I am about to buy a case of Amsoil and would like some input on the best weight to get. I have a 98 Cadillac Catera with a V-6. I live in Texas so cold is not an issue but heat is. I have about a 50/50 mix of city and highway driving.
Use the grade recommended in your owners manual(probably 5W-30). Don't second-guess the carmaker; they have good reasons for selecting the recommended grade.
Various postings have questioned the cost and wisdom of using synthetic oil and long oil change intervals. I have uses Mobil 1 in a 93 Taurus since new. It now has 212,000 miles on it - uses about 1/2 quart of oil between changes. I change oil and filter every 6000 miles. I estimate that it has cost me an extra $500 over the life of the engine so far. That is a lot less expensive than an engine overhaul or a new engine. The best oil you can buy is a a low cost solution to longer engine life.
My mother has 93 Ford Festiva 1.3 liter four cylinder, automatic. Car is doing fine, she is driving 90% in the city. Engine is on for 20 minutes and off for an hour ,than again on and off, the worst kinda driving for the engine.She is also using her A/C a lot what puts even more presure on her already small 1.3 l. engine. QUESTIONS ARE: -WOULD YOU CHANGE TO SYNTHETIC WHEN THE ENGINE MAY BE PAST IT'S PRIME? -IF YES ,HOW MANY QUARTS OF OIL 1.3 LITER ENGINE NEEDS?
At 45k miles it would still be a good time to switch over to syn. As far as how much oil the engine take-probably no more then 4qts. the owners manuel should stated the capacity
I use Mobil 1 syn. on my '99 Galant & usually change it every 5months/5k miles. I've used it on my '90 Eclipse GSX & never had any engine problems when it was traded in at 90k. If you're going to stick with conventional, Mobil is a good choice also.
ok i am sure this has been asked alot but i was lazy and didn't want to scroll through all the responses here... so i am sorry if this question is redundant. How many miles should i wait until switching over to synthetic oil. i have heard use conventional oil to 5000 miles and then switch. i plan on using Red Line as a friend of a friend is a distributor. OK to switch at 5000 miles or do i need more break-in time? thanks
Every one I know swears by synthetics. One friend of mine is pushing 400,000 on his 86 Honda Civic SI. Another had 240,000 towing miles on his Astro van before he sold it to his friend who'e still driving it. I only have 200,000 on my two cars and the motors are perfect. We use it in our race car. We waited until we had run two full seasons before tearing the motor down and the bearings were perfect. No signs of wear. We could have put them back in.
I prefer Amsoil or Redline (Amsoil's cheaper). Both are fully synthetic. I'm no Chemichal Engineer, but from what I understand from my brother who is: Organic oils have carbon chains of varying lengths which break down over time. Regular synthetic oils (like Mobile One) take organic oil and process it. Amsoil and Redline start out as synthetic.
Besides, synthetics have much less coefficient of friction. This means more power and a slightly faster car!
Ok, for the fourth time, I'm posting the following. (Already posted twice on the other topic: Engine Oil - A Slippery Subject). Last year, I contacted Mobil's engineering group directly for their response to a break-in period of conventional oil. Here is their response: - - - - - - - -
Dear Mr. xxxxx,
You can start using Mobil 1 in new vehicles at any time. In fact, Mobil 1 is the factory fill in Corvette LS1, LT-1 and LT-5 engines. And Mobil and Porsche just announced a new partnership that will also have all Porsche cars manufactured at the Zuffenhausen plant lubricated with Mobil 1. One of the myths that persists about Mobil 1 is that new engines require a break-in period with conventional oil. Current engine manufacturing technology does not require this break-in period. As the decisions by the engineers who design the Corvette and Porsche engines indicate, Mobil 1 can be used in an engine from the day you drive the car off the show room floor.
The “30” designation identifies that all three grades (0W-30, 5W-30 and 10W-30) will exhibit the same oil viscosity at normal engine operating temperatures. The “W” designation identifies the low temperature viscosity. A smaller number indicates an ability to flow at lower temperatures. In summary, Mobil 1 0W-30 will provide the correct viscosity protection at normal engine operating temperatures, and BETTER protection at low temperature extremes for any vehicle that calls for a 5W-30 or 10W-30 engine oil.
If you have any additional questions, you may contact us at our E-mail address: lubes@ffx.mobil.com or by phone at 1-800-ASKMOBIL.
am new to this site,have been an amsoil user/dealer for 20 yrs.I currently use the 0w30 oil in my vehicles,but I also use the amsoil air and oil and the oil bypass filters.the air filter traps more dirt than paper.I have researched the oil filter and it traps from about 1 to 5 microns the bypass goes down to one micron,and also adds from one to three quarts extra oil which can help on smaller engines.I've looked at the major filter boxes and none ever have any micron rating I think it is somewhere around ten.filtration is the reason these oils can go 25k or one year. p.s.(I'm not trying to sell amsoil here,just trying to share knowledge.)
Is there a published report from a third party about Amsoil oil, ie data from someone other than the company? I do not think consumer report included them in the big oil test last year?? I have never seen any.
consumer report left them out like they left out little giant ladder co.they have plenty of testimonials about every one of their products, I recently took the valve cover off my plymoth neon with 82k,i could not get a smudge off the inside cover,all components you could see did not have any baked on oil at all,I have been using 0w30 since 5k.I had a ford diesel F250 work truck that would go 20K per oil change,this was determined by oil samples.
to synthetics, I have been told you can never go back to conventional oil. The reason for this, I am told, is because of the additives in synthetics. These additives swell you seals and when you switch back to convential oil the will shrink and cause leaks. I can't find any written information on this and I'm wondering if anyone else has heard this. I don't know why I would want to switch back but it would be nice to know if I am making a permanent decision when switching to synthetics.
ps i use synthetics exclusively, except on my elderly caddy, because it WOULD leak, but that is because as gaskets age, they create pockets, and the synthetic will seep through old gaskets... the story you relate above is poppycock...
I am thinking about changing my '95 F150 (302CID V8, manual trans) to synthetic oil. It has 70K miles, and runs perfect. I am the original owner and have always had the oil changed regularly.
Sydney6, I changed over to Synthetics in my 1994 Jeep Cherokee when it had about 60,000 miles. I have to be honest and say it has been great. We had a lot of Ice and Snow this past winter and with the Synthetic Oil, I didn't experience the usual Engine Knocking after having my Jeep sitting out in the freezing weather. Now that were in late Spring and have experienced some temps in the High 90's, I've noticed the engine temp has been cooler as well. I've used Dino for years but I'm now sold on the Synthetics. I also have extended my change over mileage to 5000 versus the 3000 I use to do with the Dino Oil. As with everything you read in these Posts, only your own personal Experience will decide if it is worth the switch to you. Good Luck! BigAl1
Thanks for your replies. I read in some earlier posts about seal swell, etc., that suggested maybe this could lead to problems. Sounds like that is not true.
I have a 1989 Ford Probe GT Turbo with 206,000 miles on it. I have used synthetic oil from day one. The only three brands I have ever used are Castrol, Mobile, or Valvoline. The engine in this car runs PERFECT, and the turbo-charger is still the original, and still very strong. I would highly recommend using synthetic to anyone.
How often do you typically change your oil in the Probe, and what type of filter do you use? Have you had any problems with the turbo (I know turbos are often the source of problems due to the intense heat they expose the oil to)?
You may wish to be leary of Castrol. Mobil went ot court over the use of the word synthetic as their SYNTEC I believe is a highly refined dino product. The court ruled in favor of Castrol noting that Synthetic could mean not within the normal manufacturing process. As such, I do not believe Castrol is a true synthetic oil
thanks for confirming what i have read about castrol syntec here and other website ng's. i have used castol syntec for many years, but have already switched to mobil 1 in one vehicle, and will switch over to mobile 1 in my other car this month. it will be much cheaper, since walmart/kmart throws this oli on sale once in a while. has anyone heard anything positive or negative about pennzoil performax synthetic oil?
My friend sitting here wonders if her new bmw should have the oil changed sooner than the remarkable 15k mile first oil change that bmw calls for. We both drive short distances to work and put few miles on our cars under the worst city driving conditions; stop and go, low speed driving and breaking. Any bmw drivers have opinions on this??? thanks says deej...
As a long time Bimmer owner, the extended change interval doesn't really bother me. Change it at @7,500 if it makes you feel better, but I doubt that you will see any increase in engine longevity.
After many years of tinkering, I have decided that the 3,000 interval is pure oil company hype. US ecomony is based on consumption. I know deep down that the 25k Syn oils like Amsoil are the real way to go. Think how much waste oil is avoided. Even, the 7,500 mile change interval with dino oil is probably OK. Testimonials are fine, but why is real comparision data not available. Surely someone besides consumers reports has tested identical engines under various trials with various oils. Now at 100,000 miles I would need to see a noticable difference in order to buy off on 33 oil changes for dino juice (actually mostly plant remains). INKY
Are all synthetic motor oils the same? I used to use Mobil 1 but it is now 4.25 per quart and my 1988 T-bird burns about 2 quarts between oil changes. I change oil and filter about 3-4K miles. I switch to a full synthetic oil made by Proline which I purchase at Pep Boys for 2.99 a quart. The car to me runs the same but who knows what is going on in my engine. I have 173000 miles and it still runs strong, so if says it is a full synthetic motor oil how different can it be from Mobil 1?
no not all synthetic oil is the same. there appears to be a great disparity in quality of base stock and additive packages used. it is like anything else you get what you pay for. I have used the premium synthetics amsoil, red line, royal purple and have settled on red line primarily because they use the polyesters base which is what is used in jet engines because it can withstand extreme heat. bottom line though is any syn oil will be better in the long run than any dino oil.
Where is the best source to purchase REDLINE OIL products? I'm interested in the auto tranny fluid and also the water wetter. I'd like to buy both products at the same place to minimize shipping costs.
As for the issue of synthetics perhaps being hypothetically better, but petroleum being "good enough", I agree that many of us will not use our vehicles long enough to see the advantage due to increased longevity. But if you take this approach you're still conveniently ignoring for me the main issue: the "safety net" factor using synthetic
Let's take a specific. In cold weather, the oil will be cold with increased viscosity. This can cause delayed oil circulation or abnormally low oil pressure for some time after engine start-up. This in turn can result in trouble in the system."
On large earthmoving equipment they then provide a table that states the tractor should be warmed up approximately 5 minutes if the temp is above 14F, 5 to 10 min between 5F and 14F, 10 to 20 minutes between -4F and 5F, and more than 20 minutes below -4F.
Now, if we use Shell's standard petroleum hydraulic 30-weight oil for comparison, it has a pour point of 25F, the premium anti-wear variety -10F, while Amsoil synthetic of the same viscosity has a pour point of -47F. I won't insult your intelligence by drawing any conclusions for you on this one. Regarding the importance of cold-weather oil flow, Womack's "Fluid Power in Plant and Field", second edition, (all of Womack's hydraulic books are great, BTW) says on page 109 "If the the hydraulic system is exposed to extremely low overnight temperatures, the oil may become so thick that when the pump is started in the morning it may be damaged by cavitation." And remember that the -10F is the pour point of premium petroleum hydraulic oil, not the temperature at which it will flow well enough to lubricate properly, etc. And the same safety factors exist on the high temperature side of the range, they're just less likely to become involved in day to day usage.
As for the question about 15W40 engine oil not meeting the manual specs of using 10W30 oil, you're absolutely right, in general. But you still have to look at the numbers behind the ratings. The synthetic oil rated at 15W40 will far exceed the petroleum oil's characteristics at either end of the rating and at either end of the temperature scale. Does that matter? You make the call. It may not to you, but it does to me.
One more example: I've run VW diesel cars for the past 15 years (and Cummins-powered trucks for the last 6) and I drive about 55,000 miles a year. Ask 10 mechanics who have any experience with them what they think of them and about 3 of them will tell you they're lousy, 4 of them will say they're ok, and 3 will say they're great. But all of them will tell you that if you let one get hot, it's history. The heads warp. It's a weak spot in that engine. Well, I had a hose blow right up by the temp sending unit while I was running 70mph down the Interstate a few years ago. The temp guage never climbed, it actually went down, because all the water blew out almost instantly. I got it so hot that it just shut off. The head was glowing a dull red. All the grease and oil on the engine turned brittle and fell off. The engine had 197,000 miles on it at the time. The oil had been in the engine for a little over 45,000 miles, about 9 months. After it cooled off, I replaced the hose, filled the radiator, cranked on it for about 10 seconds, and it fired up and took off. Ran a little rough for a few minutes, but that was all. My dad's driving it now -- it's got 309,000 miles on it and still gets 45-50 mpg. And the only engine work it's ever had is changing timing belts. Nobody will ever tell me that it would have made it if it had petroleum in it. Petroleum would have been flammable paste by then.
Please note here that I'm not trying to tell all of you that you should switch. It really doesn't matter to me. I've got my reasons to use synthetic oils. Will it matter? I hope not. It's like an insurance policy: You place your bet and hope you lose. Ok, end of diatribe.
I have used waterwetter a few times and seen no noticeable results but who knows. Amsoil also makes a synthetic trans fluid that I have used for years. redLine is good but seems to be overpriced due to small dealer network and sales. Prefer Mobil 1 and Amsoil.
10W30 The 10 refers to viscocity when cold, the lower the # the easier the flow. The 30 refers to the weight when hot for protection. 5W30 supposedly easier starting when cold then a 10W30. (I find no diff and feel the 5W30s do not protect as well) If cold starting in cold weather an issue use synthetic, flows down to minus 60 degrees F. Petroleum becomes honey at around minus 10F. Synthetics simply protects better at all times. Almost no cars today use a 10W40, mostly 0W30-10W30.
The most important thing about oil viscosity and grade is to use what is recommended by the manufacturer. As for Valvoline MaxLife, I wouldn't go as far as to say that it's a marketing gimmick, but I doubt it's additional additive packages make it significantly better than any other brand name non-synthetic oil.
Saw a post by "bcollison" a while back asking about Amalie Motor Oil. No, its not a synthetic oil. It was Kendall's premium line. I don't know who makes it now as the Kendell name and blend formula was sold to Sunico. The Kendall plant and speciallity lines were sold to American Refining Group. They market under the Brad-Penn name. Hope I got that all right, gets confusing when the Big Boys do something like that. Don't know who got the Amalie Name. It was a good product when it was Kendall and Kendall was Kendall. But it's a Dino oil. Was a Pennsylvinna crude base I think. Not to much of that left. Although there are a lot of Pennsylvinna wells still pumping.
Has anybody ever use the Exxon full synthetic oil ? Since Exxon is now one company with Mobil, does that mean the synthetic oil products both of them provide are more or less the same stuff ?
Don't know if they're exactly the same. I would imagine both would be different in some shape or form. I personally would stick to my M1 unless I know for sure both are the same then I'll just buy based on price
5spd, I spoke briefly with an ExxonMobil lubrication engineer a few months ago and got the impression that they were continuing with both the Exxon and Mobil brands in a manner such that we should assume the products are a bit different. My questions were not related to the synthetic motor oils, however. The ExxonMobil web site should lead to a source that can provide a more specific answer to your question.
I recently purchased some Exxon full synthetic for lawn mower use, yep, use the cheapest synthetic I can find for the mower, and this time it was Exxon at $2.99/quart. Mobil 1, Castrol, others around $4.00. For my cars, Amsoil only and if it were not available it would be Mobil 1. All others are wannabees. Mower is ten years out, going strong on two oil changes a year, (early spring and late summer) .
oil changes with synthetic oil. Is the norm about 6-7k between changes. I drive about 17k a year mostly highway, say about 70/30 highway vs city driving.
Just curios as my next oil change is coming up and I wanted to move on over to synthetic.
Comments
Some of the browser keywords I used were; oil, oils, lubricants, synthetics, viscosity.
I have uses Mobil 1 in a 93 Taurus since new. It now has 212,000 miles on it - uses about 1/2 quart of oil between changes. I change oil and filter every 6000 miles. I estimate that it has cost me an extra $500 over the life of the engine so far. That is a lot less expensive than an engine overhaul or a new engine. The best oil you can buy is a a low cost solution to longer engine life.
Car is doing fine, she is driving 90% in the city.
Engine is on for 20 minutes and off for an hour ,than again on and off, the worst kinda driving for the engine.She is also using her A/C a lot what puts even more presure on her already small 1.3 l. engine.
QUESTIONS ARE:
-WOULD YOU CHANGE TO SYNTHETIC WHEN THE ENGINE MAY BE PAST IT'S PRIME?
-IF YES ,HOW MANY QUARTS OF OIL 1.3 LITER ENGINE NEEDS?
I prefer Amsoil or Redline (Amsoil's cheaper). Both are fully synthetic. I'm no Chemichal Engineer, but from what I understand from my brother who is: Organic oils have carbon chains of varying lengths which break down over time. Regular synthetic oils (like Mobile One) take organic oil and process it. Amsoil and Redline start out as synthetic.
Besides, synthetics have much less coefficient of friction. This means more power and a slightly faster car!
So if the cost of synthetic is prohibitive, then perhaps you should consider "rolling your own" by blending in whatever percentage suits your needs.
Cheers,
TB
- - - - - - - -
Dear Mr. xxxxx,
You can start using Mobil 1 in new vehicles at any
time. In fact, Mobil 1 is the factory fill in
Corvette LS1, LT-1 and LT-5 engines. And Mobil and Porsche just announced a new partnership that will also have all Porsche cars manufactured
at the Zuffenhausen plant lubricated with Mobil 1.
One of the myths that persists about Mobil 1 is
that new engines require a break-in period with
conventional oil. Current engine manufacturing technology does not require this break-in period. As the decisions by the engineers who design the Corvette and Porsche engines indicate, Mobil 1 can be used in an engine from the day you drive the car off the show room floor.
The “30” designation identifies that all three
grades (0W-30, 5W-30 and 10W-30) will exhibit the
same oil viscosity at normal engine operating
temperatures. The “W” designation identifies the
low temperature viscosity. A smaller number
indicates an ability to flow at lower temperatures. In summary, Mobil 1 0W-30 will
provide the correct viscosity protection at normal
engine operating temperatures, and BETTER
protection at low temperature extremes for any
vehicle that calls for a 5W-30 or 10W-30 engine
oil.
If you have any additional questions, you may
contact us at our E-mail address:
lubes@ffx.mobil.com or by phone at 1-800-ASKMOBIL.
oil in my vehicles,but I also use the amsoil air
and oil and the oil bypass filters.the air filter
traps more dirt than paper.I have researched the
oil filter and it traps from about 1 to 5 microns
the bypass goes down to one micron,and also adds
from one to three quarts extra oil which can help
on smaller engines.I've looked at the major
filter boxes and none ever have any micron rating
I think it is somewhere around ten.filtration is
the reason these oils can go 25k or one year.
p.s.(I'm not trying to sell amsoil here,just
trying to share knowledge.)
I do not think consumer report included them in the big oil test last year??
I have never seen any.
little giant ladder co.they have plenty of
testimonials about every one of their products,
I recently took the valve cover off my plymoth
neon with 82k,i could not get a smudge off the
inside cover,all components you could see did
not have any baked on oil at all,I have been
using 0w30 since 5k.I had a ford diesel F250
work truck that would go 20K per oil change,this
was determined by oil samples.
I don't know why I would want to switch back but it would be nice to know if I am making a permanent decision when switching to synthetics.
Jeff
-Chris
ps i use synthetics exclusively, except on my elderly caddy, because it WOULD leak, but that is because as gaskets age, they create pockets, and the synthetic will seep through old gaskets... the story you relate above is poppycock...
Will this cause any problems?
Thanks
I changed over to Synthetics in my 1994 Jeep Cherokee when it had about 60,000 miles. I have to be honest and say it has been great. We had a lot of Ice and Snow this past winter and with the Synthetic Oil, I didn't experience the usual Engine Knocking after having my Jeep sitting out in the freezing weather. Now that were in late Spring and have experienced some temps in the High 90's, I've noticed the engine temp has been cooler as well. I've used Dino for years but I'm now sold on the Synthetics. I also have extended my change over mileage to 5000 versus the 3000 I use to do with the Dino Oil.
As with everything you read in these Posts, only your own personal Experience will decide if it is worth the switch to you. Good Luck!
BigAl1
at 115,000,it runs fine.
I will probably make the switch.
That's my two cents.
i have used castol syntec for many years, but have already switched to mobil 1 in one vehicle, and will switch over to mobile 1 in my other car this month. it will be much cheaper, since walmart/kmart throws this oli on sale once in a while. has anyone heard anything positive or negative about pennzoil performax synthetic oil?
see ya,
lee
I switched to M1 at about 1k miles on my two new cars (Mazda MPV wi 5w-30 and Mazda Protege wi 10w-30.
The protege engine seems to run quieter, but the MPV has increased engine noise. My dad also reported increased engine noise in his Galant.
Sorry, I wouldn't know a valve rattle from a whatchamacallit, but increased rattle might characterize the sound best.
kmh3
INKY
use Mobil 1 but it is now 4.25 per quart and my
1988 T-bird burns about 2 quarts between oil
changes. I change oil and filter about 3-4K miles.
I switch to a full synthetic oil made by Proline
which I purchase at Pep Boys for 2.99 a quart. The
car to me runs the same but who knows what is
going on in my engine. I have 173000 miles and it
still runs strong, so if says it is a full
synthetic motor oil how different can it be from
Mobil 1?
Jim
Trooper
enough", I agree that many of us will not use our vehicles long enough to see the advantage
due to increased longevity. But if you take this approach you're still conveniently ignoring
for me the main issue: the "safety net" factor using synthetic
Let's take a specific.
In cold weather, the oil will be cold with increased viscosity. This can cause delayed oil circulation or abnormally low oil pressure for some time after engine start-up. This in turn can result in trouble in the system."
On large earthmoving equipment they then provide a table that states the tractor should be warmed up approximately 5 minutes if the temp is above 14F, 5 to 10 min between 5F and 14F, 10 to 20 minutes between -4F and 5F, and more than 20 minutes below -4F.
Now, if we use Shell's standard petroleum hydraulic 30-weight oil for comparison, it has a pour point of 25F, the premium anti-wear variety -10F,
while Amsoil synthetic of the same viscosity has a pour point of -47F. I won't insult your
intelligence by drawing any conclusions for you on this one. Regarding the importance of
cold-weather oil flow, Womack's "Fluid Power in Plant and Field", second edition, (all of
Womack's hydraulic books are great, BTW) says on page 109 "If the the hydraulic system is
exposed to extremely low overnight temperatures, the oil may become so thick that when
the pump is started in the morning it may be damaged by cavitation." And remember that
the -10F is the pour point of premium petroleum hydraulic oil, not the temperature at which it
will flow well enough to lubricate properly, etc. And the same safety factors exist on the high
temperature side of the range, they're just less likely to become involved in day to day
usage.
As for the question about 15W40 engine oil not meeting the manual specs of using 10W30
oil, you're absolutely right, in general. But you still have to look at the numbers behind the
ratings. The synthetic oil rated at 15W40 will far exceed the petroleum oil's characteristics at
either end of the rating and at either end of the temperature scale. Does that matter? You
make the call. It may not to you, but it does to me.
One more example: I've run VW diesel cars for the past 15 years (and Cummins-powered
trucks for the last 6) and I drive about 55,000 miles a year. Ask 10 mechanics who have any
experience with them what they think of them and about 3 of them will tell you they're lousy,
4 of them will say they're ok, and 3 will say they're great. But all of them will tell you that if you let one get hot, it's history. The heads warp. It's a weak spot in that engine. Well, I had
a hose blow right up by the temp sending unit while I was running 70mph down the Interstate
a few years ago. The temp guage never climbed, it actually went down, because all the water
blew out almost instantly. I got it so hot that it just shut off. The head was glowing a dull red.
All the grease and oil on the engine turned brittle and fell off. The engine had 197,000 miles on it at the time. The oil had been in the engine for a little over 45,000 miles, about 9 months. After it cooled off, I replaced the hose, filled the radiator, cranked on it for about 10
seconds, and it fired up and took off. Ran a little rough for a few minutes, but that was all.
My dad's driving it now -- it's got 309,000 miles on it and still gets 45-50 mpg. And the only
engine work it's ever had is changing timing belts. Nobody will ever tell me that it would have
made it if it had petroleum in it. Petroleum would have been flammable paste by then.
Please note here that I'm not trying to tell all of you that you should switch. It really doesn't
matter to me. I've got my reasons to use synthetic oils. Will it matter? I hope not. It's like an insurance policy: You place your bet and hope you lose. Ok, end of diatribe.
(I find no diff and feel the 5W30s do not protect as well) If cold starting in cold weather an issue use synthetic, flows down to minus 60 degrees F. Petroleum becomes honey at around minus 10F. Synthetics simply protects better at all times. Almost no cars today use a 10W40, mostly 0W30-10W30.
Just curios as my next oil change is coming up and I wanted to move on over to synthetic.