Motor Oil

[ricbak]

~~~ We old-timers do remember when we used to dump it on our crushed limestone driveways! Now, this old dawg has stopped doing that.

Yup, Even the county would come by in the spring and coat the roads with used oil. It was used to keep the dust down.

My last new truck had it's first change at 300 miles and every 5k after that. Always at a local Oil change place with a good computer file system. and Always with Castrol Synthetic.
Some of the Synthetics are classed as semi or blended with mineral oils... check the labels!

 

[Sheldon]

I, too, religiously change the oil in vehicles every 3000 miles, 1500 for the bike, and do not use synthetics.

I asked an old mechanic many years ago (you know, the guy who really knew stuff), and he said if you are diligent in changing the oil, synthetics are un-necessary. Stands to reason, I guess, if you change before a hard breakdown of the oil...

That habit has worked for me for about 40 years, now, and I drive vehicles into the 150,000 mile range...No new tricks for this old dawg...

Let me guess he went out of business due to lack of knowledge.... less heat = less friction = less wear= longer engine life... it ain't rocket sicence....

 

[JJFlash]

Let me guess he went out of business due to lack of knowledge.... less heat = less friction = less wear= longer engine life... it ain't rocket sicence....

Nope, lived to a comfortable, ripe old age.

I guess I don't get what you're sayin', Sheldon. If the regular oil is changed as it should be, you have less heat, less friction, longer engine life. So, what part of this non-rocket science am I missing?

 

[Sheldon]

Nope, lived to a comfortable, ripe old age.I guess I don't get what you're saying', Sheldon. If the regular oil is changed as it should be, you have less heat, less friction, longer engine life. So, what part of this non-rocket science am I missing?

with that level of just plain bad advice I'm surprised... but you know the old saying "you can slide a long ways on BS" and he must have been full of it....

What I am saying is look at the industry studies, synthetic oil is more slippery, holds it's viscosity in a far wider temperature extremes both + and -, is a far more aggressive cleaner, does not have the same architecture that allows regular oils to break down, yes a good quality filter is a must.

Take two identical engines put 100,000 miles on them under identical conditions, you change your oil at 3,000 and I will do mine at the recommended 5,000+ and then do a tear down.... the engine with the synthetic will show virtually no internal wear, no so for the conventional oil.

So be cheap buy regular motor oil if you want but you will go through 3 engines on my one....

 

[ricbak]

Oil formulas have changed so much over the years. Castrol was our best seller followed by Havoline when I managed an Advance Auto store. Quaker State was one of my worst sellers. The mechanics always said they didn't like tearing down an engine that used Quaker state because of all the sludge.

I knew I read something about Q-State in here... From what I understand now, is Q-State has a high ratio of paraffin. I lost a 318 Dodge a few years ago to sludge build up. The build up on the oil pick up was amazing. Even though the motor was still within the warrenty period Chrsyler refused to cover the motor. Pulling a 20 ft SeaRay boat at freeway speeds does build up heat, breaking down the Oil. That was the last Chyrsler and the end of changing my own oil.

 

[Sheldon]

I knew I read something about Q-State in here... From what I understand now, is Q-State has a high ratio of paraffin. I lost a 318 Dodge a few years ago to sludge build up. The build up on the oil pick up was amazing. Even though the motor was still within the warrenty period Chrsyler refused to cover the motor. Pulling a 20 ft SeaRay boat at freeway speeds does build up heat, breaking down the Oil. That was the last Chyrsler and the end of changing my own oil.

So Does Pens Oil which damn near destroyed an (before I switche the syn) engine when the viscosity broke down under load n the stuff turned in to 10W oil.....

 

[JJFlash]

with that level of just plain bad advice I'm surprised... but you know the old saying "you can slide a long ways on BS" and he must have been full of it....

What I am saying is look at the industry studies, synthetic oil is more slippery, holds it's viscosity in a far wider temperature extremes both + and -, is a far more aggressive cleaner, does not have the same architecture that allows regular oils to break down, yes a good quality filter is a must.

Take two identical engines put 100,000 miles on them under identical conditions, you change your oil at 3,000 and I will do mine at the recommended 5,000+ and then do a tear down.... the engine with the synthetic will show virtually no internal wear, no so for the conventional oil.

So be cheap buy regular motor oil if you want but you will go through 3 engines on my one....

And I'm saying my reality is I buy a good used truck, say 50,000 miles on it, change it with regular oil quite faithfullly, and put at least another 100,000 and sell it with the engine running strong. What's not to like?

Not interested in putting 1,000,000 miles on the thing, although I'll probably hit 200,000 on my current truck (won't tell you the make cause I don't want you to have a coronary). I bought the product for what I deemed a fair price, got my fair use out of it with routine maintenance, and sold it to someone else who got what they wanted at obviously what they considered a fair price.

All in all, has worked just fine for 40 years, like I said. You feel free to save the whales, or something.

 

[6shootercarry]

Mobil 1 or Castrol Syntec. Both full synthetic oils.. Buy the 5qt jugs at Wal-Mart $22.00 or so.. I change it 6-7000 miles. I also use BG product MOA and swear by it as the stuff really works.

10 years in the automotive service industry ASE & Toyota Master Technician.

Welcome to BG Products, Inc.

Peace...

 

[Stiofan]

Here are some tidbits for you all to chew on.:no:


Link Removed


Link Removed


Link Removed


The best choice is to NOT buy synthetic blends. Buy only full synthetic or regular conventional oils. Most blends only contain 1-2% synthetic, the rest being conventional. There is no government or industry standards on "blends" and soem that have been tested showed very little synthetic in them. Save your money or get the pure stuff, but the blends are marketing hype.


Link Removed Those of us in the business have known it to be true for years. Best advice, read your owners manual! The company that designed your car's engine knows best.


What does the "weight" of motor oil mean? What is a multi-weight?
Back in the day, you bought 30 weight or 40 weight oil. Lower number meant it flowed better when you started the car, higher number meant it protected better at full operating temperature.


Today almost all auto manufacturers recommend a multi weight oil, usually 5w-20, 5w-30 or 10w-30. The second number is the oil weight (it's viscosity, just like above single weights) at normal engine operating temps, but the first number is the viscosity at cold startup temps. The "w" stands for winter. So a 5w-30 protects your engine like a 30 weight at normal engine temps (because that's what it is) but when it's cold outside the oil will flow like a 5 weight. It's able to do this because of added polymers that change the viscosity at cold temps but don't change it at higher temps. Best advice is to use the type your auto manufacturer recommends, and stick with it.


Hope this stuff helps a little.

 

[6shootercarry]

Here are some tidbits for you all to chew on.:no:


Link Removed


Link Removed


Link Removed


The best choice is to NOT buy synthetic blends. Buy only full synthetic or regular conventional oils. Most blends only contain 1-2% synthetic, the rest being conventional. There is no government or industry standards on "blends" and soem that have been tested showed very little synthetic in them. Save your money or get the pure stuff, but the blends are marketing hype.


Link Removed Those of us in the business have known it to be true for years. Best advice, read your owners manual! The company that designed your car's engine knows best.


What does the "weight" of motor oil mean? What is a multi-weight?
Back in the day, you bought 30 weight or 40 weight oil. Lower number meant it flowed better when you started the car, higher number meant it protected better at full operating temperature.


Today almost all auto manufacturers recommend a multi weight oil, usually 5w-20, 5w-30 or 10w-30. The second number is the oil weight (it's viscosity, just like above single weights) at normal engine operating temps, but the first number is the viscosity at cold startup temps. The "w" stands for winter. So a 5w-30 protects your engine like a 30 weight at normal engine temps (because that's what it is) but when it's cold outside the oil will flow like a 5 weight. It's able to do this because of added polymers that change the viscosity at cold temps but don't change it at higher temps. Best advice is to use the type your auto manufacturer recommends, and stick with it.


Hope this stuff helps a little.

Ahhhhh... Education is the key to enlightenment... SAE is the group that grades the oil viscosity and has established the standard.

"Best advice is to use the type your auto manufacturer recommends, and stick with it". And I'll add to that, read the owners manual for oil change frequency guidelines. There are 2 ways to go about it. Read it cover to cover like a novel or use the index and find the section related to the topic you need information on.

Motor Oils and Engine Lubrication Book: Motor Oil Engineers

SAE International

Peace...

 

[HK4U]

Back in the day I had heard that Amalie was some of the worst oil you could use. They used to have commercials that said"Amalie, better than it has to be". We used to say worse than it should be. It would leave a varnish like film that would screw up your engine.

 

[Sheldon]

And I'm saying my reality is I buy a good used truck, say 50,000 miles on it, change it with regular oil quite faithfullly, and put at least another 100,000 and sell it with the engine running strong. What's not to like?

Not interested in putting 1,000,000 miles on the thing, although I'll probably hit 200,000 on my current truck (won't tell you the make cause I don't want you to have a coronary). I bought the product for what I deemed a fair price, got my fair use out of it with routine maintenance, and sold it to someone else who got what they wanted at obviously what they considered a fair price.

All in all, has worked just fine for 40 years, like I said. You feel free to save the whales, or something.

Yeah lots of luck on that one, 150K on conventional oil and expecting it to still be a good strong running enigne....
But if you were do an engine flush and then switch to a good quality synthetic then 150K would be no problem...
I have tore down high mileage engines, for stuff such as blown head gaskets, and there is a huge difference between those that have run a good synthetic and those that ran conventional oil. Cam gear wear, cylinder wear, valve train wear, seal condition, just to name a few.... Say anything you want but engines run on full synthetic just do not wear out as badly and not just by a little bit but by a huge difference.

 

[JJFlash]

Yeah lots of luck on that one, 150K on conventional oil and expecting it to still be a good strong running enigne....
But if you were do an engine flush and then switch to a good quality synthetic then 150K would be no problem...
I have tore down high mileage engines, for stuff such as blown head gaskets, and there is a huge difference between those that have run a good synthetic and those that ran conventional oil. Cam gear wear, cylinder wear, valve train wear, seal condition, just to name a few.... Say anything you want but engines run on full synthetic just do not wear out as badly and not just by a little bit but by a huge difference.

Ok, man, I'll concede the point. Assuming your experience is what you say it is, your automotive expertise far exceeds mine. Synthetic it is.

 

[6shootercarry]

Yeah lots of luck on that one, 150K on conventional oil and expecting it to still be a good strong running enigne....
But if you were do an engine flush and then switch to a good quality synthetic then 150K would be no problem...
I have tore down high mileage engines, for stuff such as blown head gaskets, and there is a huge difference between those that have run a good synthetic and those that ran conventional oil. Cam gear wear, cylinder wear, valve train wear, seal condition, just to name a few.... Say anything you want but engines run on full synthetic just do not wear out as badly and not just by a little bit but by a huge difference.

No need to do an engine flush to go from conventional petroleum-based oil to synthetic... Just change the oil and filter in regular recommended intervals. I've seen high mileage engines run on conventional motor oil that had regular service intervals performed and things looked fine. I use synthetic with the MOA to run longer between changes 6000-7500 miles. The last truck I owned I did the same oil change intervals. I sold it to my brother-in-law and it's still running with 208,000 on it.

Former ASE and Toyota Master technician..

 

[Red Hat]

Two deals this week

Synthetic oil is synthetic oil. I was at Walmart a few days ago and I found Quaker State synthetic oil on clearance for $2.50 a quart. I bought all they had, 32 quarts. Yesterday I was checking them again and I found Quaker State 5 quart containers on clearance for $13 ea $7 off the regular price. I decided to get all 14 they had on the shelf. When I checked out they had made a mistake when they marked it down in the computer. I got all 14 for $7 ea. I don't have to buy any synthetic oil for years!:biggrin:

BTY, it's all 5w 30.

 

[Sheldon]

No need to do an engine flush to go from conventional petroleum-based oil to synthetic... Just change the oil and filter in regular recommended intervals. I've seen high mileage engines run on conventional motor oil that had regular service intervals performed and things looked fine. I use synthetic with the MOA to run longer between changes 6000-7500 miles. The last truck I owned I did the same oil change intervals. I sold it to my brother-in-law and it's still running with 208,000 on it.

Former ASE and Toyota Master technician..

True with cavieats..... if the previous owner did regular oil changes, however when buying any used (maybe abused) vehicles though, if they did not do regular services, or used a paraffin based oil (real sludge prone crap)......

Syn oils tend to be more aggressive at cleaning your engine, and could break loose a heap of crud, unless you are checking your oil daily, it could turn to sludge without your knowledge pluging the oil passageways and hence cause a real nightmare.

That is why I always recommend an engine flush on any used vehicle prior to a switch. When in doubt it is real cheap insurance.

 

[kn1080]

Here is my thinking on this, and you are old enough to remember the analogy...
40+ years ago, how often did you change tires?? Before Polyglass and radials tires... Remember??

You changed your tires every 10-12K miles.. That's all bias tires were good for...
Do you still change your tires every 12K miles??? Why??? IF you did, you would probably never have an issue with a tire!!!
You don't.. The tires you buy today will easily go 35K and some go more than 50K..
So why don't you change tires every 12K.. Because of tire technology improvements..

Oil is the same way... the 3,000 mile rule was just like the 12K mile tires replacement.. It was a great rule to live by...
However just like tires are different, so is Oil today.. there have been great technology improvements to oil. It is just made much better today than it was 50 years ago.. Even the car company's (who stand to loose money in their shops) have finally gotten off the 3K recommendations for oil... Most recommend 7K mile changes today and that is with conventional "Dino" oil.. Car companies have done their research and that is why they have changed the intervals..

So, is it a great rule to change your oil every 3K miles.. It won't hurt anything but your wallet and the environment..

I agree with the "invest in a good filter".. BUT be a little careful with the info on the filter comparisons on the Net.. Many of them were done 5+ years ago and several companies have completely redesigned their filters since the comparisons.. (Amsoil for one)..

I have 72k on my current tires. They just got down to the wear marks. When Im feeling rich, ill replace them.

 

[kn1080]

Synthetic oil is synthetic oil. I was at Walmart a few days ago and I found Quaker State synthetic oil on clearance for $2.50 a quart. I bought all they had, 32 quarts. Yesterday I was checking them again and I found Quaker State 5 quart containers on clearance for $13 ea $7 off the regular price. I decided to get all 14 they had on the shelf. When I checked out they had made a mistake when they marked it down in the computer. I got all 14 for $7 ea. I don't have to buy any synthetic oil for years!:biggrin:

BTY, it's all 5w 30.

Thats the way to shop! Thats how Ive been with ammo lately.

 

[videogameland]

Ive always been using mobil 1 full synthetic 5w30, i thnk it is one of the best.

 

[SC Tiger]

2006 Honda Accord - 2.4L VTEC 4 cylinder (68K miles - 29K by me and Mrs. SC Tiger) - Mobile 1 5W-20 Synthetic with either a Mobile 1 or Fram oil filter. Changed when the oil life meter gets around 50%, since my wife drives less than 2 miles to work. Gets expensive. Runs like new.

2000 Chevrolet Silverado - 5.3L V8 (150K miles) - 10W-30 conventional (dead dino) - whatever Auto Zone/Advance/Wally World has on sale that isn't either a store brand or Quaker State. I've used Valvoline, Castrol, Mobile 1, Pennzoil, and Havoline, along with Bosch, Mobile 1, K&N, Fram and Purolator oil filters. I do use the high milage stuff as from what I have read there really is something to it. Change around every 3000-3500 miles. I ignore the oil change system in it but reset it every change. Runs like new. Was told by the dealer that there was no need for synthetic in this truck, and no mention of it in the manual.

I would avoid any place that pulls the oil out through the dipstick tube as opposed to draining from the plug. I don't know if anyone does this but rumor was Wal-mart was going to start doing this so if they do I wouldn't be surprised to see some of the smaller quick-lube places (Jiffy Lube, etc) doing this. I change my own oil so this isn't an issue for me.

I have read several places that once you go to either synthetics or the high-mileage stuff you should stick with it or you could get leaks (synthetics could clear out crud that is stopping up the leaks - at least that's the theory). I've switched back and forth from synthetic to conventional and from high-mileage to regular but now I stay with conventional high mileage.