GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

I'm looking to try something new in the old girl, it has 200k I have the 1ZZ, I currently use supertech syn 5w30 and a motor craft filter. Thinking of switching to high milage penzoil 5w30 and keeping the motorcraft filter.

The question now is what does every one else do/tried? And for how long?

Why would you want to change to high mileage oil? High mileage oil has conditioners for the seals that may have very small cracks and leak a little oil. If you have no indication for oil loss through the valve seals and or main seals and camshaft seals there is no reason to change to a high mileage oil. Once you have switched to high mileage oil you will have to stay with it because when you revert to normal oils the conditioners will wash out and cause more leaks than before.
If you had good experience with your current practice I cannot see what you could gain with a change.

Stick with the same oil. Two more things:
1. Use the updated higher fill level on your dipstick (or, get the new dipstick).
2. Use an oversized, high quality filter.
The combination of these two things will add over a litre of oil capacity, and that is a very good thing. Doing these likely saved my engine when I had a leak/bad oil level sender. Both have been discussed on this forum.

jayoldschool wrote:Stick with the same oil. Two more things:
1. Use the updated higher fill level on your dipstick (or, get the new dipstick).
2. Use an oversized, high quality filter.
The combination of these two things will add over a litre of oil capacity, and that is a very good thing. Doing these likely saved my engine when I had a leak/bad oil level sender. Both have been discussed on this forum.

Jay: could you provide the model and number of the oversized filter you use? It would keep me from opening all those boxes at Wal-Mart to compare them.

There are a few options. One size up would be 2ZZ. BIG (and what I use) is the Toyota V6/V8 filter. I use the Mobil 1 M1-209. It's huge compared to the tiny 1zz filter. The extra oil capacity, combined with the drastic increase in filtering media is a major benefit.

http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/132-c ... hread.html

well yesterday I did a spark plug replacement and one of the plugs had a little oil on the treads I replaced the gaskets about a year and a half ago so I think the HM is the easiest solution. I was unaware there was a new dip stick? do you have a part number for it? and a place where you got it? with the big filter and the new dip stick what is the new capacity?

Here is a thread on the updated dipstick. I never bothered with getting one, the car doesn't burn oil and the 2ZZ-spec filter (Wix 57145 usually) bumps up the capacity enough for me.

I got a deal on Maxlife a while back so I switched switched the Vibe over to it on the last change. The 1ZZ runs smooth and quiet on this stuff, I like it. Only leak I have is some seepage from the timing chain tensioner (which continues even after replacing the part with a new one.) If it helps with the leak, cool. But the main reason I went to it was that it's a synthetic blend with a stout addpack for a very good price.

I didn't update my stick. I just took the measurement of the new one, and put a Sharpie line on my stock one.

Jay, I was going to do the same thing but I was just going to take a nail or something of that sort to make the marks lol. so if I use the 2zz filter it would be about 4.5qt total and like 4.75qt if I use the V6 filter? The guy who owned it before me said he used the 1zz filter and he just dumped a 5qt bottle in it lol.

I think I am going to go with castrol HM, looking on there web site it says they use a zinc alternative to help prevent catalytic converter failure in high mileage cars and my cat has been throwing P0420 codes half of the winter, as long as I clear the codes and they do a idle emissions test I will pass for now. One day the cat will fail though cross that bridge when I get there.

I wouldn't dimple or score the stick. Don't want to chance the bottom part breaking off. That's why I did the Sharpie line. Not sure of the exact capacity with the new line/big filter combo, but it is definitely close to 5L. I just do the change, fill slow, and keep checking until full.

Hmm didn't think about the stick breaking, thanks for that one. Wouldn't want to have to take the pan off to find that.

Just take a file and lightly score the surface with a mark. A marker could come off with the oil heat and detergent additives that are in the motor oil. Change your oil more often to keep the additive package good. The additive package breaks down the longer you leave the oil in the engine and can cause rubber seal to go bad/wear out earlier and build up of deposits. I have seen piston rings go bad and start burning oil because of deposits in the oil return holes on the pistons oil ring. Low tension piston rings help with power and gas mileage but also can not work properly with oil deposits.

I normally change the oil every 5k I the factory specs calls for 5k if its driven hard and 7k if it is normal driving, do you think 5k is to long? I had a old Toyota Camry 4cyl with over 300k on the dash and I changed it every 3k and I was told that it was excessive lol.