El Camino Central Forum banner

Oil/Filter combo?

7K views 34 replies 21 participants last post by  ELBMINO 
#1 ·
I'm doing my first oil change tomorrow and was wondering what oil/filter I should grab. I live in NY so temps get kinda chilly (30 tonight) but can also reach around 100 or so. I have an 85 with 77k miles with the 305 V8. Thanks in advance.
 
#6 · (Edited)
I get the valvoline or Castrol big jugs from Wal-Mart whatever is on sale under $20 & put a bottle of rislone zinc (ZDDP) under $10
A lot of the people like the lucas stuff & check the price on the pre mixed stuff
I don't have a thick wallet
 
#9 ·
Like others, I'm a fan of Wix filters. I was always a diehard AC filter fan for GM vehicles years ago. The GM filters from the 90's looked identical internally to a Wix, but that is no longer true. I've worked for a GM dealer since the 70's and have seen blown motors caused by aftermarket filters, so Wix is the only one I trust.
I also like the larger capacity filter in all my motors, Wix #51061, or NAPA #1061. We run the same Wix filters in our 850 HP Sprint car as I run in my Camino. We broke a few motors in the years we were still running a wet sump oil system, but never had a problem we could attribute to a filter deficiency.
Also, I'm a fan of semi-synthetic or full synthetic oil, even in older engines. I switched my 305 over to synthetics about 8 years ago, with over 100k miles on the motor, with no adverse effects. It actually smokes much less on initial startup from the tired valve guides with synthetic than it did with mineral oil.

Bill
 
#13 ·
I went with Mobil 1 10w30 synth and one of the K&M high end filters. None of the stores around me carry wix/napa so I'm gonna order one next time I change it out. I also threw in some Lucas additive. I started her up and let it run for a few, checked for leaks, revved it up a little, checked for leaks, took her for a little spin, checked again and it's dry. When I was changing the oil, there seemed to be oil around the pan/filter but I haven't noticed any spots on the ground. I'll just have to keep an eye on it
 
#17 ·
I agree with using Only Wix or Napa Gold filters! They are the best and I use them in all 5 of my vehicles. As Far as oil goes Do NOT I repeat Do NOT use a synthetic in any older engine that has never seen anything but Regular oil!! You are setting your self up for Leaks as well as possible failure! JMHO. I have been working on cars for over 50 years in dealerships and independent garages. Built Many many Performance engines over the years. I built Performance engines for about 10 years as a side job, some set records some Not.
 
#19 ·
Pretty good discussion! In all my older rides I always used conventional oil and also used different viscosity depending on the condition of my engine. For the still strong and good running ones I went with straight #30 or #10w30. Once they got to the point of loosing oil and burning a bit I would bump them up a bit to #10w40 or so, also helped in the oil pressure dept. I had a 93 Blazer with over 200k and it was running #20w50 by the time it got pulled out and replaced. The new motor was broken in on straight #30w. I never used Synthetic until I got an 08 model and an 04. And since my ElCo is running an 05 model powerplant I just run the same oil as my 04 model Sierra.

Filters, I have had good luck with A/C, Fram, and Wix. I'm sure I could start an argument and say that if you change your oil and filter regularly it won't really make much difference if you go with the main mfg. companies. But I did do an experiment once on an old 91 Cavalier! Bought it for $1500 and drove the wheels off it for 5 years on 1 oil change! At around 45k the filter blew out, changed it and added new oil (still conventional) and kept goin! It was 30k later the trans decided to go so the experiment ended with no conclusion! Note, I did have to add oil from time to time from oil loss due to leaks and burning.

Have fun!

Joe
 
#25 ·
Synth oil on its own will not "cause" leaks, but older V8s might have seal issues that allow a lower viscosity oil to leak. While the oil itself is not at fault, its a safer bet to not to use it. Even recently rebuilt engines can leak unless you know that every bolt has been torqued down properly after the motor was broken in and the job was professionally done. If you aren't absolutely sure, Don't use synth.
 
#29 ·
For filters, either WIX or NAPA Gold (basically same filter.) I typically buy filters on Amazon in six-packs as Amazon Prine is good prices, free shipping, and two-day service to my front porch. No additives as premium oils have all of the necessary additives in them. (The exception may be zinc, but that a different discussion.) Thickness-wise 10-30 oil, is 10-30 oil regardless of whether its petroleum-based, semi-synthetic or full synthetic. The reputation synthetic has for leaks is totally unjustified. Seals and gaskets create leaks, oil doesn't. Since synthetic oil is man-made from scratch, the oil molecules all of uniform size, meaning there is less space between the oil molecules, whereas petroleum-based oil molecules are all different in size because the raw product comes from the earth or ocean-bed meaning there is more space between the oil molecules. During the life of the oil in your engine, those spaces between the oil molecules are going to fill up with dirt and debris that gets past the filter because it is too small for the filter to catch. The longer the oil stays in the engine, the more dirt and debris it picks up. (For clarification, these particles are so small in and of themselves that they typically don't damage an engine, but even the best full-flow oil filters trap and hold essentially all particles larger than 25 microns (a human hair is roughly 70 microns in diameter.) So, it's easy to see that with a petroleum-based oil, with larger spaces between the oil molecules, more dirt and debris is present which actually keeps the oil from leaking past worn seals and gaskets. It's not thicker (viscosity-wise) oil, it's just occupying more space. So, another way of putting it as opposed to saying that synthetic oil causes leaks, is that synthetic oil identifies work seals and gaskets. But as far as synthetic oil being a negative, it's one of the most positive inventions in the automotive engine since we replaced babbited rods with rod-bearings in the 50's. My choice is Mobile One and have used it for too many years to mention. I typically get 300K miles on my drivers with Mobile One full synthetic and Wix filters, changing oil and filter every 5000 miles. I change the oil/filter in my El Camino (300HP 350) twice a year as it will see less than 1000 miles per year, and only in the summer. Hope that helps..
 
#30 ·
@illmanners that was INSANELY informative. I went with Mobil 1 10w30 syth. No wix or napa gold in sight so I went with one of the high end K&N filters for now. I'm also gonna take your route of snagging some from Prime. I did notice that I have a VERY VERY small oil leak (about a quarter size spot over the course of a week) might try and throw some no leak to see if it seals. Not a big issue yet haha
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top