What weight oil for 160k VZ

[tephra]

Hi Guys,

I did search, but either I'm a dumbass or its not here

What weight oil should I use (and roughly how many L goes in too) for a 2004 VZ with about 160,000km's?

Also is there anything wrong with SuperCheapAuto oil filters? Or should I go genuine?

TIA!

Cheers
D.

[WogBoyz]

Ryco oil filters are just fine, for the amount of L check your car manual it has it in there. As for oil weight id use either a 10w40 - 15w40/50

[2005vzute]

is this a v6 or v8?, i know v6 is a 5w-30 and about 6.5 litres, not sure about v8

[tephra]

V6.

I am not sure if its the 190 or 175 (or whatever the other one is)

[2005vzute]

either of the alloytec 190 or 175 both take the same oil, use a 5w/10w-30, if you prefer brands then 0w-40, 10w-40 is fine aswell, but going to the extremes of that viscosity isn't really necessary so a 5w/10w-30 will be fine...seeing as though when the oil is drained you won't get 100% of the oil out, so put in 6 litres of oil, run the engine(to get oil into the new filter), let the engine sit for 30 seconds(alloweds oil to drop to the sump), then check the oil using the dipstick, if it's not right, fill it in small amounts(it's easier to put oil in then take it out) keep checking till its at the right level, and ur done

[WogBoyz]

not sure id be using such a thin oils with 160ks, i woudnt be going any thinner then 10w40

[tephra]

Thanks guys.

I will try 10w-40... Keep an eye on it for blue smoke and then maybe go thicker.

Do you think "Shell Helix HX7 10W-40" is ok? Shell does say to use "Shell Helix HX7 AJ 10W-30", I am not sure what AJ means over the first one...

Anyone know the Ryco part # for the oil filter of the top of their head?

[2005vzute]

viscosity only refers to it's ability to flow, the higher the temperature, the higher the second number on ur choice of oil will be, in colder temperatures, the lower the first number will be, example: 5w-30 is recommended for temperatures from -30 degrees to over 38 degrees...if ur going colder then -30 and hotter then 38, thats when you get 0w-40... ur oil needs to be thin enough to provide lubrication and protection when it's cold, and thick enough when the engine gets hotter...the thickness of ur oil changes as it gets hotter or colder...if ur staying in temperatures between -30 and 38 degrees celcius, all you need is a 5w-30, putting in a different viscosity oil won't change a thing..however, the grade and claims of the oil is what sets the different manufacturers products apart...you can get a shell helix hx7 5w-30 oil for about 40 bux or something...or you can get a royal purple 5w-30 for 90 bux...same viscosity, but a very big difference...both oils will provide protection between -30 degrees and 38 degrees...but why the big price difference?, it's the properties of the oil, that's where ur money is going...they have different properties such as viscosity index improvers, pour point depressants, detergents, oxidisation inhibitors, foam inhibitors, dispersants and extreme pressure additives...the different oils claim different things which sets them apart (castrol might provide better lubrication properties whilst valvoline might clean the engine better)...basically, use the recommended 5w-30 and stick with it...if u have any doubts that you might need a better oil because ur engine has done 160,000 kms, just use a better/more expensive oil such as shell helix ultra...but if i was you, there is nothing wrong with an alloytec running on regular shell helix hx7 5w-30, dont' worry about using a 0w-40 or anything else because ur wasting ur money on something you don't need..if you have ANY questions at all, keep posting and ill be in touch...i hope this clears it up for you...btw, Search for oil, fuel or air filters by part number : Air Filters, Oil Filters and Fuel Filters :: Ryco Filters :: Automotive Filters Australia
that is ur oil filter - part number - R2605P

[2005vzute]

oh btw, im not sure about what the AJ means when reffering to the oil, but i think it's a shell helix thing only...all you really need to worry about is the viscosity and grade...with our engines getting more n more tehcnical and engineered so precisely our oil must be improved to suit...i think oil grade for the shell helix hx7 is SM...which im pretty sure is the highest quality of oil for our engines at the moment, SL or SM is fine for the alloytec engine, hence why holden reccomends 5w-30 SL or SM oil..it's not a coincidence that shell reccomends the hx7..a 5w-30 viscosity and a grade of SM...make sense?..just stick to what is reccomended and you'll be fine mate

[tephra]

thanks.

Shell also recommends a 15w-50 for 100k + engines.

I think I will go with 10w-40 - if the engine had done less than 150k, then I would probably stick with the recommendation, but i reckon this one will need slightly thicker oil...

[bulletman]

10w-40 all the way as your engine if change frequently should be fine. That is my opinion.

[tephra]

every 15k is ok yeh?

[calais24/7]

less then that bud, out of normal mineral oils you can change it roughly 7k's i do mine every 5 but i get parts cheap. I wouldnt leave it any longer then 10 IMO

[tephra]

yeh but you got a turbo right?

[calais24/7]

Nah matey its a non turbo, i wish it was a turbo But that is just my opninion like i said, some people will get cranky at me for doing it so regualr at 5k but then theres other people who do it religiously at 5k aswell. Also depends on the driving conditions too

[tephra]

sure thing..

well this is just a daily driver...

i do 5k on my evo, but this will probably get 15k intervals...

[VzVzVz]

its funny how the v6 takes more oil than the v8. I'm running 15w-40 in my v6. It takes 6.5L. Don't fall into the trap of looking under the engine for a filter, it's got a cartridge filter on top of the left side. Took me a while to figure that one out. It also does'nt hurt to put a change of diesel oil in the engine for 5000kms. It cleans the engine right up and gets rid of shitty deposits because of its claning properties. just make sure you let the oil drain overnight before filling with diesel oil.

[torana355]

viscosity only refers to it's ability to flow, the higher the temperature, the higher the second number on ur choice of oil will be, in colder temperatures, the lower the first number will be, example: 5w-30 is recommended for temperatures from -30 degrees to over 38 degrees...if ur going colder then -30 and hotter then 38, thats when you get 0w-40... ur oil needs to be thin enough to provide lubrication and protection when it's cold, and thick enough when the engine gets hotter...the thickness of ur oil changes as it gets hotter or colder...if ur staying in temperatures between -30 and 38 degrees celcius, all you need is a 5w-30, putting in a different viscosity oil won't change a thing.

This is right. Though ambient temperature is not the only thing that dictates what viscosity oil an engine needs. Some engines are designed to use thinner or thicker oils depending on the design. However the Alloytecs need a 5/10w-30 in Australia's weather conditions so stick to that. Engines these days don't need thicker oil when they have high km's, they have very small oil galleries in the head and thicker oil will do more damage then good unless the car is being used on the track. My car was actually using more Oil when i was using a 10w-40 compared to the 5w-30 im using now.

[2005vzute]

yay, someone agrees...thanks torana 355, i was getting worried that someone wasn't believing my TAFE textbooks haha

[2004_VZ_Acclaim]

Thanks for starting this thread,great help

[Trent L]

I'll vote with 2005vzute as well.

My expereince when I did run a heavier grade oil was that it tended to limit the engines ability to rev out as freely. It would still get up to the revs but seemed not quite as responsive.

Just my experience though & no I don't have a 160kay engine ....

[Little Red VZ Go-Kart]

Oil is an interesting subject, especially given Alloytecs seemingly being 'different' in requirements to other engines. Apparently Holden dealers won't put anything else in an Alloytec other than something of Castrol (maybe for some plush kickbacks!?) and "service manual grade", whatever that is (10w/40?). It looked a huge amount of oil coming out of my 175 Alloytec ... around 6L (old engine 4.2L), with the biggest surprise the tiny oil filter (!). It's my understanding that Penrite (e.g. HPR30) can't be used in Alloytecs, for whatever reason? It's favoured for old engines (I don't consider an 87,820km Alloytec "old"!); I used it in my old V6/3.8 from 1992 all the way up until July this year (327,860km) with not a skerrick of oil dropped. And how does one sort fact from myth with so many prefixes, suffixes and fancy names given to oil? Or is the proof in the engine life (have I just answered my question??)?

[abg]

I've got Nulon 10w30 in an alloytec with 195k km and the oil pressure is still spot on. About 80psi on a cold start, 40psi under moderate load and 50-60psi under higher load.

[slidways]

castrol magnatec 10w 40 wif a repco filter been doing me well 4 years

[2004_VZ_Acclaim]

Oil is an interesting subject, especially given Alloytecs seemingly being 'different' in requirements to other engines. Apparently Holden dealers won't put anything else in an Alloytec other than something of Castrol (maybe for some plush kickbacks!?) and "service manual grade", whatever that is (10w/40?). It looked a huge amount of oil coming out of my 175 Alloytec ... around 6L (old engine 4.2L), with the biggest surprise the tiny oil filter (!). It's my understanding that Penrite (e.g. HPR30) can't be used in Alloytecs, for whatever reason? It's favoured for old engines (I don't consider an 87,820km Alloytec "old"!); I used it in my old V6/3.8 from 1992 all the way up until July this year (327,860km) with not a skerrick of oil dropped. And how does one sort fact from myth with so many prefixes, suffixes and fancy names given to oil? Or is the proof in the engine life (have I just answered my question??)?

True according to Penrite website,the suitable equivalent for VZ ('04 and '06s(in your case))
is
HPR 5
or EVERYDAY FULL SYNTHETIC 10W-40
or SIN 0

I was going to give the everyday synthetic stuff a whirl over the weekend, as opposed to the usual Castrol Magnatec 10w-30 (according to servicing sheet) but it's 10w-40 in a bottle.nothing wrong with it,just trying some change