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I'm curious, for those who run extended drain intervals with any oil (say over 5k miles) - what does your new oil look like say 3 days or so after the oil change? Does it look exactly like it came out of the bottle or does it darken up immediately?
My main concern with extending drain intervals is that even if the lubricating properties of the oil are fine that it may saturate with "gunk" and start letting conaminants fall out of solution and form sludge deposits. Quick darkening of new oil is an indicator that the old oil could no longer hold all the crap in solution, leaving the new oil to pick it all up. I know that regular 3000 mile changes with run of the mill mobil leaves my oil looking brand new for weeks after the oil change.
97 Contour SE MTX
K&N 3530, UR UDP, 19# Injectors, mystery mod, FMS wires, Fordchip.com chip, SVT: TB, Flywheel, clutch, exhaust
04 Grand Caravan SXT
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Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 2,353
Hard-core CEG'er
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Hard-core CEG'er
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Originally posted by ScottK:
I'm curious, for those who run extended drain intervals with any oil (say over 5k miles) - what does your new oil look like say 3 days or so after the oil change? Does it look exactly like it came out of the bottle or does it darken up immediately?
My main concern with extending drain intervals is that even if the lubricating properties of the oil are fine that it may saturate with "gunk" and start letting conaminants fall out of solution and form sludge deposits. Quick darkening of new oil is an indicator that the old oil could no longer hold all the crap in solution, leaving the new oil to pick it all up. I know that regular 3000 mile changes with run of the mill mobil leaves my oil looking brand new for weeks after the oil change.
I use Mobil 1 every 5k now because its so much easier and cheaper to find, but in the past I used Amsoil series 2000 0w30 and did extended drain intervals of 10k with only a filter change at 5k. My oil looked perfect the entire time, I had even sent it in for analysis once after my normal 10k and it was clean enough for another 5k easily. In my old 914 I would run 20w50 for 12k with no problems and that car was really hard on the oil.
1999 Blk/Tan CSVT #654 - SOLD
2003 Suzuki SV650s
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Joined: May 2002
Posts: 21,653
I have no life
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I have no life
Joined: May 2002
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I change my mobil1 usually at ~3500 miles, but may push it a little further this time since all the old gunk should be well out by now (didn't get to start using mobil1 till about ~81k miles and have about 94k miles now) and that I may be a little strapped for cash for a little while as far as car maintenance goes. When I drain it, it always looks like the day I put it in, so I'm not worried, but just hope the motorcraft filter is up to it.
98.5 SVT
91 Escort GT (almost sold)
96 ATX Zetec (i brake to watch you swerve)
FS: SVT rear sway bar
WTB: Very cheap beater
CEG Dragon Run - October 13-15
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Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 429
CEG\'er
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CEG\'er
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My oil, drained at 6-7K miles is dark at the end of that period. It takes probably about 1K to turn dark.
About 15 years ago I was using Mobil 1 in my EXP (remember those?) with the same drain intervals. I had to change the valve cover gasket at 90K. The entire valve train was very clean as well as the underside of the valve cover. Since that oil was a couple of generations behind the current Mobil 1, I have more confidence now with extended drains than before.
Again, I know many people who have gotten over 200K on the cars using only conventional oil. My father had a old Ford Grenada with 200K and never used synthetics. The car ran well before it got wrecked!
Lastly, conventional oil has been improved vastly in the past ten years as refining processes have improved.
Dan B.
96 SE 2.5 auto
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Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 365
CEG\'er
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CEG\'er
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Originally posted by Kremithefrog:
I wasn't dogging on you for using amsoil, just giving all the possible reasons many of the people on here prefer mobil1 instead.
No problem, KTF. Didn't take it that way.
Basically, all I meant was, "To each his/her own". Because I'm allergic to car payents and keep my cars for a long time -- 10 years or more -- Amsoil always has been the Big Gun in my preventative maintenence arsenal. To me, the extra effort needed to get it in some areas (even when shipping costs have to be factored in) is amply cost-justified by the lack of ANY significant wear in the components the Amsoil synlubes protect.
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Joined: Oct 2002
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Originally posted by PXRacing:
I will stand behind AMSOIL as well as I'm a fervent user of it. I believe in it more than any other oil out there and labatory tests have backed it's claims. There 0w30 oil is my choice and has shown a increase in engine performance and gas mileage no doubt over the standard 5w30 Synthetics..
Mobil 1 would be my second choice though but if you can obtain Amsoil it's well worth the extra few bucks a quart! Oil change Intervals for me are twice a year but I average about 15,000 miles a year so about 7500 change intervals though I know the oil can go longer, I change it 2wice a year anyway. Did I mention my driving habits are probably at the top of the list of all CEG drivers on this Forum, well at least when the SVT is running, I think some of you know what I'm talking about 
As you can tell from my earlier comments, I'm in complete agreement with your assessment of Amsoil.
However, when you next dump your Amsoil at 7500 mi, you may want to send a sample of that oil to a good lab for analysis. The results WILL suprise you.
I always use Cleveland Tech. They deliver very good service and comprehensive -- yet comprehensible -- reports at a very reasonable cost:
Cleveland Technical Center
18419 Euclid Avenue
Cleveland, OH 44112-1016 Ph. 800-726-5401
For more oil analysis info and options, go to
http://www.oilanalysis.com/
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Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 365
CEG\'er
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CEG\'er
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Originally posted by ScottK:
I'm curious, for those who run extended drain intervals with any oil (say over 5k miles) - what does your new oil look like say 3 days or so after the oil change? Does it look exactly like it came out of the bottle or does it darken up immediately?
My main concern with extending drain intervals is that even if the lubricating properties of the oil are fine that it may saturate with "gunk" and start letting conaminants fall out of solution and form sludge deposits. Quick darkening of new oil is an indicator that the old oil could no longer hold all the crap in solution, leaving the new oil to pick it all up. I know that regular 3000 mile changes with run of the mill mobil leaves my oil looking brand new for weeks after the oil change.
ANY oil, synth or dino, will darken somewhat after the first few (200-1000) miles in-service. It's normal ... And not a primary concern, assuming the old oil was completely drained and a new filter is in-place.
The Amsoil 5w-30 I run in my 98 CSVT goes 15K mi with no sweat. Because I have good reason to believe that, even at 15K, I'm dumping perfectly good engine oil, the next change, I'm sending a sample to Cleveland Tech for a total workup.
___________________________________________________
Cleveland Technical Center
18419 Euclid Avenue
Cleveland, OH 44112-1016 Ph. 800-726-5401
____________________________________________________
Three points:
> All engine oils will darken with use. The best dino oil will darken much deeper and faster than the best synth oil. This is because the best dino oil volatilizes much faster and, in every other performance criterion, also is grossly inferior to the best synth oil.
> Make certain you're looking at the "circulating oil", ie, the oil that adheres to the dipstick no more than 5-10 minutes after engine shut-down .
Checking your oil after the car has been sitting on a level surface for a longer period of time will give you the most accurate reading of the oil level -- and the scariest picture of you oil's appearance. This is because the oil now on the dipstick is what's called "pan oil", ie, the 5%, lowest-of-the-low layer of oil in the pan where all the really skanky stuff settles to when the engine has been shut down for a while. The longer the shutdown, the skanky-er the pan oil becomes
> It's not about color. It's about clarity . Assuming you never greatly-exceed the recomended change interval for the oil you're using, if the circulating oil on the dipstick has the clear, dark brown color of "black" coffee, it's probably good to go. If its color looks more like Nestle's Chocolate syrup, change ASAP. And if it has the color of -- and sort of smells like -- asphalt, it's probably a good time to start writing the obitutary for your car that you'll soon be posting here.
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Joined: Oct 2002
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CEG\'er
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Originally posted by DanB:
... Lastly, conventional oil has been improved vastly in the past ten years as refining processes have improved.
... No doubt motivated in no small way by the growing increase in market-pressure from synthetics during that same period of time.
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Joined: Mar 2002
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Hard-core CEG\'er
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Originally posted by Drumbo:
Originally posted by DanB:
... Lastly, conventional oil has been improved vastly in the past ten years as refining processes have improved.
... No doubt motivated in no small way by the growing increase in market-pressure from synthetics during that same period of time.
I think the main driver for the SL spec was CAFE & emmisions, the new oil's biggest area of improvemnt can be seen in how it better maintains fuel efficency over the life of the oil.
From chevron on SL spec:
"Most notable are the improvements in fuel economy, oil consumption/emissions system protection, oxidation control and high temperature piston deposits. "
and from mobil:
"The latest industry specifications for motor oils, which became official July 1, 2001, are ILSAC (international Lubricant Standardization and Approval Committee) GF3 and API (American Petroleum Institute) SL. The biggest changes in the new specifications relate to the measurement of high-temperature oxidation, deposit control, oil consumption and fuel economy improvements. If you would like more information, go to the API website at www.api.org."
97 Contour SE MTX
K&N 3530, UR UDP, 19# Injectors, mystery mod, FMS wires, Fordchip.com chip, SVT: TB, Flywheel, clutch, exhaust
04 Grand Caravan SXT
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Joined: Mar 2002
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Hard-core CEG\'er
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I was checking out the api site, and noticed amsoil only has API certification of the following oils: http://eolcs.api.org/DisplayLicenseInfo.asp?LicenseNo=0995AMSOIL PCO 15W-40 CI-4/SL AMSOIL XL-7500 10W-30 SL* AMSOIL XL-7500 10W-40 SL AMSOIL XL-7500 5W-20 SL* AMSOIL XL-7500 5W-30 SL* * energy conserving Why do so few of there oils carry API certifications? For comparison, all of mobils oils are certified: MOBIL 1 0W-20 SL/CF* MOBIL 1 0W-30 SL/CF* MOBIL 1 0W-40 SL/CF* MOBIL 1 10W-30 SL/CF* MOBIL 1 15W-50 SL/CF MOBIL 1 5W-30 SL/CF* MOBIL DELVAC 1 5W-40 CF,CF-4,CG-4,CH-4,CI-4/SL MOBIL DELVAC 1300 SUPER 10W-30 CF,CF-4,CG-4,CH-4,CI-4/SJ MOBIL DELVAC 1300 SUPER 10W-30 CF,CF-4,CG-4,CH-4,CI-4/SL MOBIL DELVAC 1300 SUPER 15W-40 CF,CF-4,CG-4,CH-4,CI-4/SL MOBIL DELVAC 1310 10W CF MOBIL DELVAC 1330 30 CF MOBIL DELVAC 1340 40 CF MOBIL DELVAC 1350 50 CF MOBIL DELVAC 1630 30 CF MOBIL DELVAC 1640 40 CF MOBIL DELVAC 1650 50 CF MOBIL DRIVE CLEAN 10W-30 SL* MOBIL DRIVE CLEAN 10W-40 SL MOBIL DRIVE CLEAN 20W-50 SL MOBIL DRIVE CLEAN 5W-20 SL* MOBIL DRIVE CLEAN 5W-30 SL* MOBIL DRIVE CLEAN BLEND 10W-30 SL/CF* MOBIL DRIVE CLEAN BLEND 5W-30 SL/CF* MOBIL DRIVE CLEAN HD 30 SL MOBIL DRIVE CLEAN HD 40 SL MOBIL DRIVE CLEAN PLUS 5W-30 SL/CF* MOBIL DRIVE CLEAN PLUS HM 10W-30 SL/CF MOBIL DRIVE CLEAN PLUS HM 10W-40 SL/CF ESSO UNIFLO 10W-30 SL* ESSO UNIFLO 10W-40 SL* EXXON XD-3 10W-30 CF,CF-4,CG-4,CH-4,CI-4/SL EXXON XD-3 15W-40 CF,CF-4,CG-4,CH-4,CI-4/SL EXXON XD-3 20 CF EXXON XD-3 30 CF,CF-2 EXXON XD-3 40 CF,CF-2 EXXON XD-3 50 CF,CF-2 EXXON XD-3 ELITE 15W-40 CF,CF-4,CG-4,CH-4,CI-4/SL EXXON XD-3 EXTRA 15W-40 CF,CF-4,CG-4,CH-4,CI-4/SL SUPERFLO 10W-30 SL* SUPERFLO 10W-40 SL* SUPERFLO 20W-50 SL SUPERFLO 30 SL SUPERFLO 40 SL SUPERFLO 5W-20 SL* SUPERFLO 5W-30 SL*
97 Contour SE MTX
K&N 3530, UR UDP, 19# Injectors, mystery mod, FMS wires, Fordchip.com chip, SVT: TB, Flywheel, clutch, exhaust
04 Grand Caravan SXT
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