I just built a Buick 462 and I wanted to know what kind of weight oil to use for street/strip driving? Because I heard that thin oil can burn up a Buick 455. My truck is running now, but when I crank it up it makes a squiling noise but then it stops. I think it might be the belts but I don't know???? Please help
Brian, If you don't have a good mechanical oil pressure gauge, that should be the first thing you get. Then use oil that will give you the proper pressure. You want 12 psi/1000 RPM at full operating temperature. If you wind the motor up to 5500 RPM, you want to see 65 psi. The 455 crank has 3.25" main journals, and they require alot of oil pressure. Oil pressure will vary in a Buick motor, 5-15 psi, from the front to rear of the block, depending on bearing clearances. At 5500 RPM, you need a minumum of 53 psi, at the rear of the motor. So if you aim for 65-70 psi at the front of the motor, you'll be fine. In a nice tight motor, 10/30 is fine. You may have to use 10/40, or 20/50. Just make sure you have sufficient oil pressure for the RPM you intend to run, and that Buick motor will last a good long time.
You'll probably get 50 different opinions on this subject. Here's mine: For all-around driving, I like 15w-40. It's a good compromise between thinner oil and thicker oil. I use 5w-30 Royal Purple synthetic in the race car, and it works great. It's nice and slippery and thin enough to make power without letting the bearings get beat up. John Csordas just freshened up the motor in his 8-second Skyhawk after 275 runs and only changed bearings because it was already apart. It was perfect inside and he used nothing but the 5w-30 Royal Purple. He's the one who turned me on to it. My point is that everybody swears that their way is the right way, but if your motor is trouble-free inside, it won't matter too much what you use. Same thing applies in the opposite case...if you've got problems inside the motor, you could pour in straight 70 weight oil and it's not gonna help. I use 20w-50 in my tow vehicle (87 454 Suburban) in the summer, and 10w-30 in the winter. Some guys I know swear by 10w-30 all year round and some others won't use anything other than 20w-50. There is no single correct chioce. I'd stay away from anything thinner than 10w-30 for street driving in the Georgia summer heat though. Hope this helps.
I've been using 20w-50 Valvoline forever....... I use to switch to 10w40 in the winter months, but not since none of my Buicks see anything below 50* now. Mike
Not sure if this applies - its a 350 and never sees the strip. I use 20w-50. Its a daily driver and has at least 150,000 on it. I don't know if its ever been rebuilt. I don't seem to have a problem with the oil, thoiugh.
Brian, I wont add to the opinions here. Doug had already said you will get at least 50 opininons and you will. All though I agree with him 100%. I am not sure I completely understand your question on the squealing but If you are worried about the squealing having to do with the oil, dont. Most likely it is the belts; you will never hear the engine itself squeal because of oil.
A LONG SHOT!! Brian, a friend of mine had a squeel on a fresh rebuild, i believe it made the noise upon turning the key off, turned out to be an incorrect installation of a cam bearing. It began as a squeel until the bearing was so bad that the starter couldn't turn it over anymore, luckily it was a 4 speed car had to push hard & fast & it let the clutch out & it would run. The 150 mile ride home finished up the bearing. Randy
I had a squeeking Ford once, it was caused by no oil supply from the pushrods to the rocker arms.........3 or 4 of them were bone dry. I know, all Furds squeek.:grin:
Running 5w-30 synthetic all year (30 to 110 degrees). Synth oil does not vaporize as readily as dino oil. Do a search in the forums for this subject - you'll be glad you did because much has been written on this subject. BTW - the squeal you hear may also be a shot alternator.
Thanks Thanks for all the info and this is really helping. I need a new trans because its a TH350 behind a 455 and it leaks. My 12 bolt truck rear end is shot and it needs a rebuild. So thats next on my list to get!
My stock 70' 455 had a slight knock at start-up lately. It went away after a couple of seconds. I just put synthetic 20-50 in it last week and was amazed at how quiet it was afterwards. The oil I removed from it only had around 800 miles on it and was 10-40 GTX. Don't know if the difference lies in the thicker weight, or in it being synthetic.
Brian, In my opinion you have to ask the shop that built the engine. An engine built by a quality Buick shop typically uses different bearing clearances than a shop that thinks it has a funny looking Chevy engine. I had a 455 built once by a local shop that used some really HUGE bearing clearances (for a Buick) and I had to use 20W50. On the other hand, if it was built with tight clearances you can use a much lighter oil, like 5W30. -Bob Cunningham
The only thing the machine shop did was check the parts and line honed bored the engine and put in new cam bearings and freeze plugs. I built the engine by the right specs it should be. Im only 17 years old and this was my first engine I built. It was very fun to learn and do. I read and check out all types of build ups on Buick BB. So now I know many things about them and what problems to look for. Thanks for the help and any more info would be great.:TU:
On the topic of oil weight, I have noticed that my engine takes a long time for oil pressure to build up. With 10w-40 and 50 weather I'd say it takes about 4 seconds OF RUNNING for the pressure guage to lift off of zero. That's why I keep the 20w-50 on the shelf until the warmer weather comes around. I'm open to 50+ opinions as to why my oil pressure takes so long to build up. My oil pressure has steadily decreased from 20psi at hot idle; 40psi cruising; 45,000 miles stock to 4psi at hot idle; 28 psi cruising; 75,000 miles, high volume pump & 60psi spring. That's when I started playing with different oils. There's heavy scoring in my timing chain cover but I'm afraid I may have worn bearings too. Is my engine showing signs of worn bearings? -Gregg
I'm no expert by far... Yes, you need to correct it. I'd start with replacing the timing cover. If you look in the vendor section, someone rebuilds the covers....Also TA sells new ones...Get rid of the high vol pump too.
Can anyone think of why my engine is loosing its prime? My other classics build pressure immediately. Will excessive bearing clearances cause it to loose the prime? Will a poorly sealing filter bypass valve cause the prime to leak? I have heard of a few diagnoses of oil pressure problems: -If the oil pressure is low at idle, but extremely high at high RPM's; the pressure relief valve is stuck. -If oil pressure decreases with RPM's; bearing clearances are too loose because of wear. -If oil pressure is proportionally low at all RPM's; you have a worn oil pump. As for the high volume pump, it has provided a couple extra psi at cruising (2400ish RPM). Oil distribution is priority of any engine and that's why I have the high volume pump. When I restore oil pressure I'll turn my concern to my distributer gears. Besides, it's the psi's that put the forces on the gears. -Gregg
Greg, I would start with the easy things first. Take the oil pump apart, and check to see if your end clearance is excessive. Make sure your pressure relief valve is moving freely in the bore, and that the spring is intact. I would buy a standard pump rebuild kit, get a booster plate, and adjustable regulator, TA's pump gasket shim kit, and dial in the end clearance to .002 maximum. Then see what your oil pressure is before you condemn bearing clearances. That being said, I have never had a Buick engine that didn't take 2-4 seconds to build oil pressure in the morning. I consider that normal, but your running pressures are definitely low. A mechanical gauge will also be slower to move than an electrical one. BTW,Are you sure of your gauge? I have both the factory gauge, and a mechanical Autometer, and the factory gauge always moves before the Autometer.
