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Dealer charges a fortune for synthetic oil so I'm thinking of going elsewhere.
Change the oil yourself! It can't void the warranty unless you do something wrong....
I want to replace my instrument cluster with the one from the Sport Appearance Package.... if y'all come up with anything let me know please! Thanks!
Mobil 1 is an excellent synthetic, available for a decent price at Costco. Mobil 1 oil filters have an excellent rep, as well. Amsoil synthetic oil and filters are considered to be among the best by many "experts", but are pricey.
I don't know if they still pull oil out of the ground in PA, or if it's just a certain grade or refinement process.
Does anybody else here know?
Jeff Gordon #24 has been sponsored by Quaker State for the past few years in his Nascar Monte Carlo. Steve Park #1 Penzoil is his sponsor for his Monte Carlo. John Force is sponsored by Castrol GTX in is Mustang Funny Car. I personally believe that all popular name brand multigrade motor oil blends available meet or exceed all specifications that our Impalas' require. Its just a personal preference.
Its just like gasoline they all have their own additives. As long as you use at least an 87 octane gasoline for your Impala thats all that matters.......
They emulsify faster than other brands.
I used quaker state in my Camaro a couple of times and it literally couldn't take the heat.
The oil pressure would drop after about 1000 miles.
I'd be more apt to listen to mechanics and shadetree types like b4z than almost anything said by almost any dealership mechanic. Shoot, if it wasn't for warranty repairs, I'd never set foot in one.
BTW, Wal-Mart brand motor oil (powertech or somesuch) also says it meets or exceeds etc. Are you gonna pour that in your engine?
I am no expert on oil, gasoline or any other part you need for your car. I do know that large companies like Fram, Quaker State, Penzoil wouldn't be in business for years, today if their products weren't bought by many satisfied customers. Its obvious you had a bad experience with your Camaro. Because they no longer make Camaros what does that say for them. Camaros major competetor The Mustang was there since 64' and sales are going stronger then ever.
If you go to Google and type in Pennsylvania Oils, read all the sights (I read several) I didn't see one negative comment about Pennsylvania oil products, as you state. Some sights compare to Alaskan crude and state that Pennsylvania oils are superior in many ways.
Maybe you should be less patriotic and just demand oil from Iraq....
As for Fram filters, and Quaker State and Pennzoil filters which are simply repainted Frams, I would not ever put one on my engine. Ever. They are absolute crap. Poorly designed and shoddily constructed of cheap materials.
The can can be crushed in one hand. The filter element is too small. The bypass doesn't work. End the element end caps are CARDBOARD. It also says something to me that Pennzoil/Quaker State is willing tp put their names on that garbage.
Finally, Quaker State owns Slick 50, worthless snake oil that may actually do more harm than good for your engine, that is more suited to late night infomercials like its formulaic cousins, DuraLube and ProLong. Again, what does that say about the company?
It is highly unlikely that my Impala will break down because of the brand name I choose for oil and gasoline. Good grief. Go ahead and spend premium money on whatever brand you choose. Chances are my Impala will last just as long has yours regardless of what major brand name I use.
This is one type of car and one type of engine that runs at an extremely hot temperature.
If my Impala were ever even get close to 220-230 degrees I would be at the dealership so fast it would make your head spin.
In fact, if my Impala were to even got to 200 degrees I would run to the dealer.
This is how I discovered that my upper intake manifold was warped. I had been smelling anti freeze on and off and noticed that while at a McDonald's drive thru the temp was slightly abve the halfway has mark.
I had never seen it this high before.
Our Impalas and Monte Carlos will never run as hot as my Camaro.
It doesn't make a whole lot of difference to me what I put in the Impala. Because it will never stress the oil.
But the camaro gets Valvoline HD Racing 20w-50.
The only dino oil that I have tried that doesn't cause my oil pressure to drop.
That is my experience from almost 70 oil changes and after trying Quaker, Pennzoil, Castrol GTX, etc. in the Camaro.
The quickest oil pressure drop occured with Quaker State.
In 1992 i drove from SC to Chicago and by the time I had gotten to Kentucky, (less than 400 miles) the oil pressure ahd already dropped.
That's all I've got to say about that.
As for gas, I definitely do notice a difference. I recently switched to 76 here in CA, as they don't use MTBE. What started out as a purely environmental decision turned out to have the pleasant side effect of boosting my car's performance. (XJS, not Impala. I haven't tried the it in the Impala yet.)
Here is the final offer:
MSRP: $26,840 (neutral lther, sunroof, upgraded stereo)
Sale Price: $21,265 (w/rebates/holdbacks)
My GM card rebate: $4000
My trade: $9000
Final price: $8265
I am adding the tailight covers for $250 and may add 17-inch rims. Anyone know if the 1996 SS rims will fit this car?
Impala SS rims will not fit those are RWD rims not FWD.
The rims...its all in the rims for dressing it up. I just have to find a good deal on some. I wish the 96 17's fit so I could keep it factory fresh. Oh well.
One of the guys on here but ICW's on, but they were 18's.
You can also go to cardomain.com and look at some of the impalas there although I lot of them are too blingbling for me.
I am not a big fan of a lot of chrome.
I prefer the polished, silver or machined face like my '01 LS.
Bill
There is even a Spring Break event in Daytona called, whatelse......."SpringBling".
Who was that great philosopher who once said, "I got my mind on my money and my money on my mind?"
Gotta put in my two cents.
Sounds like they're cheapening up the Impalas. Bummer. But, when I still have mine looking new in 20 years maybe it'll still be one of the best ones.
Any oil can cause sludge or other related troubles if you do not change the oil often enough.
Customers of mine have used all of the main brands and off brands too. If you do not change the oil often enough there will be trouble.
Use the products that you decide make you happy. IF there was a major defect in certain filter designs , think about the large exposure to lawsuits if these designs did not function correctly in the real world.
With that said ....... yes there are some chaep filters and others that are greatly better in design and performance.
My father had a 67 Elcamino with a 327 V8. Nothing but Pennzoil and some STP went into the engine. At near 100k it burned a valve. He pulled the heads off (I helped, although I believe he used words "get out of the way"). The engine looked like it was new inside. Very little deposits on the internals of the heads or in the valley under the intake.
My father was a lubrication foreman for local construction company for many years.
Most drivers that rant about certain oils and filters (good or bad) would not know which end of a wrench to hold.
I am not flaming anyone here, just pointing out what I have seen as an owner / mechanic over the years.
Again......use the products that make you happy and you feel safe using them.
Since you're a professional, what's your opinion on changing oil brands every now & then? Is it important to stick with the same brand?
Mixing weights of oils does not hurt things. Mixing synthetics and dino oils is fine. Most of these manufactures will tell you not to mix oils, but I have never had or seen a problem with mixing and I have done it for years.
Mixing specialty oils may not be wise. Oils for 2 stroke type engines should be separate too.
There are different rated oils for diesel engines than gasoline engines. These oils deal with the by-products of diesel combustion better than oils for gasoline engine.
Changing oil by the length of time would be determined by the climate that you leave in. Here in AZ I would let oil go for 6 months or more, then change. I have a chevy motor that I have not changed the oil in for over a year and less than 400 miles on it. If you are in a most/cold climate then 4 months would be better in low miles , short distance driving.
Some of you middleaged folks may have heard of the mixing of trany fluids and things turning to gooo. This was true decades ago till the use of whale oil was banned in the early 70's (if my memory is correct).
On the subject of trannys..... late model Chrysler products function better with Mopar brand fluids. Primarily cold driving climates is where this fluid functions bettter. Some imports require certain fluids in the trannys. There are additives that modify Dexron fluids for these apps and sem to function fine.
Power steering fluids should not be mixed. Some of your imports will require appication specific fluids.
I hope this helps some.
Tony
Shortly after we bought the car (October 2001) we noticed that the temp. gauge (dash gauge) fluctuates a lot. More than any other vehicle I've ever been in. This car never holds a steady temperature. When warm, it will run around 185-190. However, the gauge will invariably "hop, skip, and jump" around even in short 5-10 minute trips. Often, it reaches the middle mark (200* F). It will only stay this high for a few seconds, then begin to drop again. On more than a few occassions, it rose well above the middle, reaching almost 215* F a few times.
I checked the coolant during the first week we owned it, and it was full (exactly at full cold line when cold). I checked it at least every month, and nothing changed for 1st several months. I figured perhaps the temp. sensor was bad or the thermostat wasn't very good, and I would just keep an eye on it.
However at about 10,000 miles (mid April), I noticed the coolant began to drop. It is now pretty low (at 15,000 mi), but there is still some coolant in the expansion tank, even when engine is hot.
I have never observed white "smoke", or any antifreeze dripping or puddles. But it is possible I missed this since it's only a small amount of coolant lost so far. I know the coolant did not just disappear! We have smelled something like antifreeze on a couple of occasions while driving.
I am about to take the car in for it's first warranty visit (the driver side "auto down" window feature hasn't worked since the first month- we didn't really care enough to take it right away, but want to get it fixed).
Anyway, what are your thoughts on the coolant issue? Anyone know what the problem is? Similar experiences? Does this engine (3.4 V6) have any common problems that could be the culprit (head gasket, intake manifold, etc)? All help is appreciated.
Any advice on how to approach the dealer with the problem (ie.- state the symptoms and act dumb or tell him what I think problem might be)?
Our '88 Buick Electra had no problems w/ the 3.8L V6. I like the 3.4 performance just fine, but I'm starting to wish we had looked for a base Impala with the 3.8 option.
All help is appreciated.
Thanks in advance.