Oil Capacity LS3

[SoFlaZ]

Originally Posted by pondo

I change the oil in my cars with mobile 1 10w30 full syn every 5,000 miles. I drive my cars like I stole them.

That is my plan of action for the Camaro. As well as the way I will drive it part.

[Nexus6]

just look at the oil on the dipstick,dirty=change ,clean= dont change.i dont need a computer for that.

my first few oil changes will be very frequent.just to make sure it catches all the flash(if any),i will be using amsoil .

Oh and remember to think with your dipstick

[camarolt76]

Originally Posted by pondo

I used to work for an engine oil additive company working on proprietary additive packages for leading oil companies. The weakest link is your oil filter and soot when running synthetic oil. Synthetic oils may be a LITTLE better at suspending solids but still marginally better than dino oil which means sludge will still build up in your engine. Increase the oil capacity will dilute the sludge meaning you can go a little longer before reaching the same detrimental effects...

Oil change intervals very depending on your climate, area of use, and driving habits. I've seen engines run for 25,000 miles nonstop 24/7 in the testing bay with synthetic oil and have vertually identical viscosity and lubricating parameters; however, the cylinder walls were still scratched. On analysis, the oil had very high amounts of aluminum and suspended carbon deposits.

I change the oil in my cars with mobile 1 10w30 full syn every 5,000 miles. I drive my cars like I stole them.

I will change the oil in my Camaro after break-in though. From there on, every 5k should do the trick.

I have personally ran all the tests listed in this PDF... http://www.amsoil.com/lit/g1971.pdf
Amsoil is listed #1 in all the tests...my personal results varied a bit but mobile 1 and amsoil were neck and neck!

Excellant post! I am a hydraulic engineer so I enjoyed reading the results of the test of the various motor oils.

[Bell040]

As a chemical engineer, I should warn you guys about reading test results from a bias manufacturers website.

It should trouble you that they won in every category... this is total BS.

Do you think they would have shown you results if they came in 4th or 5th?

I have seen some unbias results in a thead here before... do a search.

[Mr_Draco]

Originally Posted by Bell040

As a chemical engineer, I should warn you guys about reading test results from a bias manufacturers website.

It should trouble you that they won in every category... this is total BS.

Do you think they would have shown you results if they came in 4th or 5th?

I have seen some unbias results in a thead here before... do a search.

There is a reason why every single manufacturer says they score the best among other leading brands. They only do the tests on other brands that they know will score lower then they do.

[zebra]

Originally Posted by camarolt76

I did not realize the LS3 has an oil capacity of 8.6 quarts; however I am sure the Camaro will have an oil life monitering system which will tell you when the oil need to be changed. My wife's 2005 Monte Carlo has such a moniter

so does my 99 sierra, so i'd assume you're right

Originally Posted by blindingillusion

This is horrible of me, but I run synthetic in my cobalt and I only change the oil when the car tells me to. I changed it every 3-5K at first, but with my new job I decided to let it go one time (which I am currently still doing) and see how long the car recommends between changes.

you wanna check it periodically yourself, too. i've had the oil monitor in my truck light up a few days after a fresh oil & filter change because it's programmed to go off about 3000 miles from the last time it was reset. point is: don't just rely on the car to tell you everything... sometimes it's just a canned response.

[jordan 572]

i cant stand that dipstick commercial it makes me want to

[CamaroSpike23]

Originally Posted by blindingillusion

This is horrible of me, but I run synthetic in my cobalt and I only change the oil when the car tells me to. I changed it every 3-5K at first, but with my new job I decided to let it go one time (which I am currently still doing) and see how long the car recommends between changes.

I must say though, when it comes to my 'maro then I will be changing the oil more frequently, and with better quality then I have before. I hear royal purple is good, and good things about mobil1.

thats not horrible of you. thats commendable of you. newer, cleaner motors can go for longer oil change periods due to the fact that they are.... newer and cleaner. I run Royal Purple in all of my vehicles, oil, trans, rear, front diff, etc. for oil filters, I use Wix or a PureOne filter. there's an older thread on here that had a large in depth discussion on motor oils and filters.

Originally Posted by pondo

I used to work for an engine oil additive company working on proprietary additive packages for leading oil companies. The weakest link is your oil filter and soot when running synthetic oil. Synthetic oils may be a LITTLE better at suspending solids but still marginally better than dino oil which means sludge will still build up in your engine. Increase the oil capacity will dilute the sludge meaning you can go a little longer before reaching the same detrimental effects...

Oil change intervals very depending on your climate, area of use, and driving habits. I've seen engines run for 25,000 miles nonstop 24/7 in the testing bay with synthetic oil and have vertually identical viscosity and lubricating parameters; however, the cylinder walls were still scratched. On analysis, the oil had very high amounts of aluminum and suspended carbon deposits.

I change the oil in my cars with mobile 1 10w30 full syn every 5,000 miles. I drive my cars like I stole them.

I will change the oil in my Camaro after break-in though. From there on, every 5k should do the trick.

I have personally ran all the tests listed in this PDF... http://www.amsoil.com/lit/g1971.pdf
Amsoil is listed #1 in all the tests...my personal results varied a bit but mobile 1 and amsoil were neck and neck!

driving my car like I stole it........ I used to say that. but it doesnt hold a candle to the real abuse I put my cars thru. I dont ride them hard, I dont get rough on them from time to time, I punch my car in the stomach and kick it in the nuts, im talking strangle your mother with a fishing line and pay 50 mobsters to each take their turn with her then going at her all at once rough with my cars.


amsoil is a good oil as is M1. the one thing that strikes me as really odd is the lack of an API certified oil in their testing. who's to say that the sample they sent for the testing did not contain higher concentrations of ZDDP which offers a higher level of protection... (oh, wait... thats how amsoil pulls off this stuff.)


I will wholeheartedly agree with you that the oil filter will make or break the engine.


but running a fresh motor for 25,000 miles in a laboratory does not show you any type of comparison to real world events. dirt and debris, water, etc all sneaking into the motor and contaminating the oil will drastically change the results of any test.


the main benefit of synthetics is the additives that come premixed along with them. you do not need additional additives as they come with detergents and other longevity additives mixed in.

Originally Posted by Bell040

As a chemical engineer, I should warn you guys about reading test results from a bias manufacturers website.

It should trouble you that they won in every category... this is total BS.

Do you think they would have shown you results if they came in 4th or 5th?

I have seen some unbias results in a thead here before... do a search.

Originally Posted by Mr_Draco

There is a reason why every single manufacturer says they score the best among other leading brands. They only do the tests on other brands that they know will score lower then they do.

also, a lot of synthetic manufacturers will compare their oil soley against conventional oils. or, such as in amsoils case they will test an oil that is not API certified that contains a higher concentration of ZDDP to prevent wear during the testing.

now why or why not to use an API certified oil? non api certified oils contain too much phosphorus (in the form of the additive ZDDP (Zinc Dialkyl Dithiophosphates)). The API has limited the amount of phosphorus because phosphorus shortens the life of the catalytic converter. now, if you are running a dirtbike, or snowmobile, or dont care about the cats and dont need to pass emissions testing, then by all means, use whatever oil you feel comfortable with (Api cert or not). if you do need to have emissions testing, you are safer going with an API certified oil and a more frequent oil change interval.

[CamaroSpike23]

Originally Posted by Nexus6

just look at the oil on the dipstick,dirty=change ,clean= dont change.i dont need a computer for that.

my first few oil changes will be very frequent.just to make sure it catches all the flash(if any),i will be using amsoil .

dipstick dirty does not mean it needs to be changed. The way modern detergent motor oil works is that minute particles of soot are suspended in the oil. These minute particles pose no danger to your engine, but they cause the oil to darken. A non-detergent oil would stay clearer than a detergent oil because all the soot would be left on the internal engine parts and would create sludge. If you never changed your oil, eventually the oil would no longer be able to suspend any more particles in the oil and sludge would form. however, changing your oil at correct intervals, you are changing it long before the oil becomes saturated.


another thing for people to keep in mind is that its not only the mileage of the vehicle that should determine oil change frequency. temperatures, cold startups, driving conditions, all have their part to play in oil durability. I change my oil every 3000 miles or 3 months, whichever occurs first. mainly due to the fact that the temperatures down here are freezing cold at night and boiling hot during the day which allows for condensation to build inside the crankcase which can lead to contamination and breakdown of the oil.

[mmbarberoilman]

Look into adding an Amsoil Dual Remote filter system and using Amsoil 0W-30. You will get to forget changing oil and the savings on gas will pay for it all. The 0W-30 is a 35,000 mile oil and adding the Dual system extends oil life indefinately. Like just about forever!

[zebra]

sounds sketchy

[Banshee]

If Amsoil guaranteed my engine with their oil, I'll change it at 35k.

If not, I'll stick with 5k PP and K&N which has done me well for 140k.

[CamaroSpike23]

Originally Posted by mmbarberoilman

Look into adding an Amsoil Dual Remote filter system and using Amsoil 0W-30. You will get to forget changing oil and the savings on gas will pay for it all. The 0W-30 is a 35,000 mile oil and adding the Dual system extends oil life indefinately. Like just about forever!

would they offer to replace my motor if I welded the drain bolt shut on my oil pan and ran that suggestion in a 185k mile track hog? dont think so.

Originally Posted by Banshee

If Amsoil guaranteed my engine with their oil, I'll change it at 35k.

If not, I'll stick with 5k PP and K&N which has done me well for 140k.

Amsoil and other companies market a 25000 mile change interval.... because they do laboratory testing on a fresh clean motor. not comparable to real world conditions.

dont get me wrong, amsoil is a good oil. but I wont use their stuff again.

[duder4thgen]

The extra cost for an oil change is a great excuse to change the oil yourself. Get to know your baby better, she'll love you for it.

I would not change the oil at 12k-15k miles, at least not unless you are sending in oil to somewhere like Blackstone for analysis, which costs almost as much as just changing it in the first place. Anyone who sucessfully runs extreme oc intervals gets the oil analysed to check whats actually in the oil, and if it warrants changing. Guessing on an extended interval is begging for trouble.

I would follow the oil life indicator, if GM puts one in there, or follow the severe service schedual in the owners manual.