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Have you become a car enthusiast? Perhaps you’re looking to spruce up your vehicle with a 350 Chev which is the popular type of engine that people use. Now engines aren’t exceptionally complex when it comes to maintenance but they do require the correct products and care.
So if you’re looking for more information about how to maintain your Chevy 350 motor take a look at this short guide. We’ll explain the correct oil to use, a guide on how to break your engine in along with other information about engines you may find useful.
What is the Recommended Synthetic Oil for A 350 Engine?
Selecting the correct oil for your 350 engine is the most important step in proper maintenance. High quality 10W-30 or 10W-40 oil is the recommended oil grade for Crate motor and 5w50 for an older cast iron engine. There is a range of synthetic engine oils suitable for your Chevy 350 engine that has a variety of components that can affect your engine’s performance and extend the oil change intervals. Take a look at the following products designed for Chevy motors:
- ACDelco Conventional Oil: Protects engines from wear and corrosion with additives that optimize engine performance.
- ACDelco dexos1 Full Synthetic Oil: This oil resists the effect of oxidization and it keeps its consistency in low temperatures. It’s a thick viscosity engine oil that protects your application from contaminants.
- Mobil 1 Fully Synthetic Oil: Contains advanced wear and tear compounds to protect your engine & increase performance. It’s able to withstand extremely high and low temperatures.
The best way to find out which oil is suitable for your 350 engine maintenance is to refer to your owner’s manual. It will give you the correct grade of oil you need for your application so it doesn’t decrease performance.
- ADVANCED PROTECTION AGAINST the four main causes of engine breakdown: wear friction heat and deposits
- 40% BETTER WEAR PROTECTION vs. industry standard as tested in the Sequence IVB engine test
How much Oil does a 350 Take?
Some engine capacities are five quarts and others are six quarts. Simply refer to your owner’s manual to find out the capacity of your engine so you can purchase the correct amount of oil for your motor.
What is the Oil Pressure for a 350 Chev
One aspect to remember about your 350 motor is it maintains a 10 PSI (Pounds Per Square Inch) of oil pressure per 1000 RPM (Revolutions Per Minute) on the engine when the engine is idle. The standard oil pressure when your car is idling is between 10 and 15 & will push up to 20 to 28 PSI when you’re driving.
Do You Need Break-In Oil?
The engine break-in process is typically done on new engines. It’s designed to wear the engine evenly with consistent low pressure and at normal operating temperatures using smooth flowing oil. This process causes the pistons of the engine to sit securely on the cylinder walls of the application.
How to Break an Engine In
| Preview | Product | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Lucas Oil 10063 Engine Break-In Oil Additive - 16... | Check Availability << | |
 | Red Line 81403 Engine Oil Break In Additive - 16... | Check Availability << |
The make and model of your engine determines the time it takes to break in the application. We are talking about Chevy 350 engines and we’ll give you the process on how to break your engine in correctly without damaging the application.
Step 1
Check your engine oil level. Top up the synthetic oil in your 350 Chev if you need to before beginning the break-in process.
Step 2
Once you’ve filled your engine with non-synthetic oil install a pressure gauge and then disconnect your engine control system. It must not provide ignition or fuel to the engine. Now crank the engine to the starter for 10 seconds and check the oil pressure on the gauge. If you don’t see oil pressure wait 30 seconds and then repeat the process until the gauge detects the pressure.
Step 3
Reconnect the engine and start it up. Be sure to listen for any noises during this process. If you do hear anything, simply check the engine for any problems, troubleshoot them and then continue until there are no sounds.
Step 4
Turn the engine off and let it cool down and then adjust the distributor timing which will give you a smooth start-up & idling. Check your owner’s manual to see how to set your distributor timing.
Step 5
Run your engine with no loads at 2000RPM for 30 minutes. This helps break-in the engine’s cram shaft.
Step 6
Now take your vehicle out for a drive at different speeds and loads for 30 miles. At this point avoid driving the car at full throttle and keep the RPMs low.
Step 7
While driving push the vehicle up to 2000RPM and shift your gears down to 20MPH approximately six times. Push your RPMs to 5000 and then shift your speed to 20MPH about five times. After breaking-in the engine shouldn’t exceed 5000RPMs for the next 600 miles.
Can High Oil Pressure Damage an Engine?
High engine oil pressure can cause severe damage to the oil pump drive and oil filter. Once the damage is done it will cause rapid engine wear and possible engine failure. The oil pressure should be between 25 to 65PSI when the engine is warm. Oil pressure exceeding 65 is a serious issue that needs to be fixed immediately.
What Happens if Your oil Pressure is Too High?
High oil pressure has an extremely negative impact on oil flow to the engine. The oil won’t flow freely to lubricate the components inside the application, causing significant wear and possible contaminants entering the engine.
Can you Drive a Car with Low Oil Pressure?
Low oil pressure is better for your vehicle. If you use oil with low viscosity in an engine with more oil channels it will cause better flow to the components of your engine that need lubrication. This results in low oil pressure.
How Serious is Low Oil Pressure?
Oil pressure that’s too low may slow down your engine’s performance. So it’s better to maintain a midrange of oil pressure. As mentioned before for Chevy 350 engines the oil pressure shouldn’t be lower than 10 PSI or exceed 65 PSI.
Final Thoughts
If your engine is running without oil, chances are it will only work for 16 minutes before seizing and emitting a cloud of smoke. That’s why it’s extremely important that you always check your oil levels and pressure to maintain your application. Maintaining your motor will also increase the performance of your vehicle and ensure that your engine lasts longer. Isn’t that worth doing a little more maintenance than you’re used to?
Last update on 2023-05-19 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Great information, thanks. Question, I have a 88 C10 with a 350 and only 75,000 miles on it. Can I switch to 10-30 or 10-40 full synthetic and would it be benefit the motor. Using conventional now. Thanks for the info
I have a 92 c1500, with 350, 110,000 miles. I have not been happy with full synthetic. I have tried nearly every brand, including Amzoil, and just feel like it’s a lot ‘looser’ in there now with a little more mild metal/motor valve ‘jiggling’, ‘slapping’. Even took it in last week to have the valve cover gaskets replaced just so they’d check the valves… had only one a tiny bit off, tiny adjustment… so, Going back to the Castrol GTX it ran on for the first 97,000 mile to see if this doesn’t quiet it down. (the mechanics did not hear anything… but I’m telling you it’s there now!)