Engine Oil Choice

This is always a can of worms, Steve. ' \I dont use Pennzoil anymore because I had some bad experiences with engine lacquering that did not seem to happen with other brands.

I switched to Quaker State, and that was fine for a while, and then Pennzoil bought Quaker State, I believe. The problems seemed to return, and I lost faith in QS soon after that.

I dont believe the problem lies with the refined oil stock. I believe that, if the problem really exists, it may be with the additives package.

I have used Havoline, Castrol, and Valvoline, and am happy enough with them.

I have had cars with factory fills of synthetics, but am not a strong believer in them. They are good, no doubt, but they are not economical for a person like myself who will not countenance long oil change intervals.

Hope you get some more helpful info.

I guess I would like to know what you mean by too old for synthetics. I have used synthetics in all vehicles I have owned. Age has never (at least for me) diminished the synthetic value.

5th Wheel,

I guess I don't want to change horses at this point. I've heard stories of seals starting to leak, etc. if you switch too old a vehicle with a lot of miles. I may be way off base but I'm going to stick with what's pumped out of the ground (dinosaur). I was leaning toward Castrol and just wanted a couple opinions on brands. Thanks for replying though.

Steve

Castrol has been in my 1986 Isuzu P'up since I got it in 1989. Most dependable vehicle I've ever owned. Too bad I hate driving it.;-)

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You wouldn't have been off base in the 70's, when synthetics made seals to crack and leak. It hasn't been the case for many years since they started to use seal swell additives.

If there are no issues with your engines, switching to synthetics won't do any harm. Make sure that all seals and gaskets are good. If using synthetics make an engine start to leak oil, it is probably because the problem already existed and was about to appear. It is recommended to do an engine flush before switching to synthetics, to dislodge all the material that accumulated over time. The crud could even act as a gasket, BTW. Gasket leaking after a flush is not unheard of for that reason.

Synthetics are superior to dino oils, but, they are not needed in most cars today. Regular motor oils have an additive package that gives it very good lubricating properties, as well as engine protection. I've never had an oil related engine failure

If you live a lot of your life at 5,000+ rpm, got for synthetic. For normal driving, I can't see any difference in any of the major brands. Change according to what the manufacturer recommends for your driving style, not what the lube places that sell oil recommend.

The point of the question is what NON SYNTHETIC OIL is good, and do Penzoil or QT cause any more problems than other oils.

NOT

Try and convince me to change to synthetics.

Learn2Read, please, people.

NOT? Maybe.... I dropped Pennzoil (note the spelling, Geir) and QS (note Quaker State) several years ago when there was evidence they DID result in lacquering. Maybe they dont now, but I am strongly convinced that they DID.

If you're open to the reasons and opinions why many don't have any support for the idea that non-synthetics, no matter what brand, are any good at all - in other words, non-synthetic is not worth the time to bother with them.

1. Non-synthetic motor oils show inferior quality, cost and performance statistics in all categories.
2. Pz-oil and and QT make good oils and have a place but not in my vehicles, tractors, equipment or anything with an engine.

Petroleum refined oils do their jobs well, and are not inferior or substandard just because they dont exhibit all the specification numbers the synthetics do. They are quite appropriate for the job in the majority of cases.

Maybe you like the specifications of synthetics, but that does not mean that they are superior in all cases nor that they are the right answer for everyone, nor that petroleum lubricants are "not worth the time to bother with".

Some of those "specifications" are meaningless for a large cross section of drivers. For example, "flash point" means nothing to the most of us (yes, I know what it means), and low temperature viscosity has little or no value for us in Texas and other temperate parts of the world.

There is absolutely no economy for me in synthetics because I do not now run extended oil change intervals, nor do I intend to.

Pennzoil and Quaker State are the same company. I am sure their oils do their jobs well. Since I have used neither of them recently, maybe someone else on here can venture an educated comment on them. (I changed away from them about five years ago when I noticed the lacquering by Quaker State. I had seen it with Pennzoil some years earlier, but in the interim, apparently, Pennzoil bought Quaker State. I cleaned up my engine and switched. No more lacquering.)

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Even if it improves fuel consumption? When I swtched to a good quality synthgetic oil in my 1990 Grand Voyageur LE (3,3L engine), MPG improved by 8%.

I submit that a person could use dino oil, change the oil and filter every 7,500 miles (or whatever the mfg suggests) -- and their engine would last just as long as another engine using _any_ other type of oil, and oil-change interval.

Meanwhile, let's say you change your oil much more frequently than that, and/or use synthetic.

Now, let's say the person in the above mentioned scenario is willing to wager a sizeable amount of money that your engine isn't going to last any longer than his -- all other things being equal.

Think many people would take that bet?

I'd say the engine using synthetic will last longer, but for most of us, so what? The rest of the car is gone to crap so we don't need anything longer for the engine.

In a perfect world, the car would have no repairs for 200,000 miles and then at 200,001 it would just fall apart and the engine, transmission, and accessories all break the same day. Makes it easier to decide if the car should be fixed or replaced.

A lot of people might say that, Ed, but I have never seen any proof of it...at all. I ran a Buick Regal to 200,000 with regular changes of dino oil. When I sold it, it used no measurable oil between changes. I had had problems with many other parts on that car, but not the 2.8 litre engine.

From my perspective, synthetic oil would have had no effect at all on the practical longevity of the engine, but it would have been a lot more expensive.

++++++++++ I think the best non-synthetic oil you can use at a reasonable price is a HD fleet oil appropriate for gasoline engines and diesels. Lots of anti-wear additives and good detergents. Fleet diesel trucks go a half million to million miles on these oils between overhauls.

Some popular brands widely available are Shell Rotella T, Mobil Delvac

1300, Delo 400. Usually available in 1 gallon containers.

3 times as often as they should -- contrary to the express printed recommendations of the designers and engineers who understand the dynamics of the machine and the lubricants.

The considerable added expense and effort of more frequent changes and more pricey oil has never been shown to have any benefit for longevity... and, even if it did -- as Ed pointed out -- there's probably enough other stuff worn out by that time that wouldn't matter anymore anyway.

By contrast, people generally change the automatic transmission fluid and filter _way less_ often than what is recommended, although replacing a front transaxle is a formidable expense in anyone's book. Yet, people neglect servicing that component while are so adamant about changing engine oil that they waste good money doing it way more often than needed or even recommended.

Oil and filter change.... Twenty Buck$

Tranny fluid flush/change.... Drop your pants and back in

I don't know what planet you live on but here in Queens NY in the heart of the notorious over priced Big Apple I pay only $69.95 for Trany fluid change, new filter, and pan gasket. And surprise surprise My 2001 GMC Jimmy only requires this every 50,000 miles.

Other factors come into play, aside from the $75+ or so for a tranny change. Engine oil is contaminated by condensation, blow-by, and is subjected to very high temperatures. Transmissions are somewhat closed. There is less chance of contamination getting in. Under certain circumstances, like heavy towing, it can be overheated and burned, but it can usually go very long times with little degradation.