Me too, here is a link to Amsoils FAQ on filter change...

http://www.amsoil.com/faqs/faq_filte...ge_6months.htm

 

If I had a Penny for all of the Synthetic Oil Posts...


This Question about Synthetic Oil,Dino, Interval, what's the best oil ? etc was rarely discussed until Mobil 1, Castrol etc went on their Huge Commercial Ad Campaign to hype up their Synthetic Oils and Man or Man did we bite in to it. Use their Oil and your Vehicle will be problem free and last forever...Right ?

I don't have any data but willing to bet a whole lot of money on the following:

Change your oil and filter every 3-5000 miles with ANY oil at the proper weight and you will never have an oil related issue. The oil related issues of a properly cared for vehicle make up an extremely tiny percentage of maintenance related problems. If you want to use Synth, then Use Synth...want to use no name Dino...then go for it ! The rest of this never ending Discussion is purely in our heads and most likely planted there by Clever Advertising

Look at it from the Engines point of view ? Does it really care ? Probably cares more about the FILTER than the Oil !!!! but that's a new discussion

 

That's true, suspending dirt is the job of the additive package. The most important part of any oil is its additive package, not necessarily the oil. Synthetic oils tend to have better additive packages.

As far as dirt is concerned, we will rule out leaking gaskets that can introduce dirt into the oil sump. After that the oil sump is a closed container where oil can protect engine internals for many years. You see this in a transaxle where oil is seldom if ever changed.

The problem with an engine is the combustion of gas in the cylinders, and the need to draw in air from the outside. There are two main problems, dirt in the air, and soot from burnt gasses. Most of this is pushed out the exaust valve, but some will always get past the rings and enter the oil.

If you look at an oil analysis with synthetic you'll see only a small amount of silicon in the oil. We change oil not because it was dirty, but because after xx miles we expect it to be dirty, and without analysis we would have no way of knowing. So why wasn't it dirty?

Engines rely on the ring pack to produce compression, and to keep all this crap out of the oil. The rings work better if they are clean and move freely in the ring groves. The rings flex up and down on each stroke, and, excluding engines with a ring pin, will rotate around the cylinder.

As engine run time increases, the ring pack will become packed
with carbon, soot, and coked oil. For oil to remain less dirty the ring pack needs to remain less dirty, allowing it to do what it was designed to do. Good hot oil can clean out the ring pack, that't why and engine that is run long hours will last longer. Most of the carbon and soot builds up durring cold startup, and coking happens when you shut off a hot engine. Coking occurs when oil is subject to hot metal, and there is no cool fresh oil moved in to replace it.

An engine running synthetic oil will be cleaner through out. In a clean engine the ring pack will be more effective, and the oil will remove heat faster without sludge which can act as an insluation.
Since synthetic oil has a wider temperature range the ring pack will be more effectvie sooner after startup, and will be less impacted by the heat left behind at shut down.

Yes, synthetic oil does get dirty, but it is effective at slowing that rate. If you can filter the oil below 1 micron both dino and synthetic oil can be run indefinately, but the dino won't fare as well due to shearing, cokeing, and cold start flow. Either way, some oil will have to be changed out from the sump to remove the dirt, and replenish the additive package, and maintain TBN.

 

greencrew....

Where you agreeing with my post or disagreeing? You had alot of good info either way...

Hey, this is off topic.....but, i have read where a hi flow oil pump can cause higher engine temps....do you know why? If so, can you explain. the reason i ask is i have an old carbureted 455. And when cruising....the fan continually comes on, then off, then it kicks on. It just kinda cycles. Its a clutch type normal run of the mill stock olds engine fan. All of the engine is new....radiator, fan clutch, thermo (160 BTW), water pump, etc. The carb is not running lean. I know it has a hi flow pump....so this MUST be the prob. The engine has always run a little warm...but its irritating.

 

Jason, I misread your post, but I don't think there is proof either way, that synthetic does or doesn't suspend dirt. That's the job of the additives, to keep soot particles from forming larger particles, and suspended in the oil.

I would think a higer flow oil pump could reduce the ability for heat to transfer to the oil. That is often the case with a water pump. Removing the thermostat on a high perormance engine will cause the engine to run hotter. The problems is that the water is not in contact with the engine metal long enough for good heat transfer. The same theory would apply to oil, but I don't know the difference in flow rates between oil and coolant.

Another common problem with engines with a lot of years or miles is sludge. The sludge acts as insulation reducing the heat transfer to the oil. A good ester based oil cleaner like Auto-Rx or Neutra will clean that problem up and reduce blowby gasses which can heat up the rings.

 

I'll have to disagree here. While I'm not sure about the FAA, I do know that Amsoil is based on the idea that jet engines used synthetic oils.

I will also quote the Red Line site regarding jet engines - "Red Line lubricants contain polyol ester basestocks, the only lubricants which can withstand the tremendous heat of modern jet engines"

Now, I have also heard that there was a problem with synthetics years ago due to the oil inability to absorb the additive package - this problem has been fixed, and now synthetic oils have some of the best additive packages on the market.

After reading many used oil analysis's on synthetics, blends, and conventional oils I do also know that there isn't much difference in the amount of silicon from one oil to another unless there is a intake problem allowing unfiltered air into the engine. Synthetics also don't show higher wear numbers than other oils - therefore, your post regarding synthetics allowing more wear is wrong.

BUT, I have seen one synthetic blend (a group III / group IV base stock - therefore better than Castrol syntec) that stands out above the rest in V6 & I4 engines - this oil also shows normal levels of silicon.

 

greencrew,

that's what i was thinking. The oil doesnt stay in contact long enough. There is no sludge in the engine....its newly rebuilt. But since we built it up a little bit, mild cam, bored, pistons, crank, hi flow pump, etc, the temp is a little higher. I guess about the only way to combat this is to put something like 40 below in it and see if that helps. Its not hot enough to hurt the engine, its just hot enough to make the fan cycle. Once the fan runs it cools down and then quits. Its just annoying after a while of hearing the roar.

 

So it is a built up engine. I've never built an engine, so all I know is more fuel and more air results in more heat, which requires more oil, an oil cooler, and a 50 weight oil that will thin out under the heat to a 30 weight.

So what is the purpose of a higher flow oil pump in a built engine. Maybe the objective is to keep the oil flowing faster and not obsorbing as much heat so that you can keep the engine supplied with fresh cooler oil for lubrication purposes.

I suppose the fan running is an indication of the radiator working hard to cool the engine, which is to be expected.

 

not going to argue anything but this. 2cycle singer cylinder running synthetic ran 6 times longer than one running blendzall or any other natural oil.

Why it burns clean? burning is what creates carbon. The rest of what happens is fuel condensation or oil burning.

The top of the piston is clean you have a good burning motor. Pistons are cleaner with synthetic oils. This I have proven to me even if I can't convince you


tom

 

I've got an open mind but I've never seen any evidence, tests or anything that suggests Synthetic will extend Engine Life or in general is any better than Dino. Just about every Automobile Message board on the Net will have Threads about Oil and Oil filters but every thing I have found is only opinion, Theoretical discussion OR AMSOIL Sellers boosting their product

Most of it is just a head trip...we -feel- like we are doing our Engine good by using Synthetics and it IS probably somewhat better than Dino but not in terms of Extending Engine Life, Performance or any of the other stuff I see on the Internet

If anyone has any good articles or tests in reference to this subject please post it.

 

Try this one, it was published back in 1986 though. Synthetics have improved since then.
http://www.getahelmet.com/tech/syntheticoil.htm