Whad kinda earl ya runnin'?
- Thread starter 90mustangGT
- Start date
My M1 0W40 Review:
I drained the oil and removed the filter after it had been sitting for a few days. Not normally recomended but I wanted to get all the 10W30 out of there. Ran oil through the filter housing to push all the old oil out. This usually gets a good 1/4-1/2 a quart extra out. Primed the oil filter (I should get a oil primer, I know) and added the oil. I was a bit concerned about changing it cold with all the oil drained down and blowing out the oil galleys. Well oil pressure came fast, hardly any rattle, actually, I don't recall hearing any. I was a bit worried the engine would not like a 0W when it was cold, the stuff is a lot thinner than 10W even at 80*. 0W was unheard of back in 1988.... it always seems to clatter some even with 10W, but with 0W NONE AT ALL. Checked level, took it for a drive. Runs real good. It has always had a high rpm rattle also, where you can really hear the engine, and it seems like it has lost the rattle. Oil pressure seems to stay stable. So far, so good. Unless I spin a berring or something soon, I'd have to say this is good stuff.
I drained the oil and removed the filter after it had been sitting for a few days. Not normally recomended but I wanted to get all the 10W30 out of there. Ran oil through the filter housing to push all the old oil out. This usually gets a good 1/4-1/2 a quart extra out. Primed the oil filter (I should get a oil primer, I know) and added the oil. I was a bit concerned about changing it cold with all the oil drained down and blowing out the oil galleys. Well oil pressure came fast, hardly any rattle, actually, I don't recall hearing any. I was a bit worried the engine would not like a 0W when it was cold, the stuff is a lot thinner than 10W even at 80*. 0W was unheard of back in 1988.... it always seems to clatter some even with 10W, but with 0W NONE AT ALL. Checked level, took it for a drive. Runs real good. It has always had a high rpm rattle also, where you can really hear the engine, and it seems like it has lost the rattle. Oil pressure seems to stay stable. So far, so good. Unless I spin a berring or something soon, I'd have to say this is good stuff.
Well, let me ask you this: Have you ever seen a documented incident where running synthetic lead to failure in an older engine? I haven't.
But I have seen tests where engines picked up a few hp running synthetic over conventional, and other tests that showed less wear on parts in an engine running synthetic over one running conventional.
FWIW, I've been running synthetics in my car for about 60K miles now. No problems here.
Even 0W is thicker at room temperature than what the engine is designed to run. It's my understanding that is why a 5W-XX is always better than a 10W-XX, and a 0W-XX is always better than a 5W-XX. The first number represents how thick the oil is at room temp, and you want it as low as possible.
darthcual
Member
I havent personally seen it in the flesh as I only monkey around on the weekends. Have I heard of Heads being destroyed by improper oil, Absolutely. Plain and simply their are tighter tolerances on newer engines vs the engines of 15-20 years ago. Believe me, I LOVE synthetics. My SRT runs as good as the day I picked her up off the lot and shes got 128k miles on her. Do I think synthetics are right for my stang? No. I ran conventional oil on my last Fox and had zero problems FWIW just as you have ran synthetic.
Couldnt find it, FWIW, some of the guys said the reason the oil was shearing was because of the six leaker(6.0) powerstroke and something to do with the injectors. I also just read another thread where a guy went 18k on amsoil and when he got his lab report back they told him it was still good. It seems like its hit or miss, and you just have to try it for yourself and determine oil change intervals that way. A ton of guys that used rotella T in 6.0 powerstrokes also have injector problems. I have been using ford oil in mine and i think im going to switch to amsoil soon. A friend has a 7.3 that was run on amsoil for its whole life and that was the quietest 7.3 ive ever heard. I think my truck made more noise
If you change your oil every 3K miles and use a quality oil filter it doesn't really matter what you run as long as it is the proper multi-viscosity oil. For cars that sit for months at a time, synthetics are probably a better choice because unlike conventional oil they don't thicken over time.
Some of you may feel good about running synthetics and may actually realize minor increases in HP and TQ. Keep in mind there are Crown Victoria taxi's that have well over 200K miles on them and they continue to run fine. I don't know for sure, but I doubt the taxi companies would spend the money on synthetic oil and I'm guessing most taxi's are running the least expensive conventional oil.
Some of you may feel good about running synthetics and may actually realize minor increases in HP and TQ. Keep in mind there are Crown Victoria taxi's that have well over 200K miles on them and they continue to run fine. I don't know for sure, but I doubt the taxi companies would spend the money on synthetic oil and I'm guessing most taxi's are running the least expensive conventional oil.
I run conventional oils. I haven't bought into the "if you give a damn about your car you run synthetic only" craze. To me it's kinda like running 93 octane only, or platnium plugs. People tend to buy into the hype rather than think about their realistic needs.
Nothing wrong with conventional oils. If you do regular oil changes, it's perfectly fine to use. I only use synthetic fills if the factory fill was synthetic from day 1. In that case, i won't change to conventional. But if i get a car with 50K miles on conventional, i won't change to synthetic.
My mustang has conventional in it...and i run 87 octane too.
Nothing wrong with conventional oils. If you do regular oil changes, it's perfectly fine to use. I only use synthetic fills if the factory fill was synthetic from day 1. In that case, i won't change to conventional. But if i get a car with 50K miles on conventional, i won't change to synthetic.
My mustang has conventional in it...and i run 87 octane too.
Yea, it's senseless to run a higher octane fuel than what you really need, and those multi-point spark plugs are nothing short of retarded. They were dreamed up by a salesman, not an engineer or a car guy.
I really have 2 main reasons for running synthetics in my cars.
1. *IF* there is any performance benefit to be had, then it's worth it to me to spend the extra $10 once every 3-5 months. I know my car isn't going to spontaneously combust if I were to run conventional in it, but it is really pocket change to step it up to synthetic if you think about it. And it's peace of mind for me to know my junk is getting the best lubrication available.
2. Oil change interval. I'm only human, and I sometimes run my DD way past 5K in between changes, sometimes to 6 or 7K. I know the synthetic is still doing it's thing at that kind of mileage. Conventional might be, and it might not be.
I've been pretty good at regular changed. I do 4000 miles like clockwork. That's 1 month of driving on my DD...so i do 12 oil changes per year. 
My Mustang, sadly, has only driven 6.7 miles since last November. Yes...I am a terrible stang owner
My Mustang, sadly, has only driven 6.7 miles since last November. Yes...I am a terrible stang owner
I've been pretty good at regular changed. I do 4000 miles like clockwork. That's 1 month of driving on my DD...so i do 12 oil changes per year.
My Mustang, sadly, has only driven 6.7 miles since last November. Yes...I am a terrible stang owner
Haha, damn. DO you have a long commute, or do you just travel for work a lot?
TenorPlayinGuy
Founding Member
I'm running Pennz 10w-40 with an FL1A.
I've tried several others, but with the price, and routinely changing it out, I've had no issues.
When I rebuild I may go sythetic... but we'll see.
I've tried several others, but with the price, and routinely changing it out, I've had no issues.
When I rebuild I may go sythetic... but we'll see.
Basically, I live in the center pf a star. One direction, 25 miles away is work, the other direction, 20 miles away is my girlfriend, and 23 miles away in a different direction is my good friend. I've had plenty of 100Mile days.
bentley429isBAC
10 Year Member
slow90coupe
Member
- Apr 25, 2010
- 272
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Motorcraft FL1A and Castrol 10w40 in the coupe
Motorcraft FL820S and Valvoline 10w30 in the 97.
I have had a bad experience with a motorcraft filter though. I was doing an oil change at my dads tire shop on a 2008 F150. The filter gasket had a hairline crack in it that was impossible to see. Sooo, as most of you know from experiences, oil went EVERYWHERE when I cranked it. Put on a 2nd filter and it was good to go after a bunch of cleaning.
Motorcraft FL820S and Valvoline 10w30 in the 97.
I have had a bad experience with a motorcraft filter though. I was doing an oil change at my dads tire shop on a 2008 F150. The filter gasket had a hairline crack in it that was impossible to see. Sooo, as most of you know from experiences, oil went EVERYWHERE when I cranked it. Put on a 2nd filter and it was good to go after a bunch of cleaning.
Interesting reading information
Here is a good layman's terms artical about VISCOSITY.
Motor Oil Viscosity Grades Explained in Layman's Terms
In it it talks about the viscosity modifier in conventional oils being their weak points.
Here is a link comparing different types of oils for different qualities.
Motor Oil Comparison Testing Results November 2008
A lot of information here. Yeah, most any oil will do, but if it fails, engines don't heal.
Thin oil flows with less resistance, so it takes less power away from your crankshaft, so more power to the wheels. That's why car companies are going to this 20 weight oil. Thick oil protects better.
Here is a good layman's terms artical about VISCOSITY.
Motor Oil Viscosity Grades Explained in Layman's Terms
In it it talks about the viscosity modifier in conventional oils being their weak points.
Here is a link comparing different types of oils for different qualities.
Motor Oil Comparison Testing Results November 2008
A lot of information here. Yeah, most any oil will do, but if it fails, engines don't heal.
Thin oil flows with less resistance, so it takes less power away from your crankshaft, so more power to the wheels. That's why car companies are going to this 20 weight oil. Thick oil protects better.
This is true. That's one thing you have to look out for on those "dyno tests" when they show gains after switching oil. Sometimes it's because they switched to a lighter weight oil, and it has nothing to do with brand.
That's not entirely true. It's based on bearing clearances and oil flow rate. The smaller the bearing clearance, the thinner the oil you can use while still maintaining good oil pressure. New cars have tighter bearing clearances, so they can use thinner oil. Older cars, like our pushrod 5.0s, have looser bearing clearances, so they need a slightly thicker oil to maintain good pressure. This is why some engines need thicker oil as they age, because the bearings wear and clearances open up.
One weight oil doesn't necessarily protect better than the other, it's more about achieving the best flow rate and pressure for the particular engine.
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