1996 Other Saturn Models Oil

[quote:4a175ed91c="pcarrion"]Engine problem
1996 Other Saturn Models 4 cyl Front Wheel Drive Manual 100,00 miles
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I recently changed my engine oil and my mechanic recommeded to use a 50 weight oil. My owners manual says to use a standard 30 weight oil and it specifically says not to use 50 weight oil. Since my car has been burning some oil the mechanic oil said to use the 50 weight oil to reduce this problem. Is this accurate and will it cause any damage to my engine.[/quote:4a175ed91c]

This is an old mechanics "trick" I don't think it will do any real damage but I don't recommend it. The reason for the 50w oil is because it is thicker than the 30w. Now if the engine is burning oil that means the oil is getting past the rings or valve guides, that means major engine wear. The line of thinking is that the thicker oil will have a harder time getting past those components so you will loose less oil in a given amount of time. Just remember that in the cold weather that 50w oil is going to be really thick when you start it up and it may cause hard cranking and more wear because it's going to take longer for the oil to get to vital parts.

Thanks for your help, that is pretty much what I figured I just wanted to make sure that was the case. I had the car in the shop a few months ago and the mechanic spent a few hours looking it over and he found that there was no leaks it was just burning oil and there was nothing that he could do about it, but I did get a $300 bill for his time spent just looking at it.

[quote:ad4bbdbd27="pcarrion"]Thanks for your help, that is pretty much what I figured I just wanted to make sure that was the case. I had the car in the shop a few months ago and the mechanic spent a few hours looking it over and he found that there was no leaks it was just burning oil and there was nothing that he could do about it, but I did get a $300 bill for his time spent just looking at it.[/quote:ad4bbdbd27]

I am sorry you got taken for a ride on the bill. $300 seems quite high just to see if the engine is leaking oil.

I don't know what condition your car is in and how much you would like to keep it, but if you want to keep it, the last time I checked a new create engine for that car was about $900 from Saturn. That was a quote from a local Saturn dealership. Another option is finding a good used one from a "boneyard". A good used one shouldn't run you more than $350.

[quote:aeac105002="phoenyix"][quote:aeac105002="pcarrion"]Thanks for your help, that is pretty much what I figured I just wanted to make sure that was the case. I had the car in the shop a few months ago and the mechanic spent a few hours looking it over and he found that there was no leaks it was just burning oil and there was nothing that he could do about it, but I did get a $300 bill for his time spent just looking at it.[/quote:aeac105002]

I am sorry you got taken for a ride on the bill. $300 seems quite high just to see if the engine is leaking oil.

I don't know what condition your car is in and how much you would like to keep it, but if you want to keep it, the last time I checked a new create engine for that car was about $900 from Saturn. That was a quote from a local Saturn dealership. Another option is finding a good used one from a "boneyard". A good used one shouldn't run you more than $350.[/quote:aeac105002]


Thanks for the suggestion and your continued support. I may look into this option.