Synthetic OIL??

[kmclemore]

I agree - Redline is a bit hard to find, but it's excellent oil.

[Catigale]

I've been told that oil in a car should be changed based on mileage and time.

You should use usage in the equation too. WHen towing, I use about twice as much fuel as not towing, so I consider that to be working the engine about 2x as hard miles-wise.

Oil changes are easy for me - Since ALbany ranges from about 0-40F in winter and 50-90 in summer I run 20-50 in summer and 10-40 in winter and change oil for season. I dont drive enough to time out on miles on any of the cars since the Admiral commutes 3 miles one way to work, and I commute 10 miles a week give or take to airport.

The cars always get a highway run on the weekend going somewhere so I dont sweat the city driving issue as much anymore (also fuel injection eliminates the early rich running of carb engines of past)

[NiceAft]

When I had my business, I ran three trucks and a van. I changed the oil every 6,000 miles. I was told by my mechanic and by others that the oil needs to changed every six months, no mater what! The oil will become acidic if left in the engine too long.

I have thought about the synthetics, but have chosen not to use them because I change my oil too frequently to have them be cost effective.

I have always wondered about the boat!

In the Fall I have the engine winterized. Part of that is changing the oil. I don't change it again until the next fall. This inaction on my part is contrary to everything I have done on my cars and trucks. I am seriously thinking about changing it in April. Any thoughts on this?


Ray

[Paul S]

When I had my business, I ran three trucks and a van. I changed the oil every 6,000 miles. I was told by my mechanic and by others that the oil needs to changed every six months, no mater what! The oil will become acidic if left in the engine too long.

I have thought about the synthetics, but have chosen not to use them because I change my oil too frequently to have them be cost effective.

I have always wondered about the boat!

In the Fall I have the engine winterized. Part of that is changing the oil. I don't change it again until the next fall. This inaction on my part is contrary to everything I have done on my cars and trucks. I am seriously thinking about changing it in April. Any thoughts on this?


Ray

I think you need a more serious problem to think about ! I am sure it will be fine. I would not change oil that was just put in with 0 miles on it.

It will be fine....spend the time you would do the second oil change..checking the wheel bearings or brakes or something that actually might need attention.

Everyone has their 'rules' about oil and oil changes. I keep it simple. regular, cheap, on sale, non-synthetic oil. change once a year (outboard), and every 5-10k mi on my cars (well 3k on my MGs..because they are MG) or once a year..but I hit the mileage limit before 1 year. With about a million combined miles in my cars, never had any oil related failure.

Go ahead, change it in the spring. Won't hurt anything. Other than a few bucks and some unneeded waste oil. If it makes you feel good..do it.

Paul

[Catigale]

The oil will become acidic if left in the engine too long.

Its only the water in the oil mix that really gets acidic, and this in short run engines that dont warm up fully - even now, in this legacy of fuel injection there is a lot less unburned fuel in the oil and this is less of a problem than in the past.

A good highway run will bring the oil temperature high enough to boil off the water and pretty much eliminate 'acid' in a modern engine.

[R Rae]

Another option one might wish to consider is the introduction of LUCAS heavy duty oil stabilizer in with whatever oil you decide to use. I like best of all the fact it prevents dry starts due to it's sticky nature. Reports indicate that motors that haven't been run for a length of time suffer from dry out on bearings and other high load parts such as cam shafts and lifters. The Lucas product maintains a sticky lubricating film throughout the motor components during periods of extended storage. Apparently most wear in an engine takes place during initial startup. Evidently it also reduces leakage, helps compression, and at $24.00 per gallon IMHO is a good deal.

Merry Christmas, Ron

[Catigale]

Apparently most wear in an engine takes place during initial startup.

We had a long thread about this sometime back and IIRC this is one of those adages that is not really documented anywhere but that everyone just 'knows' ....certainly quantifying engine wear for the first minute is a difficult experiment to put together.

I always start my car and give it a minute to let the oil circulate before loading it - I also drive it gently for the first 5 minutes or so.