I have a new Yukon XL with 5.3 engine. Plan on switching to Royal Purple after 5k miles. Manual says either 5-30 or 10-30 for where I live (South Texas). Would I benifit from better gas milage by going with the 5-30 or should I be concerned about the better protection in the summers from the 10-30? I live near Houston and know an employee of Royal Purple that gets me 5 gallon pails for $65. The only thing I hate is having to pour out and measure the 6 qts needed. This inconvience has almost driven me to Mobil 1 a time or two.
One other comment, I asked my buddy if he did not work for RP what oil would he use, he said Mobil 1.
#473 I'd say a toss up! My 5.7 eng owners manual sez 5-30w and 10-30w (Corvette Z06) I'd probably guess at 3.25 a qt. if you had a choice the 5-30 wt is slightly better if you have to go thru a winter summer cycle without changing (I do 15k intervals) but from where you are in Houston the 10-30 w probably makes sense. Especially since 5-30w is not as readily available in bulk containers such as 10-30w tends to be.
Just curious as to opinions on oil changes for second cars which don't see much mileage. I recently bought a Miata which is only used on weekends. I don't expect to put but 8-10K a year on the vehicle. I'm using Mobil 1 in the engine, with Mobil 1 filter.
What's the concensus on keeping with the mileage change schedule, instead of the # months schedule? With the low mileage this car will accumulate, changing every 5-7 months would seem too frequent as related to the miles.
Also, I had a hard time finding a Mobil 1 filter for this car. Seems the popular sizes are carried by the mass marketers, but not the less popular. I called a local Mobil gas station who referred me to an area distributor. I ended up purchasing a bulk box (6 filters) at half the cost per filter of what K-Mart wanted for the popular sizes when on sale! Just thought I'd pass this along.
I would keep to the month/mile schedule. When your car sits the the garage & not being used often, the oil still gets contaminate from the envornment ie:condesation will get into the oil & shorten its life. If you really hate to change the oil, then go on a 6month/XX mile oil change schedule, this way you'll only have to change it 2x/yr. I wouldn't go 1x/yr
I bought a pickup truck from my parents a few years ago that they didn't drive a lot. My dad is blind, so my mom is the only driver. They drive their Camry most of the time. It is a 1987 model. I recently bought a Protege ES but still have the truck. The truck only has 87-88k on it, but has some of the same problems a truck with 120k+ would have. My point is that IMO, the truck deteriorated even though it wasn't being driven much. I would assume that oil would break down over time if it has additives in it. Anyone know if oil has a shelf life? If so, how long is good for once out of it's container and in an engine?
I'm now using Mobil1 10W30 in my 6.0L. I also live in the Houston area and several GM service techs I checked with all said to use 10W30 because of our higher heat down here. I was interested in using Royal Purple synthetic, but can't get it for less than $6.50/qt. retail. If you can get it through your friend at $65 for 5 gallons, you ought to buy a truckload. It's well worth the hassle of measuring out 6 qts. at a time.
I was reading another GM topic tonight and a few of the posters said that Amsoil was the only true Syn. oil. They also said that Mobil 1 was part Syn. and part conv. oil. One post said that Syn. Mobil oil was really no better than Mobil regular oil.
Now before you guys jump on me, I'm just passing the info along. I believe Mobil 1 is a superior oil (at least over conv. oils). I use Mobil 1 (swithed about 1000 miles ago). Just wondering if you guys with the facts could enlighten me.
A: Yes, it's 100 percent synthetic. The base stocks used in blending Mobil 1 are all "chemically constructed" instead of being simply segregated out of crude oil like conventional mineral oils.
Tri-Synthetic is the tradename of Mobil's synthetic oil. Its actually a blend of 3 synthetic oils. This may be the root cause of confusion in that other forum. Usually, when people refer to "blend", they are talking about a blend of synthetic oil with regular dino oil. If someone casually mentioned that Tri-Syn is a blend of 3 oils, someone else may have decided "Mobil 1 is a blend? Hey that's not a fully synthetic oil!"
Everything depends on how we use our engine, and everyone is different. Just learn what you can and make the decision that is right for you.
It is interesting to contemplate how Mobile got a million miles on a BMW. How many cold starts did that involve? How many cold miles, what RPMs; how hard did they drive?
I like to look at my oil, smell it, feel it. New oil is obvious, and so is spent oil. In between is harder, but the more intimate you are with oil, the easier it is to decide when you are done with it.
For a weekend car, or a collectors car, never take short drives. Start it once, run it long and put it away.
I had the oil changed in my company car today by a quick lube location (Castrol lube....or something like that). The actual owner of the business (age 45-50) changed my oil at my request. Anyway, as he was adding Havoline conv. oil in my company car, I asked him what he thought of Mobil 1 Syn. oil. He would not comment while under the car, but when he climbed out of the bottom he said that he only uses Mobil 1 in his personal vehicles. He stated he has had very good luck with Mobil 1 in all his vehicles.
By-the-way, he did not carry Mobil 1 at the lube shop and told me if someone wanted Syn. oil, they would have to bring it.
For what it's worth....I thought this was interesting coming from a Castrol dealer who knew I wasn't using Mobil 1 (in company car)......
that maybe I shouldn't have used Redline synthetic in the tranny on my new Miata. The writer said he had......
"heard that they are too slippery for the syncros to slow down the gears enough for smooth gear changes. Over time they can ruin a tranny."
Anyone care to comment. I would have thought that as long as the correct specified oil (75w90, G?-5, I think) was used, it would only be adding to the life of the transmission by replacing the factory fluids at 2.5K.
I haven't noticed any difference on the shifts from 1-2, but when the car has warmed up, all the other shifts (2-3,3-4,4-5 & 5-6) are like butter!
Unfortunately, now someone has made me doubt whether my intentions were for the best.
As long as it meets the GL rating you are fine. However, unlike engine oils (SJ can be used in lieu of SE or SH) GL-5 cannot or should not be used in a tranny calling for GL-4. There is a diff in the oil that affects the syncros. But if yours calls for a GL-5 and that is what you got from Redline you are fine. The redline MT 90 75W90 is a GL-4 but they do have others that are a GL-5.
in both the 6sp tranny and diff of the '00 SE Miata. I specifically checked for the GL-5 rating when I bought the Redline oil (75W-90 hypoid gear oil, rated GL-5+).
I read the info provided at the link by "vadp". It states therein that GL-5 could shorten the syncro's life by 1/2. Hopefully that only applies where GL-4 was specified!
Of course, since Mazda has specified this class oil, they should know what is best for their tranny. And, since the repair history on the Miata is one most car manufacturers envy, it would tend to make one think they know what they're doing.
It was interesting to note within the link that Redline still recommends changing the non-filtered oils (tranny & diff) at their normal intervals. The heck with oil life, you've got to remove the unfiltered particlates!
Well, you don't have the combustion byproducts fouling things up, but the oil does have all the heat related problems and metal contaminate problems. I do remember a story (in Town Hall)about a guy who was standing nearby when the mechanic drained the oil from his VW microbus transaxle and he nearly died from the smell. So, gear oil can go "sour".
gear oil doesn't go "sour"...it always has a very strong odor!
I recently ran a fire call into a neighborhood where someone had called reporting an outside natural gas leak. This was a new neighborhood, and there were houses still under construction. As we searched for the source of the "gas leak", we discovered a crew changing gear oil on a bulldozer in the adjacent construction site. They were at least 100 yards from the house where the smell was reported!
... with some background in the development of synthetics and their additives, as well as a look ahead to the development of lubricants for proposed ceramic engines.
about Castrol and the change in their formula from purely synthetic base stock to a base stock engineered from regular crude appears in Car & Driver November 2000 issue. It is one of the editor's columns this month.
I read a technical article about the various chemical compositions of oils. One quality that varied greatly was seal swelling or the lack thereof. I called Mobil to ask about Mobil 1's applicability to my RX7 and it's many engine seals. The rep knew exactly what I was talking about and said Mobil 1 was neutral to seals. It neither swelled nor shrank them and was great for a rotary. That rotary engine never showed any sign of wear - even at 150K when everything else was falling apart.
I have an '87 Toyota MR2 I purchase with 122K. It was getting about 1000 miles per quart on conventional oil. With a midwinter switch to Mobil 1 the oil consumption went to 200 miles per quart. I switched back to a conventional oil and consumption returned to 1000 miles per quart.
I also have a '94 Camry with the 2.2 litre 4 cylinder. I purchased it with 89K. It was burning a quart of conventional oil every 1500 - 2000 miles. I switched to Mobil 1 and consumption is at the rate of a quart every 6 - 8000 miles! My theory is that Mobil 1 oil is so stable it doesn't evaporate off like the conventional oil does.
My last car is a '90 Accord with the 2.2 litre 4. It was switched to Mobil 1 at about 30K. It has 102K miles now and has finally burned a few drops of oil. Consumption is at the rate of a quart every 15000 miles (it was 1/3 qt down at the last 5000 mile change interval). I change at 5000 miles because the oil has thinned a little, enough so that I can hear the valve train getting noisy compared to fresh oil.
One more observation. If you run conventional oil check it every 500 miles or so. I believe it is turning black just as much from deterioration as from contamination. When it's black it's worn out whatever the mileage is. I never go past 3000 miles with conventional and technical articles say there is significant degradation even at 1500 miles.
Some engines and their components can tolerate long change intervals and some can't. When I pulled the valve cover on my '87 Toyota MR2 shortly after purchasing it I was shocked. There was so much hard carbonized buildup material I spent an hour with a shop vac and screwdriver chipping the stuff off and sucking it out. Big chunks would periodically clog the hose and I'd have to stop and push them down. Yet, the engine is very strong and smooth at 152K miles. I am often running at a steady 4200 RPM or more on the highway. I often redline the engine shifting through the gears. I've calculated the engine has spun as much as a V8 with a half million miles on it and lives on because of the quality built into it and despite running with enough worn out oil to cause that tremendous gunk buildup.
Interesting observations. Especially in that on one car the Mobil 1 used more and the other less. My 93 Camry V6 has had synthetic since 1,000 miles (Amosil) which I change every 7,500 miles, now has 125,000 uses about 26 ounces over that period. Been gradual over the years. Your comment on thining, never ever observed that with synthetics, could be you listen only when engine cold?
I posted the whole story on another topic, but I'll give you guys the bottom line on what GM told me today.
I called to get an update on my engine knock problem.....after discussing situation and waiting on hold.... the GM rep advise me to switch to Syn. oil ASAP to help the carbon buildup problem. I already switched to Mobil 1 about 1500 miles ago. (Hasn't helped the knocking yet).
What about the Redline NS formula without friction modifiers?? From Redline's web page ... 75W90 NS - a GL-5 which does not contain the friction modifiers for limited-slip hypoid differentials. This makes the transmission synchronizers come to equal speeds more quickly, allowing faster shifting and much easier low-temperature shifting
Interesting in what they don't day. Like multiple pass efficiency and was dino oil used or synthetic. Synthetics flow down to minus 50 or so and this differential pressure would be much different between the two, synthectic obviously much less. Mobil 1 filters geared to synthetics. AC a good filter but as we know, almost impossible to compare apples to apples. I really don't care if the oil goes via the bypass on startup, how much dirt etc. can there possbily be in that oil that would cause damage, more important to get the oil to the parts and filter it after it has warmed up!
Delco puts the same test results on the package of its "ultra" quality filters. The same with Pure One - the higher quality sub-brand of Puralator. Direct competition.
Delco stress one-pass filtration, while Pure One does the same with multiple-pass filtration, because in the real-life engines the same oil is going through the filter repeatedly for three months or longer.
I believe the both filters are really much better than the standard ones. I also believe, the difference between the different brands of the premium filter is less important.
Will use premium filter with synthetic: consider it to be important if changing oil less often.
I purchased my bulk case from Young Oil in Pompano Beach, FL. I posted their 800 number yesterday over on the Miata.net forum somewhere under the "99-?? Banter" in a topic regarding oil changes (I don't have their number with me at home). I did call Becky there to make sure I wouldn't be referring a "dealers only" seller. She told me it was ok to give their number out.
I found them by going to a local Mobil full-service station and inquiring about the filters. They referred me to their distributor. I'm sure you could do the same in your area.
Cost was right at $5 per filter, bulk case of 6, not individually boxed. I was able to pick mine up from their Miami branch. I'd suppose they'd UPS them anywhere, once you've paid for the s/h.
Well, I had this post #506 which I later wanted to edit, tried to do so, and ended up "scribbling" it - in other words, it went to that great place in the sky for posts...... Anyway, here we go again.
I called Redline this a.m. and spoke with an engineer, David. Told him what I'd done, and that the Miata's owners manual specified both GL-4 AND GL-5 oil for the 6 speed tranny. He told me the 75w90 would not hurt the trans., that if Mazda spec'd GL-5 oil there would be no internal parts which would corrode with this oil.
He asked how the shifts compared to the dino oil. Told him they were no different on startup, but after warm-up it was much smoother.
He considered that to be normal, then told me they would recommend the MT-90 as it would make for smoother shifts, hot or cold. The MT-90 doesn't contain the friction modifiers their 75w90 has, therefore the synchros would perform better.
He suggested/recommended I change out the oil and install the MT-90, keeping the drained oil for use in the diff when the 30K change comes up.
I did not ask him about the 75w90 NS - I had heard of others on the Miata.net forum using the MT-90 and this is what he recommended
Well, I plan to follow his recommendation - as soon as I am ready to change the engine oil. This car was a mid-life purchase, and the ol' skeleton isn't as forgiving as it once was.
Hi pinecrestjim - just for future reference, if that happens to you again, you can right-click anywhere in the page (the one that says the post has been scribbled) and click on "back" - this will take you back to the page that displayed the post.
Then you can highlight and copy the text so that you can paste it into a new response window, making whatever changes you want to make.
Actually, that is the only way to "edit" a post, since there isn't an actual edit feature here.
Can you tell this is the voice of experience? :-)
Pat Community Leader/Maintenance & Repair Conference
I want to switch to Mobil1 (my engine should be broken-in with 4500 miles on)do I have to flush the engine before changing to to Mobil 1? Vadp, what is the Mobil 1 oil-filter part number for Focus? (can't find it listed,it's not on Mobil1 e-store either)
Can someone explain, why dealers are charging 49$ for synthetic oil change and 19$ for regular oils?
Hey, what's up! K-mart is supposedly carriyng the Mobil 1 filters for the Focus. They should have a cross reference book next to the shelve. I found the filter they were referring to. But that thing didn't look like the original filter at all. A mistake? I'll be checking that again. Also I've tried to find the AC Delco Ultraguard Plus(fully synthetic medium) for our car. Apparently they don't have that model available for our car as yet too. I'm planning to use the Motorcraft or the Purolator brands if I won't be able to find the proper Mobil 1 filter. And no, you don't have to flush the engine before switching to the synth. It's almost like flushing your gas tank every time you switch to a different brand/grade of gas. And dealers charging $49 for a synth instead of $19 for a dyno. I think he is planning to take an around the world cruise this time instead of a usual going to Bahamas.
If I remember the prices right, at local Pep Boys the synthetic oil costs $4.49, vs. $0.84 for the cheapest home brand. And Delco UltraGuard filter costs $9.99 vs. $1.99 for home brand.
At 5 quarts + filter the difference is $26.25 total, plus sales tax. With the dealer the difference is $30. For me this does not looks outrageous.
Are you a dealer? Please, don't try to convince me that the dealer pays retail for anything. And I would really like to hear from somebody who was able to get the AC Delco Ultraguard Gold ($10) included in that kind of a deal. BTW it's not even avail for the Focus. So you will get another "premium" brand known as Fram.
I understand well, that the dealer does not buy anything retail. Neither Pep Boys. Both dealers and discount stores buy from the same manufacturers and/or wholesalers, and sell for higher prices.
Obviously, dealers have higher overheads and are selling with higher margins. And, very probably, dealer even buys at higher prices than a huge national chain.
This is a service component of the dealer prices: you can buy the oil/filter yourself from Pep Boys and bring them to dealer, but would you spend something like 30 minutes to save $3.75?
Changing oil with Mobil 1 is going to cost more because of the difference in price. The price local gas stations pay for Mobil 1 is not much cheaper than we can buy at K-mart @ 3.50 a quart on sale. Not to argue the point....you're going to pay double for Mobil 1 oil change anywhere.
Here's what I do........ I find it on sale (usually K-mart) and go to Advance Auto Parts and they will beat the price. I've never been turned down yet. So I get Mobil 1 for about 3.50 a quart. I then buy a filter (I use AC Delco).
Next......
1. I change the oil myself....or....
2. I take my oil and filter to the gas station and let them change it. They usally charge about anywhere from $5 to $10 labor.
Bottom line......the cost is more up front, but I change oil at 5000-6000 miles. I break even in the end.
Thanks for info. I will try to change it on my own next time around. I think I'll change the oil every 6000 miles and the filter every 12000. How does it sound? Ooooh, and Mobil1 price update, last time my dad got 6 quarts for his (2000 Econoline 350 V8 5.4). The price was right, $3.08 per quart!(Aberdeen NJ) We could not find the M1 oil-filter charts for 2000 Focus or 2000 Econo 350, because they (K-mart)only had charts for 1998 and older. 50 hard earned bucks for the (unknown brand,if you can call it a brand) synthetic change is a rip-off. Vadp, my friend, if you'll ever get that M1 filter number for 2000 Focus be so kind and post it, please. Thanks, again.
It is good for you, but different people have different needs, interests and limitations.
For example, I live in apartment building. Our lease explicitly prohibit car repair/maintenance on the parking lots. Cannot even wash cars.
There are more complicated situations. I know well one family, who would never do the maintenance themselves: He is a very successful professional, enjoys his work, works 7x12 all his life, and do not want to lose productive time on household shores. And she would not do the maintenance, because otherwise her husband will feel bad.
As to the $50 oil change - yes, it is expensive. But I would rather change oil for $50 once in six months, than for $20 every three months. Because I value my time higher than the $10 difference. And more than $20.
I believe you, that most probably I would save even more time by changing the oil myself - but, as I said, it is out of question for me.
My local LM dealer wants $9 per quart for FOMOCO syn oil! Since I get 24k of free oil changes, I guess I'll use dino until I have to pay. And then do it myself even though here in So. Cal. you almost need to sign over your first born in order to drop off used oil. KDOMINCZAK. I would try the oil/filter the other way for a syn. 12k for the oil and 4 to 6k for the filter. I think the filter will be pretty full and useless after that!
Delco have no premium filters for Focus. Though, it would be easier to search for the right filter with the Delco number. For example, using the Hastings database, it is compatible with the Hastings filter LF483.
Why not jus go to the parts counter at the Ford dealership...and buy a case of Ford OEM filters, they will usually give you a quantity discount...this way you know its the right filter...and if some engine damage occurs, which may be linked to improper oil filtration...your covered by Ford. My $0.02... Vern
Comments
Wal Mart in Silicon Valley CA is $4.42. I'd load up!
One other comment, I asked my buddy if he did not work for RP what oil would he use, he said Mobil 1.
I'd say a toss up! My 5.7 eng owners manual sez 5-30w and 10-30w (Corvette Z06) I'd probably guess at 3.25 a qt. if you had a choice the 5-30 wt is slightly better if you have to go thru a winter summer cycle without changing (I do 15k intervals) but from where you are in Houston the 10-30 w probably makes sense. Especially since 5-30w is not as readily available in bulk containers such as 10-30w tends to be.
What's the concensus on keeping with the mileage change schedule, instead of the # months schedule? With the low mileage this car will accumulate, changing every 5-7 months would seem too frequent as related to the miles.
Also, I had a hard time finding a Mobil 1 filter for this car. Seems the popular sizes are carried by the mass marketers, but not the less popular. I called a local Mobil gas station who referred me to an area distributor. I ended up purchasing a bulk box (6 filters) at half the cost per filter of what K-Mart wanted for the popular sizes when on sale! Just thought I'd pass this along.
Jim M.
Davide
I was reading another GM topic tonight and a few of the posters said that Amsoil was the only true Syn. oil. They also said that Mobil 1 was part Syn. and part conv. oil. One post said that Syn. Mobil oil was really no better than Mobil regular oil.
Now before you guys jump on me, I'm just passing the info along. I believe Mobil 1 is a superior oil (at least over conv. oils). I use Mobil 1 (swithed about 1000 miles ago). Just wondering if you guys with the facts could enlighten me.
Also....what's this Tri-Syn...on the bottle mean?
Thanks John
Q: "Is Mobil 1 a fully synthetic oil?"
A: Yes, it's 100 percent synthetic. The base stocks used in blending Mobil 1 are all "chemically constructed" instead of being simply segregated out of crude oil like conventional mineral oils.
Tri-Synthetic is the tradename of Mobil's synthetic oil. Its actually a blend of 3 synthetic oils. This may be the root cause of confusion in that other forum. Usually, when people refer to "blend", they are talking about a blend of synthetic oil with regular dino oil. If someone casually mentioned that Tri-Syn is a blend of 3 oils, someone else may have decided "Mobil 1 is a blend? Hey that's not a fully synthetic oil!"
Thanks again...
John
It is interesting to contemplate how Mobile got a million miles on a BMW. How many cold starts did that involve? How many cold miles, what RPMs; how hard did they drive?
I like to look at my oil, smell it, feel it. New oil is obvious, and so is spent oil. In between is harder, but the more intimate you are with oil, the easier it is to decide when you are done with it.
For a weekend car, or a collectors car, never take short drives. Start it once, run it long and put it away.
By-the-way, he did not carry Mobil 1 at the lube shop and told me if someone wanted Syn. oil, they would have to bring it.
For what it's worth....I thought this was interesting coming from a Castrol dealer who knew I wasn't using Mobil 1 (in company car)......
John
"heard that they are too slippery for the syncros to slow down the gears enough for smooth gear
changes. Over time they can ruin a tranny."
Anyone care to comment. I would have thought that as long as the correct specified oil (75w90, G?-5, I think) was used, it would only be adding to the life of the transmission by replacing the factory fluids at 2.5K.
I haven't noticed any difference on the shifts from 1-2, but when the car has warmed up, all the other shifts (2-3,3-4,4-5 & 5-6) are like butter!
Unfortunately, now someone has made me doubt whether my intentions were for the best.
Jim M.
Check out their side.
http://www.redlineoil.com/mtlti.htm
I read the info provided at the link by "vadp". It states therein that GL-5 could shorten the syncro's life by 1/2. Hopefully that only applies where GL-4 was specified!
Of course, since Mazda has specified this class oil, they should know what is best for their tranny. And, since the repair history on the Miata is one most car manufacturers envy, it would tend to make one think they know what they're doing.
It was interesting to note within the link that Redline still recommends changing the non-filtered oils (tranny & diff) at their normal intervals. The heck with oil life, you've got to remove the unfiltered particlates!
And, thanks for the reassuring words, armtdm.
Jim M.
Bruce
I recently ran a fire call into a neighborhood where someone had called reporting an outside natural gas leak. This was a new neighborhood, and there were houses still under construction. As we searched for the source of the "gas leak", we discovered a crew changing gear oil on a bulldozer in the adjacent construction site. They were at least 100 yards from the house where the smell was reported!
http://filebox.vt.edu/users/jvalenti/opolych/opolychf.html
I have an '87 Toyota MR2 I purchase with 122K. It was getting about 1000 miles per quart on conventional oil. With a midwinter switch to Mobil 1 the oil consumption went to 200 miles per quart. I switched back to a conventional oil and consumption returned to 1000 miles per quart.
I also have a '94 Camry with the 2.2 litre 4 cylinder. I purchased it with 89K. It was burning a quart of conventional oil every 1500 - 2000 miles. I switched to Mobil 1 and consumption is at the rate of a quart every 6 - 8000 miles! My theory is that Mobil 1 oil is so stable it doesn't evaporate off like the conventional oil does.
My last car is a '90 Accord with the 2.2 litre 4. It was switched to Mobil 1 at about 30K. It has 102K miles now and has finally burned a few drops of oil. Consumption is at the rate of a quart every 15000 miles (it was 1/3 qt down at the last 5000 mile change interval). I change at 5000 miles because the oil has thinned a little, enough so that I can hear the valve train getting noisy compared to fresh oil.
One more observation. If you run conventional oil check it every 500 miles or so. I believe it is turning black just as much from deterioration as from contamination. When it's black it's worn out whatever the mileage is. I never go past 3000 miles with conventional and technical articles say there is significant degradation even at 1500 miles.
Some engines and their components can tolerate long change intervals and some can't. When I pulled the valve cover on my '87 Toyota MR2 shortly after purchasing it I was shocked. There was so much hard carbonized buildup material I spent an hour with a shop vac and screwdriver chipping the stuff off and sucking it out. Big chunks would periodically clog the hose and I'd have to stop and push them down. Yet, the engine is very strong and smooth at 152K miles. I am often running at a steady 4200 RPM or more on the highway. I often redline the engine shifting through the gears. I've calculated the engine has spun as much as a V8 with a half million miles on it and lives on because of the quality built into it and despite running with enough worn out oil to cause that tremendous gunk buildup.
I called to get an update on my engine knock problem.....after discussing situation and waiting on hold.... the GM rep advise me to switch to Syn. oil ASAP to help the carbon buildup problem. I already switched to Mobil 1 about 1500 miles ago. (Hasn't helped the knocking yet).
John
From Redline's web page ...
75W90 NS - a GL-5 which does not contain the friction modifiers for limited-slip hypoid differentials. This makes the transmission synchronizers come to equal speeds more quickly, allowing faster shifting and much easier low-temperature shifting
i'm looking to get a box too...
According to the page the Mobil1 filter performs even worse than the Fram's Extraguard.
http://www.acdelco.com/parts/1191d.htm
http://dev.fusiondesign.com/xp/Caranddriver/columns/2000/November/200011_columns_bedard.xml
Delco stress one-pass filtration, while Pure One does the same with multiple-pass filtration, because in the real-life engines the same oil is going through the filter repeatedly for three months or longer.
I believe the both filters are really much better than the standard ones. I also believe, the difference between the different brands of the premium filter is less important.
Will use premium filter with synthetic: consider it to be important if changing oil less often.
I found them by going to a local Mobil full-service station and inquiring about the filters. They referred me to their distributor. I'm sure you could do the same in your area.
Cost was right at $5 per filter, bulk case of 6, not individually boxed. I was able to pick mine up from their Miami branch. I'd suppose they'd UPS them anywhere, once you've paid for the s/h.
Jim M.
I called Redline this a.m. and spoke with an engineer, David. Told him what I'd done, and that the Miata's owners manual specified both GL-4 AND GL-5 oil for the 6 speed tranny. He told me the 75w90 would not hurt the trans., that if Mazda spec'd GL-5 oil there would be no internal parts which would corrode with this oil.
He asked how the shifts compared to the dino oil. Told him they were no different on startup, but after warm-up it was much smoother.
He considered that to be normal, then told me they would recommend the MT-90 as it would make for smoother shifts, hot or cold. The MT-90 doesn't contain the friction modifiers their 75w90 has, therefore the synchros would perform better.
He suggested/recommended I change out the oil and install the MT-90, keeping the drained oil for use in the diff when the 30K change comes up.
I did not ask him about the 75w90 NS - I had heard of others on the Miata.net forum using the MT-90 and this is what he recommended
Well, I plan to follow his recommendation - as soon as I am ready to change the engine oil. This car was a mid-life purchase, and the ol' skeleton isn't as forgiving as it once was.
Jim M.
Then you can highlight and copy the text so that you can paste it into a new response window, making whatever changes you want to make.
Actually, that is the only way to "edit" a post, since there isn't an actual edit feature here.
Can you tell this is the voice of experience? :-)
Pat
Community Leader/Maintenance & Repair Conference
I'll try to be more careful next time.
Jim M.
Vadp, what is the Mobil 1 oil-filter part number for Focus? (can't find it listed,it's not on Mobil1 e-store either)
Can someone explain, why dealers are charging 49$ for synthetic oil change and 19$ for regular oils?
K-mart is supposedly carriyng the Mobil 1 filters for the Focus.
They should have a cross reference book next to the shelve. I found the filter they were referring to. But that thing didn't look like the original filter at all. A mistake? I'll be checking that again.
Also I've tried to find the AC Delco Ultraguard Plus(fully synthetic medium) for our car.
Apparently they don't have that model available for our car as yet too.
I'm planning to use the Motorcraft or the Purolator brands if I won't be able to find the proper Mobil 1 filter.
And no, you don't have to flush the engine before switching to the synth. It's almost like flushing your gas tank every time you switch to a different
brand/grade of gas.
And dealers charging $49 for a synth instead of $19 for a dyno.
I think he is planning to take an around the world cruise this time instead of a usual going to Bahamas.
At 5 quarts + filter the difference is $26.25 total, plus sales tax. With the dealer the difference is $30. For me this does not looks outrageous.
Please, don't try to convince me that the dealer pays retail for anything.
And I would really like to hear from somebody who was able to get the AC Delco Ultraguard Gold ($10)
included in that kind of a deal.
BTW it's not even avail for the Focus. So you will get another "premium" brand known as Fram.
I understand well, that the dealer does not buy anything retail. Neither Pep Boys. Both dealers and discount stores buy from the same manufacturers and/or wholesalers, and sell for higher prices.
Obviously, dealers have higher overheads and are selling with higher margins. And, very probably, dealer even buys at higher prices than a huge national chain.
This is a service component of the dealer prices: you can buy the oil/filter yourself from Pep Boys and bring them to dealer, but would you spend something like 30 minutes to save $3.75?
Here's what I do........ I find it on sale (usually K-mart) and go to Advance Auto Parts and they will beat the price. I've never been turned down yet. So I get Mobil 1 for about 3.50 a quart. I then buy a filter (I use AC Delco).
Next......
1. I change the oil myself....or....
2. I take my oil and filter to the gas station and let them change it. They usally charge about anywhere from $5 to $10 labor.
Bottom line......the cost is more up front, but I change oil at 5000-6000 miles. I break even in the end.
John
Ooooh, and Mobil1 price update, last time my dad got 6 quarts for his (2000 Econoline 350 V8 5.4).
The price was right, $3.08 per quart!(Aberdeen NJ)
We could not find the M1 oil-filter charts for 2000 Focus or 2000 Econo 350, because they (K-mart)only had charts for 1998 and older.
50 hard earned bucks for the (unknown brand,if you can call it a brand) synthetic change is a rip-off.
Vadp, my friend, if you'll ever get that M1 filter number for 2000 Focus be so kind and post it, please.
Thanks, again.
For example, I live in apartment building. Our lease explicitly prohibit car repair/maintenance on the parking lots. Cannot even wash cars.
There are more complicated situations. I know well one family, who would never do the maintenance themselves: He is a very successful professional, enjoys his work, works 7x12 all his life, and do not want to lose productive time on household shores. And she would not do the maintenance, because otherwise her husband will feel bad.
As to the $50 oil change - yes, it is expensive. But I would rather change oil for $50 once in six months, than for $20 every three months. Because I value my time higher than the $10 difference. And more than $20.
I believe you, that most probably I would save even more time by changing the oil myself - but, as I said, it is out of question for me.
http://www.acdelco.com/oil/oil.htm?selected=engine_size&year=2000&make=FORD&model=FOCUS&engine_size=L4+2.0L
Delco have no premium filters for Focus. Though, it would be easier to search for the right filter with the Delco number. For example, using the Hastings database, it is compatible with the Hastings filter LF483.
http://www.hastingsfilters.com/database.idc
Vern