1995 Buick Century 3.1 v6 oil question

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boostedtsiawd

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The oil cap says 5w-30 on it so is that what i should always use? My car has 86k miles some said 10w-30 would be best for me considering the mileage and 10w-30 is fine in winter.

The lowest the temps get out here for now is in the 20s in the weeks ahead.

1995 Buick Century 3.1 v6 86k miles. I just bought this car and i dont know which oil was in it before so i went with the cap and just put 5w-30 like it says.I just notice a lil noise on cold starts but it goes away after a minute so im thinkin i should switch to 10w-30 since the manual says its ok? but im not sure if i heard the noise before either as i didnt pay attention.
 
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Switching to 10w-30 will increase the cold start noise. 5w-30 is thinner at startup than 10w-30 so it flows better initially. Running 10w-30 in the summer months will provide some slightly better protection then 5w-30.

Switching to a synthetic 5w-30 will help too.
 
Originally Posted By: randomhero439
Switching to 10w-30 will increase the cold start noise. 5w-30 is thinner at startup than 10w-30 so it flows better initially. Running 10w-30 in the summer months will provide some slightly better protection then 5w-30.

Switching to a synthetic 5w-30 will help too.

How does running a 10w-30 protect better than 5w-30 in warmer weather. That's old school thinking and no longer applies. They both protect the same with warmer ambient temps since the viscosity at operating temp is 30 for both.
If you experience below 0 winter weather a 0w-30 is your best bet. At the temps you posted a 5w-30 may be more than adequate however a 0w-30 will cover you just in case it does get colder than listed.
What kind of drain interval were you considering.
I like pennzoil,Quaker state,sopus products in general and they can usually be found on sale pretty inexpensively.
A conventional 5w-30 like pennzoil yellow bottle will go 5000 miles pretty easily. Pennzoil platinum or ultra should do 10000 miles. They both clean very well too.
 
I'd give 0W30 a try and see what happens. As mentioned 10W30 is not going to help. You could also try a different brand oil filter.
 
I wouldn't worry about the tick in the morning. Just about every 3100/3400 I've been around develops this tick. Mine does it too. 5w20 to 0w40 it didn't matter. Just keep an eye on your coolant level!
 
I would stick with 5w30.

I have used it for years.

And even in turbo diesels with far in excess of 200k there was never any significant oil use.

I have used Ford Formula F which is I believe a semi synth but due to availability and price at the local Costco I use mostly Castrol Magnatec full synth.
 
Piston slap! These engines are famous for it, but it's not really anything to be worried about. An oil with a good amount of moly may help quiet it down.
 
Originally Posted By: KD0AXS
Piston slap! These engines are famous for it, but it's not really anything to be worried about.


This!

I've run two of these to high miles now, any decent 5w30 will do it just fine they are not particular about oil at all in my experience. They are infamous for head gasket and intake manifold gasket issues though, so watch your coolant levels closely.
 
I've used 10W-30 in older cars in a Buffalo winter, and there isn't really much difference and it would be fine. But I think you're better off sticking with 5W-30 unless the car consumes oil. If if leaks, use a good high mileage oil...
 
use 5w30 dino every 5000 miles and that engine will run a long time...they are good engines look around they are everywhere..There wee fuel injector issues with some of them but the engines run a long time..forget the piston slap noise if you hear it some make noise but run well.
 
The Buick v6 engines are some of the best engines ever made. I think every other granny in the U.S. owns one! LOL!
 
Originally Posted By: gman2304
The Buick v6 engines are some of the best engines ever made. I think every other granny in the U.S. owns one! LOL!


What's that got to do with anything? Those lovely Buick 90 degree V6 engines are plenty nice and all, but this Century hasn't got one of those. Instead it's got a 3100 Chevy.

This is a totally different animal. It's short stroke and cannon valves help it out at higher revs. It burns less gas idling and on the highway but more in city driving or under acceleration. The bottom end is 'stronger' despite being built lighter and it's top end is capable of much more but is more likely to be compromised due to contamination by coolant. You're comparing artichokes to olives.
 
You might want to ck this out on the filter section, this helped another person out by using a totally different filter to stop the early rattle in the morning. http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubb...;gonew=1#UNREAD
Also you might also try the 5-30 in a syn which flows faster and easier for the starter to turn over the engin, and also might even go 0-30. Let know what you did and how it worked.
 
im using a mobil 1 extended performance oil filter for $12.99 i think its one of the best ones u can get. Also it has Anti-Drain Back Valve and By-pass valve.
 
10w30 is not needed 5w30 is all you need,530HM would be a fine pick,run it out to 8,000 miles after a few short OCI.

what your hearing is some lifter tick the lifters are not pumping up righ because of tarnish,carbon deposits,etc. from inferior oil being used in the past.
 
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