Chevrolet Malibu Forums banner
Status
Not open for further replies.

High Mileage Oil

11K views 19 replies 9 participants last post by  rodhotter 
#1 ·
Has anyone ever used high mileage oil and noticed a reduction in oil consumption, reduction in leaks, or any other benefit?

On Malibu or any other vehicle.
 
#2 ·
I think the theory is that it is suppose to help swell/relubricate the rubber gaskets so that it would indeed stop leaks but I imagine that it would have to be one of those preventative maintenance things and not something to help after the fact. If you're trying to use high mileage oil to stop leaks in a car that has its rubber gaskets disintegrated or hardened up to the point of being brittle, it would be like throwing water on a house that has already burned down. However, I too am curious if it is worth trying out since my 'Bu now has 105,000 miles on it. If it's nothing more than snake oil so to speak, I'd rather just stick with the regular oil but if it does carry any sort of extra benefit, then I may use high mileage on my next oil change.
 
#12 ·
I think the theory is that it is suppose to help swell/relubricate the rubber gaskets so that it would indeed stop leaks but I imagine that it would have to be one of those preventative maintenance things and not something to help after the fact.
And it also has a different detergent package.

Just make sure it's Dexos1 Generation2 rated if the car is a 2010 or newer.
 
  • Like
Reactions: !Tommy
#3 ·
Yeah, that's what the bottle says. I'm just surprised no one has actually done a test to see if the claims are backed up.

My LE5 2.4 uses around 1QT every 5,000 miles. I know it's insignificant, I just wish I could make it through the whole oil change without having to add.

I posted another thread about PCV possible being clogged because I know that can cause oil usage but there doesn't seem to be a way to clean it.
 
#6 ·
My LE5 2.4 uses around 1QT every 5,000 miles. I know it's insignificant, I just wish I could make it through the whole oil change without having to add.

I posted another thread about PCV possible being clogged because I know that can cause oil usage but there doesn't seem to be a way to clean it.
How many miles have you got on the clock? I have 105,000 and my oil is always as full as when I put it in. I accidentally spilled some on the ground and yet when I caught the rest it was nearly up to 5 quarts.

We don't have an actual PCV valve per se, but we do have a little outlet under the engine cover and hose that releases blow by back into the throttle body. If you look on the engine cover, you'll see the hose connected on the left hand side. The best way you could really test to see if it is plugged without removing the cover (if you're not a wimp lol) would be to disconnect the hose/clamp from the engine cover, clean off any little bit of blow by with a clean cloth, and blow into the hose. It should be quite free-flowing. If you feel too much resistance, you may need to clean the hose out or the little valve under the engine cover. Might be a bit downplayed by professional mechanics but removing the engine cover can be a bit of a hassle so unless you want to do it, I'd do what I suggested first. Just don't swallow any fluids and clean your skin off well afterwards and you should be fine. I cleaned my valve opening even though I don't think it was plugged. I used a bit of throttle body cleaner on a q-tip and just poked it around a bit and I ended up just replacing the hose to start fresh with it.
 
#5 · (Edited)
Yes, Dexos 1 oil, always have.

I also notice there is a touch of moisture in the system. Dipstick has a little bit of white foam on it, but oil is still translucent and brown after almost 6,000 miles. Coolant is not dropping. No white or black smoke. Tailpipe has a little bit of carbon but no soot or anything that wipes out.

I keep coming back to the PCV thing. Maybe next oil change I'll pull the top cover off again and look closer to see if there is a way to clean it. The PCV tube did have some oil in it last time I looked.
 
#8 ·
I usually change mine around 20% or every 7,000 miles. I'm already down to 75% and it seems like I just changed my oil not long ago.

I'm just curious, why did you have the throttle body replaced?
 
#10 ·
Got my car at 75k, private fleet car, motor and oil looked clean like it had regular oil changes. Switched to WM full synth. then and now it's at 173k miles. Oil life at 10-15% changes is approximately 9k miles.
5qt refill puts dipstick at mid mark, I add a little to get it to full mark and when it is ready for a change its usually at the qt. low mark.
I see no need for the high mileage stuff that supposedly swells seals, snake oil as far as I'm concerned as if it's got a leak it needs a seal or gasket change as a little seepage is normal and no oil or additive is gonna fix a bad leak.
IMO full synth. oil is the key to not having part fails or at least reducing failures in the oil system or oiled components. I've had quite a few vehicles go over the 200k mark without issues.
I don't constantly beat my vehicles but WFO operation is not out of the question either. I'm old but don't drive like grandpa's are supposed to......
 
#11 ·
@bigdogchris: Makes perfect sense to me! I know my throttle body was a bit dirty as well so I cleaned it up about 2,000 miles ago. Seems like everything works well on it now.
@repairman54: I won't disagree with anything you said as it makes perfect sense. And I suppose if our cars needed it, the manual would state so after X amount of miles. I highly agree with using full synthetic oil though, I always use full no matter what. I think the Chevy dealership uses a combination of conventional and synthetic which is what Driven mentioned to me a few months ago. While that may be sufficient, I'd rather go the whole 9 yards for added protection. A few extra dollars per oil change is much easier and less painful than needing a new engine as far as I'm concerned. My Ecotec has been extremely reliable since I've owned it and it's over the 100,000 mile mark so I'm hoping for at least another 100,000 miles of decent and nearly trouble free operation. I've never had a car in my life start up so fast, easy, and like a dream as I do this car. I'm loving that!
 
#14 · (Edited)
Dexos 1 Gen2 has been full synthetic for close to 18 months now at the dealerships...it is a Mobil product (perhaps Mobil Super Synthetic oil)...

I don't think High Mileage oil is snake oil but I wouldn't expect my motor oil to fix any major issues with oil consumption or usage...

Good luck with your choice,

Bill
 
#16 · (Edited)
Just to provide a quick update, for some reason the car is no longer using oil. Has around 5,000 on this oil change and it's still within the top square crosshatch on the dip stick.

Earlier this year I did notice the PCV hose on the top cover was disconnected. I wonder if that is what was causing it? Wouldn't it just be venting fumes into the atmosphere? We had a new TB put on over a year ago and they must of forgot to hook it back up. Been using a ton of oil since then.

The other thing that change is the oil I use recently switched from Dexos 1 Gen 1 to Gen 2 spec. I don't think that would of made this kind of difference since the focus was on LSPI. But I thought it's worth noting.
 
#17 ·
Of the two items that you mention, I would tend to think that the PCV would be more likely to contribute to the issue.

Possibly the slightly different formulation of the oil you're using makes it less volatile, which leads to less oil turning into vapor and leaving via the PCV port.

But not installing the PCV hose was most likely just an oversight. Not making excuses; just saying that humans make mistakes. Sometimes they're small like this, and sometimes they take down an entire space vehicle with all souls on board.
 
#19 ·
Hose off will let out a lot of oil vapors that normally would be trapped in the motor that would normally recondense internally IMO.
 
#20 ·
high mileage oils as noted are said to help with leaking on older vehicles + may be a bit "thicker" within the same spec. stepping UP a grade to say 5-30 can help as engines wear + the higher viscosity is better for fuel dilution that thins oil. direct injection is HARD on oil, as it adds contaminants beside fuel + those that "believe" the oil monitor + run their oil TOO long as in for issues in the future IMO!!
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
You have insufficient privileges to reply here.
Top