PontiacBonnevilleClub.com

I'm a member of the oil-is-oil club, but i've always used Castrol 10w30 conventional High-Mileage. Last week I went to buy it and it was $28/jug, while Pennzoil was $17/jug, and buy one get one 50% off so i got it.

I'm not making this up, the valve train clatters for a minute or more after startup. I went to drive home from work today and dad stared at me because the motor was making so much noise.

Have you ruled out oil filter woes?

A heavier 10W would make more noise regardless of brand/etc on cold startup, especially up here in the colder climates. It is preferable to have a 5W in this climate for winter. The "W" in those stands for "Winter" and the lower it is, the more preferable for cold climates as it'll flow better when cold weather slows viscosity of fluids.

With that said though, there can be acceptable tolerances amongst brands and still classify as a "5W" or "10W", etc....

I do not know if it is still this way but it was years ago.
Pennzoil and Quaker State come from Pennsylvania and had a paraffin wax in them.
Mobile and Valvoline come from Texas and do not have a paraffin wax in them.
My friend (again years ago) put in some Pennzoil in his car and it started to rap and make noise.
We changed it out to Mobile and the noise went away.
I have personally used Mobil Oil for 48 years and have not had any problems.
Like I said this was years ago but I have never used Pennzoil or Quaker State in my cars.

The oil filter is Delco PF47, i've used this filter many times before. I prefer Mobil1 filters, but we had extra [quite new] PF47s on hand. Perhaps it has a bad check valve? I don't know, but the cluster shows full oil pressure as soon as it finishes the startup gauge sweep.

I've only ever used 10w30 conventional. The weather is very mild, 50*F. I really hesitate to blame the oil, but i'm going to have to drain it if the startup noise doesn't go away.

I highly doubt anything is wrong with the filter and the oil is fine.

It may just be normal wear on the engine reacting different to different blends. The noise in the valvetrain is generated when there is slack in it, which could be the case until oil pressure is achieved and the lifters are full taking out that slack. As long as it goes away within a minute or so of operation, you're fine.

I for one am of the camp that oil is not just oil. Noise means wear.

If changing oil turns the issue on and off like a switch, well, that's no longer anecdotal evidence.

I strictly use Castrol or Rotella, or full synthetics from valvoline and mobil 1. I get the best deal on oil at the local family farm and home, 2.5 gallons of Rotella for $33, occasionally on sale for ~$25. So it's not like I'm going out of my way to spend stupid amount of money on oil here.

The only vehicle getting cheap oil is the camaro right now, it leaks about 1 quart a week out of the new rear main oil seal...

I have used Pennzoil and Pennzoil synthetic for a long time with no issues.. My old 91 Bonneville always had some valvetrain noise on a cold start but was quiet after a couple of minutes.. It always had great oil pressure as well.. It was like this till it met the car graveyard..

My 95 Thats been sitting for close to 2 years still starts up and has a little lifter chatter( comp cam lifters ) until it warms up a hair... Also good oil pressure..

My van is not bad with lifter chatter, has a hair but quiets down quickly.. Still running Pennzoil Synthetic or Valvoline Synthetic.

I am almost wondering if the filter could be leaking down causing a dry start syndrome when you first start the engine.. I have actually had this happen on the van.. Not pretty to hear the valve's rattle so to speak...lol

MattStrike wrote:The only vehicle getting cheap oil is the camaro right now, it leaks about 1 quart a week out of the new rear main oil seal...

Ha! My wife's '09 Accord burns a quart per 1000mi (no leaks, the block is DRY), so i dump in whatever I can find...which is is always Deere 15w40. We buy it 200gal at a time. I've put Lucas in it but didn't notice much difference.

Changing the oil did make the noise come on like flipping a switch, but if i change it again i'll use a Mobil1 filter and Castrol 10w30 like before, so i won't learn much.

Thanks Don. I'm used to cold lifter tick, but this noise is new, and my Dad even noticed it. He's no fan of old sedans. It could be the filter, but the chatter lasts for over a minute. The gauge sweep duration doesn't help.

If it were me, I'd change the oil out first chance I got. Especially if it just came up out of nowhere. Could make you rest easy.

Maybe drain and refill with the oil you regularly use, but don't change the filter and see what happens?

Another odd coincidence, the oil pressure sensor started spraying oil out of the plug end a couple days ago. I replaced the sensor but haven't changed the oil yet.

Update: I changed the oil back to Castrol last week and it did quiet down.