Oil & Fuel Synthetic Oil

[JerryK]

[million minus one] The only engine I use syn in is my standby generator. I use dino RotellaT or Delo 400 in all my diesels. Even with the dino, the motors will be fine and last longer than I need them. And probably the next guy or two guys after me. I do use syn grease. Especially good stuff on the front end components of my Dodge diesel with all the weight it carries. Thirteen years old and still all original except the shocks. I use dino/syn grease on my backhoe. But everything else gets the straight syn grease.

 

[Gary Fowler]

And why not? If someone is going to make such a ridiculous claim.

I'm sure the cheapo Walmart brand oil "meets" the specs, but are you going to claim it is as good as a brand name?

It likely is a brand name oil. Walmart doesn't make their own oil, just like tractor mfgs. don't make Kubota oil or JD oil or whatever brand. It is all made by a major refinery somewhere. Even Amsoil doesn't make their base stock oil, they just put some additive in a base oil stock (per their own website). If the oil meets an API spec, and it has truly been tested and certified, then it will be as good as then next brand oil for all intents and purposes.
Do I use Walmart oil, NO> Would I use it if it was all that was locally available, for darned sure. I wouldn't mail order a brand (like Amsoil) just because of claimed much better quality. My equipment and vehicles don't need racecar performance oil because I don't put that many hours or miles on them and any name brand oil if fine for me. My engines always outlast me. My daughter in law is still using a push mower that I bought in 1990 and it still cranks on 1st or 2nd pull, uses not oil and has never had anything in it but mineral oil.
Would it last longer with syn oil? Maybe, but just how long do I need a small engine to last or a car engine for that matter. My highest mileage car just turned 100K and is 11 years old, uses no oil and still has all original equipment except battery and water pump, neither of which have anything to do with oil.

 

[DarkBlack]

Thanks for all the information. Since the owners manual does list the API spec and Amsoil exceeds that spec I think I will go with it during the next oil change.

super-tech oil probably exceeds it also.

 

[Ram4x4]

It likely is a brand name oil. Walmart doesn't make their own oil, just like tractor mfgs. don't make Kubota oil or JD oil or whatever brand. It is all made by a major refinery somewhere. Even Amsoil doesn't make their base stock oil, they just put some additive in a base oil stock (per their own website). If the oil meets an API spec, and it has truly been tested and certified, then it will be as good as then next brand oil for all intents and purposes.
Do I use Walmart oil, NO> Would I use it if it was all that was locally available, for darned sure. I wouldn't mail order a brand (like Amsoil) just because of claimed much better quality. My equipment and vehicles don't need racecar performance oil because I don't put that many hours or miles on them and any name brand oil if fine for me. My engines always outlast me. My daughter in law is still using a push mower that I bought in 1990 and it still cranks on 1st or 2nd pull, uses not oil and has never had anything in it but mineral oil.
Would it last longer with syn oil? Maybe, but just how long do I need a small engine to last or a car engine for that matter. My highest mileage car just turned 100K and is 11 years old, uses no oil and still has all original equipment except battery and water pump, neither of which have anything to do with oil.

I look at it this way, two different brands of oil are not the same. Oil is more than just refined crude. There are additives and it varies from brand to brand. With the cost of my machinery, a few dollars here or there for higher priced oil make no real financial difference in the end. I never understand the mindset of paying big $$$ for a machine, but squabbling about a relative few dollars to maintain it. My Dodge Ram 2500 wasn't cheap, my Mahindra wasn't cheap...why would I intentionally just dump the cheapest oil I can find in them? I'm sure walmart oil meets some spec, but a spec is the minimum. Why would I intentionally put something that just meets minimums in my machinery?

I have an old Craftsman riding mower (10+ years) that I've never changed the oil in at all. I have added oil to it once or twice in over 10 years. It still runs fine, but that single cylinder, cheap little 18HP engine is not exactly in the same ballpark as my Cummins diesel or Mahindra diesel engine.

 

[Nightforce]

Has anyone switched to running synthetic 15w-40 in their Mahindra? I can not find any reference in the owners manual whether or not it is acceptable to use synthetic oil. I use Amsoil 15w-40 in most every diesel I have. Just got a new Max 28 and would like to use it in that as well.

I think Amsoil is a good oil but it's not locally available where I live....or at least I've never seen it.

This is what I use. It's available at WalMart and the price wasn't too steep if I remember correctly.

Mobil 1 5W-40 Turbo Diesel Synthetic Motor Oil

 

[Gary Fowler]

Sure motor oils are a bit more than refined crude, but if truth be known, there is likely not more than an Iota of difference in any of them made by a major oil company. They all claim proprietary ingredients but with todays spectrographic analyzers it isn't difficult to tell exactly what is in any substance and what % of it is there also. I think mostly the oil companies hype up their oil as being the best so they get more people hooked into it but in fact, any oil made today is 1000% better than oils of 1970's era and even then it did an adequate job of lubrication. I have my usual brands that I use (Shell Rotella) but I would not be scared to use another brand for an oil change if I couldn't get my Shell brand. In the past I have used Quaker State, Castrol, Exxon and still have Mobil 1 full synthetic in my riding mower. I have never had an oil related failure in anything. Our farm tractors of the 60-70 era got well into the 10,000+ hour use and mostly Dad used Exxon diesel oil and we never had any issues with engines or hydraulic pumps for that matter even though none of our tractors had hydraulic filters, but that is off topic a bit.

 

[JerryK]

Talking motor oil is like talking gun oil .... or blondes, redheads, and brunettes...., etc. No one is right, and no one is wrong. Everyone just has thier own ingrained opinion... and can argue their point aimlessly for hours and hours. By the way, everyone KNOWS that it is Rotella T, brunettes [ sorry Brandi ], and most definately Ballistol..

 

[Soundguy]

for the last few years i've used valvoline premium blue 5w40 syn in my powerstroke diesels. .. for most of my tractors except a couple i've rebuilt the top end on.. they get 15w40 dino.. the rebuilt gassers are getting 10w30 walmart syn

I think Amsoil is a good oil but it's not locally available where I live....or at least I've never seen it.

This is what I use. It's available at WalMart and the price wasn't too steep if I remember correctly.

Mobil 1 5W-40 Turbo Diesel Synthetic Motor Oil

 

[Hermio]

The differences in oil are not simply a matter of opinion or preference. API (American Petroleum Institute) has a battery of tests that quantitatively measure oil's performance and longevity. The synthetics win against conventional oil every time. I have used synthetics on a 25000 mile oil change basis on all my cars and most of my trucks for almost 40 years. I normally get 250000 miles or more out of my vehicles (except for my diesel Suburban and 6.0l Ford diesel. But engine oil had nothing to do with the many problems I had with those two) I also use synthetic on my diesel Kubota. It is 22 years old. Rust is a problem on it. Engine oil isn't.

 

[DarkBlack]

The differences in oil are not simply a matter of opinion or preference. API (American Petroleum Institute) has a battery of tests that quantitatively measure oil's performance and longevity. The synthetics win against conventional oil every time. I have used synthetics on a 25000 mile oil change basis on all my cars and most of my trucks for almost 40 years. I normally get 250000 miles or more out of my vehicles (except for my diesel Suburban and 6.0l Ford diesel. But engine oil had nothing to do with the many problems I had with those two) I also use synthetic on my diesel Kubota. It is 22 years old. Rust is a problem on it. Engine oil isn't.

It certainly is "opinion or preference". You're confusing specific oil lab tests, with the decision of what lubricant people decide to run in their particular machines. It's 2 totally different things.