The Oldsmobile Connection

[c_creations]

i hear this new oil well couple years old now is some good stuff, sinthetic oil, can you just put that in yer car or do ya have to drain it ALL out. or should i just stay with quaker

[73Delta88]

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[Hans]

c_creations wrote: i hear this new oil well couple years old now is some good stuff, sinthetic oil, can you just put that in yer car or do ya have to drain it ALL out. or should i just stay with quaker

I have always run a blend 50 50. pure synthetic can cause problems with some high miles motors, just some.

[88delta88]

Synthetic is expensive. Thats my only beef with it. Its supposed to take you an extra 1000 or 2000 km / oil change but what good is that when the stuff costs 4 times as much as regular oil.

I'd love to run it in everything I drive, but for now, my 1988 will stick with petroleum based products :-)

Although, I am a BIG advocate of fully syntheic 2-cycle oil. I use it in my motorized bike, and it makes a noticeable difference in my top speed in comparison with standard 2 stroke mix. No ash content to foul up my cynlinder.

[Olds1897to2004]

I've researched and used different oils in different vehicles. It has been my experience that full synthetic is much better than conventional motor oil, but only if full synthetic is used from the beginning of the engine's life. If I rebuild an engine, I'll only put synthetic in once the engine is rebuilt, or if I buy a brand new car, and the factory originally used full synthetic, then I only use full synthetic.

For the rest, I have been very happy with Valvoline's DuraBlend oil. It's a 50/50 mixture of synthetic and conventional. I'm sure most major oil manufacturers have their own name(s) for their respective 50/50 blends, but I've always used Valvoline so I don't know what the others are.

Synthetic boasts greater viscosity, can withstand higher temperatures without breaking down, and flows better under colder temperatures than conventional motor oil.

Unfortunately, as was stated earlier in this thread, due to its nature, synthetic is especially not good to run in high mileage engines. The main reason for this is because of its thinner liquid form. Putting 100% synthetic in an engine with over 75,000 miles is just asking for an oil leak.

However, higher mileage engines (at least, all the ones I've driven) seem to really benefit from the 50/50 mixture I mentioned above. This is especially true in areas prone to extremely cold temperatures.

I've run the Valvoline DuraBlend oil in both of my Olds Calais vehicles, and now in my Olds Regency. The '87 Calais has over 205,000 miles on it, and still runs great. The '88 Calais had 201,000 miles on it when I sold it, and it ran exceptionally well. 200,000+ miles for a GM Quad 4 is amazing. (No rebuilds or blown head gaskets either.)

Of course, I change my oil every 2,500 miles, only run 93 octane fuel or higher, don't drive my cars like they do at NASCAR, flush my cooling system every year, and I never put my foot anywhere near the gas pedal until the engine has warmed up for a full 5 minutes (if it has sat for more than 2 hours) or for a full minute (if it has sat for less than 2 hours.)

[andrewk]

My Lumina had 159000 on it when I switched it over to Mobil 1 full synthetic. I noticed that my engine ran smoother, and the oil stayed cleaner longer. Havent noticed any leaks or consumption, but maybe I just got lucky.

Andrew

[Olds1897to2004]

That's great if you were able to use full synthetic ... I'm sure your car did appreciate it. You probably take good care of your engine. Unfortunately, a lot of people don't, and that's why I generally don't recommend full synthetic for high mileage engines.

Good luck with your Lumina ... I'm working on 210,000 for my '87 Calais.

[88 Coupe]

Hi Olds1897to2004, andrewk, hello everyone,

Welcome to TOC.

No update on the above link as I haven't yet changed oil in my '70.

Olds1897to2004 wrote: ........ Synthetic boasts greater viscosity, can withstand higher temperatures without breaking down, and flows better under colder temperatures than conventional motor oil ........
The link in the second post is to a prior thread where the subject was discussed in a little more detail. Here it is again, along with this one that was in the fifteenth post.

Olds1897to2004 wrote: ........ I have been very happy with Valvoline's DuraBlend oil. It's a 50/50 mixture of synthetic and conventional ........
What is gained by mixing the two?

Regards, Norm

[Olds1897to2004]

Quote: What is gained by mixing the two?

You gain the benefits of the synthetic, but the conventional tends to help keep oil leaks from occuring (or occuring at in increased rate). Of course, this would only really be helpful if your engine leaks oil anyways ... as mine does. I tried straight synthetic, and noticed a considerably larger amount of oil leaking from the engine ... nothing major, just minor oil leaks in an American engine with over 150k miles on it. (GM "Iron Duke" inline 4 cylinder engine ... I haven't seen one yet that didn't leak oil ... if anyone has any pictures of one with over 150k miles, no rebuilds ... and no oil leaks ... send me a photo.)

(I would almost think something were wrong if an American engine didn't leak a little oil with that many miles on it. (Bear in mind, this is without any rebuilds, or anything major like that ... just running it and changing the oil every 3k miles.)

I'm no expert on motor oils, I'm just reporting what I've read about them, and reporting my own personal experiences with the said brands / mixes / etc.

Peace Out!

[jcd302]

I just run the cheap NAPA oil in my Ranger. 170,000 on it. I replace it between 3 & 5,000.
Used to be the owners manual said to change oil 5-7,500 miles. Now they say every 2,500 miles? With all the technology we have now how come we have to change our oil more often? I know engines have tighter tolerances now, but shouldn't the oil have kept up? My wife's Windstar recommends 5w20, but I still change it about 5,000 miles.

My dad swears by Schaeffers Oil. He was running it in his old Detroit Diesel and getting 8mpg when other guys were getting 5mpg with the same setup.

[87Delta]

Never heard of the 2,500 miles in between. Our Toyota's manual says every 5,000, but we change it every 3,000 just for precautions (heard horror stories of older oil and VVT-i engines) Personally I'm just going to stick to dino oil, my engine wasn't taken care of with the previous owners, for example I could change the oil, run it 50 miles, and come back to drain it to be as black as tar again. I've never seen that. I'm just lucky it doesn't leak oil... yet, and I don't want it to start. Maybe me not driving this car like a granny has to do with something. But, oil gets changed every 3 months/3,000 miles and still has been fairly reliable. I would try the 50/50 blend, but it's too dang expensive. I can get my Napa 10w30 for $1.20/quart. If I ever get around to over-hauling this thing, then yeah it will be using synthetic, even though it cost more. I run synthetic (or 50/50) in my lawn equipment. It always comes out fairly clean at the end of the season compared to dino.

[Olds1897to2004]

I've never heard anyone talk about changing oil every 2,500 miles either. Of course, I always change my oil at about that mileage interval ... but that's because I always let my vehicle run for 5 minutes when it hasn't been run in more than a couple of hours ... I figure that the time spent just letting it sit there idling probably equals out to be about the same amount of time it would have taken to drive another 500 miles (to make the 3,000 mark, that is.) Again, that's at least 10 minutes a day (5 minutes before and after work) that the engine runs, but no mileage gets put on the odometer. So, after 3 months, that 10 minutes a day ends up adding up to 15 hours, so, considering a 500 mile trip would take about 8 hours (at a sustained speed of 60mph), that puts me at overdue at 2,500 miles.

But anyway ... that's just my reasoning behind it. I will say, however, if you ask 5 different mechanics what is the best oil to use, and how often should you change it, you'll most likely get 5 completely different answers.

The only other thing I would say, is consider this the next time you're reading your owners manual for your car, and it tells you you only have to change your oil every 6,000 (or whatever mileage over 3,000) miles.

If you don't change your oil every 3,000 miles, your engine will run dirtier, hotter, and won't last as long. If your engine doesn't last as long ... then you'll be looking to buy another car a lot sooner than if you change your oil every 3,000 miles. The folks that sold you your vehicle (and wrote your manual) are in the business to sell cars. The sooner your car breaks down, the sooner they get to sell you another one. Get my drift? So, of course they don't want you to change your oil every 3,000 miles ... if I was in the business to sell cars, I sure wouldn't want my customers to take care of their vehicles ... then I'd have to wait that much longer before I could get more money from them.

[andrewk]

Olds1897to2004 wrote:
The only other thing I would say, is consider this the next time you're reading your owners manual for your car, and it tells you you only have to change your oil every 6,000 (or whatever mileage over 3,000) miles.

If you don't change your oil every 3,000 miles, your engine will run dirtier, hotter, and won't last as long. If your engine doesn't last as long ... then you'll be looking to buy another car a lot sooner than if you change your oil every 3,000 miles. The folks that sold you your vehicle (and wrote your manual) are in the business to sell cars. The sooner your car breaks down, the sooner they get to sell you another one. Get my drift? So, of course they don't want you to change your oil every 3,000 miles ... if I was in the business to sell cars, I sure wouldn't want my customers to take care of their vehicles ... then I'd have to wait that much longer before I could get more money from them.

I think the 3000 mark is relative. If you drive 3001 miles on an oil change you aren't going to hurt anything. Car companies count on service work too, and a person is twice as likely to put an engine in a car over buying a new one off the lot. Most people get attached to mechanical things, whether its a lawnmower or a car. Doesn't matter if it is a total rustbucket, alot of people would do it. Anyway, back to my orginal point. The thing that wears out in an oil is the additive package. I'm no expert either, but I think on a good dino oil, you could pull 5000 miles out of an oil change. I go 5000 on synthetic, mainily because my car has almost 175000 miles on it. But either way, It is my belief that the 3000 mile mark was cruicial in older engines, but is definatly more laxed in newer stuff. What I hear from almost everyone is 3000-5000 miles, but you are right, talk to 5 mechanics, you will get 5 different answers.

Andrew

[88 Coupe]

Hi all,

Olds1897to2004 wrote: ........ I always let my vehicle run for 5 minutes when it hasn't been run in more than a couple of hours ........
I know an old guy who still does that.

Olds1897to2004 wrote: ........ if you ask 5 different mechanics what is the best oil to use, and how often should you change it, you'll most likely get 5 completely different answers ........
Brand of oil? Yes. Not a lot of differences between brands, per se.

Maintenance intervals? Assuming honest mechanics, most will say to use the mfrs recomendation as a guide, and to go longer or shorter depending on the actual use of the vehicle.

Olds1897to2004 wrote: ........ consider this the next time you're reading your owners manual for your car, and it tells you you only have to change your oil every 6,000 (or whatever mileage over 3,000) miles ........
I will consider that the recomendations are based on the intended engine specs, newest Government requirements, and on any oil technology advances made during the previous year. And that they are a general guide for the average user.

Olds1897to2004 wrote: ........ If you don't change your oil every 3,000 miles, your engine will run dirtier, hotter, and won't last as long ........
I've never done any "apples to apples" comparisons but, based on my experience, I strongly disagree.

Olds1897to2004 wrote: ........ The folks that sold you your vehicle (and wrote your manual) are in the business to sell cars. The sooner your car breaks down, the sooner they get to sell you another one ........
Good conspiracy theory. Bad choice for a business model. Unhappy customers would be buying their next cars from the nearest competitor.

The major factors governing an individuals choice of brand and viscocity, are "brand familiarity", "sales hype", and the "placebo effect". They can also apply to ones choice of maintenance intervals.

---------------------------------------------

My '89 has 230K or so and will continue to get the same Valvoline SAE 30 it's used since day one. It will need its first CAT replacement in order to pass the next CA emissions test.
'87 has 123K plus. Serviced by the Dealer for the first 65K or so. Valoline SAE 30 since. Likewise, for the '70 Cutlass, '63, and '64.

5000 works for me because it makes it easy to keep track of all five of my drivers.

My two Coupes are a different story. Valvoline SAE 20w50 and a Fram HP filter once a year, regardless of miles. FSM says to change it at 3000.

FWIW: My "commuters" have always been serviced at 10K.

Regards, Norm

[Olds1897to2004]

Quote: I know an old guy who still does that.

He has a good understanding of how an engine oil delivery system works.

Quote: Assuming honest mechanics, most will say to use the mfrs recomendation as a guide, and to go longer or shorter depending on the actual use of the vehicle.

I've never had a mechanic quote me a line like that ... maybe they were all just recommending what they knew to be the vehicle's mfr recommended info. So, in effect, you still get different answers depending on which vehicle(s) your asking about at any given time.

Quote: I will consider that the recomendations are based on the intended engine specs, newest Government requirements, and on any oil technology advances made during the previous year. And that they are a general guide for the average user.

Our Government requirements certainly are in need of consideration ... but I guess we shouldn't get into that here, should we?

Quote: I've never done any "apples to apples" comparisons but, based on my experience, I strongly disagree.

Hmm ... perhaps while your considering all that stuff you mentioned above, you may wish to consider getting around to that "apples to apples" comparison.

Quote: My two Coupes are a different story. Valvoline SAE 20w50 and a Fram HP filter once a year, regardless of miles. FSM says to change it at 3000.

Did you decide that this would be a good idea before, or after you considered that the recommendations are based on the intended engine specs, newest Government requirements, and on any oil technology advances made during the previous year?

Posted by Olds1897to2004 on Fri Jun 23, 2006 12:26 am
Quote: I'm no expert on motor oils, I'm just reporting what I've read about them, and reporting my own personal experiences with the said brands / mixes / etc.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: I'm NOT an expert on oils. EVERYTHING I have written has been either my own personal experience, or what I have heard from my mechanic or from my own personal research on the subject. A LOT of what I have said has been my own personal opinion.

With that said, this will most likely be my last post under this topic. I don't mind sharing ideas or opinions ... but this is turning into a literal-minded debate.

Peace Out!