DK Firearms

Synthetic motor oil?

The #1 community for Gun Owners in Texas

Member Benefits:

  • Fewer Ads!
  • Discuss all aspects of firearm ownership
  • Discuss anti-gun legislation
  • Buy, sell, and trade in the classified section
  • Chat with Local gun shops, ranges, trainers & other businesses
  • Discover free outdoor shooting areas
  • View up to date on firearm-related events
  • Share photos & video with other members
  • ...and so much more!
  • shellshook

    Member
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Sep 25, 2009
    53
    1
    Austin
    I just want to add that most of the problems I'm seeing with oil here in TX are sludged-up engines. Good synthetic is a lot more resistant to sludge than any dino every could be. Changing oil more often will help on most engines, but engines like the VW/Audi 1.8T and other over-stressed European car engines will sludge up with dino oil unless you change it weekly...

    Somewhere I remember reading about Pennsylvannia oils......Pennsoil and Quacker State, etc having a wax material base that caused buildup problem with the higher temps here in the warmer states. I was a certified master mechanic in an earlier life, did street rods and a lot of drag racing....everything was a heavy oil in those days (Valvoline, Marvel Mystery Oil, etc). Hot Rods never made it to 100K miles for other reasons, anyway. Have noted the change to very light oils and synthetics. Think the CNC tooling, machining, and controls are much superior, so the engines are much better fitted, and the engines last much longer.
    Gun Zone Deals
     

    dee

    Well-Known
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Nov 22, 2008
    2,468
    66
    Red River Way
    I think I'm going to keep using my castrol 5w-30 for now. I'm long over due right now, and I just need to get it changed. Any filters to stay away from?

    The really cheap filters are not that great I prefer Wix but thats just me.Also on most foreign cars its better to use their brand filters they just work better on some.
     

    TXchoctaw

    Member
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Mar 14, 2009
    130
    1
    Euless
    I run Mobil 1 in my Powerstroke. A little costly but in my opinion it's the best for protecting my $2,500. injectors. Motorcraft filters only.

    I haven't noticed anyone suggest a oil analysis if your going to run extended intervals. Blackstone can run these for you in the beginning, then you can determine what is the optimum mileage before a oil change.
     

    ZX9RCAM

    Over the Rainbow bridge...
    TGT Supporter
    Lifetime Member
    Rating - 100%
    2   0   0
    May 14, 2008
    59,737
    96
    The Woodlands, Tx.
    I run Mobil 1 in my Powerstroke. A little costly but in my opinion it's the best for protecting my $2,500. injectors. Motorcraft filters only.

    I haven't noticed anyone suggest a oil analysis if your going to run extended intervals. Blackstone can run these for you in the beginning, then you can determine what is the optimum mileage before a oil change.

    Pardon my ignorance as I know nothing about diesels, but what injectors are you talking about that your oil protects?
     

    rsayloriii

    TGT Addict
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    May 11, 2009
    3,314
    31
    H-Town, TX
    Fram is what I get most of the time.

    :banghead:

    NO NO NO for the love of the wee children NO. Fram is the worst that you can buy. If you really want a hands on experiment, get you an OEM filter and cut it open. Then buy the Fram equivalent. No comparison. Most OEM use metal end caps on the filter media. Fram uses cardboard. Freaking cardboard. It just goes on. Seriously, I'd run without a filter before I ran a Fram.
     

    Hawghauler

    Active Member
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Oct 5, 2009
    638
    21
    Idaho
    Wix are great filters. I have been a part of multiple oil and filter debates and I have seen them get emotional to the point of fanaticism. I have used both dino oil and synthetic and have come to the conclusion that when kept changed and clean you should be safe with most name brands and types. I use Castrol primarily and use the synthetic in extreme temperatures both low and high. Mobil 1 is superb and makes a great V-Twin oil too. I have also seen Mobil 1 used as gun oil. Quaker State had mislabeled oil in the 70's that caused many engines to seize at below freezing temperture and that gave them a big black eye. QS also seemed to leave more sludge in the pan than other oils.
     

    ROGER4314

    Been Called "Flash" Since I Was A Kid!
    Rating - 100%
    1   0   0
    Jul 11, 2009
    10,444
    66
    East Houston
    Neat posts. I learned a lot. Perhaps I can share some things I've learned over the years.

    It's true in most cases that the oil doesn't break down and that the additives wear out instead. Unfortunately, wearing out of the oil or additives is not the biggest problem. I tested aircraft system oils for McDonnell Douglas for 5 1/2 years. What we found was that it's not the oil that is the problem, it's the crap that gets INTO the oil that is the biggest issue.

    We tested oil for viscosity, acid number and particle count. The tests were so stringent that if you TOUCHED the top of the sample bottle or inside of the cap, the sample would fail the particle count test. The next time you add oil from an open container or use a cruddy funnel, you might think about that oil contamination.

    Water is a natural byproduct of combustion and that stuff will enter the oil no matter what you do to prevent it. Taking long highway trips will help to vaporize the water but eventually, you need to dump the oil to get rid of it.

    There is only one way to get the garbage out of the oil. Change the oil and the filters.

    Please also be aware that auto filters are shunt systems. Only a part of the oil actually goes through the filter. It's like a side system and not full flow filtration. The filter systems have bypass check valves in them and if the filter clogs, the oil zips right around the obstructed filter. I always laughed when someone told me he never changed his filter and it ran just fine. Of course it ran fine! The filter system was in full bypass and the filter was out of the picture!

    At the aircraft plant, Mil-h-5606 red oil (very similar to auto trans oil) for the military aircraft, ran $8 per gallon. Skydrol and Hijet synthetic oils for the commercial jets ran $35 per gallon at that time. Filter banks had 10-15 large cartridge filters in each of several filter enclosures. We dumped hundreds of gallons of both oils and countless filter cartridges over failed oil samples!

    In another job, I tested gearboxes on a dyno. We increased the load on the gearbox while monitoring temperature, vibration with regular inspection for wear. I saw these gearboxes run and run regardless of load almost indefinitely as long as the oil temperature remained reasonable. (It varied for the weight of the oil). It was amazing to see that reliable gearbox that seemingly ran forever crater violently with the addition of 10 degrees F in oil temp! That's all it took.....10 degrees! Each oil breaks down at it's own unique temperature. If you stay 10 degrees below that point, you get along pretty well. Above that.......................Kaboom!

    Summed up:
    If you drive in a way that the oil is easily contaminated (short trips, dusty environment etc), then dump the oil pretty regularly. Make sure the engine stays within it's operating temperature range. Just a small amount of additional heat could crater the mill.

    Flash
     

    M. Sage

    TGT Addict
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Jan 21, 2009
    16,298
    21
    San Antonio
    Many of the newer engines with canister filters (hello, again 1960's) don't bypass the filter, and I can tell you that BMW engines from the late-90s and early 00s don't have a bypass in the filter assembly. Plug the filter element and you get no oil pressure.

    Cheap oil is a big no-no in those cars, so are cheap filters.
     

    ROGER4314

    Been Called "Flash" Since I Was A Kid!
    Rating - 100%
    1   0   0
    Jul 11, 2009
    10,444
    66
    East Houston
    Many of the newer engines with canister filters (hello, again 1960's) don't bypass the filter, and I can tell you that BMW engines from the late-90s and early 00s don't have a bypass in the filter assembly. Plug the filter element and you get no oil pressure.

    You got me there. Never worked on a Beemer. I will say that the vast majority of American cars are shunt oil filter systems which for decades had the bypass valve built into the oil filter screw on base. I understand some of the later ones had the check valve built into the filters. Millions of them are running around!

    "Nothing is ever ALWAYS" as I was taught. There are bound to be exceptions. Consequently, I'll amend what I wrote to say " The vast majority of US automotive lubrication systems for the last 50 years have been shunt type systems in which only part of the oil is filtered in a side filtration flow system. Most of these vehicles have filter bypass check valves which will bypass the filter if it becomes clogged. You will never know if the bypass valve is open! The only way to prevent the oil from bypassing is to change the filter regularly so it doesn't become clogged."

    Flash
     

    M. Sage

    TGT Addict
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Jan 21, 2009
    16,298
    21
    San Antonio
    Just trying to share what info I've got. I get to work on just about everything.

    I've literally got a lawnmower torn apart next to an 03 330Ci convertible.
     
    Top Bottom