Full synthetic

[ray66v]

I don't know why so many mechanics want to cling to dino juice the way they do. I guess they think they have known it all for years and don't want to learn. I've been trying to get my wife it switch to synth in her turboed car and she wouldn't do it because her mechanics all said to stick to dyno and change it all the time. Well her mechanic finally just recommend the change to synth because Subaru told them it was best and that is what they put in all the new cars at the factory now. Especially true with a turbo because of the high temps and high speeds on the bearings.
I break new gears in with the cheap stuff then in goes 100% synthetic. They just won't lap in with the slippery synthetic stuff which tells you something about wear right there. Maybe that's why, it's a form of job security, they want your junk to wear out.

People often strongly believe things, that are completely untrue.

After spending decades working with people in the auto repair business, I can tell you many repairmen fall into that category.

Most are capable. But, the brightest among us, do not generally aspire to sentience themselves to a lifetime of manual labor.

Technicians develop habits, and strong opinions, based on what they are taught early by their mentors, who themselves are sometimes wrong.

When technology changes, technicians don't always change with it. This is often because they do not fully understand why they believe what they believe. And, why they do, what they do. That can make it impossible for them to put it all together, and recognize that it their thinking is invalid. And, it's time to change it.

Getting an experienced technician to think, and work, differently than they had all their life, is a big challenge to shop owners. Who, themselves may suffer from the same delusions.

 

[joefromga]

I've heard the same things about transmission flushing. Don't do it or itll ruin your clutch packs!

Never knew a lubricant could be too lubricious.

 

[5030]

I call fiction.

In 2010, I bought a 1999 f350

It likely had WalMart everything in it. Was a work truck. Used hard put up wet.

I switched ot to full syn engine and diffy oil.

No engine and diffy leaks yet after 6 years???

Just passing on what I was told by out service manager, nothing more. I refilled my pig with good old standby stuff today anyway. 80-90 GL5-6 Mobil. No matter what it is in lubricants I get them at dealer cost.

I do use synthetic in all my engines and always have.

 

[vsteel]

I read an interesting article a few years ago that stated that it takes about 30 years for automobile facts that have stopped being true to finally die.

Synthetic used to be a big deal when you had rough finish on cylinders with cast iron rings. They have been machining things so much better for the last few decades it doesn't matter anymore. When you switched to synthetic it would cause leaks because it sometimes would clean the buildup that stopped the motor from leaking. Todays oils have enough detergents in them the motors don't build up deposits like they used to.

My 70 Chevy Nova SS would make the oil jet black 500 miles after an oil change, my 2014 Ford Explorer oil looks like the day I put it in 5000 miles later. It just takes the next generation of mechanics to stop the old methods of thinking.

 

[MHarryE]

Money money money. If people used better lube and longer change intervals, the mechanics would go out of business. My old beater is a 2000 BMW that reset at oil changes to 12,000 miles and has 150,000 miles with still no drop in oil level between 2 year changes. My wife's car is a 2008 BMW which resets to 22,000 miles between changes, now has 90,000 miles, 4 oil changes, and the on board monitor has never shown less than full. Neither engine has had an oil related problem although the 2000 sucks as far as reliability of suspension components, steering, and the like. Not built for US potholes. The 2008 is greatly beefed up except it attracts deer and hail. So both cars were picked up in Munich, driven extremely hard in their first month in Europe, have had synthetic oil their entire life, and no problems. My pickups, however, I could never get the courage to extend mileage that far but instead I f using the mechanics advice, I have used semi-synthetic and stretched to 6,000. My new F-150 came with synthetic according to the docs, and was changed at 10,000 to full synthetic despite the mechanics urging me to stick with cheaper semi-synthetic and stay at 3 (which I already said I interpret as 6). Do the Germans just build their engines using that much better material or hold more precise tolerances? Hardly, I spent nearly half my engineering career in Europe working with the same suppliers as BMW, Mercedes, etc.

 

[Soundguy]

I'm currently doing 8500 & testing on my piwerstrikes. Have yet to see an oil sample come back depleted.

 

[clemsonfor]

True. For the GM crowd, dexos1 and dexos2 GM oil specs virtually demand a synthetic blend at a minimum. And they are factory filled with it.

But the manual also says or any equivalent spec minimum spec or something like that meaning you can run any old current rated 5w30 in them.

 

[daugen]

I looked at the manual for my new Vanguard 23hp engine I installed on my Gravely and they seem to recommend a wide variety of oils based on the temp range.
And they include 5W30 synthetic as the widest temp range option. Otherwise they seem to like straight 30 weight. Wouldn't want to start something below freezing with that for sure. Unless I had a block heater. So, I buy 10W30 synthetic and it runs on most of my dozen or so small engines. I have no need to run anything in cold weather, no snow here or not much, but when I have started the tractor with oem dino oil in it in cold weather, it seems to labor. I asked about synthetic oil last time for the oil change and the Kubota dealer said they did not stock it. Odd...

 

[clemsonfor]

I looked at the manual for my new Vanguard 23hp engine I installed on my Gravely and they seem to recommend a wide variety of oils based on the temp range.
And they include 5W30 synthetic as the widest temp range option. Otherwise they seem to like straight 30 weight. Wouldn't want to start something below freezing with that for sure. Unless I had a block heater. So, I buy 10W30 synthetic and it runs on most of my dozen or so small engines. I have no need to run anything in cold weather, no snow here or not much, but when I have started the tractor with oem dino oil in it in cold weather, it seems to labor. I asked about synthetic oil last time for the oil change and the Kubota dealer said they did not stock it. Odd...

Probably don't stock it cause its more expensive and most people want the cheapest thing as they buy for price.

Why not use 5w30 it covers a greater band as you say, plus 5w30 and 10w30 are both 30 weight oils??? the 5w just flows better at all temperatures.

 

[daugen]

Probably don't stock it cause its more expensive and most people want the cheapest thing as they buy for price.

Why not use 5w30 it covers a greater band as you say, plus 5w30 and 10w30 are both 30 weight oils??? the 5w just flows better at all temperatures.

good question. I guess the honest answer is because I've always done it that way, and I've been at this a while. Yeah, likely no downside to a 5W30 syn oil.
Just always struck me somehow, without any intelligent reasoning behind it, as a little thin...
But it's NOT if it acts like 30 weight too. I'm usually over 40 degrees here.
But maybe next time I buy some jugs I'll make the switch.
see, we just get stuck doing things a certain way. Though I was a pretty early Mobil 1 adopter.
The trick was always who had it for under four bucks a quart. Those were the days, though sometimes it's a loss leader on sale
and I buy what's on sale. Well, assuming it's Pennzoil or something equally top quality. Never bought no name oil in my life.
Probably would run just fine as often as I change oil. Nothing sits for more than two years, most annually, and some by the hour.
So maybe I should just buy TSC Traveler oil...
But I won't.
Life doesn't have to be sensible...