What advandges are there in different oils? Synthetic? high miliage? which is best to use? i have aobut 120000 miles on my blazer
thanks

 

bobistheoilguy.com/

Here is a link to a forum all about oil.

 

thanks

 

I didn't read bobs page.
I am partial to Valvoline.

 

I have this thing about putting Lucas in every oil change... I had it save me once. So ever since I always use it. I dont particularly like synthetic. Once you use it, you can't go back.

 

I would like to hear your reasoning behind this statement.

 

Ok... I have had two older Trans Ams, both have had motor rebuilds, and synthetic was put into the motor after the first few regular oil changes to break it in. With both cars though, the oil pressure was VERY stable on synthetic and the cars ran fine. But again with both cars as soon as I tried to put regular oil in there (went to an oil change place, and got regular oil), the pressure dropped tremendously and on one of the cars I even started to get a tap until I put the synthetic back in.

After that I always just had to use the synthetic in the two cars, and even when I sold them, I had to tell the new owners to use synthetic. ONE of the owners called me to complain after having the car two weeks, said "i did an oil change and now the pressure is like 20psi, why!??!" I said did you use synthetic and he said no, I said, do it again.... he called me later on that day and said it was back up to around 45psi. if it was just one car that did that, I might say "ok bad motor" but two cars? different motors, differnt years, different cars? And I didnt have them at the same time either.

Anyway after that I shy away from synthetic. Maybe its not a proven fact, but this is just my experience and what I've learned from it.

 

I have had no such experiences with using synthetic. My truck went from 2 oil changes on synthetic (Mobil 1 5w30) back to 5w30 conventional due to some oil leaks. The leaks were in NO way caused by the synthetic oil, just some loose pan bolts (9 of the like 12 or whatever were loose). Tightened them back up and will be switching back to Mobil 1 at the next oil change. Oil pressure showed no difference between the two.

My question would be did they put the proper viscosity oil in? My Chevelle ran Quaker State 10w30 for the first 2000 miles (3 oil changes) after rebuild, and had Mobil 1 right after it came out. Went back and forth due to $$$ constraints while driving the car in HS & college and never had an experience like yours... Never did take it some place to have it done however. I have always done my own oil changes for nothing other than the peace of mind that it was done correctly. But that's a story for another time/thread.

In terms of the properties of the oil, there is very little difference between synthetic and conventional. Where the differences come in are at the temperature extremes where synthetic out performs conventional in terms of stability. Hence why you can run longer between oil changes.

I will say this. If you run say AMSOIL or Mobil 1 Extended Performance (or any other high change interval synthetic), DO NOT expect the oil filter to trap all of the contaminents in the oil for the 15k-25k mile oil change interval. The filter should still be changed at the manufacturers recommended interval and the oil should be topped off. I am doing this now with my Bonneville. I reset the oil life monitor when I replace the filter (every 5k miles for me) and it's about 1 qt of oil to get it back to level.

Also, remember to use a quality filter! The filter is just as important as the oil. Fram filters have been known for bypass valve failures causing the oil to bypass the filter media. Now is it doing its job if it's bypassing? NO! Filters that I have read nothing but good things about are Mobil 1, AC Delco, Napa Gold, Wix, PureOne, and Purolator. By far the best filter for the money is the Purolator as it is only ~$3. The PureOne filter is what I use due to the can and valve construction differences to the Purolator. Both are made by Purolator. The PureOne can be purchased for ~$5. The others listed are $4 (AC Delco), $6 (Napa Gold/Wix) and ~$11 (Mobil 1 - too expensive) and $13 (K&N - way too expensive).

I didn't mention K&N earlier because although K&N filters are quality filters, they do not filter enough compared to those mentioned. The K&N filters do provide more flow, but at the expense of filtration efficiency. It's a trade off. If you think you need more oil flow, by all means, use a K&N, but for me and mine, I'd rather filter the oil better than deal with the potential consequences later.

 

I usually use either AC Delco or the Napa ones... I have degenerative bone disease in my neck, causing my shoulders, arms and hands to not act properly. I cant do oil changes, or get under the truck like I've done in the past. If i want to wax it, I have to wash it the day before and do the interior... and then hope the next day is nice so its not ruined, so i can wax it. Cause after just the wash and interior, I'm shot and need a pain killer. So there isn't much I can do myself unfortunately. I keep AAA for flat tires and such, it's worth the cash in my eyes. As for the viscosity, and who did the changes, it was a friend's shop and I was standing there when it was done. So I was able to watch. I dont like Fram filters either, so I do agree with ya there.

I had 10w40 put in both cars the first i believe three times... then synthetic 10w40 afterwards.

 

I was in no way putting you down for having someone else change your oil, but most places (especially in NY now) won't let you even watch the work being done on your vehicle. Sucks about the DBD. I don't know how to explain your experience with synth vs. conv...

*EDIT* - nor have I read of others experiencing what you have experienced with fresh oil...