Here's a off the wall question.

When you purchase a used car, is there a test to determinine whether it's currently using Synthetic Oil or not?


Cavenerd

Check the glovebox,map pockets and around the seats for old receipts.

But other than proof there isn't any test tube set-up, Unless you put it in the freezer and have a flow rate measuring device.

Thanks Rizzo.

That's what I thought. I just thought I'd ask. It'd be nice to be able to tell.

My newly aquired '00 Detective P71 is in need of an oil change.



Oh, is there a 'preferred' brand of Synthetic for these higher milage animals? I've used Castrol Syntec in the past with decent results and Mobil 1 with less than stellar results.

Thanks again!
Cavenerd

Pennzoil Platinum, very hard to beat oil.

+1


Edit: And make sure to use Motorcraft, WIX, or Purolator PureOne filters.

+1 to pennzoil Platinum

it's all I use.

I would like to state that the opinions in this thread are only those of the people who wish to subject themselves to the endless oil debate.

This and Anti-seize on spark plugs never goes anywhere and nothing ever comes from it.

I am not giving my opinion and I am not dismissing those given either.

Oh, I know. I'm just looking for input as to what others are using.

I don't want to get into the old 'Peanutbutter and Dill Pickle Sandwich' vs. 'Ham and Strawberry Jello Sandwich' debate.


Cavenerd

What "REsults" are you talking about

Just use a good quality/name brand motor oil and filter,thats all....

I would shy away from anything that has the word "Value" on it

used to be hard to beat when it was Group V base oil, last i checked it was Group III.

Amsoil makes better oil.

How about a semi-synthetic? Motorcraft semi-synthetic, which is spec'd and used by Ford is available at Wal-Mart for very cheap. I pay 2.xx something a quart. They also carry the Motorcraft filter at Wal-Mart. Makes for an inexpensive oil change, not to metion it's OEM.

Well, currently I'm 'flushing' the oil. I do this with all used cars I buy. I do an oil change ( and boy did this thing need one ) then drive it for a week or so then change it again.

When a vehicle's oil is as nasty as this ones appeared to be, I find it beneficial to do this in order to clear most of the grungy-old oil out. It's this or drop the oil pan and flush it that way. This way's cheaper for me.

Cavenerd

Do you know about AutoRX ?

Nope, never heard of it.

Cavenerd

X2. And for the record I use either Valvoline or Royal Purple full synthetic oil.

Ahhh... good stuff.

I'll definately look into it!

Thanks again Rizzo!

Cavenerd

I've used Castrol and Mobil

I'll try Penzoil and see what all the hype is about.

How are you going to measure if it's hype or not ?

CAUSE I CAN DO THAT! lol

Yeah its the most promoted oil in TV commercials, plus it seems to be a favorite by memeber here.

So you're gonna put it in there and if nothing bad happens then you will assume it's a good oil ?

Valvoline full synthetic oil for me.

Do I really have to reply...

Mobil 1 5W-30 for me. Has been happy in the 90+ degree, humid weather in the summer and the -10s in the winter well.

If you are not capable of explaining your strategy or technique then I don't want you to hurt yourself.

Sorry for making you look stupid.

I've always used the Motorcraft Semi-Synthetic oil and Motorcraft oil filters for all of my Ford vehicles. If you took it to the dealer.. they'd be using the same stuff. Why not use stuff that Ford designed for the vehicles they build??

If I run synthetic I run amsoil. One of the main reasons is the success i've had with it on 2 strokes, the engines are so clean and nice when ran with this over the life of the motor compared with standard oil.

now this by no means does this state or prove the 4 stroke amsoil is good or not, i guess i figured if the burned oil is good the lubrication only kind must be pretty good too..lol

I use regular oil(I like valvoline,but whatever your pref is) and Lucas engine treatment (or "engine snot" as some call it) I have 149,800 miles on my 97pi. I went 5,000 miles and didn't burn any at all. Oil came out looking new when I changed it.

That's thinking with yer dipstick,Jimmy!

Motorcraft is a very decent oil at a very decent price. It's supplied by ConocoPhillips, who also supply brands like Kendall, using Korean base stock oils. Brilliant oil for 5,000 mile drain intervals.

If you're going synthetic, Pennzoil Platinum is a very decent oil as well. Albeit, a Group III, it performs as well as Group IV oils and comes with a more reasonable price tag. I would have no second thoughts about running it for at least 10,000 miles.

Then you've got the likes of Amsoil, Mobil 1, etc. I know Amsoil is mostly Group IV, but so is Mobil 1 - which also contains some Group III and Group V from what I've read.

Ultimately, it comes down to how much you're willing to spend and what oil change intervals you're looking to carry out.

Speaking of which, the FL-820S is the best filter you can use for this application!

Thank you.

I use Amsoil with the Amsoil oil filter. Good for 25,000 miles or one year. For my money - it's the best deal going. Almost through my second year with no problems

Have you sent any in for an analysis ?

I would be interested in the results. Somewhere on this board is a post from a guy who ran Amsoil for 25K and sent it in for analysis, Turned out pretty good.

25k intervals???

I don't care how good the oil is, that just wouldn't sit well with me.

His analysis stood up to the claim. His aluminum,iron,steel and coolant #'s were WAY down and close to the virgin oil from the same batch he sent in.

IIRC.

Motorcraft makes excellent stuff but I've been using all K&N filters for a while now, oil and air, and have some 'stock' of both so I'll likely keep using them.

Thanks to everyone for their input on this topic. It's been most informative!

Cavenerd

i have used valvo full syn on my 02 merc grand marq. since i bought it then i switched to full syn max life at 75k i also run additives in there also to keep compression as high as possiable and fast heat up time

Royal Purple fully synthetic and now I hear Royal Purple has come out with their own line of oil filters so I might pick one of those next time and run it as well. However I have been running either a K&N Gold filter or a Mobil 1 depending on availability. I have also run Mobil 1 fully synthetic.

I recommend them both, with Royal Purple costing more obviously.

i just switched to LIQUI MOLY high tech synthetic 5w30 + 820S filter for my 1992
i feel the engine more smooth and little better MPG.

I had 74k miles on my last oil change and used Quaker State high mileage with a Motorcraft filter (about $17 for both I believe at Walmart) and got great results. Motorcraft is what it had before and is what is recommended in the manual. And by great results I mean smoother running and great drive feel.

I've used this on many vehicles, great stuff.

Even better with the maintenance dose.

Run a mix of 1/2 JB Weld and 1/2 oil. That stops leaks better than anything else on the market! Sure,you might loose a bit of oil pressure,but that happens with all high mileage engines. LOL

I like the jugs of Synthetic from Wally Mart.

I used to get Mobil 1 5W 30 till the price went up. Last few times I got Valvoline Super syn as it was $21 for 5 quarts. Plus a FL820S for $3.64 or so.

This way I can go an easy 7K miles without worries, and I can afford to change it. I figure my cost to be about equal wither way.

I would have to go 3-4 K on Motorcraft 5W30 to get similar protection. Plus if i go to 8K or so no big sweat with the Syn but going over 5K on Syn blend/Dyno is more of a risk.

Sure "true" group IV is better oil, and the Stories of Amsoil 20K changes are interesting. Not sure I could stomach that even with used oil analysis. You still have to change the filter a few times and do a lube service and inspection so that takes 80% of the time of the oil change so you would save much time by the extended drain interval. I would worry about fuel buildup over time, your last drain interval was good but no guarantee that you will not build up fuel etc over the next 20 K miles.

I am sure that with a long enough drain interval the cost would at least equal the other two methods

Motorcraft Syn blend 3-4K interval

group III syn 7 - 8 K interval

Group IV Syn 15 - 20 K interval + 1 - 2 oil filter + 1 quart changes.



Upkeep of a vehicle is a matter of compromise and cost+Time /benefit.

To be honest, OCI is also depends on you as the "operator". If you idle a lot, for instance, that would reduce your OCI. Fuel dilution isn't exactly a good thing for the oil or the engine.

Personally, I've run Group II HDEO oils for 10,000 km (6,250 mile) OCIs. The minimum I would consider running a Group III synthetic is 15/16,000 km (10,000 miles). OTOH, I'm running Mobil 1 0W-40 for 20,000 km (12,500 miles).

Having said that, it also depends on the oil itself...VI, TBN and maybe HTHS. Motorcraft Synthetic Blend, for instance, has a virgin TBN of 6.5. HDEOs (or dual-rated oils) generally have a TBN of 10 or higher...bear in mind TBN is reduced quite a bit once the oil is put into service. UOA is a good investment.

I'm personally more interested in ACEA certification, rather than the API, when choosing an oil. MB Sheet 229.3/5/5.1 or BMW LL-01/04 certification also a decent benchmark.

Having said that, when helping out friends or relatives with their Panther's oil changes, my choice is Fuchs Titan GT1 5W-30 for 15,000 km. It has no API or ILSAC certification, but is ACEA A3/B4 and C3, MB 229.31, BMW LL-04 approved - and these engines love it. For those willing to spend the extra, it's Mobil 1 0W-40 (which quickly shears down to a 30 weight).

Roy L Fuchs?

I buy the Motorcraft Oil, simply because I can get it for 5 cents more a quart than the store brand.

If you really wanted to know, you could take a sample of the oil and submit it to a chromatography lab. This is probably more hassle and certainly more cost than it's worth.


Pennzoil Platinum has had a Group III basestock since day one. Group V basestocks are not typical in automotive use.


ConocoPhillips designed the oil, and Purolator designed the FL-820s. I say why buy synthetic blend when it's only between 20-35% synthetic, and a Group III to boot?


Mortal Kombat is a very GOOD game; however, I think Donkey Kong is the best video game ever.

AMSOIL EaO11 - higher efficiency, capacity, and flow rate; rated for 25,000 miles or a year (small print: when used in conjunction with AMSOIL synthetic motor oils.)


Yes.


Chew on this: The last commercial jetliner you flew on hadn't had an oil change since coming out of the factory. Just the occasional top-up. [Source: History Channel - Modern Marvels: Lube Job]


As I stated above, the AMSOIL EaO11 is good for 25,000 miles or one year, whichever comes first. Numerous UOAs support that this line of filters effectively removes contaminants during extended drain intervals.

I treat the ball joints and pitman arm every 6 months or so with AMSOIL GHD Heavy-Duty moly grease, and after less than a pump or two there is already grease coming out of the boot. That means the stuff stays put, even after the temperature climbs above 80°F.

And as for fuel dilution being a worry, every time I've done a UOA to comfort a customer who is using AMSOIL with extended drain intervals, the reports have shown the exact same number in the "Fuel Dilution" category -- <1%.

I save plenty of time with extended drain intervals. Inspection takes 10-15 minutes. OTOH if you don't have the discipline to do an occasional inspection, extended drains may not be for you.

Some Platinum viscosities, such as 5W-20 and 5W-40, have some POA in it. Your Platinum is basically Shell Helix Ultra. Mobil 1 also uses some Group V in their products, mixed in with Group III/IV.



Amsoil EA filters are not exactly off the shelf filters, which is what I was referring to. And the catch is, it has to be used with Amsoil oils to last 25,000 miles....which you already pointed out.

German oil company, supplying factory fill lubricants to Mercedes-Benz.

Sorry, I had to throw the "Used Cars" movie reference in there.

I did use Mobil 1 for a long time, then tried Royal Purple when it first came out on the market. I've also used Redline ( very expensive ) and many other synthetics. Every car/truck is going to react different, its just mostly preference. You can take a sample and have it sent in, but unless you disassemble the engine after x amount of miles with one brand, then do it again with another brand, you'll never see what the inside looks like and see the wear patterns. I use Asmoil myself for my 06 CV, simply b/c I feel comfortable with it, not b/c of the " extended interval times ". I still change my oil on a regular basis, plus Amsoil is one of the few right now that carries a fully synthetic 5w20. I use amsoil in all my vehicles, in the engine, trans and diff. Whatever feels comfortable and gives you piece of mind is what you need to go with. Jaguar has been claiming 10k services for quite some time now, they dont use fully synthetic oil, and there are people who wait 10k miles to change the oil. Then there are those who choose to be smart, and keep it changed on even more regular basis. If you're using Mobil 1, or Valvoline, or even Castrol, I seriously dont think you're going to have engine failure b/c of the oil you chose to use, as long as you keep it changed. Point being, pick one that suits your driving habits, keep it changed on a regular basis, and be done.