Engine Oil
- Thread starter Zypher
- Start date
what do you mean by "what kind"
synthetic vs organic
brand
weight
it also depends largely on the engine's condition, type of driving, and temperature conditions.
unless i have a reason to do otherwise, everything in teh fleet gets 10w40, usually chevron brand. the exception is my truck, which knocks on anything less than 20w50 because it's worn out.
synthetic vs organic
brand
weight
it also depends largely on the engine's condition, type of driving, and temperature conditions.
unless i have a reason to do otherwise, everything in teh fleet gets 10w40, usually chevron brand. the exception is my truck, which knocks on anything less than 20w50 because it's worn out.
where in western wa are you, neighbor? i'm on hwy 2 about 30 miles west of stevens pass.
i would use 10w40. only use synthetic if it's not newly rebuilt, and has no leaks. synthetics are known for finding new places to leak, and increasing existing leaks. and considering the cost of synthetics, you can't afford to run em with any major leaks anyway!
so if its sealed up tight, sure, go for synthetic, otherwise stick with organic.
i would use 10w40. only use synthetic if it's not newly rebuilt, and has no leaks. synthetics are known for finding new places to leak, and increasing existing leaks. and considering the cost of synthetics, you can't afford to run em with any major leaks anyway!
so if its sealed up tight, sure, go for synthetic, otherwise stick with organic.
xzerokidx
Well-known member
The Plankster Prankster":3esr1p17 said:
I would use synthetic on any motor as long as it has already been broken in.
And your right about the leaks, from my experience using synthetic helps break up the sludged oil that caked up and filled any previous gaps/leaks thus creating a "new" one.
I wouldn't go with synthetic if the engine has miles on it, or any (and I mean any, even small ones) oil leaks on it. Synthetic only makes it worse.
The cost of synthetic isn't really there. The advantage of synthetic is increase time between oil changes. On my cars with normal aspiration, I change it ever 10k miles. On my turbo car, I change ever 5k because it is an oil cooled bearing so the oil gets beaten up a little more. Even volvo, on new non-turbo cars recommended in their manual 10k between oil changes with synthetic.
As far as type, run 10w30 IMO. Only go up if you expect your engine is burning oil...and if it is...sythetic probably isn't a good choice anyways. Only engine I run a w40 in is my turbo volvo where I run 0w40 so the turbo gets good oil flow at cold temperatures, like we are prone too in New England
The cost of synthetic isn't really there. The advantage of synthetic is increase time between oil changes. On my cars with normal aspiration, I change it ever 10k miles. On my turbo car, I change ever 5k because it is an oil cooled bearing so the oil gets beaten up a little more. Even volvo, on new non-turbo cars recommended in their manual 10k between oil changes with synthetic.
As far as type, run 10w30 IMO. Only go up if you expect your engine is burning oil...and if it is...sythetic probably isn't a good choice anyways. Only engine I run a w40 in is my turbo volvo where I run 0w40 so the turbo gets good oil flow at cold temperatures, like we are prone too in New England
A
Anonymous
Guest
CobraSix said:
A
Anonymous
Guest
Bort62":2gfz0c9e said:The only disadvantage to running synthetic is that it is expensive, and if you are pissing it all over the ground that adds up.
I run synthetic in my ranger, cause it's the only car I have that doesnt leak.
I have heard this as well but so far I have no leaks in anything. I try to keep watch on everything pretty close especially the older cars because the Falcons have been known to leak something terrible.
Bort62":1i68wz4x said:The only disadvantage to running synthetic is that it is expensive, and if you are pissing it all over the ground that adds up.
I run synthetic in my ranger, cause it's the only car I have that doesnt leak.
I agree...I don't run synthetic in my old Exploder or my 65 mustang. My Exploder leaks oil (320k on original engine) so i don't waste the money. My 65 had a few leaks that I finally sealed up, but I still don't put sythetic in. I just put 5k miles on dino oil with no problems.
Also, remember that not all "synthetics" are fully synthetic. Mobil lost a case against a lot of other manufacturers about 5-6 years ago about advertising as 'synthetic oils'. Mobil was fully synth at the time and some like Castrol were using blends or cracked dinos and advertising as synthetic. Mobil sued them over the use of synthetic terminology but they lost. Now only a few are truly synthetic. Most Mobil 1 is, not sure who else is outside of them, Royal Purple and AMSoil.
If your concern is zinc (which is a whole other debate) pretty much any oil you can buy retail in the US that is likely to end up on the road no longer has any useful amount of zinc in it anymore including the diesel oils.
Some of the 'racing' oils have it but there are other 'side effects' so do your own research and decide for yourself what is the best choice for you.
I have not confirmed but have been told that marine oils may still have it.
Many of the 'enthusiast' type of retailers now carry additives if you feel you need them.
My personal take on the zinc is just like the lead thing in the 70's, pretty much stock normally driven engine its not going to matter. A high performance application where all the limits are going to be pushed is a whole other story.
One thing I have heard about synths on non daily used motors is they supposedly drain off of parts quicker and respond to moisture differently than regular oils.
I have never understood the reg vs synthetic argument when it comes to price, other factors yes but many people seem to come back to price. If you have a seasonal weekend type of car you are looking at what 1 change per year? Thats $15 vs. $30? $15 over a year is going to break your budget? If you are dealing with a high mileage daily driver you will be spending much more than that extra $15 per change on other wear and maintenance items and even if its $15 per month it seems like that would be a good investment if it adds a few thousand miles to your engine or gains you a 0.05% gain in MPG, over 100,00 it may add up to something. I have never seen anyone say that synths are bad for modern daily driven engines other than the cost.
Some of the 'racing' oils have it but there are other 'side effects' so do your own research and decide for yourself what is the best choice for you.
I have not confirmed but have been told that marine oils may still have it.
Many of the 'enthusiast' type of retailers now carry additives if you feel you need them.
My personal take on the zinc is just like the lead thing in the 70's, pretty much stock normally driven engine its not going to matter. A high performance application where all the limits are going to be pushed is a whole other story.
One thing I have heard about synths on non daily used motors is they supposedly drain off of parts quicker and respond to moisture differently than regular oils.
I have never understood the reg vs synthetic argument when it comes to price, other factors yes but many people seem to come back to price. If you have a seasonal weekend type of car you are looking at what 1 change per year? Thats $15 vs. $30? $15 over a year is going to break your budget? If you are dealing with a high mileage daily driver you will be spending much more than that extra $15 per change on other wear and maintenance items and even if its $15 per month it seems like that would be a good investment if it adds a few thousand miles to your engine or gains you a 0.05% gain in MPG, over 100,00 it may add up to something. I have never seen anyone say that synths are bad for modern daily driven engines other than the cost.
The arguement regarding price of synthetic in my mind is as follows:
If the car is leaking and or burning oil, you pretty much have to continually add oil at a higher rate than you would change it otherwise. The main benifit of a synthetic oil is that it resists breakdown and lasts longer than conventional oils. If, however, one is constantly topping off the oil in a burner or leaker, the oil at any given time in the engine is generally pretty fresh.
So the expense of topping off w/ synthetic vs. conventional is unwarranted.
You may be right - and in the grand scheme of things that 15$ a month isn't much. However, It's those 10$ and 15$ a month line items on your household budget that usually add up to 100's and do make or break the bank. (That's a whole other subject)
I put synthetic in my truck because it doesnt leak, all signs point to synth being a better oil, and I am lazy and never make my oil change intervals on time. This way, I can go 10k w/o worrying about it.
If my honda didn't leak oil like the exxon vadeez, I would use synth in it as well. Altho, your point stands that it would cost me at most 5-10$ a month to top off w/ synth vs. conventional. Probably less. Maybe I will use synth next time around.
The Ranchero never really convinces me that it's not leaking, and my turbo burns oil. Maybe I should use synth here too.
Truth is, when you are talking a single car, synth or conventional isn't a big monetary difference. However - since most of us have a small fleet, the difference can add up to significant expediture.
Besides, If I get 10,000 miles out of the ranchero w/o blowing it up I will be impressed. I don't think that the type of oil I use is really going to be an issue.
If the car is leaking and or burning oil, you pretty much have to continually add oil at a higher rate than you would change it otherwise. The main benifit of a synthetic oil is that it resists breakdown and lasts longer than conventional oils. If, however, one is constantly topping off the oil in a burner or leaker, the oil at any given time in the engine is generally pretty fresh.
So the expense of topping off w/ synthetic vs. conventional is unwarranted.
You may be right - and in the grand scheme of things that 15$ a month isn't much. However, It's those 10$ and 15$ a month line items on your household budget that usually add up to 100's and do make or break the bank. (That's a whole other subject)
I put synthetic in my truck because it doesnt leak, all signs point to synth being a better oil, and I am lazy and never make my oil change intervals on time. This way, I can go 10k w/o worrying about it.
If my honda didn't leak oil like the exxon vadeez, I would use synth in it as well. Altho, your point stands that it would cost me at most 5-10$ a month to top off w/ synth vs. conventional. Probably less. Maybe I will use synth next time around.
The Ranchero never really convinces me that it's not leaking, and my turbo burns oil. Maybe I should use synth here too.
Truth is, when you are talking a single car, synth or conventional isn't a big monetary difference. However - since most of us have a small fleet, the difference can add up to significant expediture.
Besides, If I get 10,000 miles out of the ranchero w/o blowing it up I will be impressed. I don't think that the type of oil I use is really going to be an issue.
If you have a leaker or burner then whatever you can get the cheapest makes the most sense. Even super wonder megga oil cant do any good on the ground or out the tail pipe. I knew a guy that had one of those 70's dautsens(sp?) that was a total rust bucket and burned so much oil it looked like it had a blown head gasket all the time. He worked at McD's and one day because he was broke and out of oil he dumped in some used fry oil. He ran on nothing but fry oil for almost a year. Bonus is the cloud smelled like french fries. I think the clutch was the final straw that forced him to junk the car ( or park it in his dad's front yard as I recall).
Somehow I ended up with some 5w40 full synth this winter. For the heck of it I put it in my very well used 78 Cadillac winter beater. Its a typical car for its age. 140K on what appears to be a stock original motor. Fairly low miles for the first 20 years of its life (church and the video store, hence the about 1/4 of sludge on everything) then it sat for 10 years. It looses (burns or leaks) around 1 quart of regular 10w40 in 1500 miles. So far I am at 2500 miles and it seems to have lost about the same it always has. I was expecting it to be gushing out of everywhere the way people talk.
Somehow I ended up with some 5w40 full synth this winter. For the heck of it I put it in my very well used 78 Cadillac winter beater. Its a typical car for its age. 140K on what appears to be a stock original motor. Fairly low miles for the first 20 years of its life (church and the video store, hence the about 1/4 of sludge on everything) then it sat for 10 years. It looses (burns or leaks) around 1 quart of regular 10w40 in 1500 miles. So far I am at 2500 miles and it seems to have lost about the same it always has. I was expecting it to be gushing out of everywhere the way people talk.
I think there is a difference between burning and leaking. If the engine is burning oil, it'll burn synthetic no differently, except maybe slower due to the fact more synthetics have a higher temp rating so it's harder to burn.
It's the leaks that sythetics tend to find and exploit.
It's the leaks that sythetics tend to find and exploit.
Here is what the underside of that car looked like last summer just running regular oil for 3000 miles. Either the previous owner had cleaned the engine or the leaks started for me due to sitting for 10 years. Last month after 2500 miles on the synth it pretty much looks the same. Cadillacs of this era had hard nylon valve seals that pretty much crumble into pieces (along with the cam gear) to plug the oil pickup at this age. Based on smoke out the tailpipe and oil in the air cleaner from the breather I dont think this thing burns much but as you can see it does leak. Based on reading I truly expected the synth to leak much faster but so far so good. If anyone out there wants to try it but is afraid of the leaks I say give it a shot and see what happens. I did it just to see what would happen. I plan on using the synth again next winter because of its extreme cold starting performance.
All results scientifically documented in my feeble brain and viewed through my 3 year old scratched and bent prescription eyeglasses.
Individual results may varry
All results scientifically documented in my feeble brain and viewed through my 3 year old scratched and bent prescription eyeglasses.
Individual results may varry
