Synthetic Oil

[raritan]

What is the opinion of replacing reg oil with synthetic in an engine with about 300 hrs on it.

[MOP]

I've changed over with over 40,00 miles on a few cars, burned a little till first change then had no problems. If you have some doubts you can go for the mixed 4x4 syn oils. I switched the 16 over with 57 hours on it.

[Greg Maier]

Are there some issues with changing to synthetic oil on an engine with some hours on it? What are the issues? Is it because the engine will wear differently? :confused:

[MOP]

One other thing that seems to be a problem is at times synthetic will cause some extra oil leaks. But as far as lubrication you can't beat it, every single boat and vehicle I own have it. I am waiting till spring to see if there is any noticable improvment in the Donzi. In my land stuff all have improved mileage. I have always been a little nuts about oil, the Donzi had a 5, 10, 23, 42 oil changes and finally a switch to syn at 57 hours. Mostly due to time constraints I only get a few hours a year, I like most will not go over 25 hours on reg oil and 50 on syn and do the mid seaon filter change.

[mjpcowboy]

People I know that have used it in their boats have switched back due to excessive oil leaks. Just my .02$

[Darrell]

I used Mobile One in my old boat untill a friend told me he had read a article in a boating mag that said the synthetic was not a good ideal for boats. It concluded that the oil is so slick that when a boats sets for a week or two it has all gone to the crankcase and does not oil the cylinders when the engine first starts, unlike a auto that is started everyday. I checked with Mercury and was told about the same thing, (of course they told me to use their oil. wink ) If your one of the lucky few who get to out in your boat everyday or two it would be great. But I will keep on using the regular oil.

[MOP]

I am using a mix of 30wt Mobil One and Quaker State 4x4 blend reg and syn a 50/50 mix I hope I have all bases covered. When it has been sitting for over a week I spin over with coil disconnected till gauge shows pressure. I have been doing this for many years on my stuff. The hot thing is to install a pre-luber

[larry]

I used mobil one in my toyota truck. mixed it with conventional at times when i could not find M1. Sludge build up clogged oil pick up and starved engine of oil. Locked up driverside camshaft. :mad: I have also heard that mobil had to pay for a bunch of airplane engines that sludged up and broke pushrods and such.
new porsches cool! and corvettes come with it from the factory.(so it should be good stuff right? :confused: ) I do not recomend mixing it with standard oils.

[HyperDonzi]

I thought you needed to "re break in" the motor to synthetics...Then the leaks stop?

[Greg Maier]

I'm not sure I understand the comment about synthetic oil being to slick to stick to cyclinder walls while the boat is laid up. Shouldn't a 40 weight synthetic be just as sticky as a 40 weight conventional?
:confused:

Viscocity is the resistance to flow. If two oils have identical resistance to flow, why should they not stick to metal parts similiarly?
:confused:

I do know that synthetics have more uniform molecule size, which may lend some validity to the comment that it tends to leak through seals.

[MOP]

Greg glad you jumped in, after reading you post and having nothing better to do I went out to the garage got some Mobile 1 and a quart of reg oil. I poured a little into two clean glasses then tipped the glasses so the oil went near the top. I then let them sit for about 20 minutes while I went and had coffee. When I went back out to my very un-scientific trials I found the coating on the side of the glasses had thinned way down but had not gone away. I will update this post this evening with a rub test to see how much lube is left on the glass sides.

[Rodger]

M.O.P.
At what temperature are you performing your test. If it is too cold the regular oil will have thickened more than the synthetic and will form a heavier and less likely to flow, layer on the side of the glass. The best simulation would be at a high temp. similar to engine operating temps. I think though, that at room temp, your test could still be meaningfull. I'm looking forward to your results. Thanks.

[Shanghied Again]

The velocity of oil will not change between the two oils. They will both provide good over the winter protection. Synthetics only count when in use, synthetics don't burn as fast as regular oil and the hotter the oil the better the oil reacts. 90% of big power Does not use regular oil, They use a good Synthetic motor oil. Sterling uses Mobil 1 when your running better then 1000 hp or more you want the best. I use it in my 502 and all my vehicles.
My boat is stored with Mobil 1 in it and I am confident she will fire over with no problems!

[BUIZILLA]

Home chemistry test..

This is fun.. results may vary..

1) Find an old blender in your kitchen. Pour one quart of your favorite oil in the blender and run it at CHOP/GRATE speed. Get a quart of para-synthetic, a quart of your favorite mineral oil, and a quart of full synthetic, all 3 should be readily available store bought samples, room temperature, and do the same thing for each sample. (3) 10W-30 random samplings. Clean the container thoroughly between tests. 60 seconds on CHOP/GRATE for each sample. Pay attention to foaming(as in crankcase windage), consistency(visual viscosity), and de-foam time(as in crankcase stabilization time, after the engine is shut off). Mark the container at the HIGHEST point the contents reach immediately after stopping the blender. Report your findings.

2) Take the same 3 oil samples and put 4-6 ounces of each in a stainless steel, not teflon 10" frying pan, at a verified ACCURATE 300* steady temp on an electric stove. 15 minutes each sample, IF it lasts that long...a DIGITAL camera and fire extinguisher would be a benefit to us all. wink

3) Using the same blender, after the test, mix a Margarita while you think about the results, and what you now use/were using for a lubricant...

J

Yes, I have done this before, anxiously waiting to hear YOUR results, Castrol GTX owners beware :D

[BigGrizzly]

I have done oil test for my company. I can tell you this. On old engines with excessive carbon ans sludg the syt oil will clean it out and cause rings to sit back in the ring lands and cause excessive use of oil. when switching back it still burns untill it cloggs up again. I spent 6 months of my life testing on real running engines 24/7 not that silly ballbearing gaul test that is usuless. I also was one of the first racers to test the Castrol syntex lube. I use Amsoil in all my equipment the test show it was the best followed by Red line. Mobile- I used three types, the 5w10, 5w15 and the 15w racing oild and did not find them up to par with the rest. As for mixing the two types it is not recomended by any of the oil companies. I did not test the mix so I can't give an Honest answerto it. What the makeres means is if you change there is no need to flush the engine because the petrol will burn out anyway. MOP I wouldn't do it. If in doubt use one or the other. I do however suggest is if you yse normal oil DON'T use a 10w40. I suggest a single viscosity oil 30w or 40w depending on the application. The chances of you lunching a motor with todays oil is slim anyway because they are so good! Hyper break in is a thing of the past on new engines - However on rebuilt engines some hone jobs are too course with piston to cylinder wall clearence too large so they need help and need it That is why I do my own.

Buz- Try this with your pan. Place a 1/2 ball bearing in the middle of a thin layer of oil and see if it stays near the ball at high temp. The truth none of the test will give a tru performance of the oils. they are advertising gimmics. All oils foam the higher the viscosity the longer it takes to settle at room temps. In the past the biggest problem with engines wasn't the oil but the fuel- it had lead and acids that realky caused the problem of sludg etc. In the past engines ran too cold. The only problems now are arecold boat engines. No new auto runs les than a 180 deg F t-stat.

[BUIZILLA]

I said I DID do the test. but I never said I did it IN the kitchen... :D

A simple electric hot plate setup on the back porch, turned on high, is sufficent.

:cool:

J

[BUIZILLA]

Grizz.. wink

I was waiting to see how long until honing methods/finish with syn oil would be brought up, with completely different finish stones and hatch angle.. u on da ball bro' :p

J

C5 and WS6 owner, both LS-1's

[BigGrizzly]

Buz read the edit to my post. Oil is near and dear to mee Like I said I spent 6 months of my life doing it with over 50 brands and types of oils and a ton of reseaech on many other company service bulletins.

[BUIZILLA]

Grizz, I read your re-edit...your dead on right.

Thats why I stated to mark the container AFTER shutdown, and time it, and the initial height of the liquid.

J

[MOP]

Ok on with my un-scientific test, after sitting for 9 hours I took a piece of blotter and cut two strips 3/4 wide. I touched each glass one quick dab. The syn soaked through the blotter maybe 15 seconds quicker than the reg oil both 30wt. I have probably proved nothing out side that there was still a coating on both glasses and that syn seems to be more lubricious at 45 degrees my garage temp. Niether oil drained completely away. The syn did feel more slippery as usual.

[BUIZILLA]

Poodle, come by the shop tomorrow and I'll show you a COMP roller out of our 7 sec dragster that has OVER 300 passes on it with Mobil 1..looks brand new.

And I'll show you my *well ventilated* 496 that had Mobil 1 in it...

J

[MOP]

Why does theis issue of rollers keep coming up, yeah we have all heard it s to slippery Ugh! I have seen alot of the late roller motors that have used syn it BS the lifters were just fine.

[Surfer]

OK, I have a fifteen year old motor that has countless hours on it. Compression is real close on all, and it runs good, a little carbon is noticable on the arrestor every thirty hours or so. Whats best? synth or not.

[BUIZILLA]

Surfer:
OK, I have a fifteen year old motor that has countless hours on it. Compression is real close on all, and it runs good, a little carbon is noticable on the arrestor every thirty hours or so. Whats best? synth or not.Not....

but thats just my opinion...

J