Motor Oil

creapyrob · Post by **creapyrob** » Tue Aug 26, 2003 9:43 pm

What brand do you use and why?

I used the O'Riely's brand last time cause I think its Castroil, just not in the Castroil bottle.

I'm not down with the oil elietists yet but I'm hopeing some of you are so you can tell me what is the hot dog of motor oil.

Seraph Antaine · Post by **Seraph Antaine** » Wed Aug 27, 2003 6:58 am

AMSOIL. 100% American synthetic oil.

div · Post by **div** » Wed Aug 27, 2003 7:54 am

Redline Synthetic

Post by **Bone** » Wed Aug 27, 2003 2:33 pm

Don't know a lot about standard car grades of oil, but in the SG ratings (motorcycle oils) I use Golden Spectrol or Bel Ray. Somewhere about I have some oil tests/ratings done on SG and above rated oils and Golden Spectro came in the top ratings with Amsoil and Redline on their synthetics and highest on conventional oils. Mobile 1 synthetics also came in high on the list.
If I remember correctly the castrol synthetic did not come in much better than the conventional/synth blend or just the convential oil for that matter.

Note these were all SG or better motorcycle grade oils only (much heavier duty oils than car oils)

as to automotive oils: I run conventional Castrol 20w50
I don't know if this is still true but I remember PennsOil used to carry some minerals that made for heavier carbon deposts on the cylinderheads. this was VERY old info though.

As to Conventionals vs Synthetics-
IMHO Synthetics are NOT worth the price for engine oils UNLESS -
1 - You are really bad about doing regular oil changes as the synthetics have a higher thermal breakdown rating they will survive in the engine longer.
2 - You are running under EXTREME conditions (heavy loads air temos in excess of 100 degrees F. or below 0 degrees F, or racing conditions where every .01 of a second counts
okay so Synths are a better oil Bone; why don't you run em...
Well in looking at the cost of a quart of Synth vs cost of a quart of standard oil. Synths tend to run almost twice the price. What do you get for that - Not enough for the cost. Yes you "Might" pick up about 1-2 MPG, but as long as the oil has not been broken down thermally it really isn't doing anything more to protect you engine or make it run better for anything short of track racing condtions.
So is .001 seconds of your 0-60mph worth an extra $8-20. Not to me. Finally even though the Synth Oils last longer you still need to at least replace the oil filter every 3,000 miles which kinda defeats the advantage of a longer lasting oil.

However I do use Synthetics in my transmissions as it does seem to help smoothness of shifting. As I drive some old ass cars anything to help clunky shifting is a good thing.

Seraph Antaine · Post by **Seraph Antaine** » Wed Aug 27, 2003 4:47 pm

I assumed the question was a performance-oriented question, as the forum is Gothic Gearhead. If you're just getting groceries, dinosaur goo is probably adequate.

Post by **Bone** » Fri Aug 29, 2003 1:48 pm

Seraph Antaine wrote:I assumed the question was a performance-oriented question, as the forum is Gothic Gearhead. If you're just getting groceries, dinosaur goo is probably adequate.

Nothing wrong with running the slick stuff. Hell, if I could afford to run all synthetics I can't argue with running em at all. But for those of us without large bank accounts, the advantages vs. cost just aren't there.

Also thought the info might be good for those less informed on oils. There is A LOT of hype in lubes and additives out there. Some of which are just plain snake oil. As GI Joe use to say... Now you know and knowing is half the battle

GO JOE!

Cheerleader of the Damned · Mon Sep 01, 2003 6:49 am

Synths may be a better oil Bone, but they leak more than conventional oils too, which is a real problem when you drive a car that has earned it's right to a bumper sticker that says "VW's don't leak oil, they mark their spot."

Seraph Antaine · Post by **Seraph Antaine** » Mon Sep 01, 2003 8:44 am

There you have it. Listen, synth oil is way better than dinosaur oil, period. You can decide for yourself if you want or need a superior lubricant bad enough to offset the cost. I do not always use synth in my Z28, and I never use it in my '97 Lumina. Lower operating temperatures, longer lifespan of moving parts, and longer intervals between oil change are all well-proven and documented. One should not be counting on petroleum's tendency to gunk-up as a leak-preventive asset, as that very quality is going to cause a slight power loss, due to rotational friction. My '94 Z28 has never, ever leaked one drop of oil, and it has 120,000 hard-driven, high performance miles on the odometer. My Lumina has never leaked a drop, either, with 109,000 miles. Oil doesn't cause leaks; gaskets do. Better have your oil pan gasket checked out. Also, if you have ever put in too much oil, something some people do to try to make up for waiting too long for an oil change, you will cause your oil pressure to go up, which may result in oil getting past various gaskets. Gunked-up petroleum oil in your engine's oil passages can also cause oil pressure to be high. It may try to get out between cylinder heads and block by blowing a gasket. I wouldn't let a mechanic tell you it's normal to have an oil leak, especially on your VW, which is supposed to be really tight. But British cars are another matter. They'll always leak oil, as a matter of tradition.

div · Post by **div** » Tue Sep 02, 2003 7:52 am

personally, I use synthhetics in my acura. It's my daily driver and is subjected to much abuse as I try to deal with the frustrations of being subjected to insane memphis drivers. Add the near consant 100+ degree temps of a typical memphis summer.... and yeah, i use synthetics.
On the other hand, I use dino-goo in my rx7. Rotaries are designed to burn oil. There's an oil metering jet in the rotor housings that sprays (in very small amounts) oil into the combustion chamber. Oil in general doesn't burn very cleanly, but synthetics are worse. That's not to say there aren't people out there running rotaries on synthetics - I'm just not one of them.

So, the point is - oil, like everything else, is application specific. Just don't go pouring a couple of quarts of baby oil in your brand new car just because you refer to it as, "my baby.".

Post by **Bone** » Wed Sep 03, 2003 6:56 pm

Seraph Antaine wrote: Oil doesn't cause leaks; gaskets do. Better have your oil pan gasket checked out. Also, if you have ever put in too much oil, something some people do to try to make up for waiting too long for an oil change, you will cause your oil pressure to go up, which may result in oil getting past various gaskets. Gunked-up petroleum oil in your engine's oil passages can also cause oil pressure to be high. It may try to get out between cylinder heads and block by blowing a gasket. I wouldn't let a mechanic tell you it's normal to have an oil leak, especially on your VW, which is supposed to be really tight. But British cars are another matter. They'll always leak oil, as a matter of tradition.

I would agree if COTD was talking about a H2O cooled VW, sadly the tolerance levels machined in the old air cooled VWs (bus, ghias, type 3,s 411,412, and VW vans) along with pushrod tube design are prone to some oil leakage. I have built VWs that have held againts leaks for up to 1.5 years but sooner or later the sealant materials brittle due to high engine heat and begin the ever so light drip. I too knowticed a more prone to leakage from synths in my Porsche 914s as well (uses a slightly hopped up type 4 VW motor (type 4 was a pancake motor used VW vans, 411s, and 412s> In side note: beware anyone who says their VW Van has a 914 motor in it. More often than not the are confused to the fact that the 914 and the Van use a type 4 engine. The 914 IS different. If the stock oil dip stick is used in the van it is just a plain ol type 4 and not a 914 motor (914 motor has both oil fill and dip stick on top of the motor and not on the deck lid area). I don't know how many people I have had to dissapoint with this fact))

In a solid modern motor the synths should cause no problems on leakage.

For those who don't know I am also a VW FREAK!

Cheerleader of the Damned · Sun Sep 07, 2003 2:16 pm

Thanks for the clarification Bone. I was going to reply that thicker oils, such as conventional ones, tend not to leak as bad, and how ACVW's are notorious leakers, but I figured I'd just be told I was wrong so I gave up. As much as I'd like to post to this forum, I think this will be my last time. It's not worth my time or energy to have to justify every statement I make.

creapyrob · Post by **creapyrob** » Thu Sep 11, 2003 11:36 pm

So how about additives? Lucas and the like? My truck won't do nuthin' without a quart of Lucas in every oil change, but its a 79 F100 with a 351M with 185K on it.

div · Post by **div** » Fri Sep 12, 2003 7:36 am

no additives for me, at least oil-wise... the acura is still fairly low milage, and as i've said - anything other than straight dino-juice is bad for rotaries.

My Pet Stigma · Post by **My Pet Stigma** » Fri Sep 12, 2003 8:22 pm

Creapy, I use Lucas in my ranger when doing oil changes and I've also switched to synth blend oil (mostly just to see if there is a difference) btw... it's a 96 and has 180k on it! it's all about borrowed time now baby... 4 bangers arent supposed to last this many miles.. I don't think. I figure it's like starting smoking at 80 years old. if one thing dosen't break ya something will.