3.5L endurance question

[mcginner]

I have 345,000km on my car. I've done the regular Cam and Crank sensor change had to replace the starter and alternator at 320,000km one week apart. The head gasket does leak but nothing major. I'm not putting money into the car due to the mileage and the body is rotten out. Check the rocker panels under the plastic cover and try to keep them clean. Mine are rotten from front to back.

 

[Triguie_2000_GLS]

I have 345,000km on my car. I've done the regular Cam and Crank sensor change had to replace the starter and alternator at 320,000km one week apart. The head gasket does leak but nothing major. I'm not putting money into the car due to the mileage and the body is rotten out. Check the rocker panels under the plastic cover and try to keep them clean. Mine are rotten from front to back.

I gotta take my rocker panels off and get that taken care of. I'm gonna have this car for a while so I don't want it rotting out on me.

 

[Olds_suck_likeGM]

i win

my 2002 has over 197k on it other than engine mounts seized up ac compressor that i bypassed with 20 dollar belt and it was revived with no maintenance done for years so after catching all that up just minor crap still has balls to the walls i passed 5 cars on the highway got to 170 Phewww no cops but very little shaking at those speeds the only olds and gm engine made good and reliable only thing it was built like most a throw away with one of the tightest engine compartments i have ever seen can evan add extra horn or air horns for my road rage only thing i have found with this high of millage it does a David Copperfield with your oil if anything less than 20 weight i used 10 no puddles drips exaust collors water nothing 10 weight was just gone 20 never ever had another drip or problems

 

[Triguie_2000_GLS]

my 2002 has over 197k on it other than engine mounts seized up ac compressor that i bypassed with 20 dollar belt and it was revived with no maintenance done for years so after catching all that up just minor crap still has balls to the walls i passed 5 cars on the highway got to 170 Phewww no cops but very little shaking at those speeds the only olds and gm engine made good and reliable only thing it was built like most a throw away with one of the tightest engine compartments i have ever seen can evan add extra horn or air horns for my road rage only thing i have found with this high of millage it does a David Copperfield with your oil if anything less than 20 weight i used 10 no puddles drips exaust collors water nothing 10 weight was just gone 20 never ever had another drip or problems

Wow. Take a breath and use some punctuation.

 

[christauph]

my 2002 has over 197k on it other than engine mounts seized up ac compressor that i bypassed with 20 dollar belt and it was revived with no maintenance done for years so after catching all that up just minor crap still has balls to the walls i passed 5 cars on the highway got to 170 Phewww no cops but very little shaking at those speeds the only olds and gm engine made good and reliable only thing it was built like most a throw away with one of the tightest engine compartments i have ever seen can evan add extra horn or air horns for my road rage only thing i have found with this high of millage it does a David Copperfield with your oil if anything less than 20 weight i used 10 no puddles drips exaust collors water nothing 10 weight was just gone 20 never ever had another drip or problems

170 huh? I'm going to assume you're talking kilometers here. The shortstar uses oil, plain and simple. I would personally rather add a little oil every once in a while than use an oil that is WAY too thick and risk increased wear on cold starts.

 

[swagled]

Using a heavier weight is an trick that can work for a while, but it's advice I have seen on simpler old engines like Chevy small blocks. I have thought about mixing in one quart of 20w to raise the weight just a bit more in the summer. But - haven't been too inclined to experiment.

I would have assumed that a performance engine like the LX5 runs on tight tolerances and needs the specified oil. Interesting that someone has dared to go all 20w on it.

The other tactic is to go with synthetic. People claim to not experience as much oil burning taking place. GM also began shipping their final NorthStar cars with synthetic, and advising people use it.

 

[Triguie_2000_GLS]

I've been using 10W-30 since I bought the car with 87,360 miles. No issues. Not burning as bad as it used to either. Added maybe 1/4 of a quart this evening. Only have under 1K miles to go before the next oil change.

 

[gealii]

170 huh? I'm going to assume you're talking kilometers here. The shortstar uses oil, plain and simple. I would personally rather add a little oil every once in a while than use an oil that is WAY too thick and risk increased wear on cold starts.

i have 170,000 miles and my shortstar uses 0 oil. when i changed the oil at 6,000 miles it was still topped off

 

[christauph]

i have 170,000 miles and my shortstar uses 0 oil. when i changed the oil at 6,000 miles it was still topped off

There are exceptions to every rule, but I would guess that anecdotal evidence from owners would suggest that most people have to add oil every once in awhile. As I've mentioned in another thread, I tried synthetic and my consumption went up dramatically. I find Mobil Super 5000 to use the least, approx 1/2 quart in 3000 miles, 166k on it.

 

[justtrying]

Keep in mind that the W, as in 10W-30, does not stand for weight! (Probably for winter) The 10 and 30 are viscosity numbers, and not a 'weight' designation. Not being picky about this, but why not use the correct terms.

 

[swagled]

It's probably kind of like how people mixed up "bps" and "baud" endlessly with modems. Well, when we all still used modems anyway...

 

[highlander13]

Yes great engine and a pretty good tranny. I have 190,000 some km, I run 5-30 full synthetic and it goes about 7500km between oil changes, and that's me changing it. I've gotten it well over 8000km before the oil change light comes on. Still uses about a quart between changes. Not a big deal though.

And yes as others mention it sounds AWESOME when the tach gets up to 6000rpm Too bad it has a 180km/hr fuel cut off!! I drive the car like a manual most days (2nd and then shift it to 3rd and 4th) and it feels great. It could have used a 5 speed to knock the rpms down further on the highway, but I can still get about 7.8L/100km (almost 30MPG) if the speed is kept around 105-110km/hr. People complain (not just on this site) about the problems they've had with the 4T65-E transmission, but I haven't had any.

The water crossover gaskets like to leak, and mine started to this winter. The 3 gaskets are cheap but I was told its about 7-8 hrs of labor to change them because the space is so tight and lots has to be removed. There are quite a few forums on the site about this. Along with the crank position sensor (which mine needs), and the right wheel hub/ABS sensor.

But I think its a very cool motor and I even bought another that had a blown head gasket for $150 just so I could tear it apart and rebuild it. The only thing I hate is how expensive engine parts can be. Filters and belts are cheap, but anything internal seems to be priced like its gold plated.

It definitely doesn't drive like my Audi 90 Quattro did, but I'll keep this car until it up and quits

 

[rsmith3042000]

I now have 215,00 on my 2002 Intrigue. The only engine problem was a crankshaft position sensor that was replaced at 125,000. The engine now runs great with slight oil consumption.