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Synthetic motor oil

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Comments

  • ke4yydke4yyd Member Posts: 30
    Since my Ford Escape needs 5w-20 oil I made a Yahoo search on 5w-20 and found a synthetic oil made by NEO. It was about $8 a quart. Anyone know about this brand?

    David
  • armtdmarmtdm Member Posts: 2,057
    I have heard of it but I know of no one that has actually used it. It appears that none of the other major synthetic players have a 5W20 on the shelf as yet, although I hear Amosil is to ahve one very soon. I honestly do not know what to advise on its use. Not even sure it is a true synthetic, haven't been to their web site in a while
  • armtdmarmtdm Member Posts: 2,057
    I looked at their test data, pretty sparse. Anyway, the Falex test results they show, I believe that this test is used for diesel engines and they have compared competition's gasoline oils against their diesel formulation in this test. Not sure but could be typical misleading advertising that abounds in this entire engine oil field.! Ask them if the falex test is a diesel oil test?
  • curreycurrey Member Posts: 144
    When I went looking for synthetic for my Tribute I found them too. However, I paid little attention to them as I thought the price was a little high, ok, a lot high. I called Amsoil, Mobil, Havoline, Castrol, Valvoline, and a couple of others. Only the Amsoil tech guys said that a synthetic 5W-20 should be out in July. I'm hoping that Mobil comes out with one sometime around then too (even if the tech guy I talked to wasn't aware of a synthetic 5W-20 being added to their product list) as shipping on the Amsoil makes it a little more then I want to pay. The customer service person for Havoline (I think) said that the tech department had taken some calls for synthetic 5W-20 and that the more they received the higher the possibility that they would release this weight. They may have been blowing smoke, however, it is possible as 5W-20 also is being used by some of the newer Honda. Oh well, good luck and if you find any other synthetic 5W-20 please leave a note on this forum or one of the Escape/Tribute forums here at Edmunds, I'll do the same.
  • adc100adc100 Member Posts: 1,521
    This 5W20 would be very troubling to me. Either the bearings or other running gear are designed with too tight of clearances or they are trying to up their fleet milage. If it's the latter then I'd be using Mobil 10W30-thank you very much. If it's a mis-design as has happened with ford before in their '74 2.3 engine then greater problems loom on the horizon.

    I would try to get to the bottom of this problem. Because if it's a misdesign that engine will go to warranty and then hold on.

    I promise there is something here which Ford wishes not to discuss. If it were me I'd have some receipts for some 5W20 oil, just in case and I'd be getting the extended warranty. Remember-you heard it here!! BTW - I'm not a Ford hater.
  • vadpvadp Member Posts: 1,025
    you must be a Honda hater. ;)
    The new Civics require the same 5W20 oil. Sounds like a pattern to me. (not a conspiracy).
    I won't be surprised if Toyota does it too.
    I don't know why you're so concerned about that. The difference in viscosity between 5W30 and 5W20 is not that great. The modern oils are improving with each passing year.
    BTW I hear Amsoil is releasing this weight in about a couple of months. The other synthetic manufacturers will follow.
  • mdecampsmdecamps Member Posts: 115
    Has anyone seen the new Valvoline syn 5W40 in stores yet? They show it on their website, but I haven't found any local stores that have it yet. I would be great for some of the newer European cars.

    Any info would be greatly appreciated.

    Thanks,

    Mark
  • tc93tc93 Member Posts: 19
    I'm told Car Quest carries the Synpower 5W40, but the price tag is ~$6/qt.
  • adc100adc100 Member Posts: 1,521
    What's the pattern ??? All of Honda has not going to it, all of Ford has not gone to it. None of Toyota has going to it. What's your point?? BTW I don't "hate" any cars. When a car manufacturer screws me, I don't buy it again. Thats why I won't own a Ford again (for a while-owned an 88 Ranger also). Never owned a Honda. I believe they are very reliable. I would like someone to explain to me the need for the 5W20-thats all.
  • vadpvadp Member Posts: 1,025
    Are you okay?
    You're kinda scaring me. ;)
    The pattern is that the Ford Focus and Escape (4 and 6 cyl), Mazda Tribute (Fords twin), Honda Civic (Accord?) REQUIRE *5W20* oil starting with the '01 models.
    This fall a bunch of the redesigned models from other manufacturers is coming to the market that would possibly use the same 5W20 as a manufacturer recommended oil.
    What does it have to do with your previous Ford experiences?
    5W20 is marginally thinner (when is hot only) than 5W30 and increases gas mileage.
    5W20 is most definitely has a different from 5W30 formulation that will not compromize the long term reliability.
    And again if one is still "suspicious", he/she just can switch to the synthetic equivalent.
    Do you really think that the Honda Civic designers would be willing to compromize the car's hard-earned reputation as a bullet proof vehicle by using the "inferior" 5W20 weight oil?
    I think you still don't believe me. Just stop by a Honda dealership and check for yourself.
  • ocelot1ocelot1 Member Posts: 101
    I was talking to a oil tech about the 0w-30 if I could use it. And my owners manual for my 95 montero says 5w-30 OR 5w-20 is preffered and so I ask the guy if they even make a 5w-20 and he said yes it would be out soon!! so I ask why a 5w-20 he said that ford has started this to earn emission credits if they use 5w-20 in their focas and like models they get better fuel economy which means if they have a million cars that get 8tenths of a mile better fuel economy they get more EPA credits to build SUV's .So I told the guy hey I own a SUV! he had the tone of a SUV apposer so I said thats why I was asking about the 0w-30 so I can get better miliage he was fine after that I'll post the # if you guys would like to call.(chevron lube tech)
  • bluedevilsbluedevils Member Posts: 2,554
    From a couple days back, re: why I don't buy the PureOne filter instead of the Motorcraft: I can get the Motorcraft for $2.97, I believe the Contour.org geeks that it has the PureOne filter element, and the PureOne costs $4.99.
  • tboner1965tboner1965 Member Posts: 647
    Gee,

    That's what my wife calls the group as well.

    Going to SpringZing in Kalamazoo, MI Thursday. Some road course action, etc.

    Topic based content. I have Mobil 1 5W-30 and the Motorcraft F820-S filter in my Contour SVT :o)

    TB
  • adc100adc100 Member Posts: 1,521
    If you are sure that's one thing. If you are 90% certain then I pay the 2 buck difference. Just me. Just cause it's same manufacturer-may be different specs.

    vadp: I believe ocelot1 is on it. You are far too trusting of corporate America/Japan. I want my engine to run like new at 100K. Also I want the extra protection of a higher viscosity when bad things happen- Like a coolant leak. Think Ford or Honda takes that into account. No, they play the numbers; couple of extra failed engines due to coolant leak/overheat-siezed engines- owners fauult right??? If you think a 20 weight will protect like a 30 weight I have some beach front land in Nevada I'll sell 'ya.

    My Ford experience helped me to understand that the manufacturer doesn't always have my best interest at heart. A '74 Pinto had incorrect bearing clearances and misdesigned cams that required Fords "special" oil. Of course this only came out after I had chananged my main and big end bearings. (Myself at my cost -of course).

    Second was that after 3 oil pan gasket replacements my oil pump pump screen was clogged with RTV.('88 Ranger) Could this have occurred the last time they worked on it and used gobs of stuff to fix the leak probably caused by something they couldn't find. Naaaaaaaa---they said. It's the synthetic oil you are using. Am I as trusting as I was 30 years ago? Not likely

    BTW I see no trend here on the 10W20 half dozen out of hundreds of engines- not much of a trend. However based on ocelot1's information it could be. This gas crisis may derail a lot of that though. SUV's may die a painful death on their own merits.

    Later,
    Al
  • ocelot1ocelot1 Member Posts: 101
    it's 1-800-582-3835. I don't work for these guys I just like there site. Heres some info on the 5w-40 if anyone likes. http://www.chevron.com/prodserv/nafl/trucking.htm
  • SPYDER98SPYDER98 Member Posts: 239
    I've been using synthetic in my turbo eclipse and extending my oil change intervals to about every 5k.

    After using synthetic for almost 2years now...I really dont see any more benefit in using it and I believe I may be doing more damage using it the way I am.

    I'm think of going back to dino oil and shortening my oil change intervals to about every 2k miles.

    The reason being...with this turbo car, the oil gets "dirty" real fast. By 5k miles...the synthetic is black.

    Is it not wiser to drive around with cleaner oil being it dino...as apposed to dirty synthetic?

    I have 85k miles on the motor and have been using synthetic since 30k.

    I can't afford to change synthetic oil every 2k miles...this is the reason I would want to switch oils.

    I was wondering what everyones advice here might be on this idea?

    Thanks..
    ~spyder98
  • pulgopulgo Member Posts: 400
    Spider98:

    I would suggest the following: Get a dual filter kit (relocation kit). This will increase the amount of oil (and cooling) for a longer life of your engine and you won't get dirty changing the oil. Keep on using good synthetic oil (Mobil 1, Valvoline, Amsoil), use a couple of quality filters (Purolator PureOne), extend your oil changes to 7.5 K and your total cost will not increase over your planned oil changes every 2K.
    The added benefit is that your engine is going to last much, much longer and you won't have to crawl under your car every month.
    If the long periods between changes give you nightmares, invest in oil analysis and you will see that there is nothing to worry about.

    Now if you are not going to keep your car much longer it makes more (financial) sense to use inexpensive oil and filters and just change either every 3K or 3 months, whichever comes first.
  • ruking1ruking1 Member Posts: 19,826
    #1316

    The short answer is to buy a couple of oil analysis tubes. This should give you a baseline of where you are with an 85k motor, and give you a sense of what it has been like to run app 50k miles in a more hi-performance engine with synthetic oil. If you dont want or need this info, it is a no brainer to change to conventional oil in that conventional oils were probably specified for the car to begin with.
  • SPYDER98SPYDER98 Member Posts: 239
    Oil analysis tubes be purchased and how much are they?

    I've been using purolater pure one filters, but they don't seem to help. Plus I believe the oil filter designed for this engine is too small in the first place. But thats another story.

    so in general..dirty oil can't be a good thing?
  • pulgopulgo Member Posts: 400
    Spider98:

    I would suggest the following: Get a dual filter kit (relocation kit). This will increase the amount of oil (and cooling) for a longer life of your engine and you won't get dirty changing the oil. Keep on using good synthetic oil (Mobil 1, Valvoline, Amsoil), use a couple of quality filters (Purolator PureOne), extend your oil changes to 7.5 K and your total cost will not increase over your planned oil changes every 2K.
    The added benefit is that your engine is going to last much, much longer and you won't have to crawl under your car every month.
    If the long periods between changes give you nightmares, invest in oil analysis and you will see that there is nothing to worry about.

    Now if you are not going to keep your car much longer it makes more (financial) sense to use inexpensive oil and filters and just change either every 3K or 3 months, whichever comes first.
  • dpwestlakedpwestlake Member Posts: 207
    They nust really be depending on lowering viscous drag to increase mileage. My 95 Saab 900SE V6 recommends 10W-30 for normal conditions, 5W-30 for cold climates and 10W-40 for extreme conditions like towing a trailer in hot weather.

    I can recall SAE 20 oil being recommended in older cars when the temp didn't go above 20F. My TR7 is at the opposite end of the spectrum, According to the Haynes manual 20W-50 is recommended. I guess they want to keep up the oil pressure for the chain tensioner on that crappy bicycle chain they use for the OHC.
  • adc100adc100 Member Posts: 1,521
    Yea-oil analysis is really part of the answer. But I also am not comfortable with oil that is black. I'm guessing that your rings are not what they used to be and you may find that your oil will now be getting black earlier even with conventional oil. My experience is that a good solid engine with good rings will deliver clean engine oil after a couple of oil changes of syn. I'm guessing people with turbo's run engines harder than average with higher rpm's and resulting increased wear. All vehicles I have owned (many, many) in my 40 years of driving- have had one thing in common: Higher oil consumption coupled with oil gedding blacker quicker. There may be exceptions, but I have never seen any.
  • adc100adc100 Member Posts: 1,521
    There was an extensive article in "Automotive Engineering" in the Jan-2001 edition which delt with the latest generation Ford engines to utilize the 5W-20 oil. As I suspected and ocelot1 indicated, the purpose is to raise the Cafe' for fleet milage. (.6 mile per gallon was the figure that this oil will deliver). Ford had to redesign the engines in part to accept this oil. The life expectancy of the engine with this oil is rated at 150K. Now, before you feel good about this I'll point out that Mobil tested 8 GM vehicles- 4 with syn and 4 without. After 200K all vehicles' engines were serviceable.
    A-l-l engines lived beyond 200K. 150K was exceeded in all cases. Statistically it is highly-highly probable that the mean life of a GM engins is thus higher than 200K.

    My assessment is that either GM engines are superior to the latest Ford generation (V-Tech-2) or the 20 wt oil has decreased engine life. I wish I knew what the service life of a latest Honda Engine is.

    Comments vadp???
  • kruzer1kruzer1 Member Posts: 7
    When I saw the 5w20 designation on the oil fill cap of that V10 engine I was really surprised. I would not be confident pulling a loaded trailer through the mountains in summer heat on that oil. At 300 degrees 20wt oil is very, very thin. I cannot understand how running a 5W30 synthetic could ever be harmful to that engine, and it would give me an extra margin of safety in my mind. The heck with the extra half mile per gallon. Does Ford actually require 5W20 to meet their warranty requirements, or is 5W20 "recommended" and 5W30 an acceptable substitute?
  • adc100adc100 Member Posts: 1,521
    kruzer1. Up until the time I read the article I would have said what you're thinking. Since the engine is designed with probably closer clearances and accomodations to give "reasonable" life with the 20 wt. In extreme cases the bearing could overheat with a 30 wt. I seriously doubt it though as they have to figure some people are gonna use a 30 wt.I am not sure what I would do. For sure I would have receipts for the 20wt. but would probably have 30 or 40 percent of 30 wt in. The other thing is: Synthetic is in my view absolutely necessary for the kind of things you are doing. Normally a syn oil can protect to a level of a conventional oil one grade above it. I know this because I was involved in oil selection processes in my former job. Now this applies to the ISO grades (is ISO 32, 48, 68, etc) In other words: a 32 grade gives the same approximate protection as a 48.

    My best guess would be to use syn 20 wt with a couple quarts of 30 wt.

    Oh, and I would allow extra time letting the vehicle idle on startup and drive it easy until it gets up to temp.

    Just my thoughts hopt it helps you decide. You could talk to Ford also, but you'll probably get nowhere unless you get to one of the engine designers who will spill some beans.

    Al
  • curreycurrey Member Posts: 144
    The manual for my Tribute states the 5w-20 is the "recommended" oil. I called Mazda customer service and they asked the tech guys for me (they have no tech guys in customer service) regarding the oil. The customer service rep just told me that I should use 5w-20. I called Amsoil and talked to one of their tech guys who said 5w-30 should be fine. However, when I asked him to explain, he lost me. He mentioned how the differences were slight, three (measurement) something, and that the engine could not be that fine tuned. I don't know, I am so confused. I don't want to void my warranty, however, everything I have read here seems to indicate that my Tribute would be much better off mechanically if I ran some synthetic 5W-30 in it. As far as synthetic 5W-20, well only neo oil has released one and it is eight or nine dollars a quart, gimme a break. Amsoil will release one in July, however, with shipping I am looking at what, seven dollars a quart. I guess I will just weight until Mobil 1 or Havoline or Valvoline come out with a synthetic 5W-20. That will probably be in about three years to never. Sorry for my rant, I just wish I had one of the engine guys at Ford on the line to tell me that 5W-30 synthetic was fine.
  • div2div2 Member Posts: 2,580
    I'm not a lubrication engineer, but I simply cannot see how running a 5W-30 synthetic will hurt your engine. The owners manual for my wife's car calls for 15W-40 but I use 15W-50 Mobil 1 instead. The Mobil 1 web site specifically states that its 15W-50 can be used where 15W-40 is specified. IMHO, if your engine can be damaged by an extra 10 points on the upper grade, you will have big problems down the road regardless...
  • curreycurrey Member Posts: 144
    I know there is a oil filter topic, however, it does not appear to be that active. I remember reading somewhere that the Pure one filter is better for horizontal use then the Mobil 1 filter. Something about a better valve. Anyone care to comment on this? Thanks in advance.
  • agt_cooperagt_cooper Member Posts: 202
    Just a thought on your speculation that Ford would design engines with "probably closer clearances and accomodations to give 'reasonable' life with the 20 wt".

    Wouldn't it make sense that they would want to get more oil between parts rather than less? My thought process here is that the thinner oil forms a weaker barrier, so an increase in the oil film thickness would be needed to give proper protection.

    What do you think?
  • curreycurrey Member Posts: 144
    If the reason for 5W-20 is to save .6 mpg per tank and synthetic may increase a tank by 1-3 mpg (I think this is on the amsoil web site) then at the least is not the change from dino 5W-20 to synthetic 5W-30 about an even swap (if not better mpg with synthetic)? Just a thought.
  • adc100adc100 Member Posts: 1,521
    currey... I have read other places that Pure One filters may have the best anti-drainback valve. I seem to recall they use some type of silicon-not sure. Anyway I did post that on my Toyota (horizontal filter) the Pure One gave quieter startups. Thats my experience. Not 100% scientific though.
    Vehicle manufactures are reluctant to recommend syn's for some reasons: Probably pressure from oil companies, less engine life( good for them with repairs, quicker replacement, etc.) There are probably others and they are stronger than their desire to raise fleet milage. BTW that's .6 miles per gallon. Your assumption could be right. Who knows??

    agt_cooper: Good thought, but just because you make clearances larger, doesn't mean the film will be thicker. There will be more oil in the space (but that is not the film) When the equipment runs the surfaces shift and the points of heaviest load are kept apart by this film. The overall difference between the journal and bearing diameter is smaller for the equipment designed for the thinner oil. In short-the load and speed along with the viscosity determine the separation of parts. I probably didn't explain that very well.
  • brorjacebrorjace Member Posts: 588
    No adc100, I have not put the Redline in yet. I had some leftover Valvoline Synpower that I used in my car at the beginning of April and that's staying in my car until July when I'll switch over to Redline.

    Spyder, don't trust the look of the oil. Dark oil isn't necessarily harmful and it could merely mean that the synthetic is cleaning old deposits from the inside of your motor. But, if the dark oil really bothers you, do a 3-4 week duration oil change followed by another one. A great, safe way to clean the inside of your engine ... for about $8-10.

    I agree with the folks who are saying the 5W20 oil is designed to appease the EPA and lower Honda's and Ford's CAFE standard. That's Corporate Average Fuel Economy. I remember a mechanic telling me that many internal engine tolerances have gotten LOOSER instead of tighter in the past 10-20 years!

    I don't know why they don't simply recommend a synthetic oil. Perhaps potential owners will think the cars are too difficult or expensive to maintain? Perhaps the EPA won't allow them to use syntheic oil in the testing for CAFE standards as there is no assurance that most owners will keep using the more expensive oil? It's fairly easy to get people to use a given weight ... but the average person will balk at using an oil that costs 3 times as much.

    I think the auto manufacturers know that worn out bearings and rings aren't what "do-in" the average car so they have no problem in specifying an oil that will only give 150K miles of average life instead of 200-225K miles.

    If it were my car, I'd use 5W20 for the first couple of oil & filter changes and then when the car hit 10K miles, I'd switch over to a 5W30 synthetic.

    --- Bror Jace
  • achenatorachenator Member Posts: 128
    Having purchased a new Honda Accord I am starting to stress over the 5w-20 issue. I have my owners manual in front of me which states "Always use a premium 5-20 which ...API blah blah." Also states "If 5w20 is not available a 5w30 may be used. However it should be replaced with 5w20 at the next oil change." So I guess a 5w30 would not void the warranty?? I dunno. I would definately sacrifice 1 mpg for better longer wear. I may take Bror Jace's advice and run 5w20 for the first 10k or so and then switch to 5w-30 syn. I live in south Louisiana and 90+ in the summer is all too common. Also the intervals are 3750 severe and 7500 normal. Does this sound right for break in? Should I change earlier? Any advice on any of these ideas would be greatly appreciated!! PS, the car has 1100 on it as we speak.
  • adc100adc100 Member Posts: 1,521
    Interesting about the 5W30. As you said that will not kill the waranty. I know that Bror will not agree with this, but I used the Mobil 1 after 30 miles in my new Sentra. I checked with two tech reps at Mobil 1 before doing so. I figured they should have the corporate knowledge to indicate if there was a problem during break in. Anyway after 3200 miles the oil is still clear. Apparently it allowed good break in (zero oil consumption). You should be OK with the intervals they recommend. Really no need to go sooner. I would go for the lower value though. Your vehicle is certainly "broken in" at this point. I know Redline says to wait until 10,000 miles to switch to syn. Thats their oil though. I personally would drain the oil today put on a good filter (Pure One, Mobil 1, Ultraguard, Amsoil) and dump in the Mobil 1-if it were my vehicle. I also would have records to prove I "used" the 5W20. If the place where you buy it doesn't indicate the grade-case closed. Key is to have your story straight for warranty questions. An alternative is to use a quart or two of the Mobil-1 with your 5W-20 oil.

    Bror-I think you may be correct on those clearances on new cars- higher bearing speeds require greater clearances for heat dissipation.

    I also read that the oil change interval on Ford's latest engines was supposed to be 10,000 mile intervals??? I wonder what changed this,

    Bror-I think you hit the nail on the head with the syn recommendations. The milage would be based on syn which Joe Sixpack in his infinite wouldn't use. Also as you said the same Joe Sixpack wouldn't buy that $30,000 vehicle that required syn-he'd buy the $35,000 that did not require syn. Dumbing of America I guess.
  • achenatorachenator Member Posts: 128
    Thanks for the tidbits. I had one more question? Any oil leakage problems with the Sentra? Our other car is a 98 sentra. I like the new ones so much better now, but I will run mine until it dies.
  • vadpvadp Member Posts: 1,025
    I suggest you change the factory oil no sooner than after you reach the 3000 mile mark.
    Even though RedLine and others suggests to make a switch to synthetic not sooner than after you put 3000-miles on odometer, I would go even further and follow brorjace's advice.
  • adc100adc100 Member Posts: 1,521
    No leaks with the Sentra-better not after 3100 miles. It's the two liter. Do you have the 2.0L?? Any problems to watch for?? There's always a higher probability of seepage with syn, but in 8 years, I haven't seen any.
  • achenatorachenator Member Posts: 128
    When I said leak what I meant was seepage. Thanks for the advice. Our 98 is only a 1.6, no wonder it has no guts! No problems. It has 45K.
  • pulgomauspulgomaus Member Posts: 7
    Just got 3 sixpacks of Pennzoil Synthetic Oil at Sears, the quart at $ 2.49. Great deal, don't you guy's (and gals) think?
  • spokanespokane Member Posts: 514
    Several people have indicated we can achieve a high-temperature viscosity between SAE-5W20 and SAE-5W30 by using some of each type of oil. I recall, from API information several years ago, that such mixing would not provide an arithmetic averaging of the viscosity. Instead, the two oils remain separate in the crankcase; each with its own viscosity profile. Perhaps this is not applicable to synthetic oils. Does anyone have recent information on the "mixing" idea?
  • adc100adc100 Member Posts: 1,521
    Each molecular chain would maintain its own properties, but I would suspect that the final effect is that there is somewhat if not averaging effect of the two. Good question though. I just assumed this to be true, but I'll try to find out for sure.

    pulgomaus: Pennzoil is a cheaper oil to manufacture it is not a PAO oil like Mobil, Amsoil, Valvoline or Quaker State. Pennzoil claims it has superior High Temperature Properties compared to PAO's (of course they would)
  • pulgomauspulgomaus Member Posts: 7
    Your are right ADC about the Pennzoil being cheaper to manufacture. Do you think it will last 5000 miles between changes? My driving is mostly highway, high speed (70 Mph), no trio shorter than 40 miles.
  • adc100adc100 Member Posts: 1,521
    Hey, I wasn't trying to say it wasn't any good. I suspect that it's a lot better than a conventional oil which can do the normal 7500 miles at the conditions you are doing. I would think it's more than capable of going beyond 7500 miles.
  • brorjacebrorjace Member Posts: 588
    Pulgomaus, I agree with adc100. The oil you got was bought at a FAIR price instead of the steal you thought you had. Yes, it is probably very good oil and a 5,000 miles oil & filter drain interval is not unrealistic or pushing your luck to any degree.

    For those new to this discussion, I feel that the first couple of oil changes should be done with conventional oil to allow the engine to fully break in before switching the the really slippery (synthetic) stuff. I use 10,000 miles as a gneral guidleine. This may be unnecessary but I prefer to be on the safe side with my new motors. adc100 starts running synthetic in a new car ASAP.

    achenator, the farther south you go, the less comfortable I'd be using that thin, thin, 5W20 motor oil ... even if it IS a semi-synthetic like I've heard some say. a 5W30 synthetic should flow just as well in most temperatures and will resist breaking down much better over time. If you use the 5W20 Motorcraft (or other brand) oil, I'd never, never, NEVER leave it in my car for more than 4,000 miles. My Dad just changed his Mercury's oil and before him the dealership did it and I'm guessing they used 5W20 oil. The warm stuff that came out of his Mercury had the consistency of heavily stained/colored water. It's unnerving ...

    --- Bror Jace
  • pulgomauspulgomaus Member Posts: 7
    brorjace:
    I switched to synthetic at 11 miles, after getting home in my new Toyota Echo (Valvoline Synpower). At last check (3500 miles) oil is almost as clear as new, NO oil consumption!
    I plan on using only Valvoline (SYN) for this car, doing changes every 5K.
    The Pennzoil I bought today will be used in my Caprice, which has 210000 miles, uses less than half a quart between changes (every 6000 miles).
    It probably will last another 200000 miles.
    By the way, for this car I've always used Pennzoil (I know, no PAO oil but pretty good anyway).
  • dgsgdgsg Member Posts: 29
    Anyone else getting tried of the popup windows everytime you log on to Edmunds?
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    I think there's a little freeware program at cnet.com that kills those right off.
  • brorjacebrorjace Member Posts: 588
    Pulgomaus, That should work out pretty well for you. Use the best oil in the newest car and use the psuedo-synthetic (highly refined petroleum) in your older car. Castrol Syntec and Pennzoil Synthetic use grade III base (mineral) stocks which are known to be helpful in keeping older engine seals conditioned. That's why Valvoline uses those same base stocks for its "Max-Life" line of motor oils.


    Take a peek:


    http://www.valvoline.com/products/products.asp?cat=1&Product=53


    --- Bror Jace

  • pulgomauspulgomaus Member Posts: 7
    Many thanks
  • armtdmarmtdm Member Posts: 2,057
    So, we are saying that both of these are NOT true synthetics. I knew about Castrol but Pennzoil is new to me. ANy others that claim to be true synthetics and are not?

    I switched my Camry over to synthetic at 1000 miles and it now has 133,000. New Buick will be switched at first normal change interval. Ha, received a notice from the dealer for the 3000 mile service, had to write them back as manual has no such animal in it, this car has the oil change indicator light which the manual says will usually come on between 5000-7,500 miles. Typical dealer maintenance wish list to keep the service bays full!
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