Switching from MOBIL 1 SYNTHETIC...OK?

[WhiteOut]

it's not the oil you use, it's how often you change it

 

BINGO!!! If crap doesn't have time to build up then craps not an issue is it?

 

Nicely said Dave.

[SigEpCutlass]

okay, I'm reading this, and almost ashamed any of you change your own oils, with a little about the stuff as you know.

 

For starters, you CAN switch from a Synthetic to a non-synth. oil with not perminate adverse effects, and it goes the other way 'round as well.

 

If you have been running a fully synthetic oil and you switch to a standard oil, you will find that you will lose a good ammount of power because of the larger molecules of the oil. They will not fit into the smaller cracks of the moving parts that the synthetic oils will. After time your power will return to normal as the oil is forced into these cracks.

 

If you were to switch to synthetic oils, they will fill these larger cracks that the conventional oil will allow to be made due to friction, causing a bit of an oil consumption issue, but that's only temporary untill the synthetic oil can penetrate into the metal itself, filling these cracks.

 

also the smaller molecules of the synthetic oils will be able to seep through the existing cracks leading to external areas in the engine, changing to a thicker, conventional oil will only mask an already existing problem which in turn could cause major leaks down the road.

 

Also, fully synthetic oils are safer on rubber seals, and o-rings, as you all know, oil and other fossel based fuels and lubricants are bad for rubber, and most synthetic oils are not fossel based for the most part.

 

Semi-synthetic oils and "high milage" oils are made from 75% or higher content of recycled and re-refined used oils, so remember, it's probably already been in someone elses engine.

 

I noticed someone else said something to the effect of: if you find one person who likes one oil, you can find someone else who hates it. That's true of everything, I noticed that one of his quotes mentioned a Civic, I'm sure most of the Civic croud wouldn't touch a W-body if their lives depended on it, and I'm sure it's the same the other way 'round too.

 

Personally (my opinion now) I've only run, and will only run Mobil 1 full synthetic oil in every one of my cars, 10-40 in the summer, and 0-30 in the winter, living in MN we see some of the same sub zero tempatures that you can see in Ontairo.

 

I would suggest that continue to use whatever oil you are using, if you are using synthetic, and want to switch, then just switch, find something YOU like, and make sure that it is NOT a non-detergent oil.

 

remember, finally folks, ALL oil has detergent in it, unless it's designated as a "non detergent" oil, with is used mostly in lawnmowers, and other household 4-stroke eingines.

 

If you get a non-detergent oil, expect that your engine will die a very premature death due to the fact that ALL engines have blowby, especially at higher RPM's. This blowby of combustion gasses, and even some of the raw gasoline getting by the rings is what can turn your oil into an acid and the detergents will help to trap this acid. When that happens, the detergents start to turn black.

 

With non-synthetic oils, I'd change the oil way more often, say every 3000 km rather then every 5000km.

 

but that's just my $.02 plus $.02, plus $.02 ...

 

--DaveFromColorado.

 

finally someone has said something intelligent!

 

Dave you are entirely correct. I've owned the cutlass for over 2 years now and put on a lot of mileage. I've said this numerous times, but I'll say it again....my family swares by Amzoil. That stuff is by far the best hands down!

 

When I first got the car it had many previous dealer performed oil changes that used Kendal oil. Yes, these changes were done at the Olds dealership, and I've got the records to prove it. lol How good the oil is, I'm not sure. If the Olds dealer uses it, I've gotta assume the stuff is okay. My nana didn't take it to some cruddy gas station to have it done.

 

I drove it for about 2,000 miles and then changed it over to Valvoline 5w-30. As you probably already know, 5w-30 is the reccomended oil for most 1st gen W's. My car ran on valvoline for about 9,000 miles before it was changed to synthetic. I've been running synthetic in my car for over a year now. I run Amzoil 0w-30 Series 2000 Synthetic Racing Oil in my car. Infact, that is what we use in all of our cars:

'92 MTX Ford Taurus SHO

'00 MTX Subaru Outback

'00 MTX VW Golf

 

I felt more power when I changed for the cutlass oils and added the K&N drop in filter. However, the car it made the most noticible difference in was infact my sister's golf. It has a 2.0 I4 that's only got 115hp if i remember correctly. The Amzoil significantly improved acceleration, and makes the car seem like it's got more power. The Subaru's H-4 sounds nicer and feels smoother at higher RPM's. Overall, it helps both 4cylinder engines and V6's from my experience. The SHO, as before is well...still FAST! My dad's been using nothing but Amzoil for years, and they're still the best. Yes the oil may be expensive, but you change the oil ONCE a year, and the filter every 6 months/ 7,000 miles. Btw I also use their high performance/high flow oil filter.

 

Either way, I've found that my car is more efficient, feels more powerful, and gets better gas mileage. That's more than enough to justify the extra initial costs to me.

[SigEpCutlass]

oh yea and back to the question at hand I almost forgot....

 

you will be fine switching back. Just expect a decrease in performance, and it will also take your car a little bit longer to warm up, especially on a cold day.

[93CutlassSupreme]

change your oil once a year?

 

i guess you like crude coming out of the oil pan, because that's what year-old oil looks like, no matter how many miles are on it

[WhiteOut]

AMSOIL won't look like crude coming out. Its one of those things you have to see to believe. The stuff is made to resist the rigors of high RPM, high heat, endurance race engines. That said it doesn't have a much of a problem holding up to everyday driving. Its quality however is reflected in its price, very expensive.

[93CutlassSupreme]

there's no way in hell i'd only change my oil once a year

[gp90se]

amsoil does claim 1ce a year (every 25k) on their oil because its a full synthetic oil and they recommend chaning the filter every 6k miles or run a dual filter setup. If you have been running synthetic for over a year and goto amsoil, your oil really doesnt change color for 15k miles.

 

Switching from synthetic to regular wont clot or gunk up anything anymore. when synthertic came out, it had to be used by itself because it wouldnt mix and junk up the motor.

 

Synthetic does NOT make leaks... but it does clean off the gaskets which can allow the oil to flow through them.

 

I run 10w30 dyno oil year round in my cars (thicker in the trucks during summer, synthetic only in the TGP) but I do let them warm up for at least 2-3 minutes every morning. If you cant let ya car warm up (which helps it quite a bit), use a 5w-30 in the winter and 10w30 in the summer.

 

There are durablend oils (valvolines comes to mind cauz I worked for em for 2 1/2 years) which is pretty decent shiet. its 30% synthetic and heated to blend so the molicules are smaller so it flows almost as well as synthetic without the cost.

 

While were on the topic of oil, use a 1/2 decent filter (delco, STP). stay the fuck away from fram and pensoil filters, there cardboard inside and are prone 2 failing as well as letting more dirt into the engine.

 

-Jeff

[93CutlassSupreme]

you want oil to change color and appear dirty.

 

that means it's picking up shit

[gp90se]

right but if you use synthetic oil for about a year every 3k (cleans the engine out) it wont get dark anywhere near as often.

 

-Jeff

[SigEpCutlass]

change your oil once a year?

 

i guess you like crude coming out of the oil pan, because that's what year-old oil looks like, no matter how many miles are on it

 

dude I hate to say it...you know nothing about oil at all. Synthetic isn't some cheap shit you may put into your car. It's designed to last longer, work harder & more effectively, and be lower maintenance.

[93CutlassSupreme]

to me, an 11 yr old w-body isn't worth synthetic oil, but that's just my opinion.

[gp90se]

to me, an 11 yr old w-body isn't worth synthetic oil, but that's just my opinion.

 

says the olds owner with a chevy logo on the rear window.

 

-Jeff

[SigEpCutlass]

to me, an 11 yr old w-body isn't worth synthetic oil, but that's just my opinion.

 

that's great but have you read what we've written at all? your perceptions are totally wrong about snythetic because you have never USED IT! You're not in a position to judge the performance or effectiveness or it when you have no experience with it.

 

My engine oil isn't filthy when I change it because I use engine flush once a year to get all that shit out, to to mention a fuel system cleaner ever 3,000 miles to get the stuff since the flush put into the filter. That's how I do things. I keep the inside of my engine spick and span.

[93CutlassSupreme]

change your oil once a year?

 

i guess you like crude coming out of the oil pan, because that's what year-old oil looks like, no matter how many miles are on it

 

dude I hate to say it...you know nothing about oil at all. Synthetic isn't some cheap shit you may put into your car. It's designed to last longer, work harder & more effectively, and be lower maintenance.

 

i know nothing about oil? right..... are you a spokesman for the oil companies?

 

i'm not the one here who lists "synthetic fluids" as mods. yup, you sure must have gained a ton of horsepower from your "synthetic fluids"

 

but yeah, whatever you say chief.

 

go ahead with your synthetic fluids, and i'll use my 98 cent oil, which, i'd like to add, meets new car warranty requirements, and, you know what, i'm willing to bet my engine will last just as long as yours.

[93CutlassSupreme]

to me, an 11 yr old w-body isn't worth synthetic oil, but that's just my opinion.

 

says the olds owner with a chevy logo on the rear window.

 

-Jeff

 

 

really, is a car that isn't worth JACK FUCKING SHIT worth super-duper oil?

 

i can see putting synthetic in a Corvette or something like that, but come on, a car that's worth 2 grand or less just isn't worth a what, $50 oil change, if not more?

[gp90se]

blah blah blah, all you do is pick fights and bitch. and yes, to my my Gp's are worth the "super-duper oil" because you do get extra protection from synthetics (especially for the turbo) over dyno as well as better mpg.

 

go grow some hair on ya balls, get a life and quit yer bitchen'

 

-Jeff

[93CutlassSupreme]

please explain how i'm bitching i'm not allowed to state my opinion?

[THe_DeTAiL3R]

Jesus Christ... you have a stock 3100 regular oil and routine oil changes will do you fine. Guys with 3.4s and turbos want to have extra protection and (argueably) some bonus HP. I agree with 93CutlassSupreme it may not be worth it in your car (I sure as hell wouldn't bother spending 3x as much into oil for my old car, which WILL last a very long time with regular oil), but if I had even a 3.4, 3.1T or a L67 I would more than likely want to have the best in my engine, cause I consider them performance cars which need the best oil.

[WhiteOut]

I use synthetic in my 3.4 DOHC for two reasons.

 

1) Way better protection over conventional oils, especially on cold starts, and at high temps.

2) Longer service intervals. I put 30k on my car every year (lots of highway driving) so by using synthetic and a quality filter I only have to change my oil once overy 5-6k miles instead of every 3k. So the cost esentially evens out for me, which leaves me right back at my first point.

 

After 6k of driving I'll bet my oil comes out looking cleaner than your fossil oil would after 500 miles of driving. There is an advantage to be had with synthetics, if theres not an awful lot of highly paid chemists have wasted an unbelievable amount of time developing it.

[SigEpCutlass]

change your oil once a year?

 

i guess you like crude coming out of the oil pan, because that's what year-old oil looks like, no matter how many miles are on it

 

dude I hate to say it...you know nothing about oil at all. Synthetic isn't some cheap shit you may put into your car. It's designed to last longer, work harder & more effectively, and be lower maintenance.

 

i know nothing about oil? right..... are you a spokesman for the oil companies?

 

i'm not the one here who lists "synthetic fluids" as mods. yup, you sure must have gained a ton of horsepower from your "synthetic fluids"

 

but yeah, whatever you say chief.

 

go ahead with your synthetic fluids, and i'll use my 98 cent oil, which, i'd like to add, meets new car warranty requirements, and, you know what, i'm willing to bet my engine will last just as long as yours.

 

did I say I gained massive amounts of HP from my synthetic fluids? No, wow way to pick a fight asshat. The only fluid under my hood that's not a synthetic blend besides my coolant, is my PS fluid. As I said before, I use synthetic fluids for better performance, because they are engineered to give that. And you know what, that's my fucking god given right because I own this Cutlass. You can put whatever shit you want in your car, but frankly, I'll treat my car better thank-you very much. I take care of things I own with the best care possible.

 

I think my engine will last even longer than yours. Unlike most people on this forum, I have a pretty low mileage 10 year old vehicle. My cutlass has less than 75,000 miles on it.

 

Maybe you fail to consider that I'm a college student who has very little time to be under the hood of my car at school. Nor do I have a garage to do my work in, nor all the proper tools. They're at home in my parent's garage. Further more, I have a 3 - 31/2 hr drive up I-95 to get to and from school, so it's not like I can just go right home all the time. Furthermore, with all the driving I do up in school, a 6 month/7,000 mile interval works much better for me. That way I can change my oil when I go home for breaks.

 

I'm sorry that my daily schedule of working 2 jobs on campus, 18 credits worth of classes, my duties as VP of the greek governing council & meetings with the administration, my own fraternity positions, studying for my classes, chilling with my friends, and spending time with my g/f leave me a very meager amount of time to do anything else. I'm sorry that I'm so busy but I need to spend my extra time on other things, instead of under the hood of my car every 3 months changing my oil. I don't know how you change your oil, but I let it totally drain. I don't do some 10 minute oil change bullshit. That's how crap stays in your engine. I feel no further need to explain myself to someone who's ignorant.

[SigEpCutlass]

i think this chart speaks for itself as to why I use Amsoil in my carl

 

[93CutlassSupreme]

you're the only college student on this board? since when?

 

 

thats right, i don't know what it's like to attend school, and hold a job at the same time

 

attend 4 hour and a half classes, and then bust out 50 yr old cast-iron bathtubs with a sledge for 5 hours. wait, i guess, according to you, i wouldn't know anything about school or work

 

so i guess you let your oil drip out for 3 hours when you're changing it? damn, it won't stop dripping, so i guess i'll have to wait until it stops or else my engine will die. what a dumb fuck. it shouldn't take more than a half hour to do a quality oil change.

 

 

i'm ignorant? look at yourself. you think you're the only college student here who also works? look around, motherfucker. you're flaming one right now.

[SigEpCutlass]

you're the only college student on this board? since when?

 

 

thats right, i don't know what it's like to attend school, and hold a job at the same time

 

attend 4 hour and a half classes, and then bust out 50 yr old cast-iron bathtubs with a sledge for 5 hours. wait, i guess, according to you, i wouldn't know anything about school or work

 

so i guess you let your oil drip out for 3 hours when you're changing it? damn, it won't stop dripping, so i guess i'll have to wait until it stops or else my engine will die. what a dumb fuck. it shouldn't take more than a half hour to do a quality oil change.

 

 

i'm ignorant? look at yourself. you think you're the only college student here who also works? look around, motherfucker. you're flaming one right now.

 

Actually if you want to be technical I do let it sit for 45mins-1hr. This way any and all crap is out. I don't keep going until the thing stops dripping entirely. I'll do things my way b/c that's how I was taught. My grandfather was a mechanic after he retired from the PA state police, and my dad grew up rebuilding MG's, mustangs, and corvettes. I learned from 2 knowledgeable people on how to treat my cars. As far as I'm concerned, I learned from the best. I don't care what you think about how I do things.

 

I have a very busy life, and I don't care about your judgement on my life. You don't know me at all, so don't comment! Frankly, I see you've instead ignored my statistics for using synthetic oil which you thought was worthless. I'm sure that whatever 98cent crap you use is a hell of a lot harder on your engine's internals than even the highest wearing oil on the graph. Instead of arguing about the original topic which was oil, you've decided to insult me personally. Look at the graph and shut your mouth. Just about any synthetic oil is better than conventional motor oil for your engine hands down. I go for quality over quantity when it comes to products that are used in my engine. You want to "care" for your engine in that way, fine that's your own damn stupid decision. You should stop being so fucking hard headed and look at the facts before making a judgement.

 

I will not respond to this thread any further unless it has to do with the original topic. So, you can save youself the response if you're just gonna try and insult me again.

 

Moral of the story: Synthetic Motor oil is better than Conventional Oil. If you disagree with that, then you really are ignorant.

[93CutlassSupreme]

sure it's better, but is it really worth the extra cost, espically in an old car that isn't worth jack shit?

 

not to me.

 

 

i do just what GM recommends, change my oil and filter every 3K. the manual doesn't say what brand of oil to use, nor whether conventional or synthetic, so i guess it wasn't a big deal to them either, as long as the oil gets changed and meets specifications, which nearly all multi-weight oils on the market do.

[SigEpCutlass]

sure it's better, but is it really worth the extra cost, espically in an old car that isn't worth jack shit?

 

not to me.

 

 

i do just what GM recommends, change my oil and filter every 3K. the manual doesn't say what brand of oil to use, nor whether conventional or synthetic, so i guess it wasn't a big deal to them either, as long as the oil gets changed and meets specifications, which nearly all multi-weight oils on the market do.

 

i do what's required and then some. I don't know about your finances, but I'm poor as shit. I've had to put out more money to buy new parts(new brake lines, 2 calipers, 4 rotors, 2 sets of new high performance pads, and I still have to buy 4 new struts), pay bills, buy the g/f shit, run my small ebay laptop operation, etc. I've got no money to buy a new W anymore. This cutlass has to last me until I graduate from college this may and the 1 year accelerated MBA program after that. I use the best stuff, and take the best care of it because I need it to last. Not only that, I like my car and want it to run at max efficiency, and look the best it can.