EviLette Posted July 14, 2006 Report Share Posted July 14, 2006 A friend of mine recently recommended that I should use a straight-weight oil in my car... thirty weight, for example, instead of what I've been using (manufacturer's suggested oil). He said on higher mileage engines, you're better off with straight-weight. My mom's truck was the one he suggested it for first... it's a hauling truck with 170k on the engine/body/drivetrain. My GP has 164 on the body... the engine came out of a j/y car before I ever bought the bitch, so I don't have the slightest clue how many miles are on the engine, but I'm willing to bet it's almost around 200k the way it sounds... i have maintained it well throughout my ownership, it's just tired... Any suggestions on how to get my CS to come to life long enough that I can check the odometer? The alternator is totally fried... so no power, and a battery won't do anything... it's a digital cluster... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cutlsp Posted July 14, 2006 Report Share Posted July 14, 2006 Jump it and turn on the key....... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EviLette Posted July 14, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 14, 2006 Jump it and turn on the key....... haha no key? i'll double check though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turbo231 Posted July 14, 2006 Report Share Posted July 14, 2006 You'll find no benefit running a straight weight oil in your car. If you're on the end of your engine's life, you can run a heavier weight like a 10w30. Going heavier then that, you'll quiet your engine a bit, but GM had a ton of cam wiping problems when then 10w40 was the basic oil they used in the 70's. Ultimately, you're looking for lubrication...and when the engine is cold and has to move around heavy oil, things don't get lubricated and things get stressed...that's the last thing you want to do to an old engine. In case you wanted to know what those numbers mean in 5w30, it acts like a 5 weight oil when cold, and a 30 weight when hot. Allow me to make up some fake but in the ball park numbers: 5 weight @ 50 degrees: 100 viscosity 30 weight @ 250 degrees: 100 viscosity The oil essentially keeps the same viscosity, which is good. A straight oil you get this: 30 weight @ 50 degrees: 20 viscosity 30 weight @ 250 degrees: 100 viscosity Low viscosity is hard to move...like molasses, so running a straight oil isn't good for your car, especially since multi-grade oils, even the cheap ones, are great. As for the odometer, put a good battery in it and press some buttons...(having a bad alternator means nothing, its the battery that counts). Some cars need a key...if you don't have one, you'll need to get one...see your GM dealer with your VIN and proof of ownership and they'll get you one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cutlsp Posted July 14, 2006 Report Share Posted July 14, 2006 oh well I think I know how to hot wire it...... but they make a special tool to take care of the lock cylinder on a w-body but its 50 bucks or so. In the case of a higher milage engine i tend to run valvoline max life oil in it 10w-30 is just fine for my cutlass so that should be all you need. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirty Rockstar Posted July 15, 2006 Report Share Posted July 15, 2006 NO NO NO on straight weight oil as previously stated.. ..As far as starting it, all I did was pull the steering wheel, remove the horn collar, the turn sig. switch, hazard switch, and then there was a goofy ass square lookin screw with a spring.. Pulled that out, then there were 3 I believe torx bolts in it.. Undid those, and the cylinder slid right out.. I could then start the car with or without the cylinder in place.. I also was able to start it without anything but a screwdriver at this point.. ..Was real simple.. I was in the opposite situation though.. I bought my Lumina with a busted key in the cylinder so I could start it with no key.. I was livin in a rough neighborhood at the time, so I decided to fix it.. While I was there, I thought it would be cool to "try" and see if the thing needed the iggy cylinder or not.. Didnt in my case Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EviLette Posted July 15, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 15, 2006 has a key, no battery, and I dont even want to attempt to pull the battery out of my pontiac. it's 104 today in the shade and I dont have that kind of energy. I'm lazy! Can I just hook jumper cables up to the terminals (provided I connect pos to pos and neg to neg) and get the same effects? hehe I took automotive... I know what the weight representations on the oil was... which was why I didn't understand his recommendation... he said however not to do that in the winter, use a much lighter weight of straight, but I had always remembered the emphasis that my shop teacher had on straight weights in lawn mowers and that's about all it was good for... I have the basics of auto mechanics... i'm just not brilliant lol hydrocarbons, man... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1990lumina Posted July 15, 2006 Report Share Posted July 15, 2006 Yes it will work if you just connect the two jumper cables to the another power source like your GP....Use the Aux. terminals on the strut tower for positve, and the engine mount, or strut tower bolt for a ground..simple as that...it's a bitch to atctually jump these cars by connecting sstraight to the battery lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirty Rockstar Posted July 15, 2006 Report Share Posted July 15, 2006 I read a reply of yours that stated you had no key.. Musta been a typo.. Oh well.. SOme good info anyway Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EviLette Posted July 15, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 15, 2006 I didn't think there was a key... I could have SWORN that there wasn't but there was. Sorry for the mistake. I will definitely try that out real quick today, jumping it, before I go to do some work on my GP. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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