LittleBill21
Veteran Member
I didn't even know this was a thing, my compressor used supertech for 20 years....
question on going from conventional oil to synthetic on smaller engines
- Thread starter tstex
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TimberFarm
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I know that.
That's why I posted it.
TimberFarm
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No way.
Then 120 weight gear oil would be thinner than water.
daugen
Super Star Member
very helpful discussion
something we all share, changing oil
when I had my farm in NC, I had 22 engines to maintain.
Quite a shelf of odd ball oil, some old 40 weight from a marine diesel.
Used that in oil squirt can. And then about six other oil weights.
I always keep a spare can, so those spares mount up over the years.
then over the years ratings have sure changed.
The V10 in my motorhome started out with one recommendation, then about ten years later they
changed the oil spec, a little.
Too bad the spec is the Motorcraft blend that is all the way at the bottom of that chart.
I started using Mobil 1 when it came out, then when synthetic oils got so good that even Walmart's stuff is good,
why spend more? Unless you need the very highest performance, why buy it?
it's like putting premium in an engine designed to run on 87 octane. If same additive pack, just wasting money.
I sent this to my friend who just bought a used Ecoboost to pull an rv trailer. Sounds like shorter oil intervals would make sense
on such a pumped up engine.
not all of us need the best. We aren't towing, we aren't racing, we aren't starting in -30F.
Most of us need "very good" at a good price. today's very good oil is yesterday's racing oil, the bar has been raised.
But it's up to us to change the oil.
I think for most folks, once a year makes a lot of sense, right before winter in the North.
biggest problem with oil is you never knew what was in it. Not like ingredients on a cake mix.
without industry standard performance specs, gets back to flashy marketing labels and promises.
something we all share, changing oil
when I had my farm in NC, I had 22 engines to maintain.
Quite a shelf of odd ball oil, some old 40 weight from a marine diesel.
Used that in oil squirt can. And then about six other oil weights.
I always keep a spare can, so those spares mount up over the years.
then over the years ratings have sure changed.
The V10 in my motorhome started out with one recommendation, then about ten years later they
changed the oil spec, a little.
Too bad the spec is the Motorcraft blend that is all the way at the bottom of that chart.
I started using Mobil 1 when it came out, then when synthetic oils got so good that even Walmart's stuff is good,
why spend more? Unless you need the very highest performance, why buy it?
it's like putting premium in an engine designed to run on 87 octane. If same additive pack, just wasting money.
I sent this to my friend who just bought a used Ecoboost to pull an rv trailer. Sounds like shorter oil intervals would make sense
on such a pumped up engine.
not all of us need the best. We aren't towing, we aren't racing, we aren't starting in -30F.
Most of us need "very good" at a good price. today's very good oil is yesterday's racing oil, the bar has been raised.
But it's up to us to change the oil.
I think for most folks, once a year makes a lot of sense, right before winter in the North.
biggest problem with oil is you never knew what was in it. Not like ingredients on a cake mix.
without industry standard performance specs, gets back to flashy marketing labels and promises.
LittleBill21
Veteran Member
because when he signed up to be a oil reseller for amsoil, he got a brochure that taught him how to sell oil. its almost word for word, what I heard from every amsoil dealer on the planet.
ignore him and move on
aircommuter
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I have been using Mobil one in all my small engines since it first came out. Cost really isn’t a factor since they hold such a small amount. Since those engines are mostly splash lubricated it makes sense. Synthetic will move around in a cold engine easily when first started and warming up. This is when the most wear takes place. I could tell the difference in power and found they idled faster with the same settings. Cylinder walls are always the driest part and the highest friction area, the sooner oil is splashed on them the better.
TimberFarm
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When you compare that way, maybe.
Take 5W oil and pour it in a container when it is 0deg out.
Now, take 50W oil and pour it in a container when it is 0deg out. The 50W won't even flow probably, while the 5W will.
When it is 0deg out you don't want 50W in your crankcase because it won't flow through the engine to lubricate.
Oil
most important property of a lubricant. Understanding viscosity can help reduce wear, improve fuel economy, and make more horsepower.
www.motorstate.com
daugen
Super Star Member
I think it is interesting that the recommended oil for my rv gen, a 4kw air cooled Onan, is a synthetic blend, not full synthetic.
17 dollars a quart for oem Onamax oil. Whooeeeee.
note the 15/40 spec.
recommended oil for my gas motorhome, synthetic blend.
recommended oil for my Volvo, pure synthetic, whatever dealer is using. $125 oil change
It took years and years for Kubota to even think about putting synthetic oil in their engines.
Conventional oil clearly has some advantages.
oil has simply gotten so good, it's like stereo amplifiers. They are better than our ears. You want better sound? Get better
speakers. You want to baby your engine? Change the oil more often.
too bad they don't have a biodegradable oil, even edible.
soybean oil
somehow I don't think the turbo bearings in your Ecoboost truck will like soybean oil unless they make it synthetic...
if you go from conventional to synthetic on older engine, I'd check for drips after a few hours. Pretty sure you will be fine.
I had a 1956 Farmall Super A. It dripped like an English motorcycle normally. Straight 30W or 40W based on temp.
I can't imagine what putting modern synthetic in that
crankcase would do. If you have just rebuilt the engine, maybe.
otherwise some chance of loosening up 50 years of gunk in engine.
when I repowered my Gravely 8199 with a Vanguard 23hp, full syn has been in since beginning.
Uses zero oil. Original Kohler KT19 had worn rings and points to file. It smoked and smelled and
was well past its prime. Plus...4 more hp. 4 more hp transformed the little tractor.
Plus of course the chrome exhaust tip is worth at least one more hp.........
I wanted a modern engine on my older baby tractor.
modern engines usually are engineered for synthetic oil.
it would seem in more and more general applications now, when in doubt,
go with synthetic blend. That's what I would put in an older air cooled vs full synthetic in
modern liquid cooled engine. After break in with conventional oil.
17 dollars a quart for oem Onamax oil. Whooeeeee.
note the 15/40 spec.
recommended oil for my gas motorhome, synthetic blend.
recommended oil for my Volvo, pure synthetic, whatever dealer is using. $125 oil change
It took years and years for Kubota to even think about putting synthetic oil in their engines.
Conventional oil clearly has some advantages.
oil has simply gotten so good, it's like stereo amplifiers. They are better than our ears. You want better sound? Get better
speakers. You want to baby your engine? Change the oil more often.
too bad they don't have a biodegradable oil, even edible.
soybean oil
somehow I don't think the turbo bearings in your Ecoboost truck will like soybean oil unless they make it synthetic...
if you go from conventional to synthetic on older engine, I'd check for drips after a few hours. Pretty sure you will be fine.
I had a 1956 Farmall Super A. It dripped like an English motorcycle normally. Straight 30W or 40W based on temp.
I can't imagine what putting modern synthetic in that
crankcase would do. If you have just rebuilt the engine, maybe.
otherwise some chance of loosening up 50 years of gunk in engine.
when I repowered my Gravely 8199 with a Vanguard 23hp, full syn has been in since beginning.
Uses zero oil. Original Kohler KT19 had worn rings and points to file. It smoked and smelled and
was well past its prime. Plus...4 more hp. 4 more hp transformed the little tractor.
Plus of course the chrome exhaust tip is worth at least one more hp.........
I wanted a modern engine on my older baby tractor.
modern engines usually are engineered for synthetic oil.
it would seem in more and more general applications now, when in doubt,
go with synthetic blend. That's what I would put in an older air cooled vs full synthetic in
modern liquid cooled engine. After break in with conventional oil.