new to the car scene

[gavin]

Hey , I drive a 2000 olds alero, (3400 v6, i assume its a 3.4L) shes a nice 'blood' red color with the gold decals (any1 know the name of this trim level?), I've had her for about 2 months and loved every last bit of it, although its a four-door and a automatic, its still a sick ride (to me atleast), i look forward to learning more about these cars from you guys............my first ? though is what type of oil/classification do you guys run? does the oil filter have to be anything specific?
PS- I'll be sure to use the search button like the intro vid. said haha
-Gavin

[Valley olds]

Welcome to the forum. Abuse the search button. For oil filter, Ive heard that there is a bigger filter available for the 3400. You may want to do a search on that. And as for type of oil, it would depend on the wear of your engine and the conditions you drive in. I, myself us 10w30 for my 90k eco. And before anyone else tells you, clear your corners.

[kwhauck]

welcome!!! and i run 5w30.

[Bad99Olds]

welcome. 5w30 here as well. glad to see you looked at the welcome video, im proud of you. heres a cookie ::tosses cookie::

[Nate's Alero]

i run 5w30 here as well, i use castril GTX high mileage... good stuff

[KenshinZero]

Originally Posted by Nate's Alero

i run 5w30 here as well, i use castril GTX high mileage... good stuff

There is a welcome Vidoe? Since when, where?

WELCOME!
Castrol GTX= PLUH and death, Valvoline=SEX and deepfried twinkys ^_^ as far as an Oil filter I use Fram, 5W30 Is the correct oil type tho

[dragon8807]

welcome, i use 5w30

[Ghadsphi]

Basically any nearby shop will give you the right answer cuz they don't want to deal with you, but unless you have a SoCal edition car, go by the book.
Currently I run full Synth, and haven't noticed anything. It works like rogaine. If you didn't lose something or noticed some changes later and it all falls out, it was the rogaine.
Just look up oil ratings. I personally like my royal purple. Doesn't really matter if I change it much, since I drive 3k miles a year. (till 99'sArse)

[jackal2000]

welcome. i use 10w30.

[Daytona]

Originally Posted by gavin

Hey , I drive a 2000 olds alero, (3400 v6, i assume its a 3.4L) shes a nice 'blood' red color with the gold decals (any1 know the name of this trim level?), -Gavin

First off, welcome aboard! If you're wanting to know whether your car's a GL, . GL2, or GLS, etc. we'll need to know a few extra details on the car:

1) interior = leather or cloth?
2) wheels = what size tires & wheels

You could also tell by VIN number and the GM RPO codes located on the back of the spare tire cover. A VERY comprehensive site with every "modern" GM RPO code listed is here: www.rpocodes.com. Click on the menus on the left side to find your codes.

RPO explanation and Where to find them

A RPO is a Regular Production Option or essentially the options that the car comes with (also called the Service Parts Identification Label). Here is what one looks like:



LEGEND
(1) Vehicle Identification Number
(2) Wheel Base
(3) Part Number Location
(4) Model Designation
(5) Order Number
(6) Exterior Color
(7) Paint Technology

here is a "real" one (note that this one has extra annotations):


The RPO Label or "service parts ID label" can be found on the Spare tire cover on most GM cars.

A RPO code itself is a 3 digit/character code. By looking up your RPO codes, you will be able to see almost every option that your car is built with.

For example, if your car came with the 16 inch wheels, you will see a PY0 code on the sticker. W33 means your car is a GLS.

Once you have located your codes, you can cross-reference them here: www.rpocodes.com or here: http://www.cadillacfaq.com/rpo/index.php

[Ghadsphi]

I run 10-30, but I live in a temperate climate. Basically if it will freeze for a while, and you want to run your car you should have 5-30 in it then... First number is viscosity (flow) at 0F second is viscosity at 210F. So basically who cares about the second, the engine is running. But in really cold times you want your oil to flow better starting up till you get to running temp. As for oil filters, I think we all prettymuch run OEM (stock) filters couple people have bought them from ebay, haven't heard anything bad yet. There might be 2 or 3 people around that Uber filters, but I think most of them that have a reason to have them have put some part of their engine through their hood.

[Trickyslick]

Welcome and Have fun!!!

[surreal_awakening]

I use Mobil1 5w-30 and Delco PF-52 filters (or Wix equivalent) usually. The PF-52 is the slightly larger filter referenced above.

[meadus101]

I run Pennzoil 5w30

[gavin]

the interior is leather and i believe the rims are 16s maybe 17s, they are 'chrome' tho
Gavin

[[ion] C2]

10W-30 for forged aluminum pistons

[KenshinZero]

Originally Posted by gavin

the interior is leather and i believe the rims are 16s maybe 17s, they are 'chrome' tho
Gavin

Alero's didnt come with 17" wheels, not that I know of @ least

[AlbinoMonkeyRat]

Aleros come from the factory with 15 or 16inch wheels. the OSV had 18's in the front, and 19's in the back. (or was it 19's all around?) no Alero came stock with 17's.

Welcome to the site. I'm going to guess you got a GLS, or a high-optioned GL. GX's didn't have the V6 or 16" wheels. (if you have a sunroof and a spoiler, and the Monsoon Amp in the trunk with what you already told us, you have a GLS for sure.)

[jackal2000]

im pretty sure the osv aleros had 18s all around. the 19s came from the silhouette. IIRC.

[AlbinoMonkeyRat]

^ makes sense. thanks.