dredluxx

Hello all. I'm kinda new here. For many years i was in the market for a Chevy Caprice. Instead of a caprice, i had a great opportunity land in my lap so I've recently acquired a '82 Delta 88 with a 307 in absolutely pristine condition. It did not take long AT ALL for me to develop a special bond with this oldsmobile. Even tho it's my tenth car (total- i only have two at the moment), it's probably my favorite i've ever had.

I'm about to change the oil in the car. The previous owner ran 5w-30 and a no name brand filter. I'm curious as to what brand oil filters do these cars like the best? On all the ford cars i had, i used motorcraft parts whenever applicable, since that was Ford's in house brand. I want to take the best care possible of this car, since it's now considered a classic and, well, the one i have is in just such good shape it's mind blowing. I want to use the best quality parts for it. I even run the highest octane gasoline in it available, when i had always ran regular in all of my other cars.

This car needs nothing as far as i can tell. The previous owner meticulously maintained the vehicle and kept all the service records.. I've inspected virtually every external part and it's clean enough to eat off of. Is there anything specific i should keep my eyes out for?

thank anyone who decides to reply and if this is in the wrong section feel free to move it. thanks.

starfire

Running higher octane is a waste of money. The engine was made for 87 octane, run 87 in it. I run 87 in my 307 HO, and it runs fine.

I always try to use an AC oil filter. They are getting harder to find.

oldcutlass

Welcome to the site, you need to post some pictures when you get a chance. I like the Wix filters, Napa gold is the same. I agree, running the higher octane is a waste of money.

redoldsman

X2 on what Eric said. I have used Wix for years and understand NAPA Gold is the same. You are wasting a lot of money buying premium gas. You might put some injection cleaner in your gas every once in a while and that is about all I would do. That is a really nice driving car you bought. Congrats on it.

dredluxx

thanks for the replies. This Delta looks like it came out of a time machine, so pictures will definitely come in time ! i work a lot, and when i'm not working I'm busy pleasing the family. but O.K., AC (delco i assume), Wix, and Napa Gold filters are the filters you guys recommend? I'll definitely keep my eyes peeled for those.

About the gas, i've always been told, so this may sound stupid, that cars get used to a certain grade of gasoline: i.e., Car runs highest grade octane for many years, than all of a sudden, is being run on 87 octane, leads to dampened performance and poorer milage.. is any of that even a bit true? Similarly, i've heard that cars that are normally run on 87 octane, can get "used" to a higher grade of gasoline.. meaning a switch back to 87 octane can decrease performance. Thoughts? or is it all just a bunch of B.S.? I ran 93 octane in the car for the last 1200 miles. (1000 mile drive back home from where i bought it).. if i run 87 octane in it from now on, i won't have any problems? This car just runs too awesome.. i want to keep it that way. This is my first Oldsmobile. I'm beginning to feel like it won't be my last!

thanks guys !

Fun71

It's BS.

dredluxx

excuse my ignorance, but when you say injection cleaner, are you saying fuel injector cleaner? Or is injection cleaner another term for fuel treatment? The car is carbureted, so I put some STP fuel treatment in it when i first got it..

thanks man!

thanks man! The more money in my pocket, the better care i can take of the car! It always sounded fishy to me.. like a scam to buy higher grade gas.. but IIRC, someone close to me once told me something similar, so i listened to them.

redoldsman

Sorry I was not thinking back far enough when I said injection cleaner. The STP fuel treatment occasionally is a good thing. I think the thing about a car getting used to 93 octane is BS. The car doesn't have taste buds and decides the 93 octane taste better. Listen to your engine. If there was a problem, you would hear it pinging.

65JS1

One thing to keep in mind: 87 octane gas nowadays has ethonal in it. Which the fuel system in this car was not designed for. It causes the rubber fuel parts to deteriorate & swell. The rubber hoses between the tank and hard line, hard line & pump, and accelerator pump in the carb. The alcohol (ethonal) can also wash away years of varnish in the fuel system and clog the fuel filter. The best is to run 93 octane 'non-oxygenated' gas, not for the octane but for the lack of alcohol (It's the stuff that say's "For off road or collector vehicles only").
Have I done this in all my old cars?
No.
Have I had problems with them? Some.
At the least have some new fuel hose around. ( all the new stuff is compatible) And a few spare fuel filters laying around.

rustyroger

I suggest you change the rubber fuel lines anyway, they might be as old as the car.
You will soon recoup your outlay simply from the price difference between regular pump gas and 93 octane. If regular gas clears varnish from the fuel lines then in the long run that would be a good thing, might be an idea to keep a spare fuel filter in the car for any long trips though.
I have used Fram filters for many years with no failures, but if you are conscientious about maintenance any filter that meets oem requirements should be fine. Look out for Chinese fakes, several parts wholesalers have been duped into buying counterfeit rubbish over here.

Roger.

rocketraider

If that 307 will tolerate 87, run it. Every one I ever had would detonate itself out of existence on 87, but I always felt that was because of the gasoline formulations we got here. I know we get crap gas because I can get gas 30 miles east that comes from a different terminal and my fuel mileage will instantly increase 2-4 mpg.

I used to try to keep my GM car all GM as much as possible, but I do not like modern ACD oil filters. I just think they're made cheap compared to earlier versions. Use a WIX/NAPA Gold or even a Purolator and I think you'll be fine. Same with NAPA brand oil- all indications are it's Valvoline by another name, since it's made by Ashland Oil.

Ozzie

I can support the votes for Wix or NAPA Gold filters. Choose a quality oil with a viscosity appropriate for your environment. While I have seen some engines designed for 87 do better on 89 (one SB Chevy and one AMC 232), I don't think that engines form habits demanding higher octane. The best thing is to just try it. When you buy some fuel try a lower octane and observe the results. If there is no knocking or diminished performance you are O.K. Be objective in your evaluation. You won't hurt the engine. Work your way down to 87. If there is any shortfall you can always go back up. The ethanol factor could be involved, but since there is such a low price on crude currently, there may be less corn in our fuel right now.

MDchanic

1. It's BS. Use 87 octane gas. There is definitely a surprising amount of variation in gasoline composition throughout the US, but around here ALL grades of gasoline have ethanol in them, and there's no alternative.

2. Start planning to replace every hose on the car. "Time machine" cars tend to have rubber that somehow got left out of the time machine.

3. WIX / NAPA Gold filter. And use the right grade of oil. Check your Owner's Manual, but it probably says 10w40 summer / 10w30 winter.

Welcome to ClassicOlds

- Eric

dredluxx

Whoa ! Scaring me a bit with that one ! I live in the city, so i dont have to go far to try different gasoline.


Thanks for the words of advice, from another Louisianian ! I will monitor the vehicle closely. I've actually never used premium grade gasoline in any of my other cars, i just bit the bullet because of everything people put into my head about higher grade gasoline.

What oil type would you recommend? I'm in Southeast Louisiana also, and you should know how the weather here is -- hot, cold, hot, cold, hot, cold, hot, humid, cold, rainy, hot, humid, cold.. over, and over again.. it never stops.

Thank you sir. I've already began a separate fund growing for regular maintenance and replacement items. It seems that the passenger side power window is kind of finicky. I guess that's to be expected with a 33 year old car. I've inspected the hoses and they look pretty good, but i will heed your advice. It's possible i missed a cracked or dry rotted hose. I drove the car 1000 miles home, and it ran like a 2015 model. No problems what-so-ever. However now that it's back home it will probably only be driven on the weekends and days where it is really, really nice; so i'll keep a real close eye on everything.

Also, the previous owner used 5w30. However i'll have to check the owners manual. If the previous owner was using the incorrect grade, then a switch to the correct grade should come with improvements, not repercussions, correct?


And so i'm set. Wix or Napa Gold filters. Thanks to everyone else who gave suggestions and advice, it is much appreciated !

Fun71

Where are you located? I grew up in Southwest Louisiana.

Majic Jack

It is not the gas that should concern you, rather the oil. An 82 will have a flat tappet cam requiring an oil high in zinc content. Regular oils today have little if any. An oil with ZDP is recommended, an Ashland product is probably the most economical. Otherwise you may experience a flat lobe at some point. A 20 W 50 is appropriate for our area.

rocketraider

If you live in a city, odds are all the gas comes from the same tank farm so you may or may not see a difference. They dump in the brand-specific additives after the tanker's loaded and hope the vibration and sloshing on the road mixes the stuff.

In my case, all local gas comes from Greensboro NC and the base stock is blended for EPA regulations for Piedmont Triad NC area. The gas I buy 30 miles east comes from a tank farm in Kenly NC and is blended for a different EPA scheme. And I get better fuel mileage using it, and also on gas from Charlotte NC area.

dredluxx

new orleans born and raised. I've got fam in B.R. and other central Louisiana towns.

Yeah, i've seen the truck dump gas in the no name station, then go one block up the street and dump gas into the Shell station. I guess it's all the same ****.

Fun71

My oldest sister is in River Ridge and my next to oldest one is in Metarie. Whole nother planet from the southwest side of the state.

dredluxx

Yeah man, I work in metairie. I was just in River Ridge today. It's a whole nother planet compared to anywhere else in Louisiana, period. Even Baton Rouge, the second largest city in the state, is nothing like it.

The whole G.N.O. area (Kenner, Metairie, N.O., Westbank) is the largest and most populated area in the state.

When I go to Houston, I take I-10 West straight thru, and places like Lake Charles just look like the country. Haha.


edit: Owners manual states 10w30/10w40. I bought the car from a colder environment which may be why the P.O. used 5w30. I'll switch it to 10w30 which would seem to be the right fit for year round use out here.

Ozzie

It looks like a small world after all; I'm in Harahan, in case anyone knows where that is.
As far as oil viscosity goes, observe the manufacturer's recommendations. I've been using 20W-50 and 15W-50 mostly due to the oppressive heat in our summers. Oldsmobile said that those were O.K. down to 20F. It never gets that cold here any more. At one time, Oldsmobile discouraged the use of 5W and 5W-20 for driving at higher speeds.
As has been mentioned, the zinc levels in engine oils have generally been reduced due to the converters. Finding an oil with sufficient levels of ZDDP may be your biggest challenge. Most manufacturers don't tell you what they use. Some people think that the use of synthetics make up for the loss of zinc. I'm unsure. ZDDP additives are available if you decide to go that way. In the recent past NAPA has put their 15W-50 synthetic oil on "special" for $3.50/qt.
If you intend to keep the car try to get an Oldsmobile service manual for it. You will learn a lot by reading it.

dredluxx

@ Ozzie. Yes, I know where Harahan is.

Upon further reading the owners manual, it says 10w30 is the recommended engine oil but 15w40 is more suited for our climate. I may use 15w40 since it rarely goes below 30 degrees but sometimes it can drop down to the low 20s. I really dont know if i should use synthetic or conventional motor oil, but the previous owner used synthetic so I guess I'll stick with that.

I have a 1982 Oldsmobile service manual that the previous owner included with the purchase, way more detailed and informative than any haynes or chiltons manuals.

MDchanic

Synthetic oil is unquestionably better, but it tends to find its way out through gaskets and seals that never leaked before.

If it's got synthetic in it now, and it's not leaky, then just keep using it.

- Eric

dredluxx

As far as i can see, it's not leaking. Hopefully there's no internal problems. I'll run synthetic. Over time, does running synthetic mean higher probability of gasket failures and leaks?


thank you for the help. this is a very wise and informative community. Car forums are generally laid back, but i've seen a few car communities i did not wish to be a part of. This place is very friendly. Thanks.


also, could anyone tell me what NOS stands for? I see it tossed around a lot here. I dont think it's what i think it stands for, sorry if it's a stupid question.

MDchanic

There is some debate about that. I would say, "probably not," but you never know.

NOS means New Old Stock - New, unused car parts, off the dealer or parts store shelves, which may have been sitting for decades, but are probably better than newer Chinese "reproduction" parts.

- Eric

Fun71

My sister taught at the high school there.