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ALANSD · 12-13-2005, 04:50 PM

I know there are many opinions on OIL. I noticed lately the price has really gone up. A 5 quart container is 12 dollars plus at Wally world, although Havoline and Quaker State are still around 7. I went out to Google and found a couple of charts rating oils, based on Viscosity Index, flash point, ash content, etc.
I was very surprised to see that Castrol and Valvoline which I have been using, are lower rated tha Quaker State and Havoline which are both still cheap.
alright guys- give me your opinions. I change my oil regularly, but right now I am looking at changing it on 4 vehicles. My AS is one of them.

Porky Pig · 12-13-2005, 05:11 PM

Run the grade of oil (or better) that is listed in your owners manual. More importantly ... get an oil analysis done. It is the best way to see how long you can go between changes and how well your engine is doing.

I use Blackstone Labs ... the info they provide has been invaluable to me.

noiva · 12-13-2005, 05:19 PM

I've always changed my oil and filter every 3,000 miles regardless of manufacturer's recommendations. Also, I always use oil with the highest rating, i.e. SH, SG, etc. - whatever the latest S.A.E. ratings are at the time. In over 40 years I have never had an engine failure, nor damage to an engine related to oil. Obviously, that's not just because of changing oil, but I am absolutely convinced that brand of oil, as long as it's the highest S.A.E. rating, doesn't matter. It's frequency that makes the difference. Now, synthetic oils are a little different matter, but since the change interval needs to stay close I wouldn't spend the extra money. As far as rising prices are concerned, I've certainly noticed the same thing. My suspicion is that the same forces that have caused gas to go so high - not to mention propane - are causing oil to do the same

. These are all opinions, of course, but I got them from my experiences with oils and engines.

Tim

overlander63 · 12-13-2005, 05:51 PM

I use Havoline oil, synthetic in my tow vehicle, and organic in my other vehicles, in the weights specified for them. Usually that means 10W30, although the generator and lawn equipment use straight 30HD. I have had no oil-related issues in any of them.

uwe · 12-13-2005, 06:32 PM

Read this if you want to know a little bit more about synthetic oils.
http://oilstudy.spacebears.com
They have real world tested Mobil1 and Amsoil. It's a long read, but well worth the time spent, in my opinion.
I had been running Amsoil and Mobil1 prior to reading this article. My Suburban is at 120kmiles, with 10kmile Oil change interval, running Amsoil.

Pick · 12-13-2005, 06:37 PM

I run Castrol 0W30 synthetic in wife's car,(8000 mile OCI, per GM Oil Life Monitor) Cub Cadet lawn mower, Honda push mower, Honda generator, Generac generator, Briggs power washer. John Deere 2520 and 820 diesel tractors get Castrol Tection Extra 15W40 at 100 hour intervals. My Duramax diesel pickup gets Mobil 1 Truck and SUV at 7500 mile OCI's.

Everything you need to know about oil here: http://www.bobistheoilguy.com

ALANSD · 12-13-2005, 06:57 PM

Amsoil rated highest, followed by a few other synths in the articles iread. What got me was that Quaker State was higher rated than Castrol and havoline, and Valvoline and Pennzoil.
I have always changed oil regularly and and never had an engine failure in 40 yrs of driving. I just wonder what the differneces are between perceived high rated products like Castrol, and the reality. It did say on a few writings, that oil if changed regularly - brand was not as important as frequency of change. and viscocity rating.

JimGolden · 12-13-2005, 07:00 PM

I'm a Mobil 1 fan. Been running it for about 15 years. I started by putting it into a Bertone sports car I bought new in 1988. Car had about 80,000 miles when I switched from Castrol GTX 10w40 to Mobil 1 15w50. I noticed immediately that it idled more smoothly, revved better (up to 8300rpm without much trouble) and I got about 2mpg better on average with it. I got into the habit of changing the filter at 3,000 miles and the oil and filter at 6,000 miles. Mobil says it will go 15,000 miles between changes. I don't know. I think it's good stuff. I run it in several of my cars, all of which are over 150,000 miles and still going strong. Ran it in my Goldwing too and it worked great.

I think there is something to synthetic oils.

overlander63 · 12-13-2005, 07:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ALANSD

It did say on a few writings, that oil if changed regularly - brand was not as important as frequency of change. and viscocity rating.

I agree with that, it seems to be about the number 2 abuse of vehicles, right behind not checking tire pressure. Cars and trucks come in with 6,000, 8,000 even 12,000 miles since the last oil change (conventional oil). And they wonder why the car makes funny noises...But don't get me started on lack on maintenance.

SafeHarbor · 12-13-2005, 07:08 PM

Hi, Terry,

One thing I'm curious about... There's a common saying that synthetic oils are chemically incapable of forming sludge. Any thoughts about that?

Lamar

overlander63 · 12-13-2005, 07:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SafeHarbor

Hi, Terry,

One thing I'm curious about... There's a common saying that synthetic oils are chemically incapable of forming sludge. Any thoughts about that?

Lamar

That is basically true, but there are still combustion byproducts that get into the oil. Over time, they will cause just as much sludge as the oil-formed sludge, after all, gasoline is made from the same thing as motor oil. It just takes a lot longer. Which is one reason why Amsoil works in 10,000 mile oil changes.

GlenCoombe · 12-13-2005, 08:07 PM

o.k. how about synth transmisson and hypoid for the rear axle? What's our experience?

davidz71 · 12-13-2005, 10:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GlenCoombe

o.k. how about synth transmisson and hypoid for the rear axle? What's our experience?

I've been running Amsoil Torque-Drive synthetic ATF in the Allison auto trans in my '01 2500hd after changing factory fill at 40,242 miles. The trans filter was changed at 25,925 then at 40,242 with the Torque-Drive. I now have 49,341 miles with no problems.

The rear diff. was drained at 8,816 miles, a Mag-Hytec rear diff. cover was added and Amsoil Series 2000 75W-90 synthetic gear lube was added. This was drained at 40,242 miles and Amsoil Severe Gear 75W-90 added.

I ran Amsoil 5W30 synthetic for my first engine oil change at 2,816 miles and every 4,000 miles up to 30,610 where I changed to the Amsoil dual bypass oil filtration system (2 filters). I now run 4,000-5,000 miles, change the Amsoil SDF full flow filter, put in a qt. Amsoil 5W-30 and go another 4,000-5,000 miles then change both filters and add new oil.

Synthetic will also go into my transfer case and front differential at the beginning of summer.

overlander63 · 12-14-2005, 05:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GlenCoombe

o.k. how about synth transmisson and hypoid for the rear axle? What's our experience?

Mine has been very good. I used synthetic ATF and gear lube in the Dakota, and use synthetic gear lube in our tow vehicle. Synthetic gear lube is now specified in many rear diff applications. It will withstand higher temps without breaking down, and causing a lubricant-related failure. Even the most expensive stuff, at around $12/qt, will usually mean no more than a $40 bill to change the fluid.
MoHo's of course would be more, since they hold more fluid.
My personal experience with synthetic ATF was cut short due to an unrelated failure in my previous tow vehicle, but I have several friends that have modified their engines, and are using synthetic ATF, with good results, again, no ATF discoloration, and no ATF-related failures. The only caveat for all the synthetic stuff, is that since it flows so much more freely, any minor leak can become a major hemmorrage.

87MH · 12-14-2005, 06:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ALANSD

alright guys- give me your opinions....

Just as important as the oil for longevity is the filter -

Check out the following website:

http://www.shoclub.com/lubrication-o...n-oilpart5.htm

I also believe the "add-on" external filters (both absolute flow and bypass) are great investments if you have room for them.

ALANSD · 12-14-2005, 06:19 AM

all great info....I definitely believe in the use of quality oil filter also, i use Wix from Napa.
after reading a lot of other info, I would say Synth is the best...but for those like me with 5 vehicles and a bit of a budget....use the best rated name brand Dino oil you can afford. I think I will be using Quaker State after looking at the comparison charts. Its 7 bucks for five quarts vs. Castrol at 12.75 right now. I also routinely change it every 6 months or 5000 miles.

noiva · 12-14-2005, 07:26 AM

ALANSD, If my memory serves me correctly (which is debatable

), you do a lot of road driving, so you are less likely to build up sludge and contaminants than someone who does more city driving. Your schedule of changes sounds very reasonable to me, and apparently it's been working for your vehicle, especially you MH. If given a choice between regular routine changes and the price of synthetic engine oil, I'd go with regular changes if money is an issue - and it certainly is for me

. Gears are another issue, I think. Since they are not subjected to combustion, the contamination factor is almost nil. I'd spend the extra money and put synthetics in axles, especially on the MH. Can't tell about the heat in there, nor the stresses, so I think it makes sense use synthetics as a precaution. Bottom line, in my opinion, regular is better than longer regardless of type.

Tim

2airishuman · 12-14-2005, 12:11 PM

lots of info on oil options, how syn is made and so on out there on the world wide web. some syn is actually refined from dino, while others are fully cooked in the lab.....the link mentioned early in this thread is good and google will offer.....well a google more links.

if driving regularly and changing often (3k) dino is fine....stick to the newest highs api ratings...

if driving infrequently (like a moho that sits...) or driving high performance (track events) and at high temps....syn is a better choice.

also if wanting to go longer (5-20k) between changes, syn plus an occasional oil analysis is the best route.

for someone with LOTS of vehicles to maintain.....i'd suggest trying a syn blend.....this will give most of the benefits of syns at much less money....

also one can just add a full quart of full syn to the regular dino change....making your own syn-blend.....absolutetly safe and it does improve things....

cheers
2air'

noiva · 12-14-2005, 01:51 PM

ALANSD, I think 2air' has some excellent proposals. In your case, I think I remember your MH gets lots of use, so I doubt you are the dealing the the typical pattern. By the way, I've got to say 2airishuman's avatar is one of the most clever I've seen

. Got to love that picture!
Tim

**jcanavera** · 12-14-2005, 02:01 PM

I'm lucky if I do 6,000 a year with the van. Its life is primarily a tow vehicle and occasional haller of big things. I drive it probably once a month in the winter to keep things flowing and it's never used for short trips. It lives in the garage and doesn't go out in the snow. I consider that this van will be my tow vehicle for the next 10 years or so. I decided to do the Mobil 1 and filter route last year since I'm really on an annual oil change schedule. Its first oil change was semi-synth and last spring's change was its first synth. I currently have 14,000 miles on it.

Jack