# Engine oil question



## Pheonix (Jun 16, 2012)

Is the high mileage oil worth the extra money when your rubber tramping across the country?
How often do you change your oil?
Is the name brand oil worth worth the extra money as opposed to the cheap Wal-mart oil?


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## ped (Jun 16, 2012)

Oil is something I don't skimp on personally. The high mileage stuff helps to reduce blow-by and valve seal leakage. If you're not having problems with smoking or using oil then there's no reason for it really. All oil isn't created equal though so I at least use decent dino. As for how often to change it depends on where and how it's been driven and the age of the engine. I go about 4k give or take a thousand.


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## DregeDE (Jun 16, 2012)

No it dont matter, synthetics are like saccharin for your body. If it makes lifter noise, thats a top end, valve push rod/oil delivery/oil pump problem= mechanical, oil and oil products"magic potions" are not the answer, leaky engines can be kept full with thicker oil like 20/50 V8's can handle some 80/90 gear oil, never add 80/90 to a I4 our aV6 it will choke the engine. Blow by is due to over heating, excessive engine rev and or transporting way too much weight (like 5 humans, 2 dogs and their gear in a 4 cylinder powered car forced up the I-70 mountain pass west out of denver, say hello to a blown engine within 200 miles) treat your vehicle like someone you care about and it will be there a long time, but dont waste money on lies and magic potions, oil is just to lubricate the crank, piston armature, cam and only a little bit for the rings, ring health is more so dictated by vehicle load, coolant delivery and effectiveness and ignition timing/sure fuel mixture. 
In short it sites not mater what oil you buy, you coils use veggie oil theoretically.


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## DregeDE (Jun 16, 2012)

By some 80/90 I mean like 3 - 5 liquid ounces per engine liter size, my truck us 1.8l so if use about 9 oz
Lota words butchered by predictive text, android fail - deal with it.


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## ped (Jun 16, 2012)

Go put wet clutch motorcycle oil in a car and vice versa and see what happens. Put car oil in a turbo diesel that spin at 40,000 RPM's and see what happens. Put regular oil in a 9k HP dragster and see what happens. Oils cake, additives can help replenish seals by chemical reaction, different formulas coat and stick to the cyclinder walls differently. Synthetic oil doesn't lose viscosity due to heat at the same rate as dino. That's not a marketing schtick, it's testable in the lab. Other ingredients create alternate flash points and so on.


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## Kim Chee (Jun 16, 2012)

Welcome to one of the most debatable subjects in automotive. Have fun.

Buy the "right" oil (you figure it out).
Don't let it run low.
Change it before it is worn out (loses too much viscosity)

Also, let your car warm at idle for a minute or so if it hasn't been running for awhile before driving. In cold weather, allow a longer time at idle for warming.

**Should be running thinner oil in winter, thicker in summer.

Oil should be changed depending on how your use your vehicle. If you demand much from your engine/oil, change more often. 

Of course these tips are well known. They are also frequently disregarded.


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## DregeDE (Jun 16, 2012)

I dont lab, I know what works best for me by way of the 37 vehicles I have owned in the last 15 years all in excess of 100k miles, only blew one engine from thermal breakdown, one from improper driving technique. Take your lab tests and cram em in your pipe, what are you a haliburton advertising PR?


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