Synthetic oil

[jeepmedic46]

I have over 106,000 miles on my 04 sport. Can I change to Synthetic oil now? Or is it to late for that?

 

[kj924]

Well...I would say it's too late to take advantage of the benefits of synthetic oil....but hey that's just my opinion. All the initial wear on the engine parts has already occurred already. But, anything you can do to extend the engine life would probably be a good idea.

How much is a good synthetic oil change run anyways....just curious.

 

[jeepmedic46]

Not sure what the cost is but I think the time has passed and I will stick with the regular oil.

 

[Powerslave]

I bought an 06 Liberty with 57K on it; went straight to 10w30 synthetic. Sounds better, runs smoother.

 

[belvedere]

If the engine is in good condition, you can switch to synthetic. If it makes you nervous, then you could try one of the high mileage oils. Maxlife is a high quality oil, and is a partial synthetic. There is also a Maxlife full synthetic (though it can be hard to find in some areas) and M1 High Mileage oil.

 

[jnaut]

I've got 70k on mine and was thinking to switching to synthetic. Are you guys saying there isn't any benefit? Will it do any damage?

 

[kj924]

It's not that it will do damage....it's the point of going to synthetic oil now at 70 K is kinda pointless IMO...I'm not an oil deign engineer, or chemist

I think if you have synthetic in an engine fom new, you will see benefits, but putting it in an already worn engine, I don't see the point. Old school engine oil has served the world for years and I think it's proved itself.


Just my .02

 

[jnaut]

It's not that it will do damage....it's the point of going to synthetic oil now at 70 K is kinda pointless IMO...I'm not an oil deign engineer, or chemist

I think if you have synthetic in an engine fom new, you will see benefits, but putting it in an already worn engine, I don't see the point. Old school engine oil has served the world for years and I think it's proved itself.


Just my .02

I thought it was also about residues that dino-oil leaves behind. I guess I saw it as someone stopping smoking. It's never too late. Am I wrong about the residue issue?

 

[jnaut]

Wow, I think we've stumbled across another one of those subjects which could go either way. I've been doing some reading, and some people claim that using mineral oil causes your seals to swell, and then switching to synthetic shrinks them back, making you susceptible to leaks. That is countered as factually incorrect by other experts.

Another person said that synthetic oil shouldn't be used in low mileage, ie break-in period because of chrome ring issues.

then there's the famous consumer reports study which shows no discernable difference between any motor oil except with a minor advantage to synthetics for "some drivers". Whatever that means. But then the consumer report's study's methodology was criticized as being flawed.

Confused? I sure am.

 

[belvedere]

If anyone is interested in learning more about oils, check out Bob Is The Oil Guy.

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php

 

[jnaut]

If anyone is interested in learning more about oils, check out Bob Is The Oil Guy.

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php

Cool. Just been reading this link:

http://www.carbibles.com/engineoil_bible.html

 

[kj924]

There's an old saying: "If it ain't broke, don't fix it"

I have had experiences in the past of switching brands of oil, only to have the vehicle start using more oil than it had in the past years I had owned it. Same viscosity, just different brand.
I like and run Castrol in all my engines, have for many years now..will for many more to come.

Back in the day* hangs head and remembers glory days* I ran Texaco Havoline oil. Now that was an oil !!! It even smelled good pouring it from the can, yes a paper can with a tin top you had to use the metal puncture funnel with. AAaaaaaah the good old days.

 

[jnaut]

There's an old saying: "If it ain't broke, don't fix it"

I have had experiences in the past of switching brands of oil, only to have the vehicle start using more oil than it had in the past years I had owned it. Same viscosity, just different brand.
I like and run Castrol in all my engines, have for many years now..will for many more to come.

Back in the day* hangs head and remembers glory days* I ran Texaco Havoline oil. Now that was an oil !!! It even smelled good pouring it from the can, yes a paper can with a tin top you had to use the metal puncture funnel with. AAaaaaaah the good old days.

Back in my day we just greased up the steam engines.

 

[kj924]

(lol)

 

[Treyz02KJ]

Well...I would say it's too late to take advantage of the benefits of synthetic oil....but hey that's just my opinion. All the initial wear on the engine parts has already occurred already. But, anything you can do to extend the engine life would probably be a good idea.

How much is a good synthetic oil change run anyways....just curious.

for a case of Mobil1 and a napa filter, around $55-65 where I'm from. My last oil change I found a deal at AutoZone with Mobil1 oil+filter 50% off, and it was like $35!

I know JJ pushes Amisol as the BEST option for lubricants, but I've never tried them.

After having my motor replaced after 88k, I decided to be a one oil consumer. I feel like it almost makes up for the rough treatment I give this car. Everything short of slamming it into another Dodge ram(Liberty won the battle there, I knocked the back wheel off the axle and spun him around to block the entire intersection jun. 05'), I've been as hard as I could to this motor. Its still as strong as the day we lowered it in with the cherry picker.

 

[Powerslave]

Wal*Mart has the 5qt jug of Quakerstate Synthetic 5w and 10w30 for 18.00, then the fillter for about 4 bucks (6-7 for a good one)? No more than 25.00 + tax.

Me, I use the FL-1A filter now, so you need 5.5 quarts of oil total, so, I gotta by one more quart. So, I buy enough stuff for TWO changes, so I have the extra .5qt for each one.

 

[belvedere]

Wal*Mart has the 5qt jug of Quakerstate Synthetic 5w and 10w30 for 18.00, then the fillter for about 4 bucks (6-7 for a good one)? No more than 25.00 + tax.

Plus, QS is offering a $10 rebate on 5 qts of Q-Horsepower. I think it's good through the end of April, but you'll want to check to be sure.

 

[Ry' N Jen]

Wow, I think we've stumbled across another one of those subjects which could go either way. I've been doing some reading, and some people claim that using mineral oil causes your seals to swell, and then switching to synthetic shrinks them back, making you susceptible to leaks. That is countered as factually incorrect by other experts.

Another person said that synthetic oil shouldn't be used in low mileage, ie break-in period because of chrome ring issues.

then there's the famous consumer reports study which shows no discernable difference between any motor oil except with a minor advantage to synthetics for "some drivers". Whatever that means. But then the consumer report's study's methodology was criticized as being flawed.

Confused? I sure am.

Yeah, I have read pretty much the same thing.
What I would like to know is... Just what is synthetic oil made from?
Dyno oil right?
So just how does a natural oil product become synthetic?

Cheers
Ry'

 

[belvedere]

Yeah, I have read pretty much the same thing.
What I would like to know is... Just what is synthetic oil made from?
Dyno oil right?
So just how does a natural oil product become synthetic?

Cheers
Ry'

Engine oil is categorized into different "groups".

Grp I: Most oils used to be grp I, but not anymore. Group I oils generally can't meet SM, or require too many additives to be cost effective.

Grp II: Most conventional oils today are grp II or grp II+. Grp II is just more refined than grp I.

Grp III: Again, more highly refined. However, at this point, the oil has undergone so much change from the original product that mfrs are allowed to label it "synthetic". Most cheaper "synthetic" oils are grp III, or mostly grp III.

Grp IV: PAO (polyalphaolefin) is truly synthetic (man-made). Higher quality oils (Amsoil, etc) are made from PAO.

Grp V: Esters; also true synthetics. An example of an ester-based oil is Redline.

PAO and esters have very different properties; both have strengths and weaknesses. The two may be blended, or additives used to make up the weaknesses of a particular base oil. A synthetic oil may be a blend of grp III, IV, and/or V bases.

Keep in mind that the base oil used only tells part of the story. The additive package affects the quality of the finished product as much as the base oil used.

 

[Ry' N Jen]

Engine oil is categorized into fidderent "groups".

Grp I: Most oils used to be grp I, but not anymore. Group I oils generally can't meet SM, or require too many additives to be cost effective.

Grp II: Most conventional oils today are grp II or grp II+. Grp II is just more refined than grp I.

Grp III: Again, more highly refined. However, at this point, the oil has undergone so much change from the original product that mfrs are allowed to label it "synthetic". Most cheaper "synthetic" oils are grp III, or mostly grp III.

Grp IV: PAO (polyalphaolefin) is truly synthetic (man-made). Higher quality oils (Amsoil, etc) are made from PAO.

Grp V: Esters; also true synthetics. An example of an ester-based oil is Redline.

PAO and esters have very different properties; both have strengths and weaknesses. The two may be blended, or additives used to make up the weaknesses of a particular base oil. A synthetic oil may be a blend of grp III, IV, and/or V bases.

Keep in mind that the base oil used only tells part of the story. The additive package affects the quality of the finished product as much as the base oil used.

Yeah I know, I was being sarcastic!
But, at the end of the day, those "additives" are still made out of a petro-chemical!