WishIHadAZ

I was wondering if you guys thought it would be a good idea to put mobil 1 synthetic in my car. I think synths are better but I want opinions from people who may know better than I. It has 86000 miles by the way.

My first goal with this car is to make sure it runs reliably (just got the car).

Irocster

I hate to say this, but you are probably going to get people on here telling you to just do a search on this topic. I know you're new though....just try out the search button before posting, you'll find a ton of info already discussed.

Drakar

Here are a few for ya:

Used synth oil as my search text.

https://www.thirdgen.org/techbb2/sho...ight=synth+oil

https://www.thirdgen.org/techbb2/sho...ight=synth+oil

https://www.thirdgen.org/techbb2/sho...ight=synth+oil

https://www.thirdgen.org/techbb2/sho...ight=synth+oil


I only use synth in my cars, and my choice for engine oil is Mobil 1

bigals87z28

put in mobil 1 5w30. i picked up about 100 front wheel hp.

hehehe if you wana pop for the mobil 1 then do it. To me, i try to get the best for my car. Not the most expensive, just the best.

400Z28Racer

iTrader: (4)

I use mobil 1 synthetic 5w 30

86BirdSE

Maybe it's just me being paranoid, but I won't go below 10W30, synthetic or not, unless it's a sustained 20*F or lower outside. Even then, I hesitate.

Today's oil is way different from the oil on the shelf 5 years ago. It's still not the same as synthetic, but to each their own. Right now, I don't feel my motor (with 180,000 on it) is worth the synthetic. My new 350, after it's broken in will probably get Mobil 1 10W30.

bubbareno

I like my valvoline max life. Do some research an go with what yo think is rite.

FlamedROC

I would not recommend putting any kind of synthetic in your 86,000 mile car. I had the exact milage as u have and my 305 motor never leaked one drop anywhere. Until I put 5-30 mobil 1 in and every single gasket surface started leaking. Which in turn my car started burning oil which I ran it 3 qts low in one week! So I got a bearing rattle which lead to the motor eventually blowing up! So my advice is continue using whatever u have been. And you will be just fine! But if you have a fresh new motor that has been rebuilt use synthetic in that. The syntheitic oil molecules are smaller then averege oil molecules so that is why it is able to get in and lubricate better, but if u have old gaskets then the oil is able to slip right past ur gasket causin a hellofva leak! Just a heads up man and I hope this is not to late

Jason

ontogenesis

AMSOIL....AMSOIL is awesome stuff, i don't like mobil 1 (as much), i don't like royal purple (at all), just AMSOIL

Vader

You must like or need the extra additives and less actual synthetic lubricant base that AMSOIL provides. I know some engines can benfit from it, but didn't realize that there were so many. Any idea where AMSOIL gets its polyalphaolefin base stocks?

EDIT: I get the feeling you also have a BMW of some sort. If that's the case, do yourself and wallet a favor and disregard their recommendations for lubricant. They specify a hydrocracked (Group 3) "synthetic" oil, which is little more than a more highly refined mineral oil. "Group 3 "synthetic" is simply a "Group 2" mineral oil base stock that is further refined using propane de-waxing and severe hydro-treating to give a better, cleaner base stock. However, it is still refined from paraffin-based crude, just like all conventional engine oil. While the U.S. F.T.C. allows its makers to call it "synthetic", it cannot be labeled "synthetic" in Europe. It still contains random molecular lengths and all of the inherent weaknesses of mineral oil - because it IS mineral oil. It has NO synthesized base stock. By your statement, it seems you have already outsmarted the Bavarians and are using AMSOIL anyway. Good call.

Vader

I would agree, but instead of paranoia, gut feeling, or opinion, I have science and experience to substantiate my position. I'll use Mobil 1 as my example, since that's all I'll use.

I use 15W50 in elevated temperatures and under more demanding conditions on engines that run with a bit more bearing clearance. I use 10W30 in colder temperatures and for everything else. The Mobil 1 10W30 has a pour point of -72°F, and pumping point of -48°F. Mobil 1 5W30 has a pour point of -76°F and a pumping point just below 10W30. Even a 5W-whatever mineral oil won't do that. I've parked my old Astro outside in -40° weather, sump full of 10W30 Mobil 1, and started it with no boost, no engine heater, and no problems. The battery barely has the power to run the key warning buzzer, but the engine cranks enough to fire. I also know it moves oil and gets lubrication. I know that if the temperature would be low enough to require the 5W30, the battery wouldn't turn the engine anyway.

Incidentally, the vapor pressure of gasoline at -45°F is essentially nil, so starting a gasoline engine at that temperature or below would require sufficient cranking to create compression heating and evaporation of the fuel before any combustion would occur. If the plugs didn't fuel-foul before the engine fired, you'd be very lucky. Your CTS bottoms out at -40° anyway, so no further fuel trim is available below that temperature.

By that logic, there is no legitimate reason to use a 5W-30 synthetic, unless your engine bearing clearances are so tight that there is no room for the longer molecules of the 10W30. Some engines are assembled that tight. Most are not.

If you're not using a synthetic, disregard the above statements. Your engine is likely already worn beyond anything requiring 5W-30.

Incidentally, that old Astro went 186,000 miles on Mobil 1 with no leakage, oil consumption, loss of compression, or mechanical problems. The alternate perspective would dictate that an older, more worn engine would REQUIRE synthetic to stand a fighting chance of surviving longer. I also have anecdotal evidence (measured from a tear-down) that a 110,000 mile 350 (MY '94 LT1) had virtually no cylinder, piston skirt, rod- or main journal, nor even timing chain wear after a life of Mobil 1 10W30. Even the ring gaps were not excessive. The absolute worst cylinder was only worn 4/10ths (that's 0.0004") beyond the production tolerances, and hadn't even begun to reach the lower end of the service wear limits - where machining would be required.

That evidence proved to me the value of Mobil 1 synthetic in anything I care to own or keep. Other brands of synthetics MAY be just as good. I don't care to repeat the experiment with possibly disappointing results, when I can purchase Mobil 1 almost anywhere. What's even better is that most Wal-Mart stores have 5 quart jugs of Mobil 1 for about $16.99 every day. That makes an oil/filter change about $20 - or what you would spend at a "Quick-Lube" chain for an inferior product, like Pennzoil or Quaker State with a Fram filter.

Vader

For more and differing viewpoint on the subject, you might want to read this thread (all five pages): http://www.boss302.com/board/viewthr...7&pagenumber=1

Realizing that most of these guys are Ford people, and that we all can acknowledge that Fords need all the help they can get, it stands to reason that there must be at least a few clever people out there that are able to keep them running.

There are some really good technical points and explanations given, and it's worth reading most of it if you care at all about protecting your equipment. Perhaps our own resident chemical engineers (like the Moates family) can substantiate or disclaim what is stated there.

RJR99SS

as far as synthetics leaking...i really havnt experienced this.

Just recently i switched my daily driver with a 307 olds over to mobil 1 synthetic. The milage is kind of in question....but it could be as high as about 140,000 miles and no less than 80,000.

But i put the mobil 1 in and have been running it for about a month and i havnt seen any leaking at all. Which kind of surprised me, as all the seals and gaskets are the original ones from 1984.

I just happend to replace the valve cover gaskets after i switched over, not because they were leaking though. I just pulled the covers to look at something, so i changed them while i was in there.

But the original rubber gaskets were absolutly nasty, in about 8 pieces, all dried and crumbling. I was shocked that they didnt leak with the synthetic.

So i've switched over and had nothing but good times with it, so maybe i'm lucky or such.

DJsyclone

I used Pennzoil in my old 2.8 and it lasted 113,000 miles and started knocking. now in my new(er) 2.8 I use Mobil 1 and K&N oil filters because I want it to last longer, but it's $40 for all that and I have to change it myself.

84Z28_5.7ltr_V8

I use Quaker State, peak performance 10w30. seems to work fine. How can you really tell a difference in performance when using different oils? I know i cant

86BirdSE

The not-so-scientific results I like to use are my eyes and nose, my ears and my trip odometer.

I look at the color and smell of the oil when it comes out. I look under my valve covers for deposits, as they accumulate there first, and I look at my oil pressure gauge in the morning when it's cold, nd again when it's hot and I'm sitting in traffic.

I listen to the engine when it's idling... do I hear anything out of the ordinary?

Trip odometer between fill-ups... what kind of mileage am I getting?

I've run mobil 1 10W30 one time in my bird. It idled a bit more smoothly, kept better oil pressure when warm and came up to pressure quickly when it was cold. I even saw a 2 mile per gallon increase on average over the life of the oil. In 3000 miles, it came out and conventional went back in.

I don't use it anymore in this motor because frankly, it has 200,000 miles on it, and runs just about as well on dino-juice. Since the motor is comming out of the car in March, I don't feel the need to continue using it. Again, these are just my experiences.

Drakar

Man reading Vaders' posts always make me feel like I just spent days in a class very knowledgable. And I have seen pics of his tear down, very clean!!!

Also for Synth I have run all three weights I can find of mobil1 5w30 10w30 and 15w50, my engine with almost 100k miles only consumes about a 1qt per oil change (which is every 4k miles or so), which is nothing in an older engine.

I would run it in any car I buy. Period.

OLDYELLR

Nobody here has mentioned Castrol. Castrol Syntec got a bad name because it wasn't "real" synthetic. Now, there's an oxymoron if I ever heard one, fake synthetic! Anyway, there is one Castrol Syntec that's way better than Mobil 1 and it's the 0W30 made in Germany. Make sure it's made in Germany, because it's to Porsche, BMW and Mercedes specs. Also, don't be put off by the 0W30 just because you don't drive in the winter. It just means it has a higher viscosity index and is actually thicker than other 30-weight oils at higher temperatures. It also maintains its viscosity longer than Mobil 1. If you want to read more about oils than you ever wanted to know, visit http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/

Cadillac

Great thread. My take away from this Ford contamination is to continie using what I already use:

Mobil 1

jeremys82c10

iTrader: (1)

ok so the Po said he put Mobil 1 synthetic 5w-30 , i am thinking of going to royal purple 5w-30 synthetic, how do yall like royal purple compared to mobil 1

2kflhr

iTrader: (1)

I have run Castrol High Perfomance for as long as I can remeber in all of my cars except I run Mobil 1 in my wifes Cadillac Eldorado ETC Northstar engine. Thats only because she averages 4-5 thousand miles a year on it. Prior to switching to Mobil 1 in her car it got only Castrol.

allenfre

If the question woukd be Pennzoil Vs. Mobil1 Synthetic 5w30.I'll probably getMobil1. But as much as possible I want to avoid synthetics. No sense in risking potemtial long term damage by running further.

punkdude908

gotta love all the myths about synthetics....

i use Mobil1 10w-40 High Mileage. my 83 has 137,000 miles- original engine. runs better, doesn't burn as much, and leaks less. also, the extended oil change interval is nice. i go 4000-5000 miles rather than 3000 miles with conventional oil. i use the K&N HP-3002 oil filter. the filter with the better oil makes all the difference.

OTL

I run Royal Purple in the TA's, and a semi-synthetic in my daily driver Cutlass. With the RP in I noticed a smoother idle, more power, and slightly lower operating temps. This stuff is worth its weight in gold.

None of my cars leak or burn a drop of oil either. Synthetic is definitely the way to go if you want to maximize engine life and wring out every ounce of performance.

deoverton

I have had Royal Purple in mine RS for a while now and no leaks and no problems.

GTA50

I'm new to this game of synthetics. I guess my take is that all of my 2.8L V-6's have seen well over 450,000km - based on Dino-oil (yeah, the real stuff LOL). But that has been with regular oil and filter changes (5-8,000 km) - and using the cheapest oil available!! My last build (450,000 km) showed no scoring and almost no ridge on the cylinder walls, so take that as you wish.

I've switched to Royal Purple for my 1988 GTA and my newly build 2.8 stroker 1989 Firebird - want to see if those dyno results are real So, I'll let you all know how it turns out in about 300,000 km or so.

Seriously, it doesn't really matter what you use. Get the cheapest stuff on sale, because I think the real key is the regular oil and filter changes. Like those FRAM ads used to say: "You can pay me now or pay me later".

blkfirebird91

iTrader: (-1)

lol thats what i was gonna tell him put royal purple in.

Timothayyy

iTrader: (2)

Mobile 1 10w30, saves a few bucks off the Royal Purple and I think its either just as good, or close enough for me.

I was using RP before, and dident notice any difference when I switched to Mobile 1. I used Royal Purple for like 4 or 5 oil changes, and when I tore apart my engine, it was still disgusting. Ive heard better stories from the detergents in Mobile 1.

punkdude908

well over half the teams in NASCAR use Mobil 1 so i figured if its good enough for them, its good enough for me.

1LOMARO

I have run Pennzoil products for years, and have always had good luck with them.... don't agree..... try a 94 K1500 with 285,xxx miles and still original motor. Other than a slight knock at start up on cold days, it runs great!

blg0720

If you switch without going gradually, you'd have that problem. The older seals in our cars take more time to adjust. If you go from petroleum oil to synthetic without using a semi-synthetic in between, you'll have that trouble. I just switched from oil to semi-synth with no trouble.

punkdude908

i went from conventional right to mobil 1 with no problems whatsoever.

deoverton

Its amazing how all are car are basically the same yet have so many different results. We need to call Bill Nye the science guy and have him look at this haha.

I crawled under my car today and did some inspecting around all seals and gaskets and still have no leaks. I changed over to synthetic at 155,xxx and so far so good. I am going to keep my eye out for any leaks but keep knocking on wood that everything goes good.

86NiteRider

iTrader: (10)

I did the gradual switch and had no problems either.

Stevolwevol

iTrader: (1)

I use 10 30 valvoline, and I add STP for the zddp content. They have been lowering the amount of zddp (zink) since 88. If you want to spend the mula, by Brad Penn. Most parts stores will order it for you for about 5 a quart.

mooch1

i use castrol or quaker state 10w30 and i change it regurlarly...i just don't see the purpose on spending so much more for oil unless you are racing or pushing the car/engine really hard...for a weekend car and even daily driver i think castrol or quaker state is fine , as long as you change the filter and the oil when needed it should be fine...

OLDYELLR

Boy, this is an old thread! But, to answer the OP's question, the reason I switched to synthetic was because it kept my oil pressure up a lot longer than dino oil when running hot.

MY87LT

iTrader: (2)

The crap oil that was in my car came out as soon as it came home and Mobil 1 15/50 has been used in it ever since. Good results too.

ICESTORM

My IROCs previous owner had used Valvoline conventional. When I took ownership I switched to Royal Purple 5W30 with Napa Gold (Wix) filter. Same set up in my Vette. Both are L98s both around 78K both run much smoother without a single leak.

Stevolwevol

iTrader: (1)

Are you saying your engines run smoother with Royal Purple? If this is the case, why would that be?

ICESTORM

I haven't the slightest. The three vehicles I own that I switched from conventional to synthetic do indeed run smoother. Who knows, maybe it's just me subconsciously justifying spending the extra $$$. For now I enjoy the smoother engine idle, cooler running temp, slightly better MPGs, and annual oil change.

Stevolwevol

iTrader: (1)

Maybe I'll make the switch. I am concerned about leaky gaskets also. Oil is the life blood of the chevy engine. and I suppose that goes for mustangs i guess. I still wanna use a zinc additive even if I switch.

ICESTORM

Valid concern. No one but you can give an educated answer on whether your car will leak or not. Obviously it varies from engine to engine. I converted to 100% synthetic in my Bronco with the 351 Windsor at 152K with no problems. On that same token I've heard horror stories on vehicles using synthetic hemorrhaging oil with much lower mileage. Using a zinc additive or transitioning to a synthetic/conventional blend would be a safe bet. Also Valvoline now makes a fully synthetic Maxlife.

Stevolwevol

iTrader: (1)

Do engines that leak suddenly using synthetic stop leaking when switching back to petroleum? And does Max Life have zinc?

ICESTORM

There is no reason why an engine would not stop leaking after going back to conventional. Although I hear going back and forth isn’t exactly the best thing to do. I have never done it so I cant give you a proper answer.

I'm not sure of the proprieties in Maxlife. I do know it has something that conditions seals and gaskets. Also added detergents. They started with the Maxlife as a Synthetic/Conventional blend and now have a fully synthetic version.
I’d read up on the Valvoline website and all other major oil brands for that matter and make an educated decision. What works for one consumer does not for another. I swear by Royal Purple. Others like Mobil 1 or Amzoil. Some don't mind using conventional bought from the 99 cent store. Use what makes you happy and gives you peace of mind.

Stevolwevol

iTrader: (1)

Yes, peace of mind is good, but peace of engine life is even better lol.. I think I will continue with what I have for now, but I will keep Royal purple in mind. I just don't wanna deal with leaks today.....

Igorealfast

I run Shell Rotella T 15w-40 in all my cars. Was recommended to me by one of GM's Milford Proving Ground Master Mechanics...you know the kind of mechanical super genius the engineers turn to when they can't figure something out. It's an old trick running deisel oil in gasoline engines. It has better lubricating properties than the modern stuff.

J91

20W50 Castrol GTX w/ one qt. of Lucas Oil Stabilizer ....

Stevolwevol

iTrader: (1)

Isn't this getting on the thick side?

OLDYELLR

That's what I was going to say, but it's old school, good for engines with big clearances. I use 0W30 synthetic and have good oil pressure.