Can i put 10w-30 high mileage synthetic oil in my 1997 lesabre with 22.000 miles on it?

[Daddy51]

My question is....Even if my car has only 22.000 miles can i use high mileage synthetic oil for my 1997 lesabre or should i stick with normal oil? I only drive my 1997 Buick for pleasure here and there in honor of my friend that she passed away.

 

[MelsRegal]

If you have no oil burning or engine oil leaks there is no reason to use high mileage.

 

[Daddy51]

thank you....got it!!

 

[Merkava_4]

I use Chevron Supreme 10W-30. My Buick really likes it.

 

[-Regal-]

I wouldn't. Once you start using "High Mileage" oil it's not recommended to stop using it. I wouldn't even use it in a high mileage engine.

 

[squirrel]

Oil discussions are so much fun....

How many miles do you plan to drive the car in the future? Will you be getting it up to 200,000 miles?

If not, it probably makes no difference at all what type or brand of oil you use. You should use the Buick recommended viscosity, and change it every now and then (before it gets 5000 miles would be good idea).

I'm hoping that you wont drive the car a whole lot, it is a rare thing to have a car with that low of mileage. Although, it will probably never be worth a lot of money (there is very little collector interest in low mileage mid-luxury cars, compared to other genres)

 

[SAYBER]

I would just use a straight synthetic with that low of mileage, 10w30. Or a synthetic blend. I use valvoline synthetic blend 10w30 on my 03 lesabre with 106,000 on the clock. Whatever you use stick with it for the life of the engine. And by all means, get that dexcool outta there. Use the green coolant! Your seals and intake gaskets will thank you for it!

 

[Homer Jay]

I would just use a straight synthetic with that low of mileage, 10w30. Or a synthetic blend. I use valvoline synthetic blend 10w30 on my 03 lesabre with 106,000 on the clock. Whatever you use stick with it for the life of the engine. And by all means, get that dexcool outta there. Use the green coolant! Your seals and intake gaskets will thank you for it!

Preferences will vary, but it is not true you need to use the same type or band of oil for the life of the engine. Same with the latest formulation of Dex-cool, follow proper maintenance and change intervals you will not have any issues.

 

[SAYBER]

Preferences will vary, but it is not true you need to use the same type or band of oil for the life of the engine. Same with the latest formulation of Dex-cool, follow proper maintenance and change intervals you will not have any issues.

Ok. It has been proved on both cases that as far as dexcool goes, it's harsher on seals and gaskets, while with the engine oil, it is advisable by GM and other car companies, if they're being honest, an engine seals and runs better if you're consistent with one viscosity. It also makes sense and is logical. As far as brands go, I think everyone has their own favorites. Just my two cents.

 

[imidazol97]

I suggest that with the engine's intake manifold leaks that develop and the gasket leaks, that you change oil often to reduce accumulation of any coolant that leaks. I suggest sticking with regular oil, or with a synthetic blend if your car is outdoors in a cold climate for winter starts, and changing it frequently compared to the long oil change intervals some use for synthetic oil.

I would recommend occasionally having an oil sample checked for contaminants from the coolant if any gets into the oil after seeping past the seals.

As for Dexcool, I assume the coolant in the engine has been changed in the 12 years of life. If not I'd flush it and replace with Dexcool. Or you can buy the SAME FORMULA in Prestone mixes with all types coolant. I'd buy the concentrate and mix with distilled water when I put it in.

A last thought is if you're a person who wants to fix in advance, replace the upper intake manifold with one that has a metal sleeve in the EGR port through it to keep the plastic from warping/deteriorating forming a hole to the coolant channel and replace the gaskets for the lower intake manifold against the heads with ones having the steel frames or aluminum frames. Don't wait for a seep to actually show up.

I'm assuming the car has the original plastic upper intake manifold. You can check the upper intake plastic manifold for original part by checking the 3 circles with the date imprinted in them in the arrows pointing at the day, month, and year.

 

[SAYBER]

I suggest that with the engine's intake manifold leaks that develop and the gasket leaks, that you change oil often to reduce accumulation of any coolant that leaks. I suggest sticking with regular oil or with a synthetic blend if your car is outdoors in a cold climate for winter starts.

I would recommend occasionally having an oil sample checked for contaminants from the coolant if any gets into the oil after seeping past the seals.

As for Dexcool, I assume the coolant in the engine has been changed in the 12 years of life. If not I'd flush it and replace with Dexcool. Or you can buy the SAME FORMULA in Prestone mixes with all types coolant. I'd buy the concentrate and mix with distilled water when I put it in.

A last thought is if you're a person who wants to fix in advance, replace the upper intake manifold with one that has a metal sleeve in the EGR port through it to keep the plastic from warping/deteriorating forming a hole to the coolant channel and replace the gaskets for the lower intake manifold against the heads with ones having the steel frames or aluminum frames. Don't wait for a seep to actually show up.

You can check the upper intake plastic manifold for original part by checking the 3 circles with the date imprinted in them in the arrows pointing at the date parts.

I agree and have done ALL of your reccomend services. Except I went with green coolant and valvoline synthetic blend 10w30 and installed the metal coolant elbows. Thank you for all your suggestions but way ahead of you. 😆 I love my lesabre, I've done the transgo shift kit, replaced every sensor under the hood except crank position and camshaft position. Thought you'd like to see it.

 

[imidazol97]

Then you're far along the right track for a long lifetime 3800. As to the original question about high mileage oil, I read those are higher viscosity number oils within the range for the label. That reduces the oil consumption and tends to quiet areas where wear has occurred with tens of thousands of miles of driving.

 

[SAYBER]

Then you're far along the right track for a long lifetime 3800. As to the original question about high mileage oil, I read those are higher viscosity number oils within the range for the label. That reduces the oil consumption and tends to quiet areas where wear has occurred with tens of thousands of miles of driving.

Idk about that but I've been using high mileage oil for yrs and no problems yet. I think that with alot of oils, maybe not much difference but I change mine every 3000 miles OR alittle less, it really doesn't matter. Idk..... Do you have a pic of your car?

 

[HotZ28]

High mileage oils have some additional additives that are known to prolong the life of the engine, either used with low miles, or high miles!

 

[carlos&carlos]

I thought the 3800 was an engine that last longer years, but inside this backing up propaganda it is not mentioned the use of synthetic oil as the requirement.

Of course the engine internal parts will suffer of wearing, but one must be aware that the product claiming to be made for cars with "high" mileage, then it's not for cars under the amount of miles described on the label. Mostly those synthetic oil bottles say 75,000 miles or more.

To me, 75,000 miles is not really "high mileage" but well, it can be taken as "preventive maintenance".

According to the chart on the service manual, in my book says on page 6-12, under Sealers, Adhesives, and Lubricants, the part number for Motor Oil is GM 12345616.

It is being sold online for $3.17 a quart.

GM (General Motors) - 12345616 - GM Goodwrench Motor Oil - 10W-30

In no place says the engine of my car requires synthetic oil.

Then, I go by the book.

However, I bought this car used and with 52,000 miles, and I have no idea about the service record of it. And the engine and transmission are the heart of the motor, so since I bought it, I have paid no attention to the engine light for service, but I decided to go by the old school, which is replacing the motor oil every 3,000 miles, using conventional 10W-30 motor oil.

Of course synthetic oil seems to be the 8th wonder of the world, but my engine was made for using conventional oil and I will stick with it. I have at home 3 more cars, two of them require synthetic oil, and the another one from 2016 requires conventional motor oil.

So, to Caesar what is Caesar, I follow what the producer of the car recommends.

 

[squirrel]

I hadn't paid attention to oil prices lately...but when I was shopping for oil for my 99 over the weekend, I noticed that synthetic cost less than a dollar more for a 5 gallon jug, than conventional oil. I guess it's not an issue any more. Used to be it cost noticeably more!