Don't hate me. Another engine oil post

[dtech]

Enginebuildermag.com has a good article on improvements in seals and gaskets in the last 20 yrs or so, they have been extensive in both materials and mfg processes, they mention cork gaskets which I now remember when working on cars from the 50s and 60s. Times have changed.

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[harringtondav]

How's your tranny doing?

Hardly broken in. 30K mi. ....12K/yr is close to ave. My wife and I ride share the 12K between the Ranger and her Dart. ....recent post about 4th gear slip may cause me to take a sniff of my tranny fluid.

 

[ctechbob]

Hardly broken in. 30K mi. ....12K/yr is close to ave. My wife and I ride share the 12K between the Ranger and her Dart. ....recent post about 4th gear slip may cause me to take a sniff of my tranny fluid.

You'll likely not see or smell anything out of the ordinary. The ULV holds up just fine, it is trying to keep the tiny debris out of it that most of us are after with frequent fluid changes. Keeping the additive package refreshed doesn't hurt though.

 

[LawnMM]

Full synthetic, new filter, every 5000 miles.....DONE !!!!!!!! No argument.....No discussion......DONE !!!!!!!

 

[Burnt Money]

I use the 6qt boxes of synthetic Havoline from Wal-Mart. I bought a box last week, I think it was $26.00. I buy Motorcraft filters from Rock Auto for around $6.00. I’m at 82k miles so far. Also running a tune for 77k miles.

 

[Canadian Ranger]

Ford sells a blend for two reasons....
1) Because it's it the sweet spot in the oil "bottle labeling/marketing game". They can get that word 'Synthetic' on the bottle, and many people overlook the word 'blend'. People think they're getting the best of the best when they're not. And yes, it's less expensive.
2) The company that they buy it from or contract it out to had a good price on their Synthetic Blend that year. As opposed to their just Synthetic, or Full Synthetic.

Personally, I'd use it too but I'd use it as a flush. Run it for 15 minutes, drain it out and put your fresh 100% in. I've flushed this way and after 15 minutes it comes out visibly dirty.

 

[subquark]

Interesting about the seals regarding synthetic, I had never heard that. I've used Mobil 1 synthetic since 1978 in that '72 FJ40. I once went 5 years without changing it (about 45K miles during that time).

Back then they said you could run it for a lot more than 5K miles. Was it 20K? I can't find that ...

I had the misfortune of rebuilding that engine after putting in the wrong size compression rings, which all broke into many pieces (with several pieces tearing through one of the pistons, bouncing in the combustion chamber for a minute, then finally lodging into the piston face. Then driving that another 2,000 miles to get home from Canada ....

When I tore down the engine, there were no scratches to the cylinder walls and that really cemented synthetic oils for me. That was in the late '80s.

 

[Old Red Replacement]

See project farm oil tests. Hit head a few times. Bite bullet and
buy Scam oil.

No issues but I go less than 5K miles a year 50% towing rest city highway.

 

[got3fords]

If you change it every 5,000 miles, why would blend or full even matter?

This!

 

[RedlandRanger]

Interesting about the seals regarding synthetic, I had never heard that. I've used Mobil 1 synthetic since 1978 in that '72 FJ40. I once went 5 years without changing it (about 45K miles during that time).

Back then they said you could run it for a lot more than 5K miles. Was it 20K? I can't find that ...

I had the misfortune of rebuilding that engine after putting in the wrong size compression rings, which all broke into many pieces (with several pieces tearing through one of the pistons, bouncing in the combustion chamber for a minute, then finally lodging into the piston face. Then driving that another 2,000 miles to get home from Canada ....

When I tore down the engine, there were no scratches to the cylinder walls and that really cemented synthetic oils for me. That was in the late '80s.

I also run full synthetic in my '73 Capri and haven't seen anything amiss. I found years ago that full synthetic resulted in much better oil pressure, especially at low RPMs.

 

[harringtondav]

I also run full synthetic in my '73 Capri and haven't seen anything amiss. I found years ago that full synthetic resulted in much better oil pressure, especially at low RPMs.

In '98 I was researching synthetic vs mineral gear lubes for my boat's out drive. Spiral bevel gear sets at very high compressive forces. ASTM three ball wear test results showed synthetics far superior to mineral. After 25 years before selling the boat I resealed the drive. I could still see the cutter marks on the wear surfaces of the spiral bevel gears.
Later I had to reseal the leaky valve covers on our V6 Caravan. Close to 90K miles, most on synthetic oil. The top of the heads looked factory fresh. No gunk or varnish.

......starting to think I may use that Ford blend for chain saw bar oil.

 

[dtech]

Interesting about the seals regarding synthetic, I had never heard that. I've used Mobil 1 synthetic since 1978 in that '72 FJ40. I once went 5 years without changing it (about 45K miles during that time).

GMs 3.4 had the reputation of being an oil leaker

 

[Canadian Ranger]

See project farm oil tests. Hit head a few times. Bite bullet and
buy Scam oil.

No issues but I go less than 5K miles a year 50% towing rest city highway.

I use Amsoil and used to be a dealer for them. You could probably get away with their Extended LIfe, and save a few bucks not getting the Signature. They (and everyone) push the Signature but it's rarely the best option.

 

[Oddball]

Hi OP,

Just for a background, I have 14 years of experience in oil analysis.

The difference between Conventional and Synthetic oil, simply put, comes down to the oil's stability. Synthetics will maintain optimal viscosity over wider temperature ranges (i.e. better pouring viscosity at startup on cold winter days, and better protection on hot days, under heavy load). The additives they contain will also be much more stable. So, your wear additives, moisture, anti-foaming, etc, will last longer, hence why they claim to be able to go longer between oil changes.

That's the basic difference, from a practical point of view. A blend just tries to be the best of both worlds, but in my opinion, it just lacks at both.

 

[OrangeStreak]

Hi OP,

Just for a background, I have 14 years of experience in oil analysis.

The difference between Conventional and Synthetic oil, simply put, comes down to the oil's stability. Synthetics will maintain optimal viscosity over wider temperature ranges (i.e. better pouring viscosity at startup on cold winter days, and better protection on hot days, under heavy load). The additives they contain will also be much more stable. So, your wear additives, moisture, anti-foaming, etc, will last longer, hence why they claim to be able to go longer between oil changes.

That's the basic difference, from a practical point of view. A blend just tries to be the best of both worlds, but in my opinion, it just lacks at both.

Troy,
From the research I've done, is the understanding that modern vehicles are engineered more for full synthetic in mind such as changes to seals, etc., whereas older vehicles were not as much designed for full synthetic and this occasionally created some issues when used in them?

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