Engine Oil - All About It

[troubleshooter8]

I havent tried using fully synthetic engine oils. For me what is important is you have the oil change every 5k kms or 6 mos whichever comes first. Everytime you start you car check it first regardless if its brand new or old one.

[sitilim]

I use synthetic only because you dont need to change the oil as often as regular

[Dan.]

fully synthetic. 10,000kms between oil changes, you only need to change the oil filter every 5,000kms.

[clayman688]

i use multi-grade, change oil twice a year, regular city driving

[cavi]

full synthetic

[biker620]

kung sa pinas regular oil lang (mura kasi labor cost) every 5k km. pag sa states or europe synthetic (mahal kasi labor cost)

[kidneythief]

ultron race fully synthetic oil.... the best

[neo_diet]

for me regular oil with more frequent internals, studies show that oil even if synthetic disintigrates and get contaminated with carbon, metals, etc which causes abrasions, cloggings in the engine itself, so if u use synthetic but u change oil once a year then you are actually doing more harm than good to your car, its better if you do the regualar maintenance schedule every 5000 kms or every 4months, then tune up every other change oil. even car manufacturers themselves does not encourage synthetic oils with lesser intervals, nor the use of additives.

[FirefoxZilla]

Fully synthetic oil

[jamesccc]

you can use mineral oil, unless synthetic ang nakalagay sa car manual mo.

 

as long as you change it every 5,000km ,you won't have problems.

 

re: sa hatak/additional power you get when you use different oils, mejo malayo po yata yun engine oil with performance. lubricant lang ang engine oil, hinde madadagdagan torque mo pag high-end oil mo. ang difference ng synthetic na oil sa mineral eh mas matagal ang palitan (10k yung iba, may mga rated nga 100k pa eh).

 

BUT ALWAYS REMEMBER: wag ka mag shift from synthetic to mineral to synthetic. masisira gaskets mo. stick to one lang.

[hitman531ph]

I use Top 1 Synthetic. It also has Molybdenum that helps protect the engine

[Chickquero]

Found this message from another forum debating about mineral & synthethic oil.

 

 

Reader Feedback

 

Austin ,

 

I read with interest your reader's remarks and your reply and you

 

have both missed some important concepts, to wit:

 

1) Regular oil is poly-unsaturated, that is, it combines with other engine chemicals resulting from the combustion of gas and with atmospheric elements to produce a new compound which, eventually, if left in the engine long enough for the detergent additives to dissipate, will coat the engine with sludge.

 

Synthetic oil is saturated, will not combine with other available compounds and, unless contaminated, essentially lasts forever. Thus, the user of regular oil should change his oil before the modification of his oil through chemical reaction produces a new compound that lubricates poorly and the filter becomes clogged with the newly compounded sludge. My personal experience suggests 3500 miles as a point when significant alteration of the oil should be considered.

 

2) If synthetic oil is used, the oil's properties (viscosity, pouring temperatures, etc.) are determined by the actual molecular structure of the oil not by the addition of viscosity modifiers.

 

The main problem then becomes suspended dirt, thus synthetic oil requires changing to eliminate the slowly accumulating liquid sandpaper that will eventually damage an engine. Essentially, synthetic oil, again, would last, effectively, forever if it were not for the problem of particulate contamination.

 

3) Common filters might filter down to 4 microns, a size that is close to the bearing gap size in modern engines. As it becomes clogged with larger particles the filter begins to 'load up', decreasing its passage size and actually increasing its filtering quality until the filter throughput decreases and begins to starve the engine whereupon, hopefully (and unfortunately), the filter bypass activates and lets dirty oil pass through unfiltered.

 

Again, leaving the filter in the car for 15,000 miles as per some current car specifications is asking for trouble, especially in environments with high particulate density (smoggy cities, dusty plains, areas prone to tornados or high water levels....). 7,500 miles is a max for the filter and certainly for standard oil.

 

4) Extended oil changes can be effected if: The oil chosen does not break down during the period of usage - spec: Synthetic Oil

 

The filter in use will not 'load up' over the period of use and is capable of filtering down to a particle size smaller than the bearing gaps of modern engines. Only the Amsoil bypass oil filter with its 1 micron filtering capability or similar quality unit would be adequate for this specification, however, it is not available for all cars and requires a bypass installation.

 

Solution: Use synthetic oil. Change it at 7,500 miles and change the filter halfway between changes.

 

Personally, my BMW specifies 15,000 mile oil changes and BMW insists on the use of synthetic oil in their products. If they could guarantee that the filter would remove all particles larger than the bearing gaps for that period I might comply.

 

As this cannot be guaranteed, I change my synthetic oil at 5000 miles to decrease the potential wear caused by suspended dirt, not because the oil wears out. What maintenance is done on a car during its lifetime will greatly determine the length of that lifetime. The gentleman who claimed he used standard oil for 100,000 miles in his truck probably halved the life of the truck's engine.

 

Car manufacturers can specify longer oil changes as the original owners will, statistically, sell the car long before the abused engine begins to falter and won't complain. Modern engines are built with significantly greater precision, closer bearing tolerances and better materials than ever.

 

Please note that, obviously, I'm a proponent of the use of synthetic oil, but only because of the superiority of protection and product longevity. The man who chose synthetic oil for this truck and left it in for 100,000 miles chose the right product but left it in his truck only considering the premise that it would not break down.

 

He was correct, but did not consider the consequences of particulate contamination verses the ability of the oil filter's capability to control the level of that contamination. Eventually, his oil would have a high level of destructive particles that were not contained by his filter. Hmmm...I wonder if he even changed his filter? Maybe he did change it regularly; maybe he actually was using a supplemental filter system... If he had used a bypass filter with a 1 micron filter then, probably, his 100,000 oil would still by 'happy' today.

 

Synthetic oil companies are not going to tell their customers that the main problem with the use of their product is contamination. Their advertisements that the oil is good for 25,000 miles leaves out other factors that govern change intervals. It should be, "Our product is good for 25,000 miles providing the user can figure out a way to control particulate contamination that will occur over this 25,000 miles better than that offered by the mediocre capabilities of the majority of engine oil filters".

 

Perhaps, 7.500 miles would be a more honest claim as they could match the cost of regular oil with 3,500 mile changes, yet offer greater engine protection and longevity.

 

Obvious #2 - I have very little respect for those companies that train consumers in faux facts.

 

Statement: "Modern engines built better and thus can tolerate longer oil change intervals."

 

Reality: Modern engines have much more accurate and smaller bearing gaps and, thus, it is even more important to maintain clean oil to preserve these fine tolerances. Modern engines produce more power per liter and, thus, more stress on those bearing and heat to be dissipated by the oil going through those bearings. The oil is responsible for about 30% of the heat dissipation and needs to have superior resistance to breakdown caused by stress and heat.

 

Allowing regular oil to remain in the engine through greatly extended change intervals under increased stress conditions only increases the potential for engine damage as the oil degrades, loses viscosity rating and its ability to perform under that heat and stress. Of course, as the engines are, indeed, better build, it takes longer for them to exhibit bearing or cylinder wear from poorly maintained oil, long enough for the initial buyer to have sold the car to the next hapless user.

 

Statement (from a Honda dealer): "Synthetic oil causes damage in our

 

cars and we don't recommend it."

 

Reality: Users who use synthetic oil think, as a result of oil company propaganda, that the car does not have to have its oil changed as often and simply ignore the 3-5,000 mile oil change recommendation, coming in to Honda at 15,000 mile intervals for their warranty checkups (and an oil change). This costs the dealer money as no service charges to the owner are rendered over that period.

 

The dealers are not, in addition, in a position to find other warranty problems at a point when their repair cost might be less. This is a legitimate complaint, but the solution is not to recommend an oil that requires frequent changes to get the customers into their shops, rather to educate the owners to bring their cars in for service when problems are suspected or offer warranty checkups at shorter intervals.

 

Keep up the good work on your interesting site.

 

Regards,

 

Larry

[id6230]

For obvious reasons, Synthetic oil is superior and of course more expensive. Driving conditions in Metro Manila is ideal for synthetic oil.

[S14]

yup go for synthetic hindi naman siya lately na ganun ka mahal for the protection you can give for your engine. MOtul change oil sa fusion r kasama 4 litre oil/filter n labour nasa P2000 lang lahat na

[edc]

Pag Synthetic mas maganda talaga kahit 5thou km palit na.........sige 7500 na maximum.

 

Yung 10thou km eh masyado na matagal yun