I had been noticing lately that my car seems to use oil a lot...well I go by the oil life indicator and when my last change was due, my oil level light came on and so i changed it and forgot about it till now. At this time, my oil life indicator is showing between 60-70% and my level was down about 3/4 quart of oil...i do use synthetic oil..any ideas??

Also, does anyone know how difficult it is to change the supercharger belt? I would like to put on a gatorback....

thanks for the input
adam

Regards to your supercharger belt. I put a G belt on. Getting the old one off was no problem. I did have a problem getting the new one on. It was SO tight I couldnt get ir over the supercharger pully!!! I had to stretch it out alittle with a 2 ton jack and a block of wood overnight. After that it was STILL REALLY TIGHT! It took me, holding down the movable pulley and my dad to push/pull the belt around the pulley. Maybe other people havent had this problem, but I think its a 2 person job because the new belt is so tight. Good luck!

In Reguards to the Synthitic Oil-

I Used to Drive a 96 Cadillac Deville, And Syn. Oil was not recomended Because it will Exagerate Oil Leaks/seepage.

At you next change, I'd try a convential oil, and see if that helps.

I've heard of people Caddies that leaked like a sive with syn oil, and didnt lose a drop on conventional. Good Luck-
Mike

Just a couple of questions for ya, Adam.

What brand and weight of synthetic are you using?

What was the brand and weight of the dead-dino juice that resulted in little/no consumption.

Driving habits and the car in specific will yield strange results with oils. I run a 10w30 full-synthetic and have no noticeable evaporation, but the previous fill of 5w30 (same brand) would go down 3/4 quart in 4000 miles.

ferb!

There was just a regular oil in it before...probably 10w30 but now I am using 10w30 Castrol syntec...have been using it for the last 3-5 changes... just noticed the oil level recently...what about that oil that is made for cars w/ high mileage...is it any good or should i just stick w/ plain old pennzoil or valvoline? Is all this freezing weather in Pennsylvania causing problems??? Thanks for the input

adam

Hm. 3-5 changes should have been enough for the oil. I would suggest this, though. Try a round of Mobil 1 10w30. Since it's the same price (and sometimes cheaper) it won't hurt you there.

Plus, the Mobil 1 (being a TRUE synthetic) has esters to clean and swell seals. This is kinda the same technique used by certain "high mileage" conventional oils to minimize seal seepage.

If you're wanting to switch back to a conventional, i recommend Pennzoil. It has one of the better combinations of additives available.

ferb!

There actually should be no problem with switching between synthetic and non-synthtic. Synthetic being better I would stay with it as you will have better wear protection as it will "seep" into the metal. This means that in moderate temps and cold temps synthetic is ideal but it very very hot climates (Summer day in Suda) it is not. Also, I never heard of stretching the belt!!! If you have to do that then you are using a belt that is too short and if you do stretch it then you are compromising the integrity of the belt. Also due to the tensioner in the Grand Prixs it is really a two man job as you cannot take off the tensioner, install the belt and then put it on. Due to the mechanics of the tensioning system and how it increases tension with higher rpms if you stretch it you are preventing a better tension and putting on a stretched gatorback defeats the purpose and is like putting on a worn out belt half an inch too long!

Switching between types of oils doesn't provide BIG problems, but the additive packages compete for space and cleansing, so the oil may "wear out" sooner.

Whats interesting to note is that usually "worn out" oil is actually fine, but it is the additive package which is used up.

It is for that reason that once you find an oil which meets your consumption needs and wallet, stick with it. After two or three changes, the wear metals decrease due to the flushing of the system.

ferb!