Mobil1 10w-30 and engine noise

budhayes3 · November 21, 2004

I've read a few posts about folks having great results from using Mobil1 10w-30 as opposed to 5w-30 to help quiet their GenIII style engines down. My 5.3 is less than quiet, it's been slappin and tickin since day 1. I used to switch between 5-30 and 10-30 depending on the season, and I don't remember noticing a difference, but then again, I wasn't really listening that closely.

I recently switched from Mobil1 5w-30 to Mobil1 5w-40 Truck and SUV formula, and I really don't think it made a difference. May have gotten a little quieter, I'm not really sure.

All of you folks who have made the switch with these results please feel free to post it here...before I go dumping out fresh oil for another 6 1/2 qts of 10w30, I wanna see how many people have had this good fortune!

Thanks all!!!

phillyturbosix · November 21, 2004

Well I was due for an oil change so I took the truck today and put Mobil 1 5w30 in it. So I'll see in the morning when I start it up and listen for the morning piston slap! Hopefully it's gone. One thing I did notice is my oil gauge swings allot better now and the truck seems more smooth and peppy. I've got 75K on it and this is only the second time I changed the oil since I bought it off my brother in the summer. He bought it new and never tryed anything other then the normal oils.. we shall see in the morning!

sub5 · November 21, 2004

I use Mobile1 10W30 year round with great results in reducing noise. The oil pressure gets up there fast on cold starts and yes much smooder. Piston slap and ticking noise on cold mornings is almost completely gone. I live in Canada up from Champlain NY and have no problem starting in cold -30F winter weather, no need for 5W30 for winter at all.

robot225 · November 21, 2004

I run 10-30 Mobil 1 and mine is still noisy. I've been using this since the first change though, so i don't have much to compare. A buddy of mine runs Mobil 1 5-30 and his is a little quieter than mine, so who knows...

phillyturbosix · November 21, 2004

Well I fired it up this morning with the door open so I could hear it when it started. Much Much Much better! I could hardly hear the piston slap. It was there but I really had to listen for it. Before the neighbors would look out the window when I cold started it looking for the person with the blown engine starting up! lol It's still there the slap.. but much much better. A small car drove past my house while i was sitting there and just the sound of the car going past drowned the noise out. So I would say Mobil 1 is the way to go. I would think after a few changes with Mobil 1 it should just about go away!

budhayes3 · November 22, 2004

I gave it a shot. I dumped out the Mobil1 5w-40 and tried out the 10w-30. Guess what, my engine sounds...... exactly the same . Over the past month I've experimented with Mobil1 5w-30, (which I've been using since day 1), Mobil1 5w-40 Truck and SUV formula, and now Mobil1 10w-30. It has sounded the same every time. Runs like a champ though, just a tad noisier than I'd like it to be. So, for now I'm gonna stick with the 10w-30 and live with the noises as I have for the past 5 years. Unfortunately, I've been listening so closely that it's all that I hear now.

Once my Basslink amp comes I'll have something else to listen to.

GM GIMP · November 24, 2004

My 6.0 started slapping and rattling at about 5,000 mi. At 22,000 I took it in for a CEL that turned out to be a bad o2 sensor. While they had it I told them to to a complete top engine clean using the stuff that sucks through the intake and heads. Since then mine has not made the first slap or knock. Sometimes I do get a lifter tap on hot startup with 5w30 Mobile 1.