Switching to Synthetic

[crepitus]

thinking of switching to Rotella synthetic this weekend. my truck only have 1300 miles on it. think its ok?

[MS3DALE]

What engine you have..Gas or Duramax?

[Machine]

I'm guessing gas? All of his posts are in this forum.

[ken1mod]

Sure its OK, just a waste of money.

 

Ken

[snoman]

Sure its OK, just a waste of money.

 

Ken

 

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I agree that it is a waste of money unless you maybe plan to drive it for 200 or 300K miles or more. I would get a few more miles on it though.

[MS3DALE]

I was just wondering because Rotella oil is for diesel engines,I wouldn't use it in gas engines,It doesn't meet the same specifications as gas engine oil.

Now if he has a Duramax,Sure I would use it,As a matter of fact thats what we use here at the dealership in customers Duramax's.

However we do not use sythentic unless they specify they want it.

[crepitus]

so you would just recomend regular oil? i cant see running the oil 6-8k miles going by the DAC using regular oil. yes it is a gas 5.3 aluminum block. rotella meets all gas engine requirments. i have been running it in my bike for years and its a hayabusa that turns 12k rpms.

[MS3DALE]

Well its personal preference if you want to run it,If you've been running it in your bike thats one thing,but I'm pretty sure it does not meet GM's specifications for gas engines,I'll have to do some research on it.

My synthetic oil of choice is Mobil1 5W-30.

If you want to run regular "dino" oil my old '88 Corsica has almost 237,000 miles on it running nothing but Pennzoil 5W-30 and the engine has never been touched,not even the valve covers,intake or intake plenum has ever been off! Its all original

[Machine]

so you would just recomend regular oil?  i cant see running the oil 6-8k miles going by the DAC using regular oil.  yes it is a gas 5.3 aluminum block.  rotella meets all gas engine requirments.  i have been running it in my bike for years and its a hayabusa that turns 12k rpms.

 

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All of my OLM's on the 6 vehicles that had / have them usually flag an oil change at around 5-6K. I have no fears going into that range with Mobil 1 Syn. Would i go there with Dino? Nope, but that's just me.

[Deere_Daze]

Whether or not you should use synthetic is a personal decision. Synthetic oil costs more, but its a better oil. Synthetic can handle higher heat, resists breaking down better and is more slippery. You will see a MPG increase and IMO it will slow down your engine's wear rate. Also, if you live in a climate with cold winters your engine will turn over more easily in the cold.

Heres another thing to consider: the molecules of dino oil are often jagged (caused by spending thousands of years inside the Earth) whereas the molecules of synthetic are shaped like millions and millions of little ball bearings.

Of course, the question is whether or not the extra cost of synthetic is worth it in the long run. Thats a question that only you can answer.

I dont run synthetic in my truck because it leaks a little oil. If it leaks a little with dino oil, it will leak more with synthetic. I use Mobil Clean 5000 10w-30 in my truck.

If you do go with synthetic, I suggest Mobil Clean 12,000 (or whatever their synthetic is called nowdays) or Amsoil.

Those are the oils Ive used in the past and have had good luck with. There are lots of good synthetic oils on the market though and Im sure we could spend years and years debating which oil is the best and still not come to a clear answer.

[ken1mod]

Once again, I ran a fleet of small block chevys to around 200,000 miles on dino oils changed every 6000 miles. heavy duty trailer towing in phoenix, az.

 

When these engines were disassembled because of radiator hose failure overheats, all we found was stuck oil rings. no wear anyplace. crosshatch honing patterns were visible on cylinders. no cylinder ridge, nothing. It amazed me and this was typical. And this started 25 years ago. all oils are even better now. And I own XOM stock.

 

All we did was install new rings and bearings and timing sets. there is almost no wear in modern engines. We always had heads done but there was never visible wear here either

 

Our engines are done in most often by electrical problems or cooling problems. Spend the extra bucks on top quality hoses and coolant.

 

Think about it, have you EVER seen a worn out engine that had reasonable maintenance. Not damage from overheat or broken parts. My Ford blew up because of a cracked piston but that is poor quality not oil failure.

 

OK guys, punch me out.

 

Ken

[asilverblazer]

I'm wit kenny on dis one. Sintetic is too hi fo me.

[Fyrcaptain]

Consumer Reports did a test on motor oils years ago including synthetic. They tested on a fleet of NYC taxis. What they found out was that the frequency of changes is what was the key. Every 3k using even the cheap cheapest oil, they found no appeciable wear after like 2 or 300k.

 

Synthetic gives you a little more drain time and doesn't break down under high heat. If you want the best and you don't mind the extra cost......it'a a no brainer, go with the synthetic. Some folks use synthetic and STILL change every 3k!

[ken1mod]

I guess as long as one does not skimp on the engine killer maintenance, ,cooling system, there is certainly no harm. By the was I have synthetic in both my vehicles so I am definitely confused.

 

Mobil did have to spend millions a few years ago when their synthetic aviation oil ruined hundreds of aircraft piston engines.

 

ken

[rcfb73]

crepitus...

i just wanna say that you have THEE coolest username ever.

 

i was going to school to be an athletic trainer...crepitus was my favorite!