Synth blend darker at change time again

[Lee]

This is my second oil change that I used Castrol synth blend and once again the oil is darkening more than it did for the 5 previous years using plain oil I don't seam to have any problems, just darker. Could it still be cleaning up the engine deposits?

 

It had an oil drip in the past which has quit with the synth.I don't say the synth blend stopped it but it's a heck of a coinsidence.

 

Oil brand change happened the same time as duel exhaust and cone filter so I can't say it's just the oil. I do plan to clean the air filter when I change the oil. Pre-winter air filter cleaning.

 

Any comments?

 

Maybe put the standard ait box back on for 3000 miles?

[GnatGoSplat]

Probably just coincidence.

Castrol doesn't use any Group IV base oil in their "synthetic" (Group IV being true synthetic, what Mobil 1 and almost every other company uses). Castrol passes off Group III oil as synthetic. Group III oil has a better viscosity range and less sulfur content than Group II due to its hydroprocessing, but Group III is not synthetic - just really good mineral oil. Group II being normal mineral oil. So when you buy Castrol synthetic blend, it's a blend of Group II and Group III mineral oils - you end up with slightly cleaner than normal regular ol' mineral oil.

[Lee]

I'll be looking at another product then.

 

I had avoided Walmart Super Tech synth blend. Anything about that. I did start buying thier filters over Fram though.

 

Does Mobil One have a blend?

[GnatGoSplat]

Walmart SuperTech filters are decent - they're made by Champion Labs.

Mobil 1 does have a blend, I believe.

As for Walmart SuperTech oil - I have no idea if it's good or not. Walmart doesn't have its own refinery, so their oil is some other company's product rebranded. However, I have no idea which company it is. I once read on the newsgroups that it's Quaker State, but I've never seen any confirmation of this.

 

I use their regular 78-cents/qt motor oil, and never had a problem!

[MaD]

Ergh.. I've been using Mobil 1...It's like $5 a quart!!

Unless I can get that 5 quart jug thing from WalMart for $17...

 

Should I be using the cheapo stuff??? I thought full synthetics provide better protection and so on...

 

-MaD-

[kheider]

I would make my OWN synthetic blend! Synthetic blends suck because you do not know if it is 50% synthetic or 1% synthetic!

 

On customers cars I like to mix 2 quarts of dino oil with 2 quarts of Mobil 1 FULLY synthetic.

 

The fully synthetic doesn't really help until the car develops an oil leak and/or starts to overheat. Synethic oil is more tolerant of excessive heat without getting burnt. So when something does go wrong you won't have to worry about internal wear as much.

 

-- Kevin Heider

 

(Returning after a 6 month absence)

[Lee]

I stood in the isle for 5 min. wondering if that could be done (mixing) and walked out with another 5 quarts of Castrol Synth blend and an AC Delco filter. The Delco looks like the champion labs style. Bigger holes in base plate. I couldn't get to the city to go to wal-mart for super tech.

 

Fram will never see my business again. Maybe they work fine/ maybe not..but I read that they tend to bypass the oil. Plus the cardboard thing bugs me.

[GnatGoSplat]

What? You walked out with more Castrol "synthetic" blend (dino oil blended with cleaner dino oil)???

 

BTW, Kevin, nice to see you on here again!

[Lee]

Okay I have clean dino oil coursing through my buick's veins right now so tell me a competant brand that will have actual synth products. The back did brag about being the only comercial brand of blend to have Synthetic ?molecules/properties? I stared at Valvoline, a couple generics and noticed that there was no Mobil blend.

 

Can I mix 2 synth and 2.5 dinos' together....or is there some kind of homogenizing method to it?

 

Wal-mart sells a very cheap synth blend. Only $1.63 per quart.

[GnatGoSplat]

As far as I know (and I could be wrong), but Castrol is the ONLY company using non-synthetic Group III and passing it off as synthetic. Every other company I believe uses Group IV true synthetic in their full synthetic and blend oils.

 

I don't know what Walmart Supertech is, but I know it's NOT Castrol, so it might be a true synthetic blend.

[Guest TurboSedan]

aq

[kheider]

Mobil 1 will NOT *cause* leaks. But Mobil 1 may *discover* leaks, because true ynthetic oil flows better than sludgy dino oil.

 

If you are curious about trying Mobil 1 FULLY synethic, on your next oil change, just put 1 quart of Mobil 1 in with whatever dino oil you want.

 

You can mix *the same weight* of different brands of dino oil all day long because they are all unrefined crap (I mean oils.) But since Synethic oils are all made by slightly different (unknown to you) chemical processes, IT IS *NOT* RECOMMENDED TO MIX DIFFERENT BRANDS OF SYNTHETIC OILS. It is possible but unlikely that two different brands of synthetic oils will chemically react in your engine. Although such a reaction would not hurt your car, it would defeat the purpose/gain/protection of using a synthetic oil.

 

-- Kevin Heider

[Guest TurboSedan]

qa

[GnatGoSplat]

I personally don't think the cost/benefit ratio of synthetic is worthwhile on a naturally aspirated engine.

I've run Walmart SuperTech motor oil in my Cutty and my wife's Cutty. One has 197k miles and the other has 188k miles, both run perfect. I have never run one drop of synthetic in them. So obviously the engine will last a long time on conventional oil... longer than you'd probably own the car.

 

Turbo engines are a different story. The turbocharger spins in excess of 100,000rpm's and gets extremely HOT. Regular ol' mineral oil can coke up the turbo, so I run synthetic in my TGP.

[Brian P]

lately Ive been buying the Mobil synthetic clean drive oil and I'm happy with it. from Jan '99 to just a few months ago I used Quaker state only (group III if i remember right) I was thinking of using 2.5 quarts of standard mobil oil and 2 quarts of synthetic. Can this be more worthwhile than the clean drive blend that they sell? I also get higher oil pressure at normal operating temp at idle with the blends...the gauge almost* maxes out when cold!

[Guest Anonymous]

My TGP has 170,000 miles on it and I was wondering what oil would be best for it? It's overdue on an oil change but I wanted to get everyone's opinion first.

[GnatGoSplat]

I'd use Mobil 1 full synthetic in a TGP.

[Guest Anonymous]

I would've already but... I've been told if your motor has higher miles that the synthetic loosens all the deposits in the motor. Wouldn't that clog the oil pump?

[GnatGoSplat]

I don't think so. If I remember right, the oil pump has a screen.

When I tore the heads off the engine in my Cutlass, I don't remember there being any deposits to loosen.

[luminator94]

I use Mobil 1 synthetic in my GTP, and in my Lumina I use Vavoline Max Life. I've been really happy with both types.

[NeverSayDie]

I have torn down lots of engines, that had used lots of name brand oils. They all had the same sludge crap on the internals. I mean, all but one had been well maintained, and there's still crap in there. I thought when I tore apart my Cutty's heart, it for one would be clean, since I change the oil early usually, using valvoline only. Nope, same black crud. I'm begining to think there is no difference! I can understand some deposits, over time will build up, but this crap was just gumming up everything, even though the oil would run out fairly clean at oil change time?

[GnatGoSplat]

Where did you find this black crud at?

When I pulled the heads, all my engine parts were varnished brown, but no solids or black crud to be found. I didn't drop the pan, but there was no crud on the lifters, lifter bores, pushrods, or anywhere in the heads.

 

On the other hand, I was once given an '86 Renault Alliance (free, of course) and under its valve covers was FULL of solid, hardened black crud. I mean there was barely enough room for the valves to move in there! I chiseled it all out, changed the oil, drove it around a bit, changed the oil again (to flush out all the loose crud), and the car was fine! Sold it for $1200.

[Guest Anonymous]

Won't the screen get plugged up?

A guy I work with run a can of engine flush through his van before going on vacation this summer. Before he left the motor blew. The oil pump screen was plugged up.

 

This is what I'm concerned about. I don't want that to happen to my TGP.

[GnatGoSplat]

Dunno, I've never had any such problems switching to synthetic and I've never heard of anyone else having such problems.

[per0781]

when i switched to synthetic, i went one quart of synthetic at a time per oil change. 3.5 regular/1 synthetic, next oil change 2.5 regular. 2 synthetic, etc.