I recently acquired a 1992 Corvette with the 5.7l LT-1 engine. This car is a garage queen, in showroom condition with only 48,000 miles on the clock. I plan on using this car as a weekend toy for the Warden and myself. It will see some spirited country road and highway mileage. Nothing near its red line and nothing over 100mph. Just some fun cruising on nice days. It will see a 6-7 month winter layup (Buffalo NY after all) so the oil will be changed every spring, likely after 3 to 5 thousand miles. The original owner has run M1 5w-30 all of its life. I know the 5.7L is not particularly tough on oil. I have had great luck with M1 0w-40 Euro oil and I am thinking about running it in the Vette. Yup, I am a heavier oil fan and believe CAFE regulations have influenced the party line. I also believe that Chevy has either approved or has used this oil in more modern Vettes. Thoughts & concerns? The car also has the auto transmission and your fluid recommendations would be appreciated. This is my first automatic tranny in 38 years of driving. TIA!!
Corvette 5.7L LT-1 Engine. M1 0w-40?
- Thread starter JosephH1
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Your driving style and climate would be perfectly serviced by Mobil 1 5W30. I don’t see a benefit of a 40 weight here. And I don’t think CAFE was around back then.
Mobil 1 Euro 0W40 is a good choice for your Corvette. FWIW, GM is now specifying Mobil 1 ESP 0W40 in new (and older) Corvettes. This is a robust (HTHS=3.5 min.) Dexos2/C3 synthetic that would also work nicely in your application.
Originally Posted By: bubbatime
Your driving style and climate would be perfectly serviced by Mobil 1 5W30. I don’t see a benefit of a 40 weight here. And I don’t think CAFE was around back then.
+1 with M1 5-30. One of the best 5-30 oils out there.
Your driving style and climate would be perfectly serviced by Mobil 1 5W30. I don’t see a benefit of a 40 weight here. And I don’t think CAFE was around back then.
+1 with M1 5-30. One of the best 5-30 oils out there.
Keep your motor oil temps below 230°F and 5w30 I believe is still the preferred way to go. Walmart just rolled back the price on their new AP to $39.84/5 qts, so that makes my decision for me that much easier for my LS7 and L86 (0w20 M1 AP).
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Does the rear seal weep any? Mobil 1 10w30 High Mileage is a bit in between the 30’s and 40’s mentioned (HTHS) …
PP Euro as well … bit harder to find …
Last, but not least is Maxlife …
PP Euro as well … bit harder to find …
Last, but not least is Maxlife …
Originally Posted By: AirBull
Keep your motor oil temps below 230°F and 5w30 I believe is still the preferred way to go. Walmart just rolled back the price on their new AP to $39.84/5 qts, so that makes my decision for me that much easier for my LS7 and L86 (0w20 M1 AP).
M1 5-30 will perform very well with oil temps well above 230F. Here is a link.
https://mobiloil.com/en/article/why-the-...-oil-protection
.
Keep your motor oil temps below 230°F and 5w30 I believe is still the preferred way to go. Walmart just rolled back the price on their new AP to $39.84/5 qts, so that makes my decision for me that much easier for my LS7 and L86 (0w20 M1 AP).
M1 5-30 will perform very well with oil temps well above 230F. Here is a link.
https://mobiloil.com/en/article/why-the-...-oil-protection
.
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You won't hurt it! Rev it and enjoy.
Nice car! Congratulations!
Nice car! Congratulations!
Patman
Staff member
Originally Posted By: JosephH1
I recently acquired a 1992 Corvette with the 5.7l LT-1 engine. This car is a garage queen, in showroom condition with only 48,000 miles on the clock. I plan on using this car as a weekend toy for the Warden and myself. It will see some spirited country road and highway mileage. Nothing near its red line and nothing over 100mph. Just some fun cruising on nice days. It will see a 6-7 month winter layup (Buffalo NY after all) so the oil will be changed every spring, likely after 3 to 5 thousand miles.
I think M1 0w40 would work well in this engine but I would recommend doing the yearly oil change before winter storage instead of after. That way you put the car away with fresh oil, as you don't want to put it away with dirty oil, especially not for such a long winter layup.
I know someone else here mentioned the new M1 0w40 (ESP Formula) but that one will be more costly than the original European Car Formula 0w40 (about $10 per quart vs $22 for a 5 quart jug)
I recently acquired a 1992 Corvette with the 5.7l LT-1 engine. This car is a garage queen, in showroom condition with only 48,000 miles on the clock. I plan on using this car as a weekend toy for the Warden and myself. It will see some spirited country road and highway mileage. Nothing near its red line and nothing over 100mph. Just some fun cruising on nice days. It will see a 6-7 month winter layup (Buffalo NY after all) so the oil will be changed every spring, likely after 3 to 5 thousand miles.
I think M1 0w40 would work well in this engine but I would recommend doing the yearly oil change before winter storage instead of after. That way you put the car away with fresh oil, as you don't want to put it away with dirty oil, especially not for such a long winter layup.
I know someone else here mentioned the new M1 0w40 (ESP Formula) but that one will be more costly than the original European Car Formula 0w40 (about $10 per quart vs $22 for a 5 quart jug)
JHZR2
Staff member
I’m not seeing the benefit of the 0w-40.
Do a UOA before annual change. Highly likely you can go two years, and even then the concern is more the filter.
Nice vette, I think those looked the best.
Do a UOA before annual change. Highly likely you can go two years, and even then the concern is more the filter.
Nice vette, I think those looked the best.
Sounds like a very nice car! I have a 1995 Corvette LT1 and 5w30 is the right viscosity for a healthy engine. Thicker oil does not equal stronger oil film or better engine protection. In fact, 0w40 requires more VII additives to maintain a wider range of viscosity, which means less of your oil is actually oil.
I am pretty sure CAFE did not play a role in the recommended viscosity here. If they recommended 0w20 or 5w20, then maybe economy and emissions are part of the equation. But 5w30... no.
Yes GM has approved 0w40 for the new Corvettes but those engines are considerably different from ours.
If you have a stash of 0w40, then sure, use it up in the LT1. But I would not make a point of buying it specifically for your car.
Thicker oil would be a good option if you are racing/tracking the car (you aren't) or if you have low oil pressure (you don't).
The car is pristine because the previous owner(s) took very good care of it, including the right oil. Don't fix something that isn't broken. If you want your Corvette to have the best possible care, give it maintenance at the specified intervals. Pretty simple.
Many C4 LT1 Corvette owners use 0w40 and their engines are very happy. I am simply providing my feedback as a fellow C4 owner.
I am pretty sure CAFE did not play a role in the recommended viscosity here. If they recommended 0w20 or 5w20, then maybe economy and emissions are part of the equation. But 5w30... no.
Yes GM has approved 0w40 for the new Corvettes but those engines are considerably different from ours.
If you have a stash of 0w40, then sure, use it up in the LT1. But I would not make a point of buying it specifically for your car.
Thicker oil would be a good option if you are racing/tracking the car (you aren't) or if you have low oil pressure (you don't).
The car is pristine because the previous owner(s) took very good care of it, including the right oil. Don't fix something that isn't broken. If you want your Corvette to have the best possible care, give it maintenance at the specified intervals. Pretty simple.
Many C4 LT1 Corvette owners use 0w40 and their engines are very happy. I am simply providing my feedback as a fellow C4 owner.
Originally Posted By: JHZR2
I’m not seeing the benefit of the 0w-40.
1100 ppm zinc, 1000 ppm phosphorous, huge benefit.
https://mobiloil.com/~/media/amer/us/pvl/files/pdfs/mobil-1-oil-product-specs-guide.pdf
Edit: Added link.
I’m not seeing the benefit of the 0w-40.
1100 ppm zinc, 1000 ppm phosphorous, huge benefit.
https://mobiloil.com/~/media/amer/us/pvl/files/pdfs/mobil-1-oil-product-specs-guide.pdf
Edit: Added link.
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Some of these engines had camshaft and injector issues. Higher zinc and regular OCI helps a lot, Mobil 1 0w40, Castrol 0w40, etc fits the bill. Roller lifter are not totally immune to pitting and flat spotting.
Quote:
We’ve heard of some instances of LT1 valvetrain noise caused by
roller lifters pitting and developing flat spots on some of these
engines. The underlying cause is usually too infrequent oil changes or
an oil contamination problem.
Unfortunately this engine has one of if not the worst injectors ever made, I don't even like to clean them the failure rate is so high. They rust badly inside and with ethanol fuel this issue is greatly exacerbated.
There is a great solution for this, a replacement set of Bosh EV1 injectors, they bring new life into engines that were originally equipped with the dreaded Multec I.
Quote:
We’ve heard of some instances of LT1 valvetrain noise caused by
roller lifters pitting and developing flat spots on some of these
engines. The underlying cause is usually too infrequent oil changes or
an oil contamination problem.
Unfortunately this engine has one of if not the worst injectors ever made, I don't even like to clean them the failure rate is so high. They rust badly inside and with ethanol fuel this issue is greatly exacerbated.
There is a great solution for this, a replacement set of Bosh EV1 injectors, they bring new life into engines that were originally equipped with the dreaded Multec I.
I mean GM is recommending M1 0w40 for the newer Vettes but those motors are a different beast . But give it a shot and see how it performs
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You could always step up to a slightly thicker 10W30.
Originally Posted By: DGXR
Sounds like a very nice car! I have a 1995 Corvette LT1 and 5w30 is the right viscosity for a healthy engine. Thicker oil does not equal stronger oil film or better engine protection. In fact, 0w40 requires more VII additives to maintain a wider range of viscosity, which means less of your oil is actually oil.
0W40s are pretty stout, dude. M1 0W40 and Edge 0W40 are not simply 5W30s with more VIs, they have a higher PAO content. I'm pretty sure Edge 0W40 is considerably different than even Edge 5W40 in terms of PAO.
The LT1 might even be easier on oil than a SBC because of the reverse flow cooling.
Sounds like a very nice car! I have a 1995 Corvette LT1 and 5w30 is the right viscosity for a healthy engine. Thicker oil does not equal stronger oil film or better engine protection. In fact, 0w40 requires more VII additives to maintain a wider range of viscosity, which means less of your oil is actually oil.
0W40s are pretty stout, dude. M1 0W40 and Edge 0W40 are not simply 5W30s with more VIs, they have a higher PAO content. I'm pretty sure Edge 0W40 is considerably different than even Edge 5W40 in terms of PAO.
The LT1 might even be easier on oil than a SBC because of the reverse flow cooling.
It'll be fine. Just have fun. Injector upgrade is good
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