Changing Oil

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955.0HO said:
i've been using synthetic oil for about 9,000 miles, would it be bad to switch back to regular oil?

Are there any real benefits from using synthetic ?

thanks

True synthetic, such as Amsoil 0W-30, has a higher film strength (protects moving parts better), and has fewer impurities (less gunk buildup, I guess). That's why I use Amsoil 0W-30, every 3,000 miles.
 
There is a slight power gain with synthtic over regular motor oil but it is really little power increase. Basically with synthetic, what you're paying for is increased wear protection.

I will say this much. At 18k I switched from Motorcraft 5w-20 w/ Motorcraft oil filter to Mobil 1 0w-20 with Mobil 1 oil filter and filter magnet. I then changed the oil at 21k miles and when I drained it out, the motor oil was in very good condition. No dirt, metal grit, or any feelable or seeable impurities of any kind and I looked as close as I could. Ran the oil through my fingertips and across my hands and it felt like pure oil. Definately good stuff and wayyyy better than the Motorcraft crap. BTW, I switched from Mobil 1 0w-20 to Amsoil HP 5w-30. I would be running Amsoil 0w-30 but its a bit too expensive for my taste right now. I think once my car is completely out of warranty, I'll go with Synlube. Their oils are not really oils, just pure synthetics. No peteroleum in the mix whatsoever. Go to www.synlube.com for more information.
 
Never too late to switch unless you are burning oil now or have other oil related issues. Some people say a synthetic will allow the engine to spin more freely. Any advantage is very, very slight. (Can I add another 'very' to that?)
The most important thing with regards to oils is how often it is changed.
 
its never too late. i switched my 81 5.0 to synthetic at 135k miles. it has around 146k now and i changed the mobil 1 10w30 with a motorcraft filter twice. the car never ran better. the only thing i did was change the valve cover gaskets but those were around 60k miles old and were leaking with the crappy chevron oil i was using before.
 
Good syn severly limits wear. That, plus not having to change it nearly as often and there is no reason to switch back except the cost up front. I noticed that each of my engines spun up faster with syn. I attribute this to superior lubrication. They also run cooler in my experience.

955.0HO said:
i've been using synthetic oil for about 9,000 miles, would it be bad to switch back to regular oil?

Are there any real benefits from using synthetic ?

thanks
 
thanks for the info guys, i guess i will just stay with the synthetic then.

how mnay quarts do you guys use? i put 5 in and it was low so i put another in and it still seems low but i didnt want to put another in.

i think 5 is recomended but how many do you use?
 
Well, I had an interesting time at the fair tonight. There was a local Amsoil represenative there. He and I got to talking and it turns out Mobil 1 has copied Castrol Syntec in whats called "Carbon cracking". It has to do with removing certain Carbon atoms from the chain of petroleum oil so it lasts a bit longer than conventional oil. Amsoil on the other hand is pure USA oil and is complete synthetics. He showed me the charts of independant testings of many differnet vehicles. Some never had to change their oil even after......get this....300,000 miles of wear. Only filter change intervals were required.

BTW, he signed me up for free and is in the process of making me an Amsoil dealer. Which means I can get me Amsoil stuff for cost and perhaps if I get qualified through the administration here....I can be an Amsoil dealer for you guys as well.:D