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

sp001in

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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.
 

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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

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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

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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

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oilvyv6.png


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.
 

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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
 

IBLOWN

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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?
 

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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 :thumbsup:
 
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