Viscosity discussion for older LS1`s (100k+)

[undar8ed1]

The first oil change I did on my clubby I used the recommened grade 10w~30w (nulon) and found it burnt a fair bit so now I`ve opted to go 10~40w so the high end is a bit thicker anyone gone any higher 10~50w, 10~60w?

[jay_wr8]

i'm using nulon 15-40 cause i was having the same problem as you, its only been 2 weeks but seems to be going alright

[Vt_vic]

a lot of people are running 10w 60 fully synthetic

[Not_An_Abba_Fan]

10W30 is recommended to get the rated fuel economy, but running 20W50 in an older one is better than 10W. Doesn't matter whether you run a 10W30 or 10W60, once the additives break down it comes back to a 10W anyway, so while it is new it is good, as time goes by it will start to burn.

[VTLS1]

Whatever you decide to use be carefull,problem with these engines is with the wrong viscosity it will cause engine knock to happen. Bought an LS1 ages ago,the guy sold it because it had engine knock,he was told by a mechanic the engine was buggered so he sold it. I brought it home,changed the oil & filter,instantly the knock dissappeared. Bonus for me,lol

[coolvxss]

Is castrol magnatec 10w 40 ok for the ls1? it had a bit of knocking noise on start up, but has done it since i got it. the car has 195000km on it. cheers

[sssmechanicholdenbrisb]

not an abba fan CORRECT if the recommended oil is burnig too quickly that is 1.0 lt's in 10,000 kms or worse then upgrade BOTH low and HIGH viscosities or you are wasting your time, also flush the oil with about half a liter with sump plug undone too MAKE SURE your not just mixing oils.

never exceed 3 weights on your oil e.g. dont go from 10w-30 to 40-60 will cause blockages in pcv system/knocks in ls1 hope this helps guys.

ls1 on start uip ticking or knock noise changes with rpm= (fix doesn't exist) this where the lifters are not fed enough oil on start up
hence the old thing of let it idle for to before you do 6000(rpm) all v8's since vs have had this problem
the reason behind it is at FULL oil pressure the lifters hold the minimum clearance to the pushrod but when low oil pressure lifters barely move (except for the springlock internal)
often mistaken for "LIMP HOME MODE" by mechanics and will often feel sluggish and rough idle etc etc,

ok so long story short ticking @ idle on cold start vs-wm/ve "v8 ONLY" ok if less than 3minutes in duration (read from manual)
think of it as a protection measure of your engine.
yes thicker weight oil can slow or reduce this problem but an engine design that's been used for generations SHOULD NOT BE F**KED WITH
except if oil consumption too high/excessive

[undar8ed1]

not an abba fan CORRECT if the recommended oil is burnig too quickly that is 1.0 lt's in 10,000 kms or worse then upgrade BOTH low and HIGH viscosities or you are wasting your time, also flush the oil with about half a liter with sump plug undone too MAKE SURE your not just mixing oils. VERY COMMON complaint is easy fixed BY THE WAY never exceed 3 weights on your oil e.g. dont go from 10w-30 to 40-60 will cause blockages hope this helps guys.

ls1 on start uip ticking or knock noise changes with rpm= fix doesn't exist this where the lifters are not fed enough oil on start up hence the old thing of let it idle for to before you do 6000(rpm) all v8's since vs have had this problem BUT% ITS NOT ONE! the reason behind it is at FULL oil pressure the lifters hold MAXIMUM opening but when no oil pressure lifters barely move often mistaken for LIMP HOME MODE by mechanics,

ok so long story short ticking @ idle on cold start vs-wm/ve v8 ONLY ok if less than 3minutes in duration NO SHIT
think of it as a protection measure of your engine. yes thicker weight oil can slow or reduce this problem but an engine design that's been used for generations SHOULD NOT BE F**KED WITH except if oil consumption/pass qld transport test is involved

Wow I did not really get your post even after two reading attemps, NAAF, I will try 15~40 or 20~50 next change if 10~40 still does not stop it.

coolvxss, IMO castrol magnatec is fine though not turbo rated which is a bit of a let down its semi synthetic though not sure if the additives are a strong combo, am using that ATM but thats because I had a spare bottle of it stitting in my shed, my uncle reckons that its s##t and has been known to stiffen seals and the whole sticks to surfaces is just a marketing gimmick ,that part I do believe.

[VYMAD]

I've always used Castrol Magnetec 10w40 in the VY and now that I'm servicing the missus' Kia, I phoned the Kia dealer to see what they use and yes same stuff, too. I reckon now that I've got 115000 on the VY I might go synthetic from now on, maybe 15w 40 or similar, but will have to do some research first. I've never had a problem with the Magnetec, but just reckon that since I might keep the vehicle for years, I might as well go synthetic. Never had any ticking or knocking with Magnetec.

[Not_An_Abba_Fan]

Ummm....neither your VY or the Kia is an LS1.

[Drewie]

My VX SS LS1 has only done 60,000km but has always run on 10w40 Valvoline oil, just recently changed to a new workshop who are a Castrol workshop, they service heaps of
LS1 powered cars, they use Magnatec but it is the Proffesional bulk delivery version which is a 15w40, which is not available through retail outlets, it seems nice and quiet in mine,
maybe even a tad quieter than the 10w40 Valvoline that was in it. Oil level never seems to drop between 5000km servcies, maybe a couple of mm if that.

[jay_wr8]

Is castrol magnatec 10w 40 ok for the ls1? it had a bit of knocking noise on start up, but has done it since i got it. the car has 195000km on it. cheers

I tried magnatec 10-40 in my car and it was absolute shit, burnt about a litre in a month and made the engine sound like shit even once it was warm, thats why i've changed to nulon 15-40 and so far its been really good

[VYMAD]

Ummm....neither your VY or the Kia is an LS1.

Too true! Just saying that the Magnatec is not a bad oil imo. As far as the v8's oil goes though I'll leave that decision to you guys.

[holdenvtman1123]

simple. gtx-2 for summer driving. gtx-3 for winter driving. change every 5k km religiously and it all will be sweet. v8 or v6.

[H1GHROLLR]

i use fuchs 60w in my ls1 although it has race bearings etc so the bearing clearences are a slight bigger , although when i was using hpr 40 it use to breathe oil quite heavy

[sssmechanicholdenbrisb]

hey under8ed1
what i am saying is the TICKING noise on start up ALL v8's THAT i have been around for is normal for up to a couple of minutes

also NEVER use too thicker oil e.g. dont go too many wt's above stock e.g stock 5w-30 dont go past 15w-50

three "weight's" higher see?

if not sorry i guess do some research and make up your own decision
sometimes other factors come into play like km's higher = thicker oil
had a rebuild = thinner oil due too tighter clearances
etc etc you get the point!~

WHEN A CAR IS DRIVEN HARD OUT COINSTANTLY WILL BURN EVEN MORE OIL GUYS BE AWARE OF THIS PLEASE

also normal in charged engines (turbo/super) too use a little more due to positive crank case pressure's forcing oil into places it wouldn't normally reach like your intake manifold so in this case recommend get a catch can!!!

[vxcalais_01]

not an abba fan CORRECT if the recommended oil is burnig too quickly that is 1.0 lt's in 10,000 kms or worse then upgrade BOTH low and HIGH viscosities or you are wasting your time, also flush the oil with about half a liter with sump plug undone too MAKE SURE your not just mixing oils. VERY COMMON complaint is easy fixed BY THE WAY never exceed 3 weights on your oil e.g. dont go from 10w-30 to 40-60 will cause blockages hope this helps guys.

ls1 on start uip ticking or knock noise changes with rpm= fix doesn't exist this where the lifters are not fed enough oil on start up hence the old thing of let it idle for to before you do 6000(rpm) all v8's since vs have had this problem BUT% ITS NOT ONE! the reason behind it is at FULL oil pressure the lifters hold MAXIMUM opening but when no oil pressure lifters barely move often mistaken for LIMP HOME MODE by mechanics,

ok so long story short ticking @ idle on cold start vs-wm/ve v8 ONLY ok if less than 3minutes in duration NO SHIT
think of it as a protection measure of your engine. yes thicker weight oil can slow or reduce this problem but an engine design that's been used for generations SHOULD NOT BE F**KED WITH except if oil consumption/pass qld transport test is involved

Mate are you ok ? I dont mean to offend you just incase you werent 100% while writing that, but apart from the lifter stuff, prior and after that is just garbage......

[sssmechanicholdenbrisb]

right this why the other mechanics at work told me not to bother trying help you people...

if you dont like my posts ignore them

oh and by the way i fu**ed up i have edited the qouted lines after DOUBLE checking my handbooks

SORRY ALL!~

[vxcalais_01]

Wow I did not really get your post even after two reading attemps, NAAF, I will try 15~40 or 20~50 next change if 10~40 still does not stop it.

coolvxss, IMO castrol magnatec is fine though not turbo rated which is a bit of a let down its semi synthetic though not sure if the additives are a strong combo, am using that ATM but thats because I had a spare bottle of it stitting in my shed, my uncle reckons that its s##t and has been known to stiffen seals and the whole sticks to surfaces is just a marketing gimmick ,that part I do believe.

If you have a spare bottle, dont waste it and chuck it in for 5000k's. Yes it is Turbo rated. The sticks for the surface is true. The strength of Magnatec lays in the Ester Group 5 base it contains. Its a Group 1 or 2 mineral oil with Group 5 ester. The 3 major benefits of Ester are it has a natural polarity to metal, meaning it sticks to it. Nothing to do with Magnets, but more like static etc. Second, its solvency, which means it has a natural detergent effect on internal surfaces and cleans seals, as well as softening them. (What hardens seals are solvents like kerosene, oil flushes, dirty oil etc). Internal seals are like skin, they need certain properties in oil or additives to keep them soft and pliable. Third benefit is some esters have a natural anti wear/high load bearing capability like zinc etc. Castrol Edge calls its anti wear ester 'Di ester booster' Mobil 1 call is 'Supersyn', and so on. Not all oils need ester to perform(Shell Helix Ultra, and many other semi synth or mineral oils with use more common additives), full ester oils dont need some standard additives to perform(being full ester, have natural detergency so dont need the calcium and seal swellers etc), some oils must use ester to perform(PAO Synthetic like Mobil 1, Castrol Edge, Penrite Sin 1 almost always use ester for seal swell and detergency)

Problem with magnatec is its too expensive, and may rely too much on the ester component which is like 10% and skimp on the rest. For Castrol, Edge is the pick of the crop, some of the best oils out there. Go for Shell Helix Plus High Mileage, 15w50, it is a better Semi Synthetic in that, it has a Group 3+ Synthetic oil as well as the Group 5 Ester Synthetic oil with a good Group 2 base mineral oil.

100,000+ is not old for a LS1 or any engine. Search for the oil threads, many things repeated over and over, many good oils out there, many false opinions and old wives tales as well. Good luck !

[sssmechanicholdenbrisb]

hmm might want to check mobil 1 out again there buddy... is a reason it is the designated oil for v8's serviced at holden... although i HAVE noticed in higher km motors excessive oil consumption as i stated above. mobil 1 is overpriced aswell (at least at local w/shops in brisb) but is supposed to be one of a few oils that lasted the engine testing preliminaries (i heard anyway).
each to his own i guess!~

[undar8ed1]

If you have a spare bottle, dont waste it and chuck it in for 5000k's. Yes it is Turbo rated. The sticks for the surface is true. The strength of Magnatec lays in the Ester Group 5 base it contains. Its a Group 1 or 2 mineral oil with Group 5 ester. The 3 major benefits of Ester are it has a natural polarity to metal, meaning it sticks to it. Nothing to do with Magnets, but more like static etc. Second, its solvency, which means it has a natural detergent effect on internal surfaces and cleans seals, as well as softening them. (What hardens seals are solvents like kerosene, oil flushes, dirty oil etc). Internal seals are like skin, they need certain properties in oil or additives to keep them soft and pliable. Third benefit is some esters have a natural anti wear/high load bearing capability like zinc etc. Castrol Edge calls its anti wear ester 'Di ester booster' Mobil 1 call is 'Supersyn', and so on. Not all oils need ester to perform(Shell Helix Ultra, and many other semi synth or mineral oils with use more common additives), full ester oils dont need some standard additives to perform(being full ester, have natural detergency so dont need the calcium and seal swellers etc), some oils must use ester to perform(PAO Synthetic like Mobil 1, Castrol Edge, Penrite Sin 1 almost always use ester for seal swell and detergency)

Problem with magnatec is its too expensive, and may rely too much on the ester component which is like 10% and skimp on the rest. For Castrol, Edge is the pick of the crop, some of the best oils out there. Go for Shell Helix Plus High Mileage, 15w50, it is a better Semi Synthetic in that, it has a Group 3+ Synthetic oil as well as the Group 5 Ester Synthetic oil with a good Group 2 base mineral oil.

100,000+ is not old for a LS1 or any engine. Search for the oil threads, many things repeated over and over, many good oils out there, many false opinions and old wives tales as well. Good luck !

Wow you now your sh#t, so it is turbo rated they really should place it on the lable IMO, very indepth words like ester really got me clicking and checking, learning FTW.

[rb26dett]

I was using mobil 1 10w 30 in my VT, but will now be going with castrol edge 10w 60

[Nanos]

my ls1 has done 220,000kms, been using castrol edge 10w60 since about 180,000kms was using magnatec but found it to be getting rattles so i changed to 10w60 and its all good. uses no oil between changes

[undar8ed1]

The LS1 is also burning the magnatec a bit (I have no oil leaks BTW) took it to ACE ford cruise (not all fordz there TF) on the W/E and after coming back would guess between 300ml-500ml was missing... hmmmm. picked up a bottle of penrite 10~50w from SC to try first before I raise the lower end any.

[savage1987]

The LS1 is also burning the magnatec a bit (I have no oil leaks BTW) took it to ACE ford cruise (not all fordz there TF) on the W/E and after coming back would guess between 300ml-500ml was missing... hmmmm. picked up a bottle of penrite 10~50w from SC to try first before I raise the lower end any.

Not being a smartarse but are you sure this 300-500mL wasn't just used to fill your oil filter etc? Lots of people tend to forget this doing their own oil changes.. level drops a bit on first startup.

I'm interested in this thread although the opinions are all going to be different, as I have a 170,000km LS1 in the shed waiting for a body

Sam