Engine oil

[Thomabear]

Cooking the oil (coking) rather than burning it in the cylinders, but yes.

Aaron Z

Ya that's what I meant. Given the condition I can definitely say that I would have switched to synthetic. Followed shortly with a for sale sign.

 

[Soundguy]

Nearly all GM vehicles use synthetic now that the Dexos requirement is in place.

i'd go broke putting syn.. even walmart syn in my 2000 yukon / 5.3

 

[Peacock]

i'd go broke putting syn.. even walmart syn in my 2000 yukon / 5.3

I bet you would the way yours drinks oil.

I seem to remember that a good top end cleaner that is left in the cylinders really helps when the rings are carboned up.

 

[Midniteoyl]

2 examples. Volvo 5 cylinder turbo "Whiteblock" (used in the 1999-2004 S70, V70, etc) and the VW 1.8L Turbo (used in various cars between 1998 and 2004).
Both cars if maintained to OEM oil change intervals (Volvo was every 7500 miles with Dino oil) WILL build up sludge in the engine by 100k miles. On the Volvo it will block the passages in the head starving the cam of oil. On the VWs there was a class action lawsuit over it which resulted in a settlement.
Switch to Synthetic with the same oil change intervals and no sludge.
My car ('97 Volvo V90, straight 6, non-turbo with hydraulic lifters) was significantly quieter after I switched to Mobil1 Synthetic and there have been issues with the lifters getting "stuck" when using dino oil.

Aaron Z

Agreed..

The VW settlement was a new engine.. Expensive lesson. Another post here linked to a self described 'engineer turned oil expert' claiming there is no difference between synth and dino as far as wear protection goes. And I agree - for the first 3-5000 miles at least. After that, synth is usually the better oil. Also, 'wear protection' is NOT the only measure of a good oil. The ability to hold dirt and deposits, cold/hot flow ability, high temp shear, etc ALL play a part.

Noted, though, is the the Mobil1 5w-30 was the best off the self street oil in his tests :thumbsup:

 

[kenmac]

I can't remember any engines (in the vehicles that I owned) that ran 200+ degree temps. back in the 60's-70's If they ran 180-190 ? they were considered hot. Oil has to contend with these hotter temps and this is another area where synthetic is the winner. Higher TBN is another area where a quality synthetic beats out some dino oils. The higher the TBN the longer the drain and acid fighting ability your engine has. I'll stick with my synthetics

To make a statement that ''oil is oil' Well, why not just use the the oil from the hamburger joint down the street ?

 

[Peacock]

Agreed with both the last 2 posts.

Today's engines are much more demanding of oil.

 

[Diamondpilot]

I can't remember any engines (in the vehicles that I owned) that ran 200+ degree temps. back in the 60's-70's If they ran 180-190 ? they were considered hot. Oil has to contend with these hotter temps and this is another area where synthetic is the winner. Higher TBN is another area where a quality synthetic beats out some dino oils. The higher the TBN the longer the drain and acid fighting ability your engine has. I'll stick with my synthetics

To make a statement that ''oil is oil' Well, why not just use the the oil from the hamburger joint down the street ?

My BMW has a oil temp gauge, the only vehicle i can remember owning that has one. It runs over 200 deg every day. It's a 3.0L that holds 7 qts of 5W30 synthetic so it's got plenty of oil versus displacement.

Chris

 

[kenmac]

My BMW has a oil temp gauge, the only vehicle i can remember owning that has one. It runs over 200 deg every day. It's a 3.0L that holds 7 qts of 5W30 synthetic so it's got plenty of oil versus displacement.

Chris

And that's my point . Most if not all vehicles now days run 200-200+ deg. Even my 5.9 runs over 200. Heat is a oil killer. My tundra also has a 7 qt capacity . Most average cars and trucks of yester year didn't hold this much oil. I pay good $ for my vehicles. I'm not about to skimp a few $$ on oil or filters

 

[Soundguy]

that's why i like upgrade or add in oil coolers for one thing...

 

[Midniteoyl]

If there was a class action lawsuit and VW was held accountable then the problem was vehicle related. Bad designs can and will cause sludge. Keeping vehicle oil at optimum temp is the key to prevention. Any oil will sludge if temps aren't maintained high enough to cook off acid promoting condensation. Short trips are considered severe service due to this. Either way it isn't oil related or the problem would be widespread across other mfg's.In this case of bad design I can see where synthetic may help to bandaid the root cause of the problem. However, synthetic contains more varnish than dino so if it doesn't stay hot enough it will present it's own set of issues. Likely not as bad as sludge but worst considering varnish. That's why I referred to it as a bandaid.

The problem with VW was that the oil got too hot and dino oil broke down before the recommended change interval (per the stories I read), then VW would claim that the owner hadn't changed their oil often enough and refuse to cover the damages.

Aaron Z

My BMW has a oil temp gauge, the only vehicle i can remember owning that has one. It runs over 200 deg every day. It's a 3.0L that holds 7 qts of 5W30 synthetic so it's got plenty of oil versus displacement.

Chris

My Audi has a 97c thermostat.. thats 206f.. A lot of newer cars have 210-212f now. The hotter the engine, the more efficient it is.