I used to be in charge of a large haulage fleet running heavy trucks,we used to use sae30 in summer and sae20 in winter,one of the engines failed and seized up the crankshaft,we put that down to oil pump failure. A Chemist came in from Shell at the Bosses request and we discussed this multigrade thing at length with regards to thick and thinner oils which made me think about things in a different way. I was always in favour of thicker oils to maintain oil pressure at running temperatures,he explained to me that thinner oils flow easier at low temperatures so lubricate better when the engine needs it most at cold starts,he also said that engine oil was not just for lubrication it’s was there to cool the moving parts by keeping the friction between them to a minimum. A thin oil will pump round the engine quicker than a thick oil so the more oil circulating the more cooling is taking place even if the oil pressure isn’t quite as high,he convinced me and the boss and we changed to 10w30 in winter and 15w40 in summer, some of our engines went on to do over 1-5 million miles without any problems so I think he proved his point.
"he also said that engine oil was not just for lubrication it’s was there to cool the moving parts by keeping the friction between them to a minimum". lmfao he literally said "its not just there for lubrication" and then proceeded to just explain what lubrication is. cooling parts by reducing friction is like a core part of the definition of lubrication.
@@realyopikechannel You're being too literal. Yes, "lubrication" does involve cooling because you're reducing the heat of friction, like you said. But he was referring to the popular meaning of lubrication, which is how the general public understands it -- that lubrication is simply to reduce contact between surfaces.
@@realyopikechannel yes but it literally cools the metal because it's just like a radiator. The oil flows through cooler parts of the motor and brings the temperature to a uniform amount. It also cools the piston and cylinder wall.
I had a customer who was a mechanical engineer, although not in the automotive industry. He was very meticulous and studied everything. He bought a used '85 Lincoln Town Car with a F.I. 5.0 liter. It used a lot of oil but had no visible leaks. He was sold on synthetic oil and it's improved detergents. He changed to Mobil 1 and then after 500 miles changed again and then after 500 more miles changed again. After each change his oil consumption dropped and continued to drop. After the 3rd change he ran the oil for 5000 miles and changed it at that point there after. It had very minimal oil consumption after that, approximately 1 quart between oil changes. The car had about 70k miles on it when he originally purchased it and it had about 130k when I met him and took over as his mechanic. I know the car had been owned by an elderly couple before he purchased it so I assume many years of low engine speeds and probably poor maintenance had resulted in carboned up rings but the fact that using regular Mobil 1 cleaned the engine up so fast was pretty impressive.
Thanks for sharing. Just curious, do you remember what sae grade of oil he used in that car?, perhaps 0w40? Since it has an overall better base stock than a 5w30 semi synthetic or a 15w40 mineral oil group 2 with low quality detergent components?
Hey I read my owner's manual, looked at my oil cap, and asked a service technician what oil my car needs, but I haven't found my answer on Facebook yet. What oil does my car need?
I had two motorcycles which were two cycles. I used synthetics to eliminate exhaust smoke. The synthetics also eliminated the carbon deposits on the piston crown.
dear Anthony, and what are you thinking about that? Would honestly interest me. I'm 50 years old and I think it's different from engine to engine. Same thing is with 'oil change' in older gears or rear diffs. greetings from Switzerland Marcel 👋😉🇨🇭 PS: sorry Sir for my strange English. My native language is German/ Swiss-german.
Def not a myth. I've been wrenching on cars for 40 years, full shop with a lift so I would consider myself a pretty advanced DIY guy. I had a Lexus LS400 with about 100k miles on it and always had conventional oil changes. I decided to switch to synthetic and parked the car for about 5 days after a change. I walked out to a huge puddle of oil from the RMS. The car didn't leak a drop prior to the switch. As a hail mary, I immediately changed BACK to conventional oil and within 100 miles it was back to bone dry. I put another 100k miles on it before I sold it and oil never hit the ground again. I am 100% in favor of synthetic oil and use it in all my cars. BUT, those cars have always run it from the factory. I would never do a switch again on a car that has used conventional oil for 10's of thousands of miles.
Hasn't anyone noticed that most oil companies have quietly switched to synthetic blends?? It seems harder to find straight up conventional oil anymore.
One thing you missed: Regarding high mileage oils, they usually have higher concentrations of detergents and dispersants than "low mileage" oils, in addition to seal conditioners. This is intended to gradually clean the engine over time, rather than using a "flush" which can clear buildup quickly enough to clog filters, screens or orifices.
I was going to ask about the flushing of an old high mileage car. I heard it shouldn't be done as it can cause damage bc of the debris and sludge clogging and getting moved into areas it shouldn't be. I was wondering if I should use a high mileage oil, but I feel better about it now as you pointed out the differences between that and flushing.
I've been using Mobile1 since I bought my '04 F250. Now has 342K and I often don't change oil for 10K - 15K miles. Of, course I pray for protection also.
I've driven nearly a million miles between 5 different cars all older than 2002 (delivery driver) using only Mobil 1 synthetic for the last 16 years and I've never once had an oil related problem. I change it about every 8k miles.
@Darren Munsell When I was a tech for GM I'd see people change their oil going off the oil change maintenance life and come in for their first oil change at 20k miles once it finally hit 0% with an engine that looked like an 80 year old smokers room after taking the oil cap off.
@@CloroxGodThe1st that's exactly what I don't understand. A lot of money is being spent, but there is savings on maintenance. I had exactly this problem with my used car when I bought it. because it had only a low mileage, i thought the engine would be in good shape, at least i thought ... the previous owners were using cheap engine oil with the wrong viscosity. in combination with high change intervals and short-distance operation, that messed up the engine. only with many oil changes within a very short time and the use of engine cleaners has the oil consumption sunk to a level that is hardly measurable. i was very lucky.
As long as your engine isn't burning alot of oil due to poor maintenance. Increasing the viscosity can help. The bottom line is to decide if the synthetic oil is actually worth the extra cost. More frequent oil changes can never be a waste of money or time if the engine is only driven for short runs or non freeway use. Freeway driven miles, in my opinion is better for the engine. The engine has a better chance to burn off the accumulated contamination like carbon and sulfur.
You’re living in the 80s brother. Use the recommended oil thickness, and it is wasteful, modern oil is good for at least 5k miles. If you’re changing convential at 3k under most workloads you’re wasting money
I've been using synthetics in old cars ever since Mobil One was first available to me in 1976. Never had a problem. Haven't had any mechanical engine failures, either. It was a great advancement in motor oils, and proved that thin oils can lubricate just as well as thick ones.
Doesent work well om early turbo vehicles they always had very light leaks ..drips the synthetics..fly right through..and remember that graphite oli back in 70s...fouled up plugs and valves
I'm a dealership mechanic and we often have customers do stuff like that. Had a customer with a 2018 RAV4 who insisted we used 5W30 because his previous RAV4 ran 5W30 and it's $5 cheaper than the 0W20 synthetic Toyota recommends. Very common for customers to challenge us and "know more" than the guys who wrench on these everyday.
They would be idiots for that in an 87 truck. The TBI-V8 had tight play and the metal was hard. anyting over 10W is hindering the oil reaching where it needs to be.
Coworker of mine looked up online what oil was needed for his 4cyl Escape and he found 10w40. I opened his hood and pointed to the oil cap which read 5w30. I told him to always look at the cap, never look it up. Now, we did his oil change with the heavier oil anyway because when he got it from his uncle, it had been sitting for a couple of years and I told him it would be ok to run it for a couple of months during the summer just to make sure everything is flushed out, but that we were going to have to do another oil change before winter because it could cause problems. He doesn't drive it more than a few miles at a time within town and not for very long, but I told him that if it doesn't get replaced before winter, it'll be harder starting and will kill his gas mileage. So, he learned a lesson.
Valvoline full synthetic I've used since I bought my car and change it every 3000 miles and it's never dirty or broke down .Great stuff ! I use Valvoline full synthetic 5w30.Also use Toro full synthetic in my tractor , mower , power washer , snow blower .
I use AmsOil in my 79 Continental, 86 Grand Marquis and 86 F-250. All are getting old, and all of them run GREAT on high end synthetic. If anything, it has greatly reduced oil burning and leaking.
@@mercury0214 And if that gunk blocks oil getting to where it's really needed and it dies even sooner? Fix the real problem - the seals, before you destroy the whole engine! A stitch in time saves nine!
That's why oil filters exist. They go bad before the oil does. If you're dropping synthetic oil at 4k or 5k, you're wasting good oil. Only change the oil filter at 5k and replace the oil that's lost from replacing it.
You tell tell them. This guy doesn't tell the whole story! I had a two flat tappet jeep one got over 400000k on it !the second just over a 100k ! Found out the U.S. government had oil companies change their formula for fuel economy .this new formula oil is find for roller motors but not flat hydraulic cams! Why this information isn't main stream news is beyond me! Thanks A lot you all good for nothing left . While it cost me thousands!!!
@@Roadking556 IMO because rollers started being mainstream in the mid 80s, and the number of 40+ y/o cars out there is low. If its a built motor you should know what is needed.
Just for informational reasons. If your oil light flickers and the oil level is okay check the oil psi sensor before switching to a higher viscosity oil. I have found this issue on several vehicals.
Exactly. I have found that most of the time a warning popping up on a control panel usually means that a switch or sensor is faulty. I thought these things are meant to warn you of a pending mechanical problem, not be the problem themselves LOL ?!?!
Switching from conventional oil to synthetic caused leaks in a couple of old cars that I owned too. That is the main reason many people won't switch in older cars (70s-90s). In a newer car, I would only run Synthetic.
I ran synthetics in a 74' Chev pickup 350, 81' Dodge Mirada, no problems. Synthetics only leak if you have bad seals, synthetics have more detergents than conventional, so if sludge is keeping your engine from leaking, ya, it's a problem.
I was confidently rebuilding engines at 19 years old, and applaud your video - online with my experience - that synthetic is the way to go. The last bastion of fighting a thicker oil is variable valve timing mechanisms being knocked out of sync. And of course syn's are thinner than comparable standard oils.
My dad had been using conventional 10w-10 motor oil in his cars since at least 1960 so synthetic doesn’t have the corner of working in cars. As long as you don’t use heavier motor oil for a while and try to switch back thinner oil will continue to work fine. When heavy oil is used the clearances has to wear before the heavy oil will circulate where the thin oil had no problem.
@joe pimental who the heck taught you about oil? A viscosity weight oil is no different on conventional or synthetic. You obviously don't know what your talking about.
joe, I think you're addressin two issues, as the video did. That 1) sythetics are good, and (2) (not as clear) that the thicker oil argument (also a tangent in the video, not specific to synthetics) is also a concern for VVT. I don't work on others' cars but I do review many, and I've seen the issues you're alluding to, I think. Timing chains/tensioners too. Stay in spec...
Mobil 1 Full Synthetic Oil is my favorite oil. I've used it on my Ford F-150 with a 3.7 L V-6 engine for 11 years and at around 149K miles the engine runs as well as when it was new. Thank you, Mobil 1 and Engineering Explained! 👍👍👍👍👍
From my own experience, when i changed from a mineral oil to a semi synthetic oil on an old hilux, i needed to change the filter after a couple of 1000 kilometers, it was full! Then I changed the oil and filter again after like 5000 kilometers, after that back to normal intervals.
Perhaps the most extreme example of burning oil might be my '53 Johnson Seahorse 2-stroke running on a gas oil mixture of 15-to-1! Using non-synthetic oil, I had to clean or change the spark plugs after about 10 hours of operation. Once I switched to synthetic oil (still using the 15:1 ratio), I never had to change the spark plugs again!!! This made such an impression on me that I started to use synthetic oil exclusively when I bought my '79 RX7, that burns crankcase oil by design to lubricate the rotor. In 23 years of driving, I got 320.000 miles on that engine and it was running fine and smoke-free when ! finally sold it for a larger car!
@@Stale_Mahoney Years (technically when the car was built, not how many years old it is) as well, as he addressed the matter of seals in old cars. And to comment on what the rest of you said: In a local old car club the constitution states 30 years. But there are a few old members who forgot about that change (and also don't realise that time is moving on), and they firmly believe anything after 1976 is new. In fact about 3 years ago (when my '87 Mazda 323 was 30) they actually told me in so many words that it will "never" be an old car!
@@johannkuhn5685 ohh jess veteran cars are to be considered 30+ quite funny how some oldtimers think nothing they considered new and fancy when they're veteran car became a veteran will ever be one xD a bit sad, my first car is a veteran 88 volvo 740 and in 3 years my daily will become as well (93 volvo 240) still popular for teenagers to be racing around in ;)
Thankfully new oils compensate by using higher levels of Boron, Molybdenum Disulfide, and Titanium Oxide, which is enough protection for new engines. But still not enough for flat tappet cam engines
Another old wives tale...quality synthetics have more than enough ZDDP for older engines. All you need is the proper viscosity to maintain correct oil pressure.
I have a jeep 4.0 and I recently read in the Jeep forums people saying these old flat tappet cams need sync or you'll ruin them. So guys run different diesel oils etc. I have been running supertech 5w-30 for years without a problem. Jeep has 212k miles.
ZDDP is the last line of defense when the oil film is displaced. Or so I am led to understand. And it’s fatal to modern catalytic converters. Bye-bye zinc additives at high levels like in the past.
High mileage oil has seal conditioners that recondition your old dried out seals. They also have different cleaners to remove old sludge.The engineers spent years developing these oils so use them.
They do nothing. You can try them if you have leaks, but I have had less leaks with Mobil 1 than any high mileage oils. Most of the time they're just a little more spendy and sometimes available in weights not commonly found in regular synthetics.
Thank you for explaining the history behind some of the reasons they initially got a bad rap. And why you would use different viscosities vs different additives, high mileage etc... great vid!
Don't know about high mileage oils BUT my 2000 Chevy 5.3 started lifter ticking on start up . Changed oil n filter @ 5 K with one quart trans fluid at 275 K . Now1500 miles later noise gone . ( It worked for me ) . Rick bruggner Miami fla .
Jason your videos are always top notch. I like them because I learn stuff, and you never over burden our ears with annoying music that so many others feel is needed---instead you give s more information than us "regular guys" can mentally absorb in one viewing. So I generally watch them more than once.
This is the first of this bloke's video's I've seen If the rest are of this standard I have something interesting & useful to look forward too Cheers Mate
Everything from a wristwatch to the Titanic should use the thinnest oil that will stay on the parts. You did OK with that car but a 0W-20 Camry oils its camshafts from above like rain from tiny holes in the cam cover. So the new light viscosity Lucas might stay glued to the parts better if you only drive it occasionally but I wouldn’t experiment beyond that.
I've just passed 300,000km in my car running Mobil1 since day 1, maybe it's time to switch to high mileage stuff as my consumption has reached 1L/1500km, although I found one of the two PCV ports under the throttle plate clogged which once un plugged seems to have reduced the consumption a bit. Still, no leaks, no visible smoke and no loss of performance at this mileage made the premium oil investment well worthwhile long term.
For me with my 1967 Wolseley Hornet I use a conventional, 20w50 blended specifically for classic engines. The A-series engine has larger tolerences so the thicker oil is recommended.
I switched to Mobil 1 full synthetic after my 97 Oldsmobile’s engine suffered a catastrophic failure at 122,000 miles. When the engine was replaced with a series III, I ran full syn ever since and my car runs and performs better now than it ever did ❤️
If you're suggesting that not using synthetic caused the engine to fail, I wouldn't be so sure about that. It may have been an engine defect or just a poorly engineered engine. Afterall it's GM. Too that end, it may have failed even with synthetic.
@@rkgsd nope! Not saying that at all! I actually had already switched the old engine to full syn before it failed, just not Mobil 1 brand. The car had sat for quite some time before I got my hands on it and that always conjures up a slew of issues. My dad always warned me about when vehicles hit that 100k mark, that’s when issues usually start cropping up. That’s why I always kinda crack up reading used car ads. “Low miles - 145k - $9000!” 😅Nah.
My brother recently bought a Daihatsu HiJet (one of those cool little mini trucks with the steering wheel on the right). Interestingly, the service manual contains a clear warning NOT to use higher viscosity oil than recommended as it will create a risk of damaging seals and gaskets due to over-pressurization, thus causing leaks.
Also, synthetics got their reputation for leaking from the very first ones. (I think Mobil was there too) They didn't even "look" like oil, but were a silvery/ graphite color and thin as water. Those even came with a notice on the can that you oil pressure light or gauge would flicker at idel and not to be concerned about it. "Your engine is still being properly lubricated" . Anyone else remember those?
I have 13 collector cars. Here's my thoughts on synthetic vs. conventional oils. A few notes: 1. In older cars, pre mid 70's, oil had Zinc added to it. This was to reduce valve & cam wear, etc. Any oil you use in older cars must have Zinc added to it cuz its no longer added to oil mixes. There's several brands on the market. I use STP ZDDP additive. 2. Older engines were prone to blow-by getting into the oil & then being sucked into the carberation system. Synthetic oils will carbon up faster in this process than conventional oils, in my experience. In older engines I stick to conventional oil. 3. Synthetic oils are less susceptible to "whipping & foaming" than conventional oils. This is good, esp at high rpms & hot engines temps. 4. Synthetic oils flow easier at cold temps than conventional oils. This is great for very cold climates.
@@FirstOnRaceDayCapri2904 You're half right: all oils have some ZDDP but in vanishingly low concentrations. All the major brands admit this. Older engines require higher levels to prevent, among other things, excessively fast tappet wear. Just google the topic and you'll see what I mean. Rislone, Amsoil, Valvoline and others all agree on this, as do engine builders and classic cars restorers like me.
@@paulmaxwell8851 Of course Rislone, Amsoil, and Valvoline agree. They know the zinc myth has created a market for more product to sell. They've probably done the same google search you did.
Fact is the API ZDDP content of today is exactly what it was in the 60's which was the hey day of flat tappet engine production. Yes, 800ppm ZDDP was the API standard for oils in the 1960's. Find yourself another talking point lol and learn how ZDDP actually operates. If you are "adding" anything to a established oil package you have just destroyed that product...proven time and again.
As a 3rd generation mechanic I always chose Valvoline in my fleet and use OEM agency filters ie Motorcraft Or AC and so on.. always use the appropriate API grade
I am running 40 weight in wifes 11 regal because GM screwed up on some those 2.4 engines and have bad seals. We did oil consumption tests at dealer and they acknowledged but car was too old and vin didn't match with cars GM identified that they would fix for free. Running the maxlife based on my friend who is a long time mechanic who has worked for Honda, Buick and mercedes. He said it should help cut down consumption and it has a little.
I had a an engine with 375k miles and it had some weak compression rings and would smoke a lot if it idled long but wouldn’t smoke if you just went on your way. It did consume about a quart of oil a week. It used enough oil for the last 3 years that I owned it I never changed the oil, in fact I put the used motor oil from my other vehicles in it that I removed from my other vehicles.
yeah my Integra with 373,000 miles gets about 1 quart added every 6 months. I change the oil on it once a year, because I drive it less than 5K miles per year. Been using Mobil1 0w-30 on it since way back in the mid-2000's, when it was in the mid-100k's on the odo.
In my experience trying to swell a seal to stop a leak may work but if you leave that sweller in there the seal may overswell and you’ve got the same problem again. So run the seal sweller for a while then change the oil maybe after a week.
Related to rotors - most synthethics has more additives and designed with a higher flash point = harder to burn and higher chance to have deposits. It sounds completely reasonable to not use, unless you find one with less ash \ flash point etc. I want to be mistaken in this but just don't see arguments saying otherwise.
I've been running Castrol Synthetic along with a zinc additive in my S10 since I got it with 141K on it. It now has over 320K miles on it and no issues.
My 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee, equipped with a 4.0l , has run Mobil1 10w30 since new, she now has 453,000 miles and still runs great, all original engine.
Mobil 1 high-mileage synthetic has saved 3 of my old vehicles by stopping minor leaks that would be too expensive for me to fix otherwise. One has been leak free for over a decade since I started using high mileage synthetic oil.
I had the same experience, but it was with Valvoline Maxlife initially. I've used about all the other hi-mileage oils and they all work well...synthetic or not.
FWIW, I’ve been using synthetic, usually Mobil 1, for about 15 years in my ‘91 RX7, which sees a lot of track use. It’s still on the original, unopened factory engine, with good compression at 170K kms, although an internal coolant seal has failed, so I’m finally going to have to crack the keg.
Decades ago my dealer asked me not to use synthetic in my Mazda RX-7 Rotary Engine. Mazda also had a sticker with the same statement under the hood. I was told that the rotary engine did not get hot enough for synthetic oil use in the 1990s. I moved a few times and multiple Mazda dealer service shops enforced high quality conventional oil for rotary engines as they ran cooler.
but older cars say anything 60s and older used thicker (and really terrible oil compared to todays) with 5w-30 the valves in my 63 rambler were making clacking and rattling noises, upgraded to 10w-50 and it quieted right down.
Thanks for the video! It made my decision easier. I have an old '99 suzuki car with moderate/high milage(at least about 170 000km) and I switched from part synthetic/hc synthase (10w-40) to a synthetic oil (5w-40). No problemes so far, car starts a bit easier. I didn't have any bad experience, just positive. I mainly switched due to extreme weather conditions in Europe (cold winter days, really hot summer days) and it should be cleaning and protecting the engine more effectively. at this age, it might be even more important. I rather go with a cheaper, but quality brand, but put synthetic from now on. Next time I'm thinking of trying a full synthetic of this grade.
Can’t see the logic in using semi synthetic oils because it’s a mixture of both mineral and synthetic which rather defeats the objective,it is of course your decision and if it works for you then no problem,I always use 0w40 in my 150,000 mile BMW X3 diesel and change it every Spring along with the filter,I only do about 6,000 miles a year so it’s probably a bit overkill really,the engine inside looks as though it’s just been assembled with NO sigh of sludging or carbon deposits anywhere,being a diesel mechanic this is very important to me, I’ve had dozens of diesels since my first one in 1985 and NEVER had any sort of engine problem so what I’m doing can’t be that bad, wouldn’t go back to Mineral or Semi Synthetic oils now after the success I’ve had over the years with fully synthetic.
I ran straight 60 weight (special request to a store manager) and I also thickened it up with Lucas Oil Stabilizer so I wouldn't have to keep my foot on the gas pedal at stop lights, until I decided to change the oil pressure switch. You could do almost anything to the older vehicles and you couldn't break them. Not so with the new ones.
@@lonniebeal6032 If US built cars are always breaking, then why does my '94 Thunderbird with the 4.6L engine and over 500k miles run so well? Very dependable, much more so than my friends' European and Asian vehicles that have far less mileage.
I like the synthetic blend High Mileage oils. My wife’s 2010 Chrysler town and country with a 3.8 liter V6 had a TSB on these engines were prone to consume a quart of oil between 700 to 1,100 miles from the factory. Our van already had 101,000 miles when we bought it. First time I used what the engine called for which was 5w20 and by the time it was due for change it used 2quarts of oil. I’ve tried many brands of 10w30 but no success. Finally I was suggested to use a High Mileage synthetic blend oil which was Castrol High Mileage synthetic blend 10w30. By the third oil change it reduced consumption in half and I’ve been sold ever since.
The majority of UK RX8 engine rebuilds come in the first 80k miles, so perhaps we never needed to worry about what oil we were putting in... You can clean the housing faces and rotors while it's in bits after all!
I had read somewhere a while back that someone had been using piston engine aircraft oil in a rotary engine as that oil is designed to be burnt whereas normal motor is not. No idea how true that is.
I became a synthetic oil user way back in 1982. I was introduced to Amsoil 2 cycle oil because I was having issues with a weed trimmer and chain saw. Switching to the Amsoil products instantly corrected my problem, so it was logical to try the 4 cycle oils that were available then. The results were dramatic and as Amsoil has moved onward and upward with their products, I have never stopped using them. I have kept detailed records of everything vehicle , and lawn equipment. For example: I owned a 1994 GMC truck with 4.3 liter. I had that truck for 14 years. I sold that truck in 2008 and it had over 210,000 miles on it. Everything had Amsoil synthetic lubricants. I can tell you that 2 years later the buyer called me stating that he continued using the same oils and the truck is still performing fantastically. I currently have a 2002 GMC Sierra with the 5.3 V8. currently has 145,950 miles on the odometer. Still has the same all around performance as when it was new. I also know that if you have a vehicle that always used conventional oils, and you are considering switching it to synthetic, there is a correct way to do that. I know this for a fact because I purchased a used vehicle for my son. I followed the Amsoil recommended procedure of implementation of switching to synthetic oil. That vehicle responded very well. My son drove that vehicle for several years. I have had many different situations with different engines types and makes and I can tell you that I am never going to ever use conventional lubricants. I can also say that Mobile 1 does NOT hold a candle to anything Amsoil has. And just in case you're wondering.... no I am not a dealer or distributer of Amsoil products. Just a 30+ year user and damn proud to say so.
Nearly all engine failure is down to used oil. A high price luxury brand mfg once tested their 12 cyl engine for 1 million miles equivalent by continously replacing the oil as it was being used, and it didnt stop running. Proper lubrication and lack of contaminants can keep engines running a very long time. The entire point of oils and lubricants is to provide a compressed "liquid" surface which both parts glide against. Like squeezing a gummi bear between your thumb and finger and rubbing it back and forth. In that scenario, your engine should NEVER wear. It wears because of particulates, dirt, metal shavings, whatever.
Been using Castrol GTX for years and years. My old truck on the farm has 284,884 miles with no major work. Had to install a new $117 alternator last month though.
They told me the same thing, use thicker oil and I did switched from the factory recommended 10/40 to 20/50. The engine started to rattle and vibrates (very similar to a bad engine mount), harsh cold start and slightly worse fuel economy. Switched back to the regular 10/40 and the engine back in shape immediately. Its debatable but from my personal experience ALWAYS stick to factory recommended viscosity.
I second the advice to stick to factory recommended params, but also, maybe you should have chosen 10W-50 instead of 20W-50. The first number is the cold viscosity, the second number is hot viscosity. 10W-50 is the logical choice for a thicker version of 10W-40.
Hey brother. I have always highly valued your education on these in depth subjects. During my time in the field I have personally seen vehicles that started leaking oil almost immedietly after switching to a full synthetic. At these times, we have found things like SOLID valve cover gaskets. which has turned to more of a plastic than a rubber. I have personally seen this take place, multiple times over my years in the field. lets say about half a dozen times. Can there be a situation we're not entirely covering? Could full synthetic FNISH OFF an already failing seal? This last vehicle,a subaru, LITERALLY was POURING out from the valve cover gasket(and I get that its sideways and gravity helps vs a horizontal valve cover) and I trully feel that their is something more to this discussion. This is the ONLY reson I have ever found to NOT "upgrade" to a full synthetic. Never learned it from anyone, and they didnt teach it in college, but my own personal experience tells me there is merit to the discussion. For the record were talking of course modern cars(say 1996 and newer) and oils. I get that debris being dislodged and the extra detergents COULD remove a leak stopping block, but I find it extremely difficult to believe that is what made the difference between a bone dry motor, and a day later a pouring oilfall. I would love to hear your thoughts on this in more detail. If you end up with the time, thank you ahead of time. Please keep up the excellent work.
Just came across this video today. I have a 2010 impala that had virtually no oil leaking. The last oil change or two I used a thinner synthetic (5w30) vs conventional 10w30, and it now has a quite a bit of leaking. I'm not sure it's caused by the synthetic aspect of the oil, but likely more the viscosity. I'll switch back to conventional on the next oil change and see if that changes anything.
@@johnsawatzky9380 i recommend going for a full synthetic 10w30 just to see if its the viscosity or the fact its synthetic. If it stops leaking while using full synthetic 10w30 then you know its the viscosity
@@johnsawatzky9380 Never change the viscosity on your vehicle, especially going to a thinner oil on an older vehicle. I suspect if you went to a similar weight synthetic it should stop the leak, theoretically speaking.
Older bikes can have clutch issues as the engine and transmission share oil. Pre 2000 and full synthetic can great slipping. You should use a good synthetic if you can. I have for 2 decades with no oil related issues on 4 cars.
Thanks for posting this. It contained quite a bit of useful information. Back in the OLD days, rear main seals were made of rope, and as time went on, those seals turned into almost like wood, and the sealing swelling issues failed, causing those seals to leak.
Olds also uses rope seals throughout ros and 80s .jags also has leather for a diff seal.maybe you heard of a seal company called cr seals C is Chicago r is Rawhide
All motor oils now have seal conditioner, both synthetic and non-synthetic and not just high mileage oils, which are slightly higher in viscosity. The one engine I remember higher viscosity oil fixing excessive oil consumption, is the old Ford Escort, that had crankcase ventilation issues. Just going from a 5W30 to a 10W30 oil, actually reduced oil consumption to an acceptable amount in those engines.
I had two vehicles in the late 80s (1981 Buick Regal, and 1984 Buick Rivera) that always had used conventional oil. I switched to Mobile1 synthetic in each one after I got the vehicles because I wanted to run the best oil I could. Both developed valve cover gasket oil leaks shortly thereafter. I know of multiple other guys who had the same problem. I think that it had to do with the age and type of gaskets used at that time ..... probably cork that were set and the smaller particles of the synthetic oil were able to penetrate and cause the leaks. This was only for the valve cover gaskets that leaked, everything else was fine. That was my thinking anyway. With that being said. I only use Mobile1 full synthetic now in all of my cars and there are no issues.
I have a Ford V10 with 190000 miles on it it seems to be running fine at this time but I'm thinking of running a high mileage oil, the manual calls for a 5w 20, I was thinking of going up to a 5w 30. High mileage oil any thoughts on that?
I've actually got an engine that suggests a thinner oil for the winter with a thicker oil for spring and if opperating in desert climates, even heavier oil so, yes there may be a valid reason to switch to a thicker/heavier oil even in a synthectic
@@opinionsvary What is your opinion? That supertech is BS? It's not, it's warren distribution SN+ and Dexos 2. That I didn't use it? Well, I do, it's only $14 something for 5 quarts. Nothing I said is untrue. If you don't like the oil, do you have a scientific reason why you don't like or do you just like Mobil 1 commercials?
A freshly honed cylinder has a visible basket weave pattern. Theses tiny scratches hold oil. When the cylinder is glass smooth, the pistons oil control ring does not work as well. Cast iron blocks and liners, due to carbon content, have intrinsic self lubrication ability. In addition, The machined material has oil retaining pores even w/o honing. CI is one of just a few materials that can run against itself without galling.....Usual set up is cast iron rings to run against CI block. All-aluminum blocks are of a peculiar alloy featuring hard silicone-aluminum particles. After machining, the cylinder bores are chemically etched. This removes soft aluminum, exposes the hard particles, and creates oil retaining pockets. Bear in mind the block’s cylinder surface oil retention features are microscopic. Hope it helps Cc
@@danbenson7587 etched chemically? You mean like a thin nikosil or ceramic type of coating applied with high heat to aluminum cylinders to harden them.
dennis rantanen Nickasil is one and sees wide use in snowmobile 2 cycles. I believe it is plasma spray...additive. With cars I think Nickasil is too slow & expensive, so they etch...reductive. Mercedes at one time used etch. Aluminum blocks with CI cylinder liners are most popular in auto engines. Cast Iron is just hard to beat. This, BTW, is on the ethereal edges of my knowledge. The central idea is the cylinder surface features retain oil. The piston and rings are intended to ski across the cylinder on an oil film that may be as thin as .0003”.
I use mobile syntetic oil on my 95 Corolla because a shop nearby have a great deal on this oil, I think there is no negatives in using an oil that has better viscosity on start up, so the oil comes to lubricate the parts faster. I live in a cold place ( Norway) and often 10-15 degrees below zero in winter time. I have seen videos of how slow ordinary oils run down a piece of wood in sub zero temperatures compared to syntetic oils, to me it is a no brainer... I use the most viscous oil that lubricates that cold engine fastest/best in those conditions. I don´t care if I have to put in a littlebit extra every 30 days. I have no leaks by the way, so for me it´s just a choice between mineral and syntetic. 317 000 km/197000 miles and still running good. I wonder when the clutch and exaust will have to be changed, because my car has only original parts. I realise that the corolla was "over designed" and that is the reason why areas like Afghanistan and other war ridden countries have huge amounts of corollas... they just go, and go, and go. And I think they will go a couple of years longer if you give them the best most advanced oil.
1990s Toyotas were the BEST mass-produced cars that were ever made in the history of cars. I own a 1993-1999 Model Toyota Celica 1.8 Litre petrol and mine has covered 224,000 Miles (360,500 km) It has never broken down or failed to start They were over-engineered cars the likes of which we will NEVER see again in a mass-produced car. I use Shell Helix HX7 5w-40 Semi-Synthetic Engine Oil when I change the oil ... However, I change the oil and oil filter every 6,000 Miles (9650 km) and it has been since the car was brand new. Sadly the body on my car is starting to corrode badly (They put salt on the roads here in the UK in the winter..It destroys the bodies on cars) the engine is still like a Swiss watch ..If I can get maybe another two Years out of this superb car ..I will be very happy.
Rotary Head here I am glad you touch base on the rotary engine in the end. I have been using synthetic oil since my '91 RX-7 Turbo II back in 91. Also in 93 RX-7 R1 and 07 RX-8. The only time I was told not to use synthetic oil was having mineral oil in the rotary engine long time and switching over. But I have always removed the original mineral oil from new and switched over to synthetic. I have also talked to a lot of rotary engine builders and all say the same. Again thank you for touching on the rotary engine and the myth about synthetic oil
I figured out a long time ago that running synthetic in my vintage motorcycles led to oil weeping through the gaskets (not seals). Same viscosity, but synthetic will always weep. Not saying it’s bad, but it certainly weeps through the gaskets more than conventional oil.
Your gaskets were bad, I ran Supertech full synthetic in a 74' Chev 350cu truck, 81' Dogde Mirada, 94' Accord and Camry, no leaks. And still run any synthetic I can get on sale in my current cars.
@@lonniebeal6032 One of the first bikes I noticed this on was a vintage Moto Guzzi. The bike has two gaskets on each side of a spacer when you drop the pan. You change the gaskets each oil change (oil filter actually is inside the pan). When I run identical weight of oil, synthetic always weeps a bit through the gaskets, conventional does not. Not much, but it definitely weeps. I’ve noticed the same on several other bikes. I can only tell you my personal experiences. Synthetic is superior in every way to conventional, but it does weep in some instances. Keep in mind that not all engines are designed the same and may not put a paper gasket anywhere in an engine.
if were to switch from 5-30 to 10-30 with leaks, believe me, there IS a substantial difference. In my experience, the engine leaked almost half as much less. With temperature and heat cycles considered, this is easy to understand.
That is weird because the 10w30 has the same viscosity when warm as the 5W30... if you want a higher viscosity lubricant you need a higher second number
I started using Mobile 1 High Mileage synthetic in a '92 Astro I had with about 85k miles a few years ago. It really helped with the dry valve seals from how much that old beast sat around. The puff of smoke on startup got much lighter. Sold that van for too little money due to 'rona and needing money. :(
hey I'm driving my grandpa's old 94 safari and fixing it up, it used to run cheap bulk regular 5w-30 and when i checked the oil at 5k km's since the last ouk change it was 2 liters low and black as hell!
i bought some Liqui Moly semi synthetic 10w40 with their MoS2 molybdenum additive and it made a huge difference, in 6k kilometers it's oil consumption had slowed substantially to only about 3/4 of a liter over the 6k interval and last drain got all kinds nasty carbon and muck out, doing the next oil change in 4k to keep things cleaner inside :)
@@snoofayy6150 Dude I sold the van to got sammiched at a red light recently. He was sore but fine, but the doors (all of them) stopped being doors so Big Bertha went to the pick-n-pull in the sky. :( So now there's a low mileage (less than 100k) nearly 30 year old engine and transmission in a junkyard somewhere.
No Discussion of ZDDP and Flat Tappet cams! Mobile 1 publishes the amounts in their oils. 20w-50, Euro, and High Mileage have the highest amounts. Remember that the oil spec for older cars does not appear in modern oils - they DO NOT meet those specs. And if you go way, way back to the times of non-detergent oil and engines that did not have full-flow oil filters (they sometimes had OPTIONAL by-pass filters that slowly filtered oil from a small passage usually around the cam or distributor) you have a big problem: Detergent oils kept dirt in suspension so the filter could remove it. This is not present in old engines where dirt in oil would settle and accumulate in the bottom of the oil pan. All that muck and sludge in the bottom of pans would have been kept running through the bearings if detergent oil was used. Now the irony of all this is that the obsolete bypass oil filter could also be used on modern engines to remove 5 micron and less particles. The full flow would take care of the big stuff while the bypass filter would slowly accumulate the small stuff that would clog the full flow filter if it had media that fine.
Engines do last for ever if you take good care of it by keeping a closer eye on using a Full Synthetic oil and making sure that your Engine coolant is keeping it running cooler.
I was really hoping you'd make a comment about the requirement for zinc additive in older flat tappet engines, and how this applies to synthetic oils etc.... any thoughts?
Funny. I had a Harley-Davidson (2004) one of the early twin cams. HD highly discouraged the use of synthetic because it may cause Cam bearing "skate" that may cause flat spots on the ball bearings used for the cams. I used synthetic anyway and never had a problem. Well two years later HD came out with their own HD branded synthetic oil designed for HD twin cam engines. At that time I was working in the Environmental Management field and I had access to the HMIS (Hazardous Material Information System) where I had access to proprietary information for just about every produce that had a MSDS (SDS). What I learned was the HD oil was made by a well known oil company and there was no difference between the HD branded oil and the oil company's branded oil.
I used to be in charge of a large haulage fleet running heavy trucks,we used to use sae30 in summer and sae20 in winter,one of the engines failed and seized up the crankshaft,we put that down to oil pump failure. A Chemist came in from Shell at the Bosses request and we discussed this multigrade thing at length with regards to thick and thinner oils which made me think about things in a different way. I was always in favour of thicker oils to maintain oil pressure at running temperatures,he explained to me that thinner oils flow easier at low temperatures so lubricate better when the engine needs it most at cold starts,he also said that engine oil was not just for lubrication it’s was there to cool the moving parts by keeping the friction between them to a minimum. A thin oil will pump round the engine quicker than a thick oil so the more oil circulating the more cooling is taking place even if the oil pressure isn’t quite as high,he convinced me and the boss and we changed to 10w30 in winter and 15w40 in summer, some of our engines went on to do over 1-5 million miles without any problems so I think he proved his point.
"he also said that engine oil was not just for lubrication it’s was there to cool the moving parts by keeping the friction between them to a minimum".
lmfao he literally said "its not just there for lubrication" and then proceeded to just explain what lubrication is. cooling parts by reducing friction is like a core part of the definition of lubrication.
@@realyopikechannel You're being too literal. Yes, "lubrication" does involve cooling because you're reducing the heat of friction, like you said. But he was referring to the popular meaning of lubrication, which is how the general public understands it -- that lubrication is simply to reduce contact between surfaces.
Great example! Made me shift the way I think about lubrication.
Just curious were those company cars a ford e series? Hahahaha
@@realyopikechannel yes but it literally cools the metal because it's just like a radiator. The oil flows through cooler parts of the motor and brings the temperature to a uniform amount. It also cools the piston and cylinder wall.
So these are the essential oils I’ve been hearing about
and the only useful crystals are in radios and clocks
Lavender purple please
Send me a message and I can set you up as your own work from home boss and distributor....... Grow your network today! LOL
No no that's Amsoil
Haha, yeahhhh
I had a customer who was a mechanical engineer, although not in the automotive industry. He was very meticulous and studied everything. He bought a used '85 Lincoln Town Car with a F.I. 5.0 liter. It used a lot of oil but had no visible leaks. He was sold on synthetic oil and it's improved detergents. He changed to Mobil 1 and then after 500 miles changed again and then after 500 more miles changed again. After each change his oil consumption dropped and continued to drop. After the 3rd change he ran the oil for 5000 miles and changed it at that point there after. It had very minimal oil consumption after that, approximately 1 quart between oil changes. The car had about 70k miles on it when he originally purchased it and it had about 130k when I met him and took over as his mechanic. I know the car had been owned by an elderly couple before he purchased it so I assume many years of low engine speeds and probably poor maintenance had resulted in carboned up rings but the fact that using regular Mobil 1 cleaned the engine up so fast was pretty impressive.
Thanks for sharing. Just curious, do you remember what sae grade of oil he used in that car?, perhaps 0w40? Since it has an overall better base stock than a 5w30 semi synthetic or a 15w40 mineral oil group 2 with low quality detergent components?
That's the opposite of most people's experience; my consumption went way up on synthetic
Quel grade ?
5w30 , 10w40 , ... ?
Instead of such repeated changes, he could simply have used engine oil flush that would have done the trick in a single oil change
@@shrujanamsyama9940 That will clog the oil pump screen, not a good idea.
This video is going to get a lot of views once people start linking it in forums for the weekly "what oil do I need" question
Hey my truck needs 10w40 but I have 250 galloms of -20w80 can I use it?
@@Ayeitsscott i think...you should run to your glovebox and check it out
Lol facts
Obvious answer is extra virgin olive oil, duh
Hey I read my owner's manual, looked at my oil cap, and asked a service technician what oil my car needs, but I haven't found my answer on Facebook yet. What oil does my car need?
I only put the purest olive oil in cars
Italian identified
I like your style, Dude
Extra virgin baby!! Lol
Double virgin Royal Purple?
🙄
I had two motorcycles which were two cycles. I used synthetics to eliminate exhaust smoke. The synthetics also eliminated the carbon deposits on the piston crown.
That's what people do to pass the smog test of an engine that smoked they would put synthetic oil in which doesn't burn blue 🔵
on those 2 strokes carbon can be holding together some things will fail after switching.
@@southpark159753If that were true, then wouldn't a new engine with zero build-up fail?
This video has been needed for a long time, I’ve been fighting this myth for 40 years of my 45 years as a mechanic and shop owner
dear Anthony,
and what are you thinking about that?
Would honestly interest me.
I'm 50 years old and I think it's different from engine to engine.
Same thing is with 'oil change' in older gears or rear diffs.
greetings from Switzerland
Marcel 👋😉🇨🇭
PS:
sorry Sir for my strange English.
My native language is German/ Swiss-german.
Same here.
Def not a myth. I've been wrenching on cars for 40 years, full shop with a lift so I would consider myself a pretty advanced DIY guy. I had a Lexus LS400 with about 100k miles on it and always had conventional oil changes. I decided to switch to synthetic and parked the car for about 5 days after a change. I walked out to a huge puddle of oil from the RMS. The car didn't leak a drop prior to the switch. As a hail mary, I immediately changed BACK to conventional oil and within 100 miles it was back to bone dry. I put another 100k miles on it before I sold it and oil never hit the ground again. I am 100% in favor of synthetic oil and use it in all my cars. BUT, those cars have always run it from the factory. I would never do a switch again on a car that has used conventional oil for 10's of thousands of miles.
@@tombiondi9969 YOU NEEDED much heavier sythn. Oil! We use 15 W 4O
@@captainamericaamerica8090 why? It used 5w30. That's a terrible idea. I shouldn't have to change viscosity so it doesn't leak.
Hasn't anyone noticed that most oil companies have quietly switched to synthetic blends?? It seems harder to find straight up conventional oil anymore.
Meijer sells conventional oil
@@austinsnider5836 I gave up trying to find it at Walmart but they did have a hybrid version at the same price so I bought it for my S-10.
why would you use out dated oil??
Because everything I do is "outdated"....My cars and old school heavy metal
@@robs1852 Old cars are easier to work on..
One thing you missed:
Regarding high mileage oils, they usually have higher concentrations of detergents and dispersants than "low mileage" oils, in addition to seal conditioners. This is intended to gradually clean the engine over time, rather than using a "flush" which can clear buildup quickly enough to clog filters, screens or orifices.
had a girl that ran great, then we got married, and she got all clogged up, guess she must have used the wrong oil
@@thunderbird97 sounds like a bit of contamination might have gotten in her
@@thunderbird97 sounds like it’s time to give her a service.
I was going to ask about the flushing of an old high mileage car. I heard it shouldn't be done as it can cause damage bc of the debris and sludge clogging and getting moved into areas it shouldn't be. I was wondering if I should use a high mileage oil, but I feel better about it now as you pointed out the differences between that and flushing.
You got that from Google and copy/paste huh. L 😒😒
I've been using Mobile1 since I bought my '04 F250. Now has 342K and I often don't change oil for 10K - 15K miles. Of, course I pray for protection also.
I've driven nearly a million miles between 5 different cars all older than 2002 (delivery driver) using only Mobil 1 synthetic for the last 16 years and I've never once had an oil related problem. I change it about every 8k miles.
Nice try Mobil 1 representative!
@Darren Munsell When I was a tech for GM I'd see people change their oil going off the oil change maintenance life and come in for their first oil change at 20k miles once it finally hit 0% with an engine that looked like an 80 year old smokers room after taking the oil cap off.
@@watersauce3998 amazes me how people will spend thousands on a new car and not take care of it.
@@CloroxGodThe1st that's exactly what I don't understand. A lot of money is being spent, but there is savings on maintenance. I had exactly this problem with my used car when I bought it. because it had only a low mileage, i thought the engine would be in good shape, at least i thought ... the previous owners were using cheap engine oil with the wrong viscosity. in combination with high change intervals and short-distance operation, that messed up the engine. only with many oil changes within a very short time and the use of engine cleaners has the oil consumption sunk to a level that is hardly measurable. i was very lucky.
Thats good! But you change the oil ! Theres the magic with oils and engines ,you change the oil when its time. 👏
As long as your engine isn't burning alot of oil due to poor maintenance. Increasing the viscosity can help. The bottom line is to decide if the synthetic oil is actually worth the extra cost. More frequent oil changes can never be a waste of money or time if the engine is only driven for short runs or non freeway use. Freeway driven miles, in my opinion is better for the engine. The engine has a better chance to burn off the accumulated contamination like carbon and sulfur.
dont forget water
You’re living in the 80s brother. Use the recommended oil thickness, and it is wasteful, modern oil is good for at least 5k miles. If you’re changing convential at 3k under most workloads you’re wasting money
I've been using synthetics in old cars ever since Mobil One was first available to me in 1976. Never had a problem. Haven't had any mechanical engine failures, either. It was a great advancement in motor oils, and proved that thin oils can lubricate just as well as thick ones.
provided it had enough additives.
@@humansvd3269 ALL motor oils have 'additives'.
D.E.B. B You're wise beyond your years.
Mobile 1 Forever.
Doesent work well om early turbo vehicles they always had very light leaks ..drips the synthetics..fly right through..and remember that graphite oli back in 70s...fouled up plugs and valves
That’s all the evidence I need , oh while I have you here what’s your take on earth , round or flat . I await your findings
I hated dealing with old farts at Autozone that would run 20w50 in their 2015 Corolla because “that’s what I ran in my 87 Chevy truck”
And that's why their gas mileage is trashed.
I'm a dealership mechanic and we often have customers do stuff like that. Had a customer with a 2018 RAV4 who insisted we used 5W30 because his previous RAV4 ran 5W30 and it's $5 cheaper than the 0W20 synthetic Toyota recommends. Very common for customers to challenge us and "know more" than the guys who wrench on these everyday.
They would be idiots for that in an 87 truck. The TBI-V8 had tight play and the metal was hard. anyting over 10W is hindering the oil reaching where it needs to be.
Coworker of mine looked up online what oil was needed for his 4cyl Escape and he found 10w40. I opened his hood and pointed to the oil cap which read 5w30. I told him to always look at the cap, never look it up. Now, we did his oil change with the heavier oil anyway because when he got it from his uncle, it had been sitting for a couple of years and I told him it would be ok to run it for a couple of months during the summer just to make sure everything is flushed out, but that we were going to have to do another oil change before winter because it could cause problems. He doesn't drive it more than a few miles at a time within town and not for very long, but I told him that if it doesn't get replaced before winter, it'll be harder starting and will kill his gas mileage. So, he learned a lesson.
@@impalaSS65 Not after 200k miles lol...
Valvoline full synthetic I've used since I bought my car and change it every 3000 miles and it's never dirty or broke down .Great stuff ! I use Valvoline full synthetic 5w30.Also use Toro full synthetic in my tractor , mower , power washer , snow blower .
Valvoline is the best!
I use AmsOil in my 79 Continental, 86 Grand Marquis and 86 F-250. All are getting old, and all of them run GREAT on high end synthetic. If anything, it has greatly reduced oil burning and leaking.
The leaks were there already, synthetic just allowed the hidden to be apparent.
Sometimes I just want it to stay hidden
@@evilkillerwhale7078 that way, your engine will die sooner. Great thought.
@@R4M_Tommy no it won’t lol if gunk is holding that oil in let it!
@@mercury0214 And if that gunk blocks oil getting to where it's really needed and it dies even sooner? Fix the real problem - the seals, before you destroy the whole engine! A stitch in time saves nine!
@@ValkyrieStarTV oil leaks outside your engine big Brain how is gunk on the outside gonna clog your engine you mong?
I think another issue is the longer oil change interval. Whether conventional or synthetic more frequent oil changes help.
That's why oil filters exist. They go bad before the oil does. If you're dropping synthetic oil at 4k or 5k, you're wasting good oil. Only change the oil filter at 5k and replace the oil that's lost from replacing it.
100% agree, clean cheap oil is better that dirty expensive oil.
Agreed
My dad ran the section at Mobil that developed Mobil 1 if you are interested in doing another video on the topic that goes even further in depth.
Would love to see your dad addressing some frequently asked questions
He needs to see this
Show your dad this vid maybe he can send him an email and they can collab
Very cool!
Well, I guess he must be 100 years old by now.
You haven't addressed the need for ZDDP in "old" engines, those with flat tappet cams. Much more important than leaking seals.
Yes would be helpful
i was waiting for him to talk flat tappet high spring pressure cars, didn't happen
You tell tell them. This guy doesn't tell the whole story! I had a two flat tappet jeep one got over 400000k on it !the second just over a 100k ! Found out the U.S. government had oil companies change their formula for fuel economy .this new formula oil is find for roller motors but not flat hydraulic cams! Why this information isn't main stream news is beyond me! Thanks A lot you all good for nothing left .
While it cost me thousands!!!
Reg Fake thanks!!
@@Roadking556 IMO because rollers started being mainstream in the mid 80s, and the number of 40+ y/o cars out there is low. If its a built motor you should know what is needed.
Just for informational reasons. If your oil light flickers and the oil level is okay check the oil psi sensor before switching to a higher viscosity oil. I have found this issue on several vehicals.
*vehicles
Exactly. I have found that most of the time a warning popping up on a control panel usually means that a switch or sensor is faulty.
I thought these things are meant to warn you of a pending mechanical problem, not be the problem themselves LOL ?!?!
Switching from conventional oil to synthetic caused leaks in a couple of old cars that I owned too. That is the main reason many people won't switch in older cars (70s-90s). In a newer car, I would only run Synthetic.
I ran synthetics in a 74' Chev pickup 350, 81' Dodge Mirada, no problems. Synthetics only leak if you have bad seals, synthetics have more detergents than conventional, so if sludge is keeping your engine from leaking, ya, it's a problem.
Try Lucas oil stabilizer to help slow the leaks . It also helps to minimize dry starts by staying on the piston walls
@@lonniebeal6032
nice! using 5w40 100% synt in a old chevrolet 153 (2.5 L4) engine. smooth and clean.
I was confidently rebuilding engines at 19 years old, and applaud your video - online with my experience - that synthetic is the way to go. The last bastion of fighting a thicker oil is variable valve timing mechanisms being knocked out of sync. And of course syn's are thinner than comparable standard oils.
My dad had been using conventional 10w-10 motor oil in his cars since at least 1960 so synthetic doesn’t have the corner of working in cars. As long as you don’t use heavier motor oil for a while and try to switch back thinner oil will continue to work fine. When heavy oil is used the clearances has to wear before the heavy oil will circulate where the thin oil had no problem.
@joe pimental who the heck taught you about oil? A viscosity weight oil is no different on conventional or synthetic. You obviously don't know what your talking about.
joe, I think you're addressin two issues, as the video did. That 1) sythetics are good, and (2) (not as clear) that the thicker oil argument (also a tangent in the video, not specific to synthetics) is also a concern for VVT. I don't work on others' cars but I do review many, and I've seen the issues you're alluding to, I think. Timing chains/tensioners too. Stay in spec...
Mobil 1 Full Synthetic Oil is my favorite oil. I've used it on my Ford F-150 with a 3.7 L V-6 engine for 11 years and at around 149K miles the engine runs as well as when it was new. Thank you, Mobil 1 and Engineering Explained! 👍👍👍👍👍
Finally a Engineering Explained video which I may understand
Did you?
*AN
From my own experience, when i changed from a mineral oil to a semi synthetic oil on an old hilux, i needed to change the filter after a couple of 1000 kilometers, it was full! Then I changed the oil and filter again after like 5000 kilometers, after that back to normal intervals.
Perhaps the most extreme example of burning oil might be my '53 Johnson Seahorse 2-stroke running on a gas oil mixture of 15-to-1! Using non-synthetic oil, I had to clean or change the spark plugs after about 10 hours of operation. Once I switched to synthetic oil (still using the 15:1 ratio), I never had to change the spark plugs again!!! This made such an impression on me that I started to use synthetic oil exclusively when I bought my '79 RX7, that burns crankcase oil by design to lubricate the rotor. In 23 years of driving, I got 320.000 miles on that engine and it was running fine and smoke-free when ! finally sold it for a larger car!
I have been running Synthetic oils in my Hi Mile Cars for the past 15 yrs. Some were switched with over 200,000 on them, no problems
The question is, what is considered "old" car?
not in years, we are talking km wear on engine here, taxi would get (old) faster than grandma shopping once a week
@@Stale_Mahoney Years (technically when the car was built, not how many years old it is) as well, as he addressed the matter of seals in old cars.
And to comment on what the rest of you said: In a local old car club the constitution states 30 years. But there are a few old members who forgot about that change (and also don't realise that time is moving on), and they firmly believe anything after 1976 is new. In fact about 3 years ago (when my '87 Mazda 323 was 30) they actually told me in so many words that it will "never" be an old car!
@voice of reason yeah that’s a good rule of thumb unless it’s taken care of of course
@@johannkuhn5685 ohh jess veteran cars are to be considered 30+ quite funny how some oldtimers think nothing they considered new and fancy when they're veteran car became a veteran will ever be one xD a bit sad, my first car is a veteran 88 volvo 740 and in 3 years my daily will become as well (93 volvo 240) still popular for teenagers to be racing around in ;)
Any originally carbureted car is old enough to be considered old even if it is a low mileage one.
This guy is a tremendous communicator of knowledge.
So am me
As true on my self
One additional thing you should’ve touched on is the lack of zddp in modern synthetic oils that were used to protect flat tappet cams in old engines.
Thankfully new oils compensate by using higher levels of Boron, Molybdenum Disulfide, and Titanium Oxide, which is enough protection for new engines. But still not enough for flat tappet cam engines
Diesel oils still have plenty of it. Or you need to go to something like amsoil z-rod.
Another old wives tale...quality synthetics have more than enough ZDDP for older engines. All you need is the proper viscosity to maintain correct oil pressure.
I have a jeep 4.0 and I recently read in the Jeep forums people saying these old flat tappet cams need sync or you'll ruin them. So guys run different diesel oils etc. I have been running supertech 5w-30 for years without a problem. Jeep has 212k miles.
ZDDP is the last line of defense when the oil film is displaced. Or so I am led to understand. And it’s fatal to modern catalytic converters. Bye-bye zinc additives at high levels like in the past.
High mileage oil has seal conditioners that recondition your old dried out seals. They also have different cleaners to remove old sludge.The engineers spent years developing these oils so use them.
They do nothing. You can try them if you have leaks, but I have had less leaks with Mobil 1 than any high mileage oils.
Most of the time they're just a little more spendy and sometimes available in weights not commonly found in regular synthetics.
May or may not help...jury is still out.
Nate, Chris Fix & other youtubers have performed tests, and "High-Mileage" oils don't actually cut it to reduce oil leaks.
Thank you for explaining the history behind some of the reasons they initially got a bad rap. And why you would use different viscosities vs different additives, high mileage etc... great vid!
Don't know about high mileage oils BUT my 2000 Chevy 5.3 started lifter ticking on start up . Changed oil n filter @ 5 K with one quart trans fluid at 275 K . Now1500 miles later noise gone . ( It worked for me ) . Rick bruggner Miami fla .
Jason your videos are always top notch. I like them because I learn stuff, and you never over burden our ears with annoying music that so many others feel is needed---instead you give s more information than us "regular guys" can mentally absorb in one viewing. So I generally watch them more than once.
This is the first of this bloke's video's I've seen
If the rest are of this standard I have something interesting & useful to look forward too
Cheers Mate
Was adding half a quart a week on my Saturn, oil burner. 15 years later at 300k I’ve been adding 10-40 instead of 10w-30. No issues
Everything from a wristwatch to the Titanic should use the thinnest oil that will stay on the parts. You did OK with that car but a 0W-20 Camry oils its camshafts from above like rain from tiny holes in the cam cover. So the new light viscosity Lucas might stay glued to the parts better if you only drive it occasionally but I wouldn’t experiment beyond that.
I've just passed 300,000km in my car running Mobil1 since day 1, maybe it's time to switch to high mileage stuff as my consumption has reached 1L/1500km,
although I found one of the two PCV ports under the throttle plate clogged which once un plugged seems to have reduced the consumption a bit.
Still, no leaks, no visible smoke and no loss of performance at this mileage made the premium oil investment well worthwhile long term.
Your choice - I went to this product with above excellent result
Interestingly about the same here on M1....
Why not fix the clogs?
For me with my 1967 Wolseley Hornet I use a conventional, 20w50 blended specifically for classic engines. The A-series engine has larger tolerences so the thicker oil is recommended.
I put 0w20 in my Tesla model 3. Still clear as new after 20k miles. Do I still need 0w30?
I've heard putting some 5w50 on the brakes helps improve mileage.
It go with mineral oil
Don’t forget your blinker fluid on your Tesla...
Fuzin Marsupan
It was a joke.. duh
You must be sure the oil contains LiPo in great concentrations.
I switched to Mobil 1 full synthetic after my 97 Oldsmobile’s engine suffered a catastrophic failure at 122,000 miles. When the engine was replaced with a series III, I ran full syn ever since and my car runs and performs better now than it ever did ❤️
If you're suggesting that not using synthetic caused the engine to fail, I wouldn't be so sure about that. It may have been an engine defect or just a poorly engineered engine. Afterall it's GM. Too that end, it may have failed even with synthetic.
@@rkgsd nope! Not saying that at all! I actually had already switched the old engine to full syn before it failed, just not Mobil 1 brand. The car had sat for quite some time before I got my hands on it and that always conjures up a slew of issues. My dad always warned me about when vehicles hit that 100k mark, that’s when issues usually start cropping up. That’s why I always kinda crack up reading used car ads. “Low miles - 145k - $9000!” 😅Nah.
As a mechanic I would not recommend using synthetic in old cars as you'll get leaks all of a sudden that wasn't there before
I was expecting him to drink oil out of that beaker, and judging by how he looked at it, he was probably thinking the same.
😂😂😂
The f o r b i d d e n j u i c e
delicious on pancakes
So did I! Chug!
i had a significant mct-oil consumption last month. leaking only occurred when taking too much
too much MCT-oil is a mistake you only make once in your life
Crack me up
My brother recently bought a Daihatsu HiJet (one of those cool little mini trucks with the steering wheel on the right). Interestingly, the service manual contains a clear warning NOT to use higher viscosity oil than recommended as it will create a risk of damaging seals and gaskets due to over-pressurization, thus causing leaks.
Also, synthetics got their reputation for leaking from the very first ones. (I think Mobil was there too) They didn't even "look" like oil, but were a silvery/ graphite color and thin as water. Those even came with a notice on the can that you oil pressure light or gauge would flicker at idel and not to be concerned about it. "Your engine is still being properly lubricated" .
Anyone else remember those?
my dad ruined an opel gt engine with graphite oil it wasnt a modern synthetic oil though.
I have 13 collector cars. Here's my thoughts on synthetic vs. conventional oils.
A few notes:
1. In older cars, pre mid 70's, oil had Zinc added to it. This was to reduce valve & cam wear, etc. Any oil you use in older cars must have Zinc added to it cuz its no longer added to oil mixes. There's several brands on the market. I use STP ZDDP additive.
2. Older engines were prone to blow-by getting into the oil & then being sucked into the carberation system. Synthetic oils will carbon up faster in this process than conventional oils, in my experience. In older engines I stick to conventional oil.
3. Synthetic oils are less susceptible to "whipping & foaming" than conventional oils. This is good, esp at high rpms & hot engines temps.
4. Synthetic oils flow easier at cold temps than conventional oils. This is great for very cold climates.
That is not true, all motor oils have ZDDP, the amount has been reduced in most oils but many still have plenty like Valvoline VR1.
@@FirstOnRaceDayCapri2904 You're half right: all oils have some ZDDP but in vanishingly low concentrations. All the major brands admit this. Older engines require higher levels to prevent, among other things, excessively fast tappet wear. Just google the topic and you'll see what I mean. Rislone, Amsoil, Valvoline and others all agree on this, as do engine builders and classic cars restorers like me.
@@paulmaxwell8851 Of course Rislone, Amsoil, and Valvoline agree. They know the zinc myth has created a market for more product to sell. They've probably done the same google search you did.
Fact is the API ZDDP content of today is exactly what it was in the 60's which was the hey day of flat tappet engine production. Yes, 800ppm ZDDP was the API standard for oils in the 1960's. Find yourself another talking point lol and learn how ZDDP actually operates. If you are "adding" anything to a established oil package you have just destroyed that product...proven time and again.
As a 3rd generation mechanic I always chose Valvoline in my fleet and use OEM agency filters ie Motorcraft Or AC and so on.. always use the appropriate API grade
I have an older, high mileage engine. Used 5w30 had 15 psi oil pressure at idle. Switched to a 5w40 now I had 20psi at hot idle.
I am running 40 weight in wifes 11 regal because GM screwed up on some those 2.4 engines and have bad seals. We did oil consumption tests at dealer and they acknowledged but car was too old and vin didn't match with cars GM identified that they would fix for free. Running the maxlife based on my friend who is a long time mechanic who has worked for Honda, Buick and mercedes. He said it should help cut down consumption and it has a little.
@@macdaddybill which one are u using bro
>?
I had a an engine with 375k miles and it had some weak compression rings and would smoke a lot if it idled long but wouldn’t smoke if you just went on your way. It did consume about a quart of oil a week. It used enough oil for the last 3 years that I owned it I never changed the oil, in fact I put the used motor oil from my other vehicles in it that I removed from my other vehicles.
Holy crap dude. My old jeep had 320k miles and only lost half a quart over 3,000 miles.
yeah my Integra with 373,000 miles gets about 1 quart added every 6 months. I change the oil on it once a year, because I drive it less than 5K miles per year. Been using Mobil1 0w-30 on it since way back in the mid-2000's, when it was in the mid-100k's on the odo.
4.6 2v here 468,000 miles doesn’t burn any noticeable amount over the entire oil change
@@mercury0214 those engines are pretty damn bulletproof
Patrick94GSR you should switch to 0w-40 if not even 0w-50
In my experience trying to swell a seal to stop a leak may work but if you leave that sweller in there the seal may overswell and you’ve got the same problem again. So run the seal sweller for a while then change the oil maybe after a week.
It will swell seals to make them stop leaking then they leak worse.
Related to rotors - most synthethics has more additives and designed with a higher flash point = harder to burn and higher chance to have deposits.
It sounds completely reasonable to not use, unless you find one with less ash \ flash point etc.
I want to be mistaken in this but just don't see arguments saying otherwise.
I've been running Castrol Synthetic along with a zinc additive in my S10 since I got it with 141K on it. It now has over 320K miles on it and no issues.
Thanks, what year S10, ? I have 2007 CANYON , 4:CYL....RAN VALVOLINE SYN FOR 130,000 miles, ;;theN to MOB1 here in HELENA VALLEY.....
My 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee, equipped with a 4.0l , has run Mobil1 10w30 since new, she now has 453,000 miles and still runs great, all original engine.
Mobil 1 high-mileage synthetic has saved 3 of my old vehicles by stopping minor leaks that would be too expensive for me to fix otherwise. One has been leak free for over a decade since I started using high mileage synthetic oil.
I had the same experience, but it was with Valvoline Maxlife initially. I've used about all the other hi-mileage oils and they all work well...synthetic or not.
@@trpbee Yup, it's great stuff, I hope more people learn about them and use them.
WHERE IS THE BOARD?
No board = paid promotion. Think that's how it works.
he spilled an oil on it in several shots like in 7:02
What, you like listening to the back of his head?
@@janeblogs324 😂😂😂
More cowbell, I mean whiteboard!
I use Royal Purple synthetic in my 87 wrangler and haven't had any problems
FWIW, I’ve been using synthetic, usually Mobil 1, for about 15 years in my ‘91 RX7, which sees a lot of track use. It’s still on the original, unopened factory engine, with good compression at 170K kms, although an internal coolant seal has failed, so I’m finally going to have to crack the keg.
Decades ago my dealer asked me not to use synthetic in my Mazda RX-7 Rotary Engine. Mazda also had a sticker with the same statement under the hood. I was told that the rotary engine did not get hot enough for synthetic oil use in the 1990s. I moved a few times and multiple Mazda dealer service shops enforced high quality conventional oil for rotary engines as they ran cooler.
Is Synthetic Motor Oil Bad For Old Cars? Answer: No.
Thank You Jesus:-)
@J Wil Jesus endorses Mobil 1 synthetic oils for old and new cars alike.
but older cars say anything 60s and older used thicker (and really terrible oil compared to todays) with 5w-30 the valves in my 63 rambler were making clacking and rattling noises, upgraded to 10w-50 and it quieted right down.
@J Wil "..and Moses came forth in his Triumph". What oil did he use?
@@thelasthallow Viscosity has nothing to do with being synthetic.
Absolutely brilliant video, Jason. You are a world-class communicator.
Thanks for the video! It made my decision easier. I have an old '99 suzuki car with moderate/high milage(at least about 170 000km) and I switched from part synthetic/hc synthase (10w-40) to a synthetic oil (5w-40). No problemes so far, car starts a bit easier. I didn't have any bad experience, just positive. I mainly switched due to extreme weather conditions in Europe (cold winter days, really hot summer days) and it should be cleaning and protecting the engine more effectively. at this age, it might be even more important. I rather go with a cheaper, but quality brand, but put synthetic from now on. Next time I'm thinking of trying a full synthetic of this grade.
whats the diff between synth and full synth
Can’t see the logic in using semi synthetic oils because it’s a mixture of both mineral and synthetic which rather defeats the objective,it is of course your decision and if it works for you then no problem,I always use 0w40 in my 150,000 mile BMW X3 diesel and change it every Spring along with the filter,I only do about 6,000 miles a year so it’s probably a bit overkill really,the engine inside looks as though it’s just been assembled with NO sigh of sludging or carbon deposits anywhere,being a diesel mechanic this is very important to me, I’ve had dozens of diesels since my first one in 1985 and NEVER had any sort of engine problem so what I’m doing can’t be that bad, wouldn’t go back to Mineral or Semi Synthetic oils now after the success I’ve had over the years with fully synthetic.
I love how the top of those jugs line up with the lines in the wall.
You, me and 14 others.
I ran straight 60 weight (special request to a store manager) and I also thickened it up with Lucas Oil Stabilizer so I wouldn't have to keep my foot on the gas pedal at stop lights, until I decided to change the oil pressure switch.
You could do almost anything to the older vehicles and you couldn't break them. Not so with the new ones.
Liar, I've had cars from 1959 to now, US built cars were always breaking which is why I quit buying them after my 98' SC Grandprix.
@@lonniebeal6032 If US built cars are always breaking, then why does my '94 Thunderbird with the 4.6L engine and over 500k miles run so well? Very dependable, much more so than my friends' European and Asian vehicles that have far less mileage.
I like the synthetic blend High Mileage oils. My wife’s 2010 Chrysler town and country with a 3.8 liter V6 had a TSB on these engines were prone to consume a quart of oil between 700 to 1,100 miles from the factory. Our van already had 101,000 miles when we bought it. First time I used what the engine called for which was 5w20 and by the time it was due for change it used 2quarts of oil. I’ve tried many brands of 10w30 but no success. Finally I was suggested to use a High Mileage synthetic blend oil which was Castrol High Mileage synthetic blend 10w30. By the third oil change it reduced consumption in half and I’ve been sold ever since.
The majority of UK RX8 engine rebuilds come in the first 80k miles, so perhaps we never needed to worry about what oil we were putting in... You can clean the housing faces and rotors while it's in bits after all!
Ideally using the right oil should delay the need for a rebuild ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Should be premixing with an RX-8 anyway..
I had read somewhere a while back that someone had been using piston engine aircraft oil in a rotary engine as that oil is designed to be burnt whereas normal motor is not. No idea how true that is.
@@andrewvicars8273 it doesn't need premix as long as your oil mettering pump is functioning properly an u are using the right oil
Peter Kowlessar Two stroke oil used in premix is also designed to burn in an engine and will burn much cleaner than regular engine oil.
Moving out on your own and realizing(but already knowing) that your truck-driving dad was a genious.
I became a synthetic oil user way back in 1982. I was introduced to Amsoil 2 cycle oil because I was having issues with a weed trimmer and chain saw. Switching to the Amsoil products instantly corrected my problem, so it was logical to try the 4 cycle oils that were available then. The results were dramatic and as Amsoil has moved onward and upward with their products, I have never stopped using them. I have kept detailed records of everything vehicle , and lawn equipment. For example: I owned a 1994 GMC truck with 4.3 liter. I had that truck for 14 years. I sold that truck in 2008 and it had over 210,000 miles on it. Everything had Amsoil synthetic lubricants. I can tell you that 2 years later the buyer called me stating that he continued using the same oils and the truck is still performing fantastically. I currently have a 2002 GMC Sierra with the 5.3 V8. currently has 145,950 miles on the odometer. Still has the same all around performance as when it was new. I also know that if you have a vehicle that always used conventional oils, and you are considering switching it to synthetic, there is a correct way to do that. I know this for a fact because I purchased a used vehicle for my son. I followed the Amsoil recommended procedure of implementation of switching to synthetic oil. That vehicle responded very well. My son drove that vehicle for several years. I have had many different situations with different engines types and makes and I can tell you that I am never going to ever use conventional lubricants. I can also say that Mobile 1 does NOT hold a candle to anything Amsoil has. And just in case you're wondering.... no I am not a dealer or distributer of Amsoil products. Just a 30+ year user and damn proud to say so.
Nearly all engine failure is down to used oil. A high price luxury brand mfg once tested their 12 cyl engine for 1 million miles equivalent by continously replacing the oil as it was being used, and it didnt stop running. Proper lubrication and lack of contaminants can keep engines running a very long time. The entire point of oils and lubricants is to provide a compressed "liquid" surface which both parts glide against. Like squeezing a gummi bear between your thumb and finger and rubbing it back and forth. In that scenario, your engine should NEVER wear. It wears because of particulates, dirt, metal shavings, whatever.
In 1982 my car was 30 years old, it MUST have mineral oil and 1200ppm ZDDP.
Been using Castrol GTX for years and years. My old truck on the farm has 284,884 miles with no major work. Had to install a new $117 alternator last month though.
i would blame it on the oil
Debunking car myths one oil at a time. Good work as always my man. ❤️
Followed instructions as best i could but this deep fried chicken has a weird taste to it.
Just Eat It, It Is Good For You!!
Watch out for your intestinal seals .. they may start leaking.
Milage may vary.
Thats the Colonel secret !
They told me the same thing, use thicker oil and I did switched from the factory recommended 10/40 to 20/50. The engine started to rattle and vibrates (very similar to a bad engine mount), harsh cold start and slightly worse fuel economy. Switched back to the regular 10/40 and the engine back in shape immediately. Its debatable but from my personal experience ALWAYS stick to factory recommended viscosity.
I second the advice to stick to factory recommended params, but also, maybe you should have chosen 10W-50 instead of 20W-50. The first number is the cold viscosity, the second number is hot viscosity. 10W-50 is the logical choice for a thicker version of 10W-40.
Hey brother. I have always highly valued your education on these in depth subjects. During my time in the field I have personally seen vehicles that started leaking oil almost immedietly after switching to a full synthetic. At these times, we have found things like SOLID valve cover gaskets. which has turned to more of a plastic than a rubber. I have personally seen this take place, multiple times over my years in the field. lets say about half a dozen times.
Can there be a situation we're not entirely covering? Could full synthetic FNISH OFF an already failing seal? This last vehicle,a subaru, LITERALLY was POURING out from the valve cover gasket(and I get that its sideways and gravity helps vs a horizontal valve cover) and I trully feel that their is something more to this discussion. This is the ONLY reson I have ever found to NOT "upgrade" to a full synthetic. Never learned it from anyone, and they didnt teach it in college, but my own personal experience tells me there is merit to the discussion. For the record were talking of course modern cars(say 1996 and newer) and oils. I get that debris being dislodged and the extra detergents COULD remove a leak stopping block, but I find it extremely difficult to believe that is what made the difference between a bone dry motor, and a day later a pouring oilfall. I would love to hear your thoughts on this in more detail. If you end up with the time, thank you ahead of time. Please keep up the excellent work.
Just came across this video today. I have a 2010 impala that had virtually no oil leaking. The last oil change or two I used a thinner synthetic (5w30) vs conventional 10w30, and it now has a quite a bit of leaking. I'm not sure it's caused by the synthetic aspect of the oil, but likely more the viscosity. I'll switch back to conventional on the next oil change and see if that changes anything.
@@johnsawatzky9380 i recommend going for a full synthetic 10w30 just to see if its the viscosity or the fact its synthetic. If it stops leaking while using full synthetic 10w30 then you know its the viscosity
@@johnsawatzky9380 Never change the viscosity on your vehicle, especially going to a thinner oil on an older vehicle. I suspect if you went to a similar weight synthetic it should stop the leak, theoretically speaking.
Older bikes can have clutch issues as the engine and transmission share oil. Pre 2000 and full synthetic can great slipping. You should use a good synthetic if you can. I have for 2 decades with no oil related issues on 4 cars.
100%. Its like pouring water into a basket. Or in the engine. Besides. Read my post. Its all hype. No petro no hype.
Thanks for posting this. It contained quite a bit of useful information. Back in the OLD days, rear main seals were made of rope, and as time went on, those seals turned into almost like wood, and the sealing swelling issues failed, causing those seals to leak.
Hence my rear main seal leaking on my 01 Infiniti i30T that I have to move tranny to chamge
What years exactly you are referring to sir thanks
Rope?????? Which cars, what years and where was this
@@marcussok6469 Jaguar uses rope seals for the cranshaft..
Olds also uses rope seals throughout ros and 80s .jags also has leather for a diff seal.maybe you heard of a seal company called cr seals C is Chicago r is Rawhide
All motor oils now have seal conditioner, both synthetic and non-synthetic and not just high mileage oils, which are slightly higher in viscosity. The one engine I remember higher viscosity oil fixing excessive oil consumption, is the old Ford Escort, that had crankcase ventilation issues. Just going from a 5W30 to a 10W30 oil, actually reduced oil consumption to an acceptable amount in those engines.
I had two vehicles in the late 80s (1981 Buick Regal, and 1984 Buick Rivera) that always had used conventional oil. I switched to Mobile1 synthetic in each one after I got the vehicles because I wanted to run the best oil I could. Both developed valve cover gasket oil leaks shortly thereafter. I know of multiple other guys who had the same problem. I think that it had to do with the age and type of gaskets used at that time ..... probably cork that were set and the smaller particles of the synthetic oil were able to penetrate and cause the leaks. This was only for the valve cover gaskets that leaked, everything else was fine. That was my thinking anyway.
With that being said. I only use Mobile1 full synthetic now in all of my cars and there are no issues.
Yes. Same here...
Removing the oil metering and premixing making the rotary what it should be from the beginning: a rotary 2 cycle-ish.
I have a Ford V10 with 190000 miles on it it seems to be running fine at this time but I'm thinking of running a high mileage oil, the manual calls for a 5w 20, I was thinking of going up to a 5w 30. High mileage oil any thoughts on that?
When i had a RX7 i never thought about adding some 2-stroke oil to the fuel.
Might have helped the wear my car engine experienced.
I sold my RX7 6 months after I bought it new because it used as much oil as gas
@@alanpoh3386 There is a regulator on the engine, might not have been set right.
240k on my 99 civic used on my courier job. Supertech high mileage synthetic oil keeps it running great
I've actually got an engine that suggests a thinner oil for the winter with a thicker oil for spring and if opperating in desert climates, even heavier oil so, yes there may be a valid reason to switch to a thicker/heavier oil even in a synthectic
100%, my first gen rav4 manual suggests anywhere from 5w-20 to 20w-50 depending on the lowest temperature you're likely to experience.
What's the best oil for my car? ;)
Maybe you can talk to Mobil about developing a synthetic beard oil?
Olive oil
Liqui Moly of some sort?🤷♂️
Organic olive oil grown by ethnically diverse lesbians in a biodynamic way.
Well, if it's an old car, then NEVER use synthetic oil, I've heard it will cause all sorts of problems.
Thanks for the bonus rotary fact. I've been scared into buying conventional for my 85 RX7 by the guys on the RX7 Club forum for a few years now!
Your Spinner engine will run perfectly on Pennzoil Ultra Platinum -- just make sure you use the viscosity that's recommended by the manufacturer !
All I run in old cars is supertech full synthetic high mileage. I've changed them over above 200,000 too when I have bought cars over 200,000
@@opinionsvary What is your opinion? That supertech is BS? It's not, it's warren distribution SN+ and Dexos 2. That I didn't use it? Well, I do, it's only $14 something for 5 quarts. Nothing I said is untrue. If you don't like the oil, do you have a scientific reason why you don't like or do you just like Mobil 1 commercials?
Good explanation of High Mileage Oils at 6:26.
I've been using 0w40 mobile1 in my e38 for a decade and a half and it runs better now than when I started using it, over 250k!
So *that's* what the crosshatch pattern does. Huh. I learn something new every day. Thanks!
A freshly honed cylinder has a visible basket weave pattern. Theses tiny scratches hold oil. When the cylinder is glass smooth, the pistons oil control ring does not work as well.
Cast iron blocks and liners, due to carbon content, have intrinsic self lubrication ability. In addition, The machined material has oil retaining pores even w/o honing. CI is one of just a few materials that can run against itself without galling.....Usual set up is cast iron rings to run against CI block.
All-aluminum blocks are of a peculiar alloy featuring hard silicone-aluminum particles. After machining, the cylinder bores are chemically etched. This removes soft aluminum, exposes the hard particles, and creates oil retaining pockets.
Bear in mind the block’s cylinder surface oil retention features are microscopic.
Hope it helps Cc
@@danbenson7587 etched chemically? You mean like a thin nikosil or ceramic type of coating applied with high heat to aluminum cylinders to harden them.
dennis rantanen Nickasil is one and sees wide use in snowmobile 2 cycles. I believe it is plasma spray...additive.
With cars I think Nickasil is too slow & expensive, so they etch...reductive. Mercedes at one time used etch. Aluminum blocks with CI cylinder liners are most popular in auto engines. Cast Iron is just hard to beat.
This, BTW, is on the ethereal edges of my knowledge.
The central idea is the cylinder surface features retain oil. The piston and rings are intended to ski across the cylinder on an oil film that may be as thin as .0003”.
“Crosshash”
@@danbenson7587 snowmobiles, small engines, cast iron liners, nikosil plasma spray, crosshatch, etc. this I know, etching I was not aware
I use mobile syntetic oil on my 95 Corolla because a shop nearby have a great deal on this oil, I think there is no negatives in using an oil that has better viscosity on start up, so the oil comes to lubricate the parts faster. I live in a cold place ( Norway) and often 10-15 degrees below zero in winter time. I have seen videos of how slow ordinary oils run down a piece of wood in sub zero temperatures compared to syntetic oils, to me it is a no brainer... I use the most viscous oil that lubricates that cold engine fastest/best in those conditions. I don´t care if I have to put in a littlebit extra every 30 days. I have no leaks by the way, so for me it´s just a choice between mineral and syntetic. 317 000 km/197000 miles and still running good. I wonder when the clutch and exaust will have to be changed, because my car has only original parts. I realise that the corolla was "over designed" and that is the reason why areas like Afghanistan and other war ridden countries have huge amounts of corollas... they just go, and go, and go. And I think they will go a couple of years longer if you give them the best most advanced oil.
1990s Toyotas were the BEST mass-produced cars that were ever made in the history of cars.
I own a 1993-1999 Model Toyota Celica 1.8 Litre petrol and mine has covered 224,000 Miles (360,500 km)
It has never broken down or failed to start
They were over-engineered cars the likes of which we will NEVER see again in a mass-produced car.
I use Shell Helix HX7 5w-40 Semi-Synthetic Engine Oil when I change the oil ... However, I change the oil and oil filter every 6,000 Miles (9650 km) and it has been since the car was brand new.
Sadly the body on my car is starting to corrode badly (They put salt on the roads here in the UK in the winter..It destroys the bodies on cars) the engine is still like a Swiss watch ..If I can get maybe another two Years out of this superb car ..I will be very happy.
Rotary Head here I am glad you touch base on the rotary engine in the end. I have been using synthetic oil since my '91 RX-7 Turbo II back in 91. Also in 93 RX-7 R1 and 07 RX-8. The only time I was told not to use synthetic oil was having mineral oil in the rotary engine long time and switching over. But I have always removed the original mineral oil from new and switched over to synthetic. I have also talked to a lot of rotary engine builders and all say the same.
Again thank you for touching on the rotary engine and the myth about synthetic oil
I figured out a long time ago that running synthetic in my vintage motorcycles led to oil weeping through the gaskets (not seals). Same viscosity, but synthetic will always weep.
Not saying it’s bad, but it certainly weeps through the gaskets more than conventional oil.
Your gaskets were bad, I ran Supertech full synthetic in a 74' Chev 350cu truck, 81' Dogde Mirada, 94' Accord and Camry, no leaks. And still run any synthetic I can get on sale in my current cars.
@@lonniebeal6032 One of the first bikes I noticed this on was a vintage Moto Guzzi. The bike has two gaskets on each side of a spacer when you drop the pan. You change the gaskets each oil change (oil filter actually is inside the pan). When I run identical weight of oil, synthetic always weeps a bit through the gaskets, conventional does not. Not much, but it definitely weeps. I’ve noticed the same on several other bikes.
I can only tell you my personal experiences. Synthetic is superior in every way to conventional, but it does weep in some instances. Keep in mind that not all engines are designed the same and may not put a paper gasket anywhere in an engine.
I have a 2000 Mercedes slk and a 1998 Ford Cobra Mustang never leaked a drop of oil, changed both to fully synthetic both started leaking.
One thing that's very important when using any modern oil in an old engine is zinc additives for very old cars with flat tappet camshafts
Thank you for debunking old myths!
if were to switch from 5-30 to 10-30 with leaks, believe me, there IS a substantial difference. In my experience, the engine leaked almost half as much less. With temperature and heat cycles considered, this is easy to understand.
That is weird because the 10w30 has the same viscosity when warm as the 5W30... if you want a higher viscosity lubricant you need a higher second number
I have two 50 year old muscle cars and i've been using synthetic oils in them for years. Not a problem.
I have been noticed that synthetic oil stay longer time on metal surface. It is good for starting engine.
I started using Mobile 1 High Mileage synthetic in a '92 Astro I had with about 85k miles a few years ago. It really helped with the dry valve seals from how much that old beast sat around. The puff of smoke on startup got much lighter.
Sold that van for too little money due to 'rona and needing money. :(
hey I'm driving my grandpa's old 94 safari and fixing it up, it used to run cheap bulk regular 5w-30 and when i checked the oil at 5k km's since the last ouk change it was 2 liters low and black as hell!
i bought some Liqui Moly semi synthetic 10w40 with their MoS2 molybdenum additive and it made a huge difference, in 6k kilometers it's oil consumption had slowed substantially to only about 3/4 of a liter over the 6k interval and last drain got all kinds nasty carbon and muck out, doing the next oil change in 4k to keep things cleaner inside :)
@@snoofayy6150 Dude I sold the van to got sammiched at a red light recently. He was sore but fine, but the doors (all of them) stopped being doors so Big Bertha went to the pick-n-pull in the sky. :(
So now there's a low mileage (less than 100k) nearly 30 year old engine and transmission in a junkyard somewhere.
No Discussion of ZDDP and Flat Tappet cams! Mobile 1 publishes the amounts in their oils. 20w-50, Euro, and High Mileage have the highest amounts. Remember that the oil spec for older cars does not appear in modern oils - they DO NOT meet those specs.
And if you go way, way back to the times of non-detergent oil and engines that did not have full-flow oil filters (they sometimes had OPTIONAL by-pass filters that slowly filtered oil from a small passage usually around the cam or distributor) you have a big problem: Detergent oils kept dirt in suspension so the filter could remove it. This is not present in old engines where dirt in oil would settle and accumulate in the bottom of the oil pan. All that muck and sludge in the bottom of pans would have been kept running through the bearings if detergent oil was used.
Now the irony of all this is that the obsolete bypass oil filter could also be used on modern engines to remove 5 micron and less particles. The full flow would take care of the big stuff while the bypass filter would slowly accumulate the small stuff that would clog the full flow filter if it had media that fine.
Engines do last for ever if you take good care of it by keeping a closer eye on using a Full Synthetic oil and making sure that your Engine coolant is keeping it running cooler.
I was really hoping you'd make a comment about the requirement for zinc additive in older flat tappet engines, and how this applies to synthetic oils etc.... any thoughts?
I came to the comments to mention the zinc.
Funny. I had a Harley-Davidson (2004) one of the early twin cams. HD highly discouraged the use of synthetic because it may cause Cam bearing "skate" that may cause flat spots on the ball bearings used for the cams. I used synthetic anyway and never had a problem. Well two years later HD came out with their own HD branded synthetic oil designed for HD twin cam engines. At that time I was working in the Environmental Management field and I had access to the HMIS (Hazardous Material Information System) where I had access to proprietary information for just about every produce that had a MSDS (SDS). What I learned was the HD oil was made by a well known oil company and there was no difference between the HD branded oil and the oil company's branded oil.