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Tech / General EngineIs your car making a strange sound or won't start? Thinking of adding power with a new combination? Need other technical information or engine specific advice? Don't see another board for your problem? Post it here!
Hello, I am new owner of 1991 Camaro 3.1 v6.
I come from Europe and am new to american cars in general.
Can someone tell me what oil sould I use, would synthetic 5w30 be good? Someone told me to use 10w40 and to add ZDDP, but I alread changed oil with new 5w30 before that... and what is oil change interval for this car?
What oil should I use for gearbox (5 speed manual) and for the differential?
What tightening torque should I use for wheels, we use 12kg or 120nM on european cars, is this the same for camaro?
Your engine oil selection should be based on the expected climate the engine is to be operated in . I know nothing of Slovenia's climate but if it's predominantly cold this time of year (50 degrees F or less) your 5W-30 will be fine . Using synthetic you should be good for 5000 miles , give or take a few miles either way . If your Summertime temperatures regularly get to 80 degrees F or beyond you could go to 10W-30 or 10W-40 if you want to , especially if it's getting up there in mileage (say , 80K miles or above) . Remember , the factory spec 5W-30 is a compromise to balance engine wear and fuel economy , and I believe you'll be fine following the cold climate = thinner oil VS warmer climate = thicker oil formula .
For your transmission oil you should do a search in the transmissions/drivetrain subforum here , some of the manual transmissions used "gear oil" (thicker) and some of them used automatic transmission fluid (thinner) and the year of the car (transmission) is the determiner of which one it requires (I think the earlier ones used gear oil and the later ones used ATF , but I'm not 100% certain which years used which) .
No need to add the ZDDP zinc stuff, in 91 you don't have the flat tappet cam.
I know this holds true for the V8 , but he said he has a 3.1 V6 , I may be wrong but I didn't think any of the third gen V6 engines had roller lifters ?
I know this holds true for the V8 , but he said he has a 3.1 V6 , I may be wrong but I didn't think any of the third gen V6 engines had roller lifters ?
You may be right, I am not that familiar with the V6 so I guess the zinc couldn't hurt.
Just use the normal stuff. Whatever the manual calls for or close. 5W-30 is fine. Any new clean oil (almost) is better than any old dirty wore-out oil. It's just not that big of a deal. Billions and billions of cars are on the road, driving around successfully today, with owners that don't obsess over that sort of stuff.
5W-30 Mobil1 or similar synthetic is totally acceptable.
The transmission needs automatic transmission fluid. Any brand, any type, any any any any any. Anything from common ordinary locally-produced, to Mobil1 or Royal Purple will all work the same. No sense in getting too worked up over it.
The old specs from back in the Ice Age are almost irrelevant today. As an example, I own a World War 2 automatic rifle. There's dozens of message boards devoted to it. One of the most frequent questions is "I can't find MIL spec [whatever it was 80 yrs ago] grease, I want to make sure my rifle is 'protected', how can I grease my rifle?" The answer is, LOOK AT THE SPEC ITSELF. That old MIL spec was for water wash-out of the grease... in other words, if you're marching through wetlands, or it's raining constantly, how long will the grease last? Well, in 2019, EVERY kind of grease you can buy TODAY, from the cheeeeeepest local parts store no-name brand to the most exotic nonobtanium asteroid-derived virgin dinosaur juice pressed exclusively from living dinosaurs under the light of a full moon during a total eclipse, is FAR better than ANYTHING you could POSSIBLY get in the 1940s. The usual answer is, don't waste your money on $150/cc of WW2 "found" "GI" grease; instead, just go buy a grease-gun tube of Mobil1 at the local parts store, and you'll have enough grease to grease THOUSANDS of rifles, for about $10, and it'll be THOUSANDS of times better than the 40s stuff.
Whatever you buy and put in it will be better than driving it with old used-up crap in it. Don't die from paralysis by analysis.
Just use the normal stuff. Whatever the manual calls for or close. 5W-30 is fine. Any new clean oil (almost) is better than any old dirty wore-out oil. It's just not that big of a deal. Billions and billions of cars are on the road, driving around successfully today, with owners that don't obsess over that sort of stuff.
5W-30 Mobil1 or similar synthetic is totally acceptable.
The transmission needs automatic transmission fluid. Any brand, any type, any any any any any. Anything from common ordinary locally-produced, to Mobil1 or Royal Purple will all work the same. No sense in getting too worked up over it.
The old specs from back in the Ice Age are almost irrelevant today. As an example, I own a World War 2 automatic rifle. There's dozens of message boards devoted to it. One of the most frequent questions is "I can't find MIL spec [whatever it was 80 yrs ago] grease, I want to make sure my rifle is 'protected', how can I grease my rifle?" The answer is, LOOK AT THE SPEC ITSELF. That old MIL spec was for water wash-out of the grease... in other words, if you're marching through wetlands, or it's raining constantly, how long will the grease last? Well, in 2019, EVERY kind of grease you can buy TODAY, from the cheeeeeepest local parts store no-name brand to the most exotic nonobtanium asteroid-derived virgin dinosaur juice pressed exclusively from living dinosaurs under the light of a full moon during a total eclipse, is FAR better than ANYTHING you could POSSIBLY get in the 1940s. The usual answer is, don't waste your money on $150/cc of WW2 "found" "GI" grease; instead, just go buy a grease-gun tube of Mobil1 at the local parts store, and you'll have enough grease to grease THOUSANDS of rifles, for about $10, and it'll be THOUSANDS of times better than the 40s stuff.
Whatever you buy and put in it will be better than driving it with old used-up crap in it. Don't die from paralysis by analysis.
As far as I know, NO RWD 60* V6 has roller lifters. I have had a 4th gen 3.4 torn apart and it was a flat tappet cam.
Thank you for anwsers. Car is currently in the beginning of the restoration procces, stripped out & at the bodyshop to get underbody sorted out (rust) & I`m working on bits and pieces at home. I will post photos when finished
Currently cleaning interior bits
I forgot to ask what oil can I put for servo steering? Will "TOTAL FLUID DA" be ok? Also do anyone know how much do I need it? And how much oil goes into differential?
Thank you again
02-04-2019, 02:49 PM
Hi , and welcome to TGO .
