Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums Modifications Duratec Performance to synthic, or not to synthic. that is the question

Would love some feedback on this one. I have heared good and bad. I have gone over 30K and think it would be a good time. Some of the questions I have are:
1) How many of the cars that were exsperenceing oil starvation used synthic oil. (that auto-cross thing)
2)What kind should I use
3)Does the change in molecular structure have any advers effect on the cylnder walls (I'm streching), the viscosity is different. 4)can you ever go back to regular oil
5)Is anyone crazy enough to go 6k with out a change

Thankyou for dealing with my inexsperence

1) not sure, my engine has been ok (knock on wood - not metal
2) i use the Jiffy Lube Pennzoil 5W-30
3) not sure about cylinder walls, but I've heard that synthetic does not "treat" any non-metallic parts very well, it doesn't have any conditioners to keep things "soft" so parts may become brittle - although I've never personally seen this....
4) simple answer yes, others will chime in here
5) i've stretched it to 5.5K, the oil looked fine so I wasn't worried

major benefits? reduced operating temperatures and much quieter valvetrain and overall quieter engine - more responsive or horsepower? hmm, couldn't really tell - but the engine does run "smoother"...

good luck!

T

I just changed my oil to Mobil 1 5W 30 Synthetic and noticed a quiter engine.

Also, my car didn't heat up as fast as it normally did with regular oil.

Synthetics are supposed to be far superior in the boundary layer protection area, Ie: upper clyinder walls during high temps and pressure.
I like their natural abilities to stay cleaner much longer, especially short trip driving in the winter.
I'm most comfortable with Mobil 1 and the FL-820s or the Purolator Pl 24651.
Castrol Syntec NO!!!!!! Not a true synthetic anymore (Pao), I've had trouble with the new formula causing severe black desposits coating the valvetrain area.(That's all the farther I opened the engine up.) After many e-mails to Castrol and once they found out my extensive recording keeping proving it was their new Syntec they quit responding?
So I assumed guiltly.
Paul

Here's what I remember from my Polymer Science class in college:

Every polymer mixture (i.e. bottle of oil) has a variety of chain lengths. A dino oil has a bell curve distribution: a few really short and a few really long chains with the average being the correct length for motor oil. A synthetic has a much narrower curve: very few really long and short ones, almost all of them at the correct length.

Now I forget if it the long ones or shorts ones that burn off in the engine, but those chains are the ones responsible for your dino oil turning jet black in 3000 miles. The TRUE synthetics don't have that problem and hold their properties for much longer.

So for your questions:
1) My engine went at 86k and I ran Mobil 1 from 3000 miles on. I do not blame the oil, though.
2) Use Mobil 1. It is the best for the buck, hands down. OEM fill for Porsche and Corvette.
3) The monomer structure of dino and synthetic oil are identical. Viscosity also. The only difference is the chain length distribution and the synthetics have more of the "optimal" chains, so they won't hurt your engine internals at all. I agree with Toadster's answer to this one, and I have not seen it myself but have heard stories.
4) I've seen something on the forums that was from an oil engineer at Ford saying that you can't go back, but I'm not sure why it would matter. He should know more than me though.
5) I went 5k (sometimes more) and the oil looked fine. It was the filter that I started to worry about or I would have run longer.

I had a really cool Polymer Sci professor who was also a car guy. He spent an entire class telling us all about synthetic/dino oil.

1. synthetic oil is not a miracle worker, if you have oil starvation with conventional oil you will still have it with synthetic
2. MOBIL 1, CASTROL SYNTEC, AMS OIL are the only ones I trust
3. yes, and that is why you should wait at least 6000 miles before using synthetic, if you have 30,000 miles you don't have to worry about this.
4. yes, you can fill your engine with half synthetic and half non-synthetic, or whatever you want.
5. AMS OIL advertises 25,000 miles before and oil change. My last viehicle 95 F-150 with inline 6 engine, I went 30,000 miles without a change, and had an oil sample burned every 12k, and the results after each sample: "change your filter, top off the oil and go another 12,000 miles" Only reason I drained the oil was because I was selling and the buyer commented on dark oil.

JSmith I hope you have a degree in saying that it's OK to mix dino with synthetic because that is 100% False!!!

Don't come into this Forum and start spreading things that aren't true, especially went you write as if you know what your talking about.

Norm and others don't pay attention to that comment cause thats a bunch of FUC*IN BS!!

Mixing the properties of Sythetics and your basic oil can have adverse affects on your motor. Simple put for the most part they don't like each other, like them Fu**in INLAWS!! Damn Inlaws! Damn Dino OIL, they suck, put in the real deal like AMSOIL if you have the money or Mobil 1 if you don't and make sure you prep the motor before using synthetic by using an oil flush, than stick to synthetics and keep your motor, HAPPY, HAPPY!!!

AMSOIL breaks down very slowly and it's like a tooth brush in your engine, it's constantly keeping everything nice and sparkly. It's the same as if you brushed your teeth everytime you opened it......


Aloha No', malama'pono....

What is a oil flush. What do I need. And how do I do It. Sorry this is a first for me. Also how much does AMSOIL cost.

I switched to Mobil 1 at about 40K miles and I am at 61k now. I went to 6000 miles one time and it was starting to look a little dark, maybe with a filter change at 3 of 4 you could go longer. I think Amsoil is about two or three times the cost(per quart) of Mobil 1.

Well Norm Amsoil requires that before you change from your basic oil to Synthetic you flush the motor. Amsoil has a motor flush that you pour into the engine, than you let the car run at idle for approx. 15 min., after you just drain the oil out, change the filter and add the Synthetic.

Oh by the way, you might want to buy 2 oil filters, maybe a cheap one, as well as the regular filter you plan on using, and before doing the flush change the old filter with the cheap one, the flush will remove alot of crap in the engine, and you're gonna want a new filter to catch all that crap, than when done dump that filter and oil, put in the new one with the new oil. If you get the racing 0w30 like the one I use, than it'll run you anywhere from 7$-10$depending where you buy it from. I get mines for about $7.50 a quart because I'm a regular customer.

Any more ?'s just ask me.........