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who wants to test Mobil 1?

My grandfather runs Mobil! full synthetic and he always replaces his filter every 3000 and adds another quarts and calls it good. I dont know how much I like that, but hes put 80000 on the small block and its still going strong.
 
HarryH3 said:
Already performing that test. Bought the '91 S-10 Jimmy brandy new in 1992. After the first 10K miles or so, it has had the oil changed every year, whether it needed it or not. ;) Once each summer it gets a new batch of Mobil 1 and a new filter. It has 167K miles on it and runs like a top. I usually have to add 1 quart during the year to keep it topped off. I can't complain about that! :cool1:

It's also still running the ATF that it left the factory with. :yikes: A buddy in the trans biz told me to NEVER change the fluid in a 700R4 and it would last much longer. I decided to test his theory and am amazed at the results. This little rig has wheeled all over Colorado and I even managed to bust the rear pinion gear, but the trans is still going strong.
Now the atf part of that story I'm really curious about, does'nt make sense to me at all, I change the atf and filter in my wife's cherokee:eek1: every 15,000 miles, it always looks and smells new ( the atf, not my wife ) and it now has 245,000 trouble free miles on it. Relax on the jeep thing, I put a 3.4 chev v-6 in it about 3 years ago.:D
 
theperfectgarage said:
Now the atf part of that story I'm really curious about, does'nt make sense to me at all, I change the atf and filter in my wife's cherokee:eek1: every 15,000 miles, it always looks and smells new ( the atf, not my wife ) and it now has 245,000 trouble free miles on it. Relax on the jeep thing, I put a 3.4 chev v-6 in it about 3 years ago.:D
yeah I don't particularly get or believe that one either. I know plenty of people that never have changed their trans fluid because they never knew any better and burned up transmissions 60, 70, 100k miles. Most of those people, now flush their tranmissions regularly. I do them a couple times a day every day of the week at work. ANd I must say, seeing black transmission fluid at 30k miles, I don't care what anyone else says, my vehicles get flushed and will continue to as long as any of them have auto transmissions.
 
I don't see the need to bash Mobil 1 here. I don't care if you use 39 cents per quart in-house special oil... or the crazy bling stuff thats $15 a quart... both are going to get just as dirty. Synthetics are nifty in that they don't break down as easily at high temps. Thats a good reason to use them in high perf applications. Doesn't mean they shouldn't be just as dirty as the cheap stuff after 15k miles.... what is the oil supposed to do, pull out ray guns and vaporize the little bits of metal floating in it?

Unless you race, I don't see a real need for synthetics. You could run the cheap stuff... change it every 1000 miles... and still spend half the money... and it would probably result in a longer laster engine too.

j
 
jekbrown said:
Unless you race, I don't see a real need for synthetics. You could run the cheap stuff... change it every 1000 miles... and still spend half the money... and it would probably result in a longer laster engine too.

j
run non synthetic 20w-50 in the race cars. People always think just cause its a race car its running like 5w synthetic... What to Nascar guys run? damned if I know.

Personally I can't justify the money for synthetic. Not in any of my vehicles. But if I care about the vehicle at all(like my truck or parents vehicles) I buy name brand quality stuff. For new engines, Mobil 1 products only. Had been using that Mobil 1 "Clean Power" or something like that, for engine assembly and first few oil changes, but wasn't able to find it. When I just put my 383 together I used Mobil 1 5000, 10w-30. Will likely run that for at least the first few oil changes.

Now the way my Saturn goes through oil, walmart brand 20w-50 works just fine in that piece.
 
I just figured that I would put his theory to the test and give it a try. Most 700R4's die WAY before 167K, yet mine is still going strong. Yep, the fluid is not pretty pink any more, and it smells kinda funny, but I'd say that the trans has held up pretty well. :cool1:
 
I think Mobil1 is funny, since they can only guarrantee their oil for what? 5K, 7K, and one more step up?

Amsoil is perfectly fine to run for 25K when the vehicle isn't driven for many short trips and has an adequit Amsoil or Donoldson nanofiber media filter.

I change my Ram Cummins once a year, and it makes 800ft lbs of torque, pulls trailers all the time, gets raced, and idles lots and lots.... Love my Amsoil.

Synthetics are far superior. They don't majically zap wear particles, they help keep them from forming! Synthetic lubricates much better, and this makes the engine wear slower. The result is less engine metal floating in the oil. As far as the carbon, it does a better job of clumping it together. This is where a nanofiber filter is needed over a cellulous type filter. The nanofiber media is able to catch smaller particles and has more storage. It also resists breaking down longer too, the actual media itself.
 
I'd still be willing to bet that you could spend half as much on normal oil, and just change it more often and be all-good. You know most oil advertising junk is just BS when they have things like "4x4 offroad formula!" type oils that they charge more for etc. Total bunk. Good way to seperate clowns from their cash though...

I'm not saying all oils are identical in performance... just that marketing prolly has more to do with $pendy oils than anything.

j
 
jekbrown said:
I'd still be willing to bet that you could spend half as much on normal oil, and just change it more often and be all-good. You know most oil advertising junk is just BS when they have things like "4x4 offroad formula!" type oils that they charge more for etc. Total bunk. Good way to seperate clowns from their cash though...

I'm not saying all oils are identical in performance... just that marketing prolly has more to do with $pendy oils than anything.

j
I would agree for the most part that "offroad" oils and "high mileage" is for the most part, not that different than regular lines.

The difference is what a company states that their product WILL DO, not what it is "supposed" to be for. When Amsoil says 25K on their filter and oil, they mean it. No "you COULD go 25K if you wanted too." Amsoil guarantees is to last that longin normal driving vehicles.

I completely disagree that changing cheap dyno oil periodically will yeild as many miles as an engine ran with Amsoil, Red line, and Royal Purple. An engine's oiling system is for the most part a sealed environment. Everytime you pop the fill cap and especially when you change the filter you are introducing dirt and residue. I like to keep the oiling system sealed up as long as the oil will last.

Amsoil has pages and pages and pages of info on research of exactly what you mention. They have found this especially true in commercial applications where vehicles see so many miles every day. It's cheaper in the long run to run a premium synthetic if the vehicle sees a LOT of miles. Just calculate it up over a 25K stretch. Count what it costs to change cheap oil 8 times vs. Amsoil once. Thats why it's so popular in OTR trucks. Less down time, better mileage, longer engine life, and cheaper maintenance.

It's up to you to decide if you believe in a good synthetic or not, but do some research first. I used to think synthetic was only for race cars and other built motors that generated a lot of heat, and vehicles that see tons of miles. Now I use it in almost everything I own.
 
I use to run Mobil one in all my rigs (well at least the ones that didn't Burn/leak alot they get rotella) Butabout 18 months ago I switched to royal purple I change my filters every 3000 miles and add a quart and send an oil sample to the Cat dealership to be analyzed. with royal purple I've not changed my oil yet ( granted adding a fresh quart every 3000 miles helps) I use napa gold (wix) filters . My superduty had Mobil one when I got it at 68,000 I changed to royal purple It now has 120,000 without "changing" the oil . My oil changes cost 7.38 for the oil and 4.67 for the filter. this hold true for my 79 k20 my 75 k-10 and my 97 sub and my 93k2500(diesel) which each have maybe 10-15,000 miles since Putting royal purple in them . Amsoil is a good product I use there gear lube religously and a quart of there engine treatment In my old beaters when ever I get around to changeing them
 
I know that one of my friends works for a pool company and has to keep the fleet of 50-60 trucks running...hes in charge of all the maintainance and stuff...he runs amsoil in all the trucks with wix filters. He changes the filters at 4K miles or so, adds a quart or whatever it takes to top it off, and runs 30-35K between complete oil changes. Yes, he has done life tests on the oil, and yes, it shows theres life in it at 30K miles sometimes. Sure amsoil is expensive, but its a lot easier (and cheaper for the company) to do a filter change every 4K miles. If i drove something that didn't see mud and water a lot, id definately do this.
 
that's why i did it i mean if the trucks not leaking or burning it then it pays for itself 3.65 a quart for cheap convential oil which is nasty after 3000 miles or 7.38 a quart for Good oil that's lasted 52,000 miles and I beat the ever-living F#$% out of my Superduty......okay all my trucks it really does end up being cheaper in the long run. Also my 377 de-stroker in my stepper had 65,000 hard miles on it when it bent a few valves at 7000rpm I decided to replace the bearings along with the pistons and rings but they looked the same as they did when I put them In Mobil one for most of it's life and Royal purple for about the last 4500 miles or so before valve failure (my fault )
 
I did an oil anylsis on my 98 malibu even with out synthetics, according to the lab my oil was still fine for about 12,000 miles, after that it needs changing but not terribly badly. Since 3000 miles or 3 months has been beat into my brain my whole life I still change it about every 5500 miles(car has 186,000 miles on it). About the auto trans thing my dear old Dad has a 2002 malibu and it has nowhere to check the trans fluid and nowhere to add or drain it. I think the life of your oil has almost more to do with where you drive. On my blazer until I build a new motor it gets the oil changed often with cheap stuff. When I build a new motor it will have a bypass filter and I will use Amsoil Royal Purple or Mobil synthetic. It is my firm belief that every car or truck out there could get their oil tested that almost every single one would have a different change interval
 
sled_dog said:
someone go buy a brand new truck. drain the oil, throw in that 15k oil from mobil one. and test it. i bet its sludgy
From what I understand, since Mobil1 is a synthetic oil, it doesnt break down and lose its lube capabilities.....and it doesnt sludge up.
-Harrison
 
I've been running the Walmart brand (Super Tech) of synthetic oil for several years. It's about $13 for a 5 quart jug. I also use their Super Tech oil filters in all my vehicles (1995 Ford SHO, 1998 Toy Tacoma, 1990 GMC Brub). I change the oil in my vehicles every 15k miles or so. Costs me less than $20 for each one. Both the Burb and the SHO will burn some oil before I change it. I add oil as needed. All three of them still run strong with no leaks and the SHO and Burb show no increase in oil comsumption. The SHO has 184K, the Burb 125K and the Taco 113K.

There's also more to consider than just saved money. If you use less oil (less oil changes) then there is less oil that needs to be recycled. I'm no psyco environmentalist, but I like to conserve our natural resources and environment as much as possible. The 15K oil changes I do help me do just that.

Kevin
 
sled_dog said:
yeah I don't particularly get or believe that one either. I know plenty of people that never have changed their trans fluid because they never knew any better and burned up transmissions 60, 70, 100k miles. Most of those people, now flush their tranmissions regularly. I do them a couple times a day every day of the week at work. ANd I must say, seeing black transmission fluid at 30k miles, I don't care what anyone else says, my vehicles get flushed and will continue to as long as any of them have auto transmissions.

I can believe the mileage he has on his trans. We have a '99 S-blazer (4L60E) that hasn't had the fluid changed yet, 106K. I've been meaning to change it since 75K but just haven't got to it yet. Fluid still looks/smells good, not burnt or black. I want to pull the pan and V/B to clean the screens for the T/C.

Even towed a 24' pontoon, 2 place sled trailers etc. How these people burn the fluid so early makes me wonder. Or it could be a malfunction in the trans. Dad had a '89 K1500 that changed the fluid regularly and it failed before 100k, soft planetary gears, plugged the T/C screen and smoked the converter. When we tow it is in D until it can maintain 2,000rpm in OD if the trailer is small enough. Even in town my wife is instructed to run in 3rd at 45mph or lower. Transmission shift patterns are mapped out for fuel milage not transmission life.

Currently have Amsoil in the engine and RP in the t-case and rear axle.
 
Mileage intervals are nothing but guesswork, even for the OEMs. It's just that your car has a odometer, but not much else to monitor the use of the oil. Some of them calculate oil life in the computer, which is a better figure, and almost always longer than 3,000 miles.

The real factors in oil life are hours run per given load and number of cold starts. Cold starts (i.e. all oil in the pan) contributes the most wear on the engine.

Even oil analysis doesn't give the right "mileage interval" for oil changes unless you are always driving under the same conditions (weather, dust, length of trips, amount of idling, etc.) What we really need is for the engine controller to monitor driving conditions and then let you input the results of your oil analysis so that it can adjust accordingly. It at least needs to let you tell it what kind of oil you are using.
 
ha, most guys I know with 4th gen F Bodies and newer pickups, if their vehicle has the oil life setup, it usually goes off at like 1500-2000 miles because they drive so hard. Should they change oil at that mileage? Not saying maybe they shouldn't, but its rather funny either way. Going to look at a truck today that has the oil life setup. Right now it has this big thing on the display that says "CHANGE OIL NOW" haha. Good leverage for buying it I think ;)
 
yeah i am gonna change over to amsoil soon thinking about becoming a dealer for it but , what sucks is my oil light comes on bc it doens't know it is synthetic it just says hey look 3k better change oil
 
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