Synthetic Oil Question

RJN26 · Apr 1, 2004

I just bought a '93 Gt convertible with very low mileage. The car will be a spring/summer fall driver (nice weather) only. It is an automatic and is mostly stock (so far). I live in New Jersey so it tends not to get too extremely hot, and like i said, I will not be driving it during very cold weather. I want to switch to synthetic oil, but am not sure what weight to use. Should I stick with a 10w-30? Also, does anyone recommend one brand over another? I've read about Amsoil and Royal Purple, but is Mobil 1 just as good? Any suggestions would be great. Thanks.

Mavrick · Apr 1, 2004

Royal Purple is the best of the best, but its expensive as hell. Mobil1 is great stuff. Oils dont really matter to me, i just changed my oil tonight with quakerstate brand 10w30 regular non-synthetic oil.

HISSIN50 · Apr 2, 2004

any of the ones listed will be more than enough. id use M1 since it is so widely available and cheaper. and if you arent goin to do extended OCI's, they are all awesome.
id try the 10W-30 and see how your pressure is. remember that M1 of any grade will pour "thinner" than a dino oil of the same weight. that really messes with my head. on a couple of cars calling for 10-30, (4th Gen Camaro is the one im thinking of in particular), i am gonna run 2 X M1 15-50's and the rest 10-30 in the summer (highest heat of 110 deg here). even in the low 90's here now, the 10-30 is thinning out a bit for my liking.

remember that even if the pressure is not awesome, it is flowing good and protecting better than dino oil.
just my two cents worth. good luck.

RydeOn · Apr 2, 2004

Pretty much any synthetic oil is good. Its all what brand you like and how much you want to spend. The are all $4+ a quart. Personally, I use Mobil 1.

Michael Yount · Apr 2, 2004

Well at the risk of being flamed out of the thread......here goes. I wouldn't switch it over to synthetic. While the mileage is low, all the seals, gaskets, etc. have gotten themselves used to regular dino oil - and they've been seeing that for 11 years now. I think you take a risk of seeing your new low mileage vert (well done) develop some minor oil leaks if you switch at this point. Clearly the regular oil has done it's job well - stick with it. If you want the feeling of giving it superior lube protection, you can shorten your change interval with the regular oil to 2 or 3 times sooner than what it would have been and still save money.

Whatever you decide, in Jersey, 10w30 should be fine for your fair weather driving; I'd throw 5w30 in it for the winter storage period - hopefully you'll be cranking it up/short drives when weather permits even in the winter, and it will be happier starting when cold with the thinner oil.

RJN26 · Apr 3, 2004

Thank you all for your input. I'm just getting ready to change the oil for the season and couldn't decide what to do. I've thought about the leak situation and right now it is bone dry, I don't want anything to start now. What about oil additives, are they worth it? Should I not worry about it and just change the oil and drive?
Thanks,
rjn26
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MAC CAI, 9mm Ford Racing wires, timing 14*
Hopefully soon: shift kit and 3:55 gears

HISSIN50 · Apr 3, 2004

Michael's ideas sound good to me. just a personal choice. i would not mind a leak vs theoretically better protection. but that is me and i am weird.

but i dont like additives. another personal choice. avoid teflon in any case. good luck.

RJN26 · Apr 3, 2004

Yeah I've read about the Teflon additives. I've never had much faith in additives anyway, was just wondering whether I was missing something or not.
Thanks,
rjn26

RydeOn · Apr 3, 2004

Michael yount is onto something. More frequent changes may equal similar protection to using synthetic. Stay with regular if you plan on leaving it N/A. But if plans for a blower are in your future, Id make the switch now since I firmly believe that turbos and centrifugal superchargers should be synthetically lubed. The seals in the engine probably wont leak, but as Michael pointed out there is a chance they can. Its a gamble. Personally Ive never had it happen on cars Ive owned. Mike, dont worry about getting flamed, your about the smartest guy around here!

HISSIN50 · Apr 3, 2004

RydeOn said:
Mike, dont worry about getting flamed, your about the smartest guy around here!

RydeOn, i agree in full with those sentiments.

i frequent some oil boards, and it seems that the oil leaks from the switch is becoming less prevelant. i dont really understand that, as synthetics do have a lot more detergents, and some seem to be thinner for a given weight (i.e., M1 10W-30 feels 'thinner' while pouring, than a dino 10W-30).

also, it seems that a lot more folks use motor cleaners and flushes more than in the past, so perhaps that keeps things cleaner and thus keeps detergents in synthetics from "cleaning" the seals (and the residue that fills small holes) as much as it would be doing in a 'dirtier' motor. im not conveying what i am trying to say, but hopefully you get the gist. this is just an idea i had; could be very wrong.

and lastly, some oils advertised as synthetics are not true synthetics, so they may not 'clean' seals so well as a true synthetic (being more akin to a blend).

because i do not understand the data in oil studies very well, i tend to blindly use synthetics (not in my daily drivers- im too poor, but i do buy it for my G/F's car and in some of the bikes and other cars). it may be overkill, but i like (and have become accustomed) to the use of it.
just my two cents worth. flame away.

90mustangGT · Apr 3, 2004

I have now 149K miles and have been using Mobil 1 5W30 Synthetic. No leaks, but then again the only gasket that hasn't been changed is the pan gasket and rear main seal, which the rear main is starting to leak a little. I also have the FMS Oil Cooler, and since I have run the oil cooler the oil pressure stays where it is suposed to, alot better at idle.

Michael Yount · Apr 4, 2004

I'm with 90 Mustang - I too use a cooler; I was shocked at how high my oil temps were on the stock 5.0L (260F-275F!), now it sits at 210F-215F. Oil is cooler which means longer seal/gasket life; and the radiator/cooling system doesn't have to work as hard - provided you don't mount the oil cooler in the same airstream that's crossing the radiator.

RJN26 - if you really want to do it a favor, just put regular oil in, and with money you'd save over, say, Amsoil, in 3 or 4 oil changes you can pay for a FRPP oil cooler.

Don't fret over it - put some oil in and drive. Synthetic is great - no doubt. AND - Irv Gordon, owner of the Guinness' Book record holding high mileage Volvo (2.1 million miles on a 67 P1800) achieved his mileage on regular old dino oil - following the manufacturers recommendations on filter and oil interval changes. The head on that car has 1.4 million miles on it; the rings/bearings are original - 2.1 million miles. Without synthetic. And the car's from Long Island - it's been through a few winter cold starts. Regular oil and filters - keep it changed regularly, or synthetic. They'll both work fine. And as others said (and I think I mentioned it too) -- you may not have any leak issues at all; it's not a sure thing, just a possibility. For what it's worth, I switched 4 cars over that were 3-5 years old all with 80k+ miles on them - all 4 had leaks within a month of the switch. I'm a slow learner.

RydeOn · Apr 4, 2004

Wow, the oil cooler sounds like it has great benefits. What size are they aprroximately and where do you all buy them?

Michael Yount · Apr 4, 2004

FRPP - Ford Racing Performance Product, aka Ford Racing aka Ford Motorsports.

Most speed shops sell them too, easy to come by, lots of different manufacturers. Sizes vary - most of the coolers themselves are in the around one sq. ft. in area - some a bit larger, some smaller. 12X12; 8 X 16; something like that.

RJN26 · Apr 4, 2004

Thanks again. This is my first "toy" car and just want it to run well for a long time. Especially if I'm not driving it every day. I want to be able to enjoy it and not have to constantly repair or replace seals etc because it is not an everyday car.
Thanks
rjn26

Michael Yount · Apr 4, 2004

Well synthetic and/or coolers certainly aren't required -- but perhaps they add some peace of mind. Have fun with it - that's the main thing.

xmtrxmt · Apr 5, 2004

I bought my car in the sig in 95 and I put sythetic in it since day one. I used to think that the sythetic thing was all BS but when I added everything in my sig., The cylider walls were like brand new and that was after 115,000. I and some local friens were absolutly amazed at how good it looked. I have always used Mobil 1 mainly becouse I think that they have been making it as long if not longer than anyone so they must be making it right,LOL. Anyway I run 10-30 Mobil 1.

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