Running New Mobil Synthetic Oil??

to the last post. im sure they were using some kind of synthetic at least in the ship. regular dino oil will get dirty but also get thicker and turn into gunk over time not just because its dirty but worn out and stuff. i dont know much about it im pretty much a newb but from what ive heard synthetic is great because it wont break down as fast like dino (regular) oils. the only thing people should keep in mind is that when switching to a synthetic you have to make sure your engine is in damn good shape and there arent leaks because the synthetic will get rid of the chunks of dino oil keeping old seals closed that were leaking to begin with at one point and create worse leaks. in newer engines in good shape synthetic would be great. as the engine gets older you can move from the factory prescribed 5w-20 to maybe a 5w-30 or even 10w-30. that was just an example but yea i think synthetic oil will last longer especially ones wiht a good additive package like mobil, redline, and royal purple. i reallydont trust amsoil i used to think it would be the best thing ever but from what ive been told from users who did an oil analisys after around 10k miles the 5w-30 amsoil turned all thick and nasty for some reason. i dont really know all that much about oil but i know that as long as you have an engine wiht good seals and stuff (valve cover gaskets etc) you wont have too much trouble with synthetic as long as you use a good oil filter ( amsoil heavy duty oil filter, mobil 1, k&n i think) but if you have an older engine that does have some leaks you might want to stick to good high milege dino oil or maybe a synthetic blend ? i dunno about synthetic blends though. i hope this helps someone .
 
Oil does more than just "get dirty". It can thicken (often out of grade) due to oxidation. The additive package will also deplete over time. Once that goes, it is downhill quite quickly for oil.

A simple look at any oil analysis report would show you those interactions. Quality synthetic oils resist these changes longer while offering better flow characteristics and thus better protection. Long drain interval oils such as Mobil 1 EP and Amsoil have specific additive packs that keep the oil in shape longer.

Different brands of oils do perform differently. The same cn be said for filters. Sure, if you only run them for a minimal amount of miles, they may all be just as effective. People don't change tires after 5,000 miles or put new paint jobs on when the car gets swirled up do they? Then why treat oil the same way?
 
Where does everyone dispose of their used oil?

This is the only thing that keeps me from doing my own LOF.
 
JeffM said:
Where does everyone dispose of their used oil?

This is the only thing that keeps me from doing my own LOF.
Click to expand...

Many auto parts stores and oil change places will accept small quantities of used oil from individuals (a couple of gallons).

As for the longevity...for the past 8 years I have run my cars on extended drain intervals. With AMSOIL I ran a 30,000mi interval with 10,000mi filter changes/1 qt top up (I ran a 1995 Dodge Neon to 140,000mi this way with 0 probs). With RED LINE it was 20,000/10k filter changes. I've switched to MOBIL1 and it's 10K intervals. So far I have had 0 oil related engine problems (electrical parts are another story).

My cavalier is 95% + highway driven (100 miles/day), so changing my oil every 3K would get expensive real fast. Most car people/experts agree that highway mileage causes very little actual wear and is the best kind of operating conditions for an engine. So I feel very comfortable with extended changes.

FWIW, I stopped using AMSOIL because my local dealer closed up shop (Summit Racing killed them) and while I do order from the internet, I don't really like too, so I switched to RED LINE which is available locally and rated by them for 18k which I extended to 20k (to make the math easier for me) . Then last summer a cash crunch hit at oil change time so I used Mobil-1.

My '02 Cavalier (bought new with 187 miles on 12/01) just turned 69,000 miles two days ago and it pulls harder than it did when new. So if extended drains hurt the engine, you sure can't tell it from my engine.
 
yea im definately sticking to 5w20 mobil 1 synthetic until this new stuff proves itself. im pretty sure my car has 5k oil change intervals. what filters would you all suggest for an 04 crown vic running synthetic on 5k oil change intervals ?
 
The EcoTech in my cavalier has a cartridge style filter, which limits my choices so I use AC/Delco. Otherwise I'd be using a K&N or Mobil-1
 
Amsoil 0W-30 here that will be changed every year or 35k, whichever comes first. The amsoil filter will be changed every 6 months or 12,500 miles along with the top off of oil. After reading all the test results, I'm pretty confident in the drain interval.

One thing you may want to do is run a cleaner through your engine before you drain your dino oil. Not sure if Mobil1 has one, but Amsoil sells a cleaner that helps break down all the crud from the dino oil. They only reccomend using it on engines with more than 15,000 miles or so on them. They say the oil will clean the engine also, but this just speeds the process and gets all the junk in the filter before you change it.
 
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