Inliners International Forums General Discussion Engines Synthetic Oil

I read a lot about oils and even looked up some old threads on synthetics and thought that maybe my wrangler would benefit from switching to synthetic since I will be seeing only cold weather starts now and I also go wheeling as often as time allows (at least once a week) so I would see a lot of dusty, watery, and muddy conditions along with a lot of high reving and because of the big tires, on the highway I'm at a constant higher rpm than stock since I can't use my 6th gear OD. I change my oil every 2500 to 3000 religiously so getting ready to do it now, I inquired to the parts counter at the local NAPA about what kind of synthetics they sell and the guy told me that if the vehicle didn't come with it from the factory or that I haven't been using it from the start if the engine was rebuilt, it would be useless to me. I didn't understand that. I know you can't even use that stuff for break in so how are you going to use it from the start on anything??!!! anyway, what the heck is up with that guy? I thought like a mobil 1 would be good for me since I could probably get at least 5000 out of it per change since with all the off roading and my oil isn't that dark at all after 3000. And I've put 15,000 on the thing since I had it new for 8 1/2 months. Going by what I read, I have no clue as to what that NAPA guy meant. Any thoughts?

Some claim that starting to use synthetics on an older engine causes the seals to start leaking. However, it seems like you are a good candidate for synthetic or at least a high quality dino oil like Delo 400, which is rated for both gasoline and diesel engines. The best way to tell if your oil is doing its job is to have it analyzed when you change it.

john, i had this same conversation with tom langdon a couple of years ago. if you don't know tom, he's a retired gm engineer and has never lead me wrong on any advice. he told me that if i use the recommended oils/filters and change then at 3,000 miles, (or more often during severe use) you'll get good service from your engine. the extra claimed protection/cost does not warrant synthetics. following his advice, i put 176,000 miles on a 4-cylinder s-10, and 121,000 miles on a toyota rav4. neither enine ever gave any internal engine problems. i have since built a 4-cylinder chevy II powered model a and will use the recommended oil in it. at 65, i hope to drive it for the rest of my life!

I do know of Tom, but not personally. He sounds like a great guy from what I've heard. I like to change my oil often because of the dirty conditions I drive in and I want it to cause as little friction as possible. Where can I get oil analyzed, I heard of farmers doing that like one guy said in an old post on the topic, and it seemed like John M. had good things to say about the Delo 400. Is that at normal auto part stores? Maybe that is the stuff for me? I don't know how the price of it compares with the synthetic stuff. As for now, I might as well stick with my quaker state peak performance and a NAPA filter if synthetics are built up to be more than what they are.

The factory recommended oil spec and change interval should work just fine. But synthetic oil offers reduced friction, lower bearing temperatures, and resistance to breakdown. I know of some lab tests that showed 80% of the added benefits of using synthetic oil can be obtained by using a BLEND of 20% synthetic / 80% fossil oil. So if you want most of the benefit of synthetic at a nominal price MIX 1 quart of Mobil 1 synthetic with 4 or 5 quarts of regular Mobil oil. This is essentially what you are buying when you purchase the "synthetic blends" only the price differential does not reflect it. Oh, and don''t mix brands as the additive packages may not be compatible with each other. It is OK to switch to synthetic after using regular oil too.

Thanks Frenchtown, I never heard of that idea of mixing to make the blend. My I4 takes 5 quarts so 1 synthetic for the protective properties and 4 regular for my wallet, would work out good since I like to change it often. I would never leave all the synthetic stuff in there the way some people go 15,000 miles with no change. I just don't trust it that long for how dirty I get everything wheeling. I also saw they have a synthetic blend made by I think Quaker State special for you type of vehicle, like I would use the 4x4 one. I dunno how much more a qt that stuff is over regular dino juice, but it is no where near the price of a case of Synth. I like the idea of making my own blend. cool, thanks.

John,
I ran Royal Purple ($5.00/quart)in my 250 Camaro and showed about 7% better gas milage. If the engine does not have loose rings and still has good valve seals it should not burn the synthetic oil. The biggest advantage to synthetic is less friction (better milage), doesn't break down as quickly, therefore you can stretch the changes. With the dirt from off road driving you probably don't want to stretch the changes though, so it might not be worth the added expense.

Be careful with blending, sometimes the additive package to the oils is incompatible.

Delo 400 is available about every where. Shell Rotella T is good too. I buy Delo 400 at Walmart when it is on sale, usually about $1.50 a quart or so.

What about the synthetic blends already out there? Will they have those same characteristics of the full synthetic stuff like better cold starts and taking longer to break down? If so, I may give that stuff a go because I found out it is not much more at all than regular oil.