Fuel dilution is the most common cause of a low viscosity but no fuel has been found in any of the samples on this page and no harmful contaminants were present in this sample. At 83,617 your Cobalt is wearing as nicely as ever. Another nice report.

Miles in Oil:..........5000.........4894..........5118
Miles on Car:..........43,555.......63,294........83,617
Date of OCI:...........5/22/08......4/18/09.......2/18/10
Oil Added:.............None.........None..........None

Aluminum:..............3............3.............3
Chromium:..............1............1.............1
Iron:..................8............8.............6
Copper:................1............0.............0
Lead:..................0............0.............0
Tin:...................0............1.............1
Moly:..................7............3.............1
Nickel:................0............0.............0
Manganese:.............0............0.............0
Silver:................0............0.............0
Titanium:..............0............0.............0
Potassium:.............2............2.............2
Boron:.................2............1.............1
Silicon:...............5............4.............4
Sodium:................153..........241...........240
Calcium:...............2457.........2162..........2221
Magnesium:.............8............8.............9
Phosphorus:............682..........687...........713
Zinc:..................798..........827...........828
Barium:................0............0.............0

Viscosity @210F:.......55.7.........54.8..........55.4
Flashpoint:............370..........380...........375
Fuel%:................. Antifreeze%:...........0.0..........0.0...........0.0
Water%:................0.0..........0.0...........0.0
Insolubles%:...........0.3..........0.3...........0.2
TBN:...................2.0..........2.9...........2.7


EDIT: I carefully typed it with uniform-width columns, but it doesn't appear that way on the screen! I guess it deletes the extra spaces. Sorry!

 

[ThirdeYe]

How long was the oil in use for? What oil filter was used? Looks good from my untrained eye.

 

[Panzerman]

Castrol GTX continues to impress me, especially in thier 5w30 and 10w30 oils. I would probably use this oil exclusively, if I didnt get constantly distracted by the glut of synthetics out there at such good prices.

 

[PF52]

Originally Posted By: ThirdeYe
How long was the oil in use for? What oil filter was used? Looks good from my untrained eye.


First line.... Averaging 5000 miles per change. Pure One filter.

I've been buying the GTX for a few years now, usually using Pep Boys (or others) coupons or mail-in rebates. I've been satisfied with it I just wish I could find some more coupons...

 

[shpankey]

I thought Ecotec's were 2.2l?

 

[PF52]

Originally Posted By: shpankey
I thought Ecotec's were 2.2l?


Most are; however this one is the 2.4 which is also found in the Malibu and G6 and probably other models as well.

The supercharged and turbocharged Ecotecs are 2.0L.

 

[pcfxer]

Ecotec LE5 includes different cam tuning (VVT), intake manifold for higher RPM power and of course larger displacement. 171hp at the crank.

 

[mechanicx]

Excellent report. Seems like the Ecotec turn out good UOA no matter what kind of oil. It's a good engine.

 

[cp3]

What was the OLM reading at the change.

Don't want to hijack the thread but is this the same engine as the G6/Malibu? Mine recomends 91 octane and I don't believe the bigger cars do.

 

[dnewton3]

So, the vis sheared down, but no ill effects.

Yet again more evidence to a couple of things I'm becoming a huge believer in.

1) vis loss, in itself, is not detrimental. Oil that is too think or too thin is a problem, but some shift in vis seems typical for most oils, and yet there are no terrible things happening.
2) vis shift is (obviously) more apparant in multi-grades that have a larger spread. 5w-30 shears more than 5w-20. In HDEO, 15w-40's shear more than 10w-30's.

So, if the wear protetion is not directly threatened by a lower vis, and vis shift is apparent in many large-spread multi-grades, then why are some people so predujiced against thin oils? In fact, at its core it might just have us conclude that the "range" of the acceptable "at temp" grade is broader than we would typically believe. The real wear protection from oil at temp comes from the hyrodynamic wedge it creates, and vis might be a contributing factor, but it's certainly NOT the controlling factor. (If any of you are familiar with "Shanin Red X" RRCA training, the vis clearly is not the "RED X" here. It's possibly not even the "Pink X"). When vis changes, but the wear protection stay the same (or similar) then those vis's identified are not significant to the outcome.

This UOA shows good wear protection and performance. It could likely go just a bit further, per the TBN. Fine engine with a decent oil.

 

[shpankey]

Yes but as we all know, UOA's are not a good indicator of wear in the first place.

 

[webfors]

GTX is a solid performer. We've seen good reports with it in turbo charged engines with a reasonable OCI.

I'm slowly becoming a believer in good conventional oils, so I've been adding them to my stash for when my PP runs out

 

[Nick R]

All I can say is that my cavalier saw regular 3,000 mile oil changes at the dealer with ACDelco filters and Castrol GTX, and the engine is in great shape.

 

[pcfxer]

Originally Posted By: cp3
What was the OLM reading at the change.

Don't want to hijack the thread but is this the same engine as the G6/Malibu? Mine recomends 91 octane and I don't believe the bigger cars do.


It is a differently tuned LE5 but the two engines are essentially identical for lubrication context.

 

[BigJohn]

I just picked up two OCI's of GTX 5w30 on the PepBoys sale for $6 with a filter....

Not knowing much about this oil upon purchase, I wasn't sure I would want it.

This oil seems to rock, especially for a $6 OCI!!!!