what to use in a 1997 saturn sl2

[americanbulldog]

whats up every one,

i just brought a 1997 saturn sl2 with 68500 miles on it.and i dn what kinda oil they used.so i was wondering if i should goto a synthetic or stay with reg oil.and what weight.my whole life i used 10w40 for everycar i had becouse i thought it was the best .but im hearing that every one is supposed to use 5w30.so can some one clearify that for me.

and what sthe best oil.for my car i usally use mobile one but now hearing all this stuff about amsoil.so can some one please shed some lght.


thanks

 

[kanling]

I would just start off with regular dino oil of the proper weight in the owner's manual. See how she behaves with that for a change or two and then decide from there.

 

[Maritime Storm]

Yes use only a 5W30 oil in these engines, year round. Saturn engies were designed to use this grade & nothing thicker.

 

[americanbulldog]

thanks for the info.

 

[ToyotaNSaturn]

Having owned Saturns since year #1 and several UOA's for your viewing pleasure over in the UOA forum, I suggest just about any dino or synth of your choice. From 5w-20 to 15w-50, it just doesn't matter (assuming it's not too cold for the thicker oils to flow at cold temps).

However, I STRONGLY suggest using Auto-Rx to get the engine clean, then Lube Control and Fuel Power to keep it clean. Many poeple nay-say additives (as did I for a long time!) but these products really do work and provide greater efficiency hands down.

Clean your throttle body and the idle air control valve (IAC). Simple to do in about 20 minutes with a can of t-b cleaner.

Also, Change your PCV valve every 10K or so. My 96 SL2 has 151K. The car is falling apart, except for the engine and trans which run like new. Even with using the A/C lately, still getting 35MPG!

 

[americanbulldog]

hey i brought mobile 1 5000 non synthetic oil 5w30.my storews here in nj dont carry the brands every one else says to use.so i just brought this.so will this work.

thanks

 

[mcrn]

Is that an oil in Mobile Alabama? Sorry its just one of those things that gets on my nerves its Mobil 1. But I agree with using the auto rx on that engine since you don't know the history of it.

 

[americanbulldog]

yeh thats true

thats why i git the reg mobile 1 not the pure synthetic 1..so i will try this and see what happends.

 

[WOOCHOW]

let's take up a collection for a spell check-these are tought o read at 3:55am! what happend?

 

[bender]

Congrats on the Saturn! I have a 1998 SL2 that I have owned since new. Has seen a diet of dealer and quickie-lube 5W-30 most of it's life. Has 122K on it now. At around 100K I started doing my own oil changes and have used cheap 5W-30 dino and OEM filters exclusively. No point in going synthetic at this point in the car's life, so I will stick with 3-4K OCI's with 0.59/qt Chevron dino from Kragen. Next OCI I'll try some of my free Valvoline Max Life 5W-30 conventional.

 

[bighead]

quote:

---

Originally posted by americanbulldog:
yeh thats true

thats why i git the reg mobile 1 not the pure synthetic 1..so i will try this and see what happends.

---

Ok, not to nitpick too much, but um, it's spelled Mobil (no 'e'). And just so you know, there is no such thing as a non-synthetic Mobil 1. Mobil Clean 5000 is dino, but there is no dino Mobil 1. Again not to nitpick, but if I didn't say it, someone else was bound to sooner or later

 

[mcrn]

lol i did already say it

 

[eljefino]

I keep and have kept a few saturns too.

Mine have loved fleet 15w40s when temps permit. 10w40 is okay too if you have cases of it laying around. Rotella 5w40 syn is good stuff too but getting more expensive.

The FL400s/ST3600 filter fits, is oversize, and easier to find under the car. Triple-win situation.