OnTheReel

Nice, those are some awesome figures that really took dedication! It’s always more impressive when you hear of people getting huge miles out of something old, obscure and/or not known for being long-lived. Hell, nobody would even bat an eye at my old Honda Accord. 301k when I packed it in and drove it to the junkyard. I obviously didn’t put all the miles on it but I suspect there was no Amsoil or Red Line in it’s history. Think I splurged for Castrol GTX a couple times, but mostly used whatever crap oil the 18 year old me could afford. Some vehicles just take nothing but a little care to get there. Others seem to fight you the whole way. Think most newer vehicles will fall into the latter category. My current truck included, no doubt.

The brand stuff is always entertaining and I used to be super guilty myself. My dad used Castrol Syntec in everything. He put 180,000 miles on a Northstar V8 and credited the oil to anyone who would listen. Around the same time I put 205k on a VW VR6 and also credited the oil (Mobil 1). Both of these engines were notoriously problematic for various reasons. And yet we suffered no major issues. Rust got his Cadillac eventually. Sold my VW to a friend who still uses it. It’s up over 220k last I heard, still original everything. Even the clutch! Thing isn’t even rusty. Neither my dad’s Castrol or my Mobil 1 were a boutique product. Nothing more than average oils (especially post-lawsuit era). The common thread was that neither one of us ever went over 6 months or 3,000 miles on an oil change. My point is that in hindsight we were praising the wrong thing when we’d tell the stories about our favorite brand of oil and refused to buy anything else. It probably wasn’t the brands we used, but how they were used, and for how long. Today I would view any factory or dealer maintenance schedule with high suspicion. You’re basically on your own out there and unfortunately most consumers are trained to not even care. I was in that camp myself for a period of time (even though I was taught better long ago)!

I have Red Line in my engine and diffs. Went back with fresh OEM fluid in the transfer case after break-in. And trans is still factory fill. Unfortunately not as easy as just dropping the pan and refilling from the dipstick tube so I’ll address it at a later date. Maybe that’s why they say it’s “lubed for life”. I still run Amsoil Euro in my wife’s car (she beats the hell out of it) and their small engine oil in my tractor (I beat the hell out of it). Used their marine stuff in my Honda outboard for a few years before concluding it was a waste of money. I change it too frequently to address fuel dilution from trolling. So Farm & Fleet conventional oil is the ticket. Buy on sale by the case and costs me a third (or less) what Amsoil did. If there’s a difference in the motor one way or the other between those oils it probably can’t be measured in that usage case.

I use it when it fits my application but I see the humor. Amsoil definitely does have a cult-like following, and I’ve seen blind faith and ridiculous claims from it’s fans over the years. Was talking to a guy who just did Amsoil in his truck’s transmission (and everywhere else). He swears it fixed a driveline clunk that’s been proven by the manufacturer to come from the driveshaft’s slip yoke (tight tolerances binding the splines in warm weather). Mind you, this is a slip yoke that is bolted to a flange off the back of the transfer case and not exposed to any lubricant. Must be damn good stuff!

Trucks have come a long way. But thankfully so have infant car seats. That thing is unbelievable!

2021 Ram. 15,023 total miles, 2856 on interval. RL Euro 5w40 and Fram XG2 out, and same back in. Also cleaned up the engine bay. Salt and dust was making me crazy.

Been trying to see if I should push any further than 18% in my rig. Long term fuel trim is pretty well set at +7% going down the highway. No ill effects or CEL but it sucks not knowing if you go too far until AFTER you have 33 gallons of it in the tank.

Were they nice enough to give you a dipstick for the transmission or no? These things are becoming a maintenance nightmare for the DIY’er. Of course many of them are “lubed for life” now anyway. Lol.

I do plan to use Nick’s service once a year though. Still getting things worked out in general but think I’m on the right track now.

It’s the same lab nonetheless. If I was inclined to spend $1000/yr on analysis I’d be better off skipping it altogether. Could install a new Mopar long block every 5 years with that money instead. Or maybe a 426 in 10 years. Either seems like a more logical approach.

This Pennzoil 0w40 stinks BTW. At least in this application. No wonder it was so cheap!

Yeah, huge mess up here too. No property damage for me, just lots of fallen limbs. I know some who weren’t so lucky.

12,167 miles, 1,715 on oil. Pennzoil Platinum Euro 0w40 and Purolator Boss out. Sample being sent to TestOil. Red Line Euro 5w40 and Fram Ultra in. Tried to match interval mileage to the last one in order to hopefully eliminate some variables and follow a trend. Valvomax also installed.

I pull the rubber plugs in the rockers and fog with Fluid Film and the long spray wand. Same principle for fenders and doors (if steel). 3M cavity wax also works well. Frame I just try to keep up with the factory coating. And run through the wash with underbody flush frequently. Then do a big spring decontamination/ deep clean. Whether I keep the truck forever or for 2 years makes no difference. There’s a certain sense of pride that comes from trying to keep it as new, even if it’s for the next guy.

So what’s the actual truth on E85’s impact on engine oil? It’s commonly stated in the tuning communities that you should cut the interval in half on the corn. Possibly due to increased fuel dilution. Reason for dilution seems unclear, unless it’s only because you’re burning ~30% more E85 to match the same energy level of gasoline? On the other hand, the study linked earlier in this thread seems to conclude fuel type bears no impact on oil. And others say E85 actually keeps the oil cleaner and would theoretically extend the interval…