Synthetic Oil

[OUMike]

Okay...now..I'm sure we've addressed this before, but I can't seem to find it in the searchs. My father has a 2001 Z28 Camaro (where you f-body guys at?), and is going to switch to Moble 1. He was recently told at work that he was supposed to "break it in" by adding a little bit at a time or the engine would leak. Said that if you just jump right in your valves will not seat properly. I've read many reviews and articles on this topic and they say this is all a myth. What does everyone think? Go ahead and jump in? Thanks again. Sorry if this is a repeat question.

 

What are advantages and/or reasons you might mix conventional and synthetic?

[RyanZ71]

I did a direct switch over from Valvoline 10W30 to Mobil-1 10W30 full synthetic. No problems whatsoever. I do suggest that you have him change the oil after say 2000 miles with the synthetic in it and then the thing should be nice and clean. Have him drive the engine a bit hard as well, get the new stuff working in there to clean it out.

[OUMike]

I'm not sure he'll be cool with changing the oil again after 2000 miles ($30 a jug), but I'm sure he'll have no problems rompin' on it Thanks a bunch.

[Chad H]

I let my motor break in on Dino oil for approx. 1500 miles and then I switched to Mobil 1 synthetic.

[PFarkas]

My father ... is going to switch to Moble 1. He was recently told at work that he was supposed to "break it in" by adding a little bit at a time or the engine would leak.  Said that if you just jump right in your valves will not seat properly. I've read many reviews and articles on this topic and they say this is all a myth. What does everyone think?

 

I suspect that the part about "valves not seating properly" is a myth, however I do not have any data to back up my assertion, except for my own experience.

 

I switched to Mobil-1 Synthetic at about 35,000 miles. No leaks. In fact, I'm amazed that at 87,000 miles the engine is still tight. No drips.

 

 

Regarding "the engine will leak", I've read that synthetic oils tend to clean better than "dino" oils, and that a commonly observed side effect of this cleaning is that residues left behind from the dino oil that were acting to clog leaks in aged/worn gaskets will be washed out, the result being that a leak you didn't know you had before now becomes a problem.

 

I've never experienced this first hand.

 

 

If you want a LOT of information about oil from people who seem to be sincerely passionate and well informed about the topic, check out the "Bob is the oil guy" forums.

 

 

If I were going to switch another vehicle, I would first do a oil change using some cheap house-brand oil and a new filter, drive a couple of dozen miles, drain it and chuck the filter, and then install a fresh filter and synthetic oil.

 

 

Just my two cents... That and another dollar will get you a cup of coffee...

[hcvone]

Many cars like the Vette, Viper and Porsche come with synthetic oils like Mobil 1, and while it does take longer to break in an engine with synthetic oil, but you will have no problems

[asepgrad98]

Funny my dad has an 2001 Pontiac Formula with an LS1. His used 1Qt / 800 miles before he had his piston rings replaced. Mobile 1 is ok just keep and eye on oil consumption since it may burn it slighty faster.

[tmf6902]

I put mobil one in my HD with about 27K on it.....I burn about a quart every 5000 miles.

[dieselman]

After changing to syn oil my truck started to leak oil so I went back to reg. oil leaks almost have stoped. If you change your oil every 3000\5000 mi\klm regular oil is the way to go but you must use a good brand like VALVOLINE...

[tmf6902]

After changing to syn oil my truck started to leak oil so I went back to reg. oil leaks almost have stoped. If you change your oil every 3000\5000 mi\klm regular oil is the way to go but you must use a good brand like VALVOLINE...

Yeah I would never put synthetic oil in my blazer....it leaks like a biatch with normal oil....I couldn't imagine what it would do with mobil 1.

[Black02Silverado]

You can pretty much say that most of the switching to synthetic stories are myths. Mobil's web site explains a ton about switching as well as the others, ie Redline, and AMSOIL.

 

If you plan on extending the oil changes out then changing over is the way to go. If your going to keep up on the 3k oil and filter changes then stick with regular oil like Penzoil, Havoline and so on. Granted you get added benefits out of synthetic but such short oil changes don't justify the cost, unless you just want to and cost is not an issue.

 

If you do switch it would be a good idea to flush the engine first. I would go with an Auto-Rx treatment. You can it out at Auto-Rx.com. That stuff rocks and as stated above, BITOG forum will explain it all from those that have used it and other products. The best part of that site is that it comes from all third parties, not so much from someone trying to sell the product. I have used it in my Father-in-laws car and it really made a difference.

 

You can also go with an AMSOIL engine flush. That will help with the switch in cleaning out the crank case and getting it ready for synthetic. It is easy to do, just install a new filter, pour in a bottle of the AMSOIL flush, run the engine at a fast idle for 30 minutes and then just drain the oil and change the filter and your ready for the new oil.

 

If you don't go the flush or Auto-Rx route and change over to synthetic just keep and eye on the oil level, it will tend to consume do to the extra cleaning the synthetic does.

 

Where are you getting a jug for $30? That is steep. You can pick up a 5qt jug at Wal-Mart for $19 here.

 

Jayman can add to this with his expertese. He has been around synthetics a few years longer and has a better way of explaining things.

 

Jayman you out there????

[JayMan]

Jayman can add to this with his expertese. He has been around synthetics a few years longer and has a better way of explaining things.

 

Jayman you out there????

Ok ok hold your horses. Cripes, it's been busy and hectic with work.

 

A search in this forum will uncover many hits under the topic of synthetic oil:

 

Click on "Search" at the very top of the page.

 

For the following fields, make sure the following are as listed:

 

Search Posts: "Any Date"

Filter by member name: JayMan

Keywords: "Mobil 1" "synthetic" "synthetic oil" etc etc

Search where: all forums

 

Here are some hits I got when I did the search as above:

 

http://www.gm-trucks.com/forums/index.php?...10&hl=synthetic

 

http://www.gm-trucks.com/forums/index.php?...topic=24632&hl=

 

http://www.gm-trucks.com/forums/index.php?...topic=24703&hl=

 

http://www.gm-trucks.com/forums/index.php?...topic=24382&hl=

 

http://www.gm-trucks.com/forums/index.php?...6442&hl=mobil+1

 

Long story short: it does seem switching a motor with a lot of miles will cause leaks. The above posts touch on that issue too.

 

I agree Auto RX is a good flush method. You will never need it if you run the motor from new with a good synthetic, as the motor will stay clean.

 

A lot of folks still refuse to believe synthetics are better FROM NEW: in psychology and the field of Organizational Behavior this mind block is refered to as "cognitive dissonance." Get over it.

 

If you think a .68 a quart oil is "just as good" as a $5.99 a quart European-certified synthetic, wow that IS sad. The North American API/SAE "Starburst" certification is a complete joke and is only used in North America.

 

There are even third-world countries that refuse to believe that one oil is good for all seasons or applications, or that all oils are created equally. For more education, point your browser to Bob Is The Oil Guy.

 

Hope this helps

[QUIKAG]

Another thing...

 

don't LS1 F-bodies come from the factory with Mobil 1 synthetic? My C5 sure did.

 

About my new truck, I'm a bit over 2,000 miles on her and with my first oil change in a week or two, I will be switching to a top shelf oil filter and Mobil 1 5W-30 synthetic and extending my drain intervals to about 5,000 miles or so. I will monitor the oil level, but I don't not expect any problems.

 

I roadrace my C5 and see oil temperatures in excess of 300 degrees F with no damage to the motor. Let's just say I'm a fan of Mobil 1 synthetic.

[JayMan]

Another thing...

 

don't LS1 F-bodies come from the factory with Mobil 1 synthetic? My C5 sure did.

 

About my new truck, I'm a bit over 2,000 miles on her and with my first oil change in a week or two, I will be switching to a top shelf oil filter and Mobil 1 5W-30 synthetic and extending my drain intervals to about 5,000 miles or so. I will monitor the oil level, but I don't not expect any problems.

 

I roadrace my C5 and see oil temperatures in excess of 300 degrees F with no damage to the motor. Let's just say I'm a fan of Mobil 1 synthetic.

Glad you brought that up. I think the HP F-bodies did factory-fill on Mobil 1.

 

Over at BITOG a lot of F-body and Corvette LS1 owners complain of high oil consumption on Mobil 1 5W-30. It's HTHS viscosity at 150 C is around 3.07 m Pa s, sort of a borderline between a 30 and a 20 oil.

 

They have substantially reduced or eliminated their oil consumption by using a heavier viscosity like the Amsoil products. One fellow switched to Mobil 1 15W-50 and eliminated a 1 qt / 800 mile problem, with no difference in MPG or ET's.

 

FWIW: here is the oil consumption in my 2000 Vortec 5.3 running the following viscosity oils:

 

Mobil 1 0W-30: 1 quart every 4,400 miles

 

Mobil 1 5W-30: 1 quart every 4,600 miles

 

Mobil 1 10W-30: 1 quart every 6,800 miles

 

I'm planning on trying the new Mobil 1 Truck & SUV 5W-40 in April. This is essentially a rebadged Mobil Delvac 1, which is a synthetic oil designed for heavy duty diesel applications and extreme extended OCI's.

 

Hope this helps.

[OUMike]

don't LS1 F-bodies come from the factory with Mobil 1 synthetic?  My C5 sure did.

Yes. All GM cars powered by the LS1 motor come factory from the factory with M1 10W-30.

 

Unfortunatly my father purchased this car a few months ago. His Z28 is a 2001. The clock reads about 32,000 and I know for a fact the M1 is not currently in it. It was changed once at Star Toyota and we've changed it once (last 4 qts of Penzoil) since he bought it.

 

He recently purchased M1 10W-30 for his Z28 and Castrol High Mileage for my 94' C/K. I'll keep everyone posted. Is there anything I need to know about the high mileage oil? What makes it better than conventional? Is that a blend?

 

Thanks fellas, JayMan you guys are the best