Lower oil grade causing a rattle in motor. Went from Penrite 20w-60 to 10w-40.

[sp001in]

Have just finished doing a host of MACE upgrades on the V6, namely, 12mm plenum, 25mm manifold and 69mm throttle body. Went to change oil today and bought the the 10w-40 as it was $50 and you got 6Litres for that price, and the V6 takes 5.6 with a filter change.

Just drove it 120k's to work and back, when I got home I stopped while reversing into the garage to lift the torneau cover up, as once the ute is parked I can't get behind it. and when I got out I heard an intermittent rattle. Kind of a similiar sound to a noisy lifter but intermittent. probably every 5-10secs.

The only thing I have changed is the oil grade. Holden recommend 10w-30 for this motor and it was not rattling this morning before the change.

Can anyone point me in the direction of something that revolves every 5-10seconds???? I can't for the life of me think of anything. The noise is only at idle in either neutral or park, so under no load.

[immortality]

Hmmmmm, thought the recommended oil for a ecotec V6 was a 20w50 (except for colder climates). i'd suggest going back to what ever oil you had in it before.

[Dr HaxZaw]

thought the recommended oil for a ecotec V6 was a 20w50 (except for colder climates).

i'll double check my owners manual this arvo when i get out of work but from memory when i last read it they said 10w-30... dunno what the problem could be though

[nathanVY]

I thought it was 10w40 for the vy ecotecs which is the same thing but newer, and 15w40 for the older ones? or am I talking rubbish?

Mine has 15w40 in it at the moment, definitely has a bit more power than when it was running 20w40.

[sp001in]

I thought it was 10w40 for the vy ecotecs which is the same thing but newer, and 15w40 for the older ones? or am I talking rubbish?

Mine has 15w40 in it at the moment, definitely has a bit more power than when it was running 20w40.

I agree with the power since lowering the oil grade, and also the fuel economy has risen significantly.

[nathanVY]

Hmmm good to know, might give 10w40 a shot next service

[immortality]

the engine mods performed will not make a motor rattle. changing to a thinner oil can, especially if the engine has a fair few miles on it.

another option would be to up the oil pressure somewhat if the rattle is only at idle

[nathanVY]

how do you up the oil pressure?

[IBLOWN]

Ecotec has always been 20w50 and should be 4.7L to fill after oil change. 5.6L would be waaaay over the full line on the dipstick. Ive played with all different types of viscosities over the years with the ecotec (12 years lol) and find 20w50 is best even with the turbo's, especially for rattling and noise.

I assume the VY or whatever has a bigger sump maybe?

Where did that sheet come from?

[immortality]

first you would want to check the oil pressure relief spring and ensure that it is the correct length. if it is, then you would pack it up a little with a spacer. or you could use one of those ZZP adjustable plate set-up but they are costly. ecotecs already run a fair bit of oil pressure so it's not something i'd do as a first choice

personally, i'd go back to a slightly heavier oil if it didn't rattle before

[Not_An_Abba_Fan]

20W50 in the ecotec. I wouldn't run anything else in one.

[sp001in]

Where did that sheet come from?

I have all the holden /hsv manuals from VC to VZ

No rattling noise today, after the same drive to and from work.... It is such a different car though with the thinner oil.

[IBLOWN]

I have all the holden /hsv manuals from VC to VZ

No rattling noise today, after the same drive to and from work.... It is such a different car though with the thinner oil.

I used to think the same but it was all in my head, unless your doing 9000RPM lol. Just use 20W50. Its the oil thats supposed to be in there.

[nathanVY]

I used to think the same but it was all in my head, unless your doing 9000RPM lol. Just use 20W50. Its the oil thats supposed to be in there.

But didn't someone post a copy from the holden book that said 10W recommended but 15W or 20W for lpg?

[IBLOWN]

But didn't someone post a copy from the holden book that said 10W recommended but 15W or 20W for lpg?

Yep, the same holden book that says to put in 5.6L of oil lol.

Its always been 20W50.

[cander24]

Yep, the same holden book that says to put in 5.6L of oil lol.

For a VY which runs a larger capacity sump than the VS-VX, this is actually correct
Infact, each ecotec model sump is different in some way to the one before it, mainly with different design internal baffles etc, but the VY is the only one with the increased capacity.

To the OP, as others have suggested, and what my own experience suggests (for what it's worth lol), go back to the HPR30 20w-60 you were previously running and i'll bet you lose the noise you've currently got. Especially a higher km one where tolerances are not what they once were, some ecotecs seem not to like thin oil grades. The lifters will become noisy as they struggle to pump the thinner grade and will starve the rocker gear of oil.

[MACE]

20W50 in the ecotec. I wouldn't run anything else in one.

Totally agree with this, unless it's a fresh engine with tighter clearances etc.

In your case sp001in, I would HIGHLY recommend you get yourself an oil pressure gauge fitted ASAP, as the oil pressure relief spring may be faulty. If left unattended will definitely accelerate engine wear

[WogBoyz]

I used to run nulon 10w40 in my vs with 130,000 and it ran fine with no rattels

[MACE]

I used to run nulon 10w40 in my vs with 130,000 and it ran fine with no rattels

Serves me right for posting anything when I'm buggered, as I didn't get what I wanted to say properly across

I should clarify, depending on how loud the noise is going 10w40, should not cause it (unless the motor is fairly tired). I'm guessing it's a faulty pressure relief spring, which is why I'm suggesting that he gets the oil pressure checked.

I prefer running thicker oil (at the expense of performance gains of going thinner) as it does offer better protection in these engines IMHO

Cheers,
Steve

[MACE]

I used to run nulon 10w40 in my vs with 130,000 and it ran fine with no rattels

Serves me right for posting anything when I'm buggered, as I didn't get what I wanted to say properly across

I should clarify, depending on how loud the noise is going 10w40, should not cause it (unless the motor is fairly tired). I'm guessing it's a faulty pressure relief spring, which is why I'm suggesting that he gets the oil pressure checked.

I prefer running thicker oil (at the expense of performance gains of going thinner) as it does offer better protection in these engines IMHO

Cheers,
Steve