Best no BS motor oil/filter comparison?

You are incorrect. The original owner is a best friend I've known since middle school. I was there when he bought the car and told him that day when he sold it, I had first shot. I was the passenger or driver for a lot of those miles and I have the service records for the car and his word it never went more than 5K miles for a change if that. I was also there the day that he bought the first change of Syntec. He decided on Syntec because at the time he was a chemist for Ethyl and his unit was responsible for making the additives package for Castrol Syntec and I used Syntec at the time as well in my 85 Toyota truck. I'm not so sure he'd want to admit that now.

I'm sure the sludge was there before I bought it, and I'm also sure that the RP remove some of it too. What was left was hard and too far away for the oil flow to reach. In the years that have past since I made the mods to that engine, the valve covers that are on it now remain as free from gunk as they were when I put them on. You may use Sytec if you like, but after my experience I will steer clear of it and use a real synthetic oil.

Oh, dont even whisper that...This sort of thing happens just about every time someone wants to talk oil and filters...And nothing is ever resolved.

Despite their sometimes shortcomings, I have a lot of faith in the engineers in the back room at the auto makers. Aside from the oddball case I think they know pretty well how long oil should be run and like you say, they then shorten the interval to make sure there's never an oil related failure. After all, the original fill of oil at the factory is the only oil they ever have to pay for so why would they stretch out drain intervals for any reason other then marketing hype. My 64 T-bird called for 6000/6 month oil changes but mainly as a marketing thing. The factory warranty back then was 12,000 miles or

If you want to spike things just start asking if Amsoil is really the BEST oil you can buy!!!

Sounds like Syntec is not the way to go!

How long was that "one use", 6 months? That B&S better have been a diesel, otherwise you're FOS.

That's true, and is a key part of this discussion. Too bad its being discussed in terms of "synthetic" versus "conventional," because that really doesn't matter. What DOES matter is the rest of the oil additive package, in particular the compoenents that maintain the total base number (TBN) and keep the oil from becoming acidic. You can have synthetics with poor TBN control additive, and you can have conventionals with good packages. Now *most* synthetics also happen to be higher-end oils and have decent additive packages... but its not BECAUSE they're synthetic.

No, The B&S got pretty dirty after first use. Maybe black after a couple of uses. This was about 15 years ago when I first had the edger (no longer have it). Engine worked OK for the 7-8 years I had it, but not anything like the Honda which started the first pull of cord every time (and engine oil stayed quite clean).

Escort, Camry, Accord... all generic people-transporters of the same ilk. They're completely interchangeable cars as far as I'm concerned.

If you believe that particular engines are "not suitable for synthetic oil," then there's no use trying to have an intelligent, engineering-based discussion.

And I've been using synthetic oil in 2 B&S 6-horsepower lawnmowers and a

Of course the same was true of the 60s B&S engines I had back in the 70s and 80s that only got single-grade SAE 30 dino oil, too. I just can't kill a B&S, and I sure don't take it easy on them. I've only ever gotten rid of a B&S powered mower because the mower deck fell apart around the engine.

Based on looking at the very dirty oil after first use on my Briggs and Stratton engine, I made the determination that synthetic would not work well in that engine, even though I had no problem with it in my Honda lawnmower. Someone else mentioned in this thread that they put synthetic oil in a B&S engine and it was ruined.

You can piss and moan about intelligence all you want to, but those are the facts.

In the case of small engines with splash-plate lubrication rather than an oil pump, the synthetic oils are NOT generally suitable for them. The better flow characteristics of the synthetics mean the splash plate cannot pick up enough oil.

This is why Royal Purple, for instance, makes a special synthetic oil that is designed to be extra-sticky, for small engines.

--scott

Guess that depends on how much you value your time or enjoy doing oil changes.

Yes, and "becoming acidic" is just one of the things that happens to oil as the miles go by. So what is the advantage of getting a good additive package that counteracts or slows down that inevitable deterioration versus just changing the oil more frequently to avoid the deterioration?

-jim

----== Posted via Pronews.Com - Unlimited-Unrestricted-Secure Usenet News==----

No, there isnt.. I went back to the distributor on this and they told me that B&S did not recommend synthetics in this engine, and I shouldnt have assumed that the Mobil 1 would be a good choice after break-in.

I went into the B&S, honed it, installed new rings, etc, and it lasted a few hours, but quickly went to hell again. Got rid of it, dont want to hear that technically the synthetic should have been great.. Either the B&S was BS, or the lubricant was unacceptable.

Next mower, I used what B&S recommended, and it worked fine (until it was stolen a couple of months ago).

I can talk engineering with you all day long, but this is not a case where I am very open to "shoulda, coulda, and woulda".

These were modern B&S engines, not old ones. The old ones were very likely better made.

What $3 Fram filer? I checked on-line prices at local auto parts stores (Advance and AutoZone). The $3.99 Fram (PH2) and the $6.99 Fram (TG2) equivalents to the Motorcraft FL820S ($3.68) both include the same glued cardboard end caps and the same mediocre relief valve. The $6.99 Fram filter does buy you a silicone anti-drain back valve. However, the CHEAPER Motorcraft FL820S includes the silicone anti-drain back valve, a very robust pressure relief valve, and potted metal end caps. There is no comparison, the Fram filters are a rip off, at least for this application.

Maybe for other applications, the Fram filters are better. I can't say for sure. I've only cut open Fram filters for a few applications (FL820S, FL1, a Honda Filter) and they all had the same basic construction that I don't like.

Ed