Motor Oil

willie

willie

Well-Known Member
I don't really see any benefits to using synthetic if you are suckered into the belief that a 3000 mile oil change is necessary. My GM vehicle computers have never asked for an oil change in less than 5k miles on the regular vehicles that include work trucks. Oddly enough, the Corvette that requires synthetic (only Mobil1) asks for oil changes at about the same times.
 
Ponytail

Ponytail

New Member
It's a jeep, not a Maserati. 10W40 Penzoil Syn Blend. Put 140,000miles on the old 4cyl before I swapped in the 6cyl and it ran like a top when I took it out. never smoked, knocked, tapped...

5w30 is too light. Manufacturers call for that lights stuff for break-in periods and gas mileage. I don't feel that its light viscosity protects enough in the long term even though I know cars such as V8 trans-Ams that have 200k and never saw anything but 5w30 in their lifetime. I'm just not comfortable with it in my vehicles. If it seems down on power with 10W40 during the winter, run 10W30. I've run 20W50 in mine during the summer especially if I knew I was going to be out 4 wheeling and heating it up alot.

Again, it's a jeep. It'll never be in a museum. Run the cheaper conventional oil, save a few bucks and never be worse off for it.
 
gumbo

gumbo

FIGHT CLUB !
Motors sweat and this causes condensation. Condensation doesn't break down synthetics but condensation does break down conventional oil. This is why thy say every 3 months or 3000 miles. Synthetics like Amsoil never has to be replaced. Just change the filter and add oil.
My 89 Jeep has 320,000 miles on it and I put Mobil one in it at 20,000 miles
I have never changed the oil in it, just filters and added oil.
If you're going to change the oil every 5000 then you're waisting your money buying synthetic.
Conventional oils are just fine. 3000 is fine but only necessary if you do a lot of city driving.
 
gumbo

gumbo

FIGHT CLUB !
Ponytail said:
It's a jeep, not a Maserati. 10W40 Penzoil Syn Blend. Put 140,000miles on the old 4cyl before I swapped in the 6cyl and it ran like a top when I took it out. never smoked, knocked, tapped...

5w30 is too light. Manufacturers call for that lights stuff for break-in periods and gas mileage. I don't feel that its light viscosity protects enough in the long term even though I know cars such as V8 trans-Ams that have 200k and never saw anything but 5w30 in their lifetime. I'm just not comfortable with it in my vehicles. If it seems down on power with 10W40 during the winter, run 10W30. I've run 20W50 in mine during the summer especially if I knew I was going to be out 4 wheeling and heating it up alot.

Again, it's a jeep. It'll never be in a museum. Run the cheaper conventional oil, save a few bucks and never be worse off for it.
Click to expand...
Quick ...Whats the W in 20 w 50 stand for??
 
Ponytail

Ponytail

New Member
gumbo said:
You would be surprised at how many say weight. :jameo:
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Yea, I know. It's a common mistake. It's just something I learned along the way. Been wrenching since I was 10 years old, and have gotten ALOT of help from MANY different Pro's along the way. :yay:
 
willie

willie

Well-Known Member
gumbo said:
Quick ...Whats the W in 20 w 50 stand for??
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I'm not so absolutely, positively sure that is the historical answer. I think the winter designation came about the same way that an internal combustion engine is now called a motor. In several GM schools (long ago) it was never spoken but taken for granted that the first number, that was measured at 0°C was the winter viscosity. The W was still the traditional weight designation. The second number was measured at 100°C. Why wouldn't we call it 10W30S? I never heard the W=winter until the middle 90's and now it seems to be the accepted term. I will always cringe when someone says "what MOTOR you got in that?" That's progress I guess.
 
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R

RadioPatrol

Guest
To Liven up an old thread

I talked to a Diesel Generator Mech about 2 yrs ago - his explanation about oil was, and he worked on those really big VW sized Gensets, was the oil doesn't wear our our Dino or Syn, it just gets dirty from blow by ... ie unburned fuel, carbon, and other impurities that you get from short stop driving - ie 1 mile to 7-11 for smokes , the oil never really gets hot to boil off most of this stuff - he services plenty of generators with 1 micron filters (really important point) where they would take oil samples from constantly running generators - and if there were not heavy metal deposits ie like metal from the bearings - the course was to flip to the other set of unused filters - yes kiddies these had 2 sets - and change out the filters ..... of course the cat diesels had 15 - 20 Gallon Crankcases - not quart ... if engines stayed @ operating temps < these big engines have 180 degree block heaters > and ran @ a fairly constant velocity you would see minimal wear on internal components - but our lifestyles / driving habits and cheapness of vehicle makers dictates how ofter we have to change the oil ...

FYI - except for the 94 Saturn SC2 i drive much older junk needing more of everything hehehe my 83 wagoner blows more oil out the block, i almost never have to change the oil - side note syn oil will not turn into milk chocolate for you 4 wheelers out there if you get water in the engine ....

:popcorn:

until there were 1000's of hrs these engines rarely needed the oil changed - these were generators that ran 24x7x365 .... only received filter changes
 
BadGirl

BadGirl

I am so very blessed
RadioPatrol said:
I talked to a Diesel Generator Mech about 2 yrs ago - his explanation about oil was, and he worked on those really big VW sized Gensets, was the oil doesn't wear our our Dino or Syn, it just gets dirty from blow by ... ie unburned fuel, carbon, and other impurities that you get from short stop driving - ie 1 mile to 7-11 for smokes , the oil never really gets hot to boil off most of this stuff - he services plenty of generators with 1 micron filters (really important point) where they would take oil samples from constantly running generators - and if there were not heavy metal deposits ie like metal from the bearings - the course was to flip to the other set of unused filters - yes kiddies these had 2 sets - and change out the filters ..... of course the cat diesels had 15 - 20 Gallon Crankcases - not quart ... if engines stayed @ operating temps < these big engines have 180 degree block heaters > and ran @ a fairly constant velocity you would see minimal wear on internal components - but our lifestyles / driving habits and cheapness of vehicle makers dictates how ofter we have to change the oil ...

FYI - except for the 94 Saturn SC2 i drive much older junk needing more of everything hehehe my 83 wagoner blows more oil out the block, i almost never have to change the oil - side note syn oil will not turn into milk chocolate for you 4 wheelers out there if you get water in the engine ....

:popcorn:

until there were 1000's of hrs these engines rarely needed the oil changed - these were generators that ran 24x7x365 .... only received filter changes
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With the M1 and M3 we did the same. As you can well imagine, we didn't use synthetic, and I'm betting this was the cheapest nastiest 30W oil they could find. Monthly we did an analysis on the oil and the only time you changed oil is when the analysis came back with metals, or other problems (contamination) that required changing it.
This wasn't done so much for economics as it was for environment. Imagine how many tanks APC, and maintenance vehicles the Army has, and how much old oil that would be if they changed oil every three months.

Now granted we didn't run 24/7 365 but we did run daily for at least 2 hours, and when we went to the woods they did run pretty much 24/7, with a LOT of idling.
I'm trying to remember, but I think my last Bradley, I went three years without an oil change, and maybe did two or three filter changes.
 
Agee

Agee

Well-Known Member
BadGirl said:
With the M1 and M3 we did the same. As you can well imagine, we didn't use synthetic, and I'm betting this was the cheapest nastiest 30W oil they could find. Monthly we did an analysis on the oil and the only time you changed oil is when the analysis came back with metals, or other problems (contamination) that required changing it.
This wasn't done so much for economics as it was for environment. Imagine how many tanks APC, and maintenance vehicles the Army has, and how much old oil that would be if they changed oil every three months.

Now granted we didn't run 24/7 365 but we did run daily for at least 2 hours, and when we went to the woods they did run pretty much 24/7, with a LOT of idling.
I'm trying to remember, but I think my last Bradley, I went three years without an oil change, and maybe did two or three filter changes.
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Damn BG, had no idea you were such a gear-head! :cheers:
 
Pete

Pete

Repete
Airgasm said:
Damn BG, had no idea you were such a gear-head! :cheers:
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Anyone else have a mental pic of BadGirl wearing a kevlar helmet, head poked out the hatch driving a Bradley around?
 
itsbob

itsbob

I bowl overhand
Pete said:
Anyone else have a mental pic of BadGirl wearing a kevlar helmet, head poked out the hatch driving a Bradley around?
Click to expand...
I'm betting she looked mighty good in a pair of BDU's!!
 
Roughidle

Roughidle

New Member
gumbo said:
Quick ...Whats the W in 20 w 50 stand for??
Click to expand...
The weights given on oils are arbitrary numbers assigned by the S.A.E. (Society of Automotive Engineers). These numbers correspond to "real" viscosity, as measured by several accepted techniques. These measurements are taken at specific temperatures. Oils that fall into a certain range are designated 5, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 by the S.A.E. The W means the oil meets specifications for viscosity at 0 F and is therefore suitable for Winter use.
Multi weight oils, i.e. 10W40 have polymers added to the oils that keep them from thinning too much as they warm. Thus the 10W40 will thin no more than a 40w oil when it heats to a pre-determined temp. I believe it's measured at 100C. :coffee:
 
R

RadioPatrol

Guest
I bought this Audels book off Ebay last Internal Combustion Engines 1905 - my how things have changed .......
 
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