Lets talk oil.

I've seen a lot of information flying around the internet about oil and I wanted to set the record straight. We all know there are different weights, grade, etc... But what does that stuff all mean Since most vehicles on the road run a 5W-30 oil, I will use this as an example.

The first number (5W) in a non straight weight oil is its ability to flow when cold. The lower the number, the better it flows. So, in the cold (32*F or colder) a 5W will flow better then a 10W, and a 10W will flow better than a 15W, etc... Contrary to popular belief, the W in 5W does not stand for weight. It stands for winter.

The second number in 5W-30 is the oils actual weight; 30. The weight reflects an oils ability to flow when its hot. The higher then number, the better it flows. A 40 weight will flow better then a 30 weight when hot (212*F or higher), a 30 will flow better then a 20 weight, etc....

So, when we add these two together we get 5W (the oils ability to flow cold) and 30, (the oils ability to flow hot). Make sense?

Now, be careful Also on the market are straight grade oils. These oils are only measured in weight (ex; 30 weight) because they are not intended to be used in cold weather. Lawn mowers, hedge trimmers, etc... usually use a straight weight oil.

I run Mobile 1 Full Sythetic 5W-30 in all my trucks, and my lawnmowers. And Royal Purple or Motorcraft Full Synthetic 5W-30 in my car.


Some disagree, but I feel synthetic has proven itself. Granted, I don't tear down engines unless I have to, some of you remember how long it took me to do the head gaskets on my old GMC (if it was warmer, It wouldn't have taken long at all) but I did pull the engine of my old Sears mower apart. I did it once before to replace a seal, and you could literally scrape sludge off the inner walls of the crankcase. I didn't for I feared that was probably what was holding it together, LOL!

I ran Mobile 1 Synthetic in to for 3 years, before it finally died. I remember having to change the oil after each grass cutting period, because it would be pitch black after.

Starting last summer, it got to leaking and burning oil so bad, I stopped changing it. It would literally burn/leak out 3/4 of a quart while cutting grass for 20 minutes. Engine finally took a dump this spring, and I pulled it apart.

I wish I took pictures, it looked brand new inside. No sludge, you would have thought it was being assembled for the first time. That was proof enough for me. When it died, it has 5,628 hours on it. Original engine and trans. Crazy. I'm a Sears man for life.

I restored it myself, it came a long way.




Now that I've totally hijacked the thread, LMAO..


synthetic = very good
conventional = still good, better than nothing

i guess i knwo where they got the look for wall-e now... lol

007jimmy wrote:

i guess i knwo where they got the look for wall-e now... lol

LOL! Hey, it's a classic, don't hate,

tell me it dont look similar

Just the eyes, only because the headlights are round, lol. Sears didn't put square lights on their machines until 1984 or so.

007jimmy wrote:

i guess i knwo where they got the look for wall-e now... lol

Thats hilarious!

Thanks for the post 1993, I do agree. Go synthetic wherever possible, but be careful of the weights and grades.

I run Amsoil Full Synthetic 5W30 in my stuff. Used to run Mobil1. I'm very pleased but that's about as scientific as I can get here. I rarely keep a vehicle past 35,000 miles.

007jimmy wrote:

i guess i knwo where they got the look for wall-e now... lol

HAHAHAHAHA.. nice.. i like royal purple.. i also like 4 quarts of conventional oil and 1 quart of lucasoil oil stabilizer lol

My old red truck has 2-3 guarts of Lucas oil stabilizer in it to keep the OP up, LOL

I generally use Royal Purple or Mobil 1, but I am in the process of doing a test involving Amsoil, so thats what is currently in the 03' and 97'. The 85' gets Shell Rotella Conventional.

ughh..... oil.....after 3 days of oil lubrication, and working as a mine maintnence/ fuel technition, as well as 4 days in oil analysis training, i have spent way too much time around the stuff....... and i know a bit more than i thought there was to know..... and, as such, i use mobil1 full synthetic on my personal vehicles..... i also change oil and filter at 3000 miles. conventional oil is good, but it has its draw backs. and as soon as i can get to the computer and off my phone, like tonight, i will explain some differences in the molecular structure of both conventional and synthetic oils.....

some of you have heard this spill, and some havent....... the main difference between the coventional oils and synthetic oils is the molecular makeup of it..... you see natural(dinosaur) oil, from petroleum has two basic molecules in it. one is a closed molecule(good) and the other is an open molecule(bad)..... see the problem with teh open molecule, is during the shearing, they heat up, and any other open molecule will combine with it, making a bigger mass..... when enough of them combine together, they can keep things afloat in the oils such as dirt and wear metals and particles...... This is what sludge is..... and the petroleum based oils, all have these...some worse than others, as some(cheveron, Delo 400 to be specific,) they run it through some things that make the open molecules cling together, then run it through a 3 micron filter, which gets a fair amount of the bad molecules out...... thus a higher cost.....
Now Synthetic, has several different base stocks that it can be made from. One is Man made, another is petroleum based, and others are organic(not so common anymore) The base oils are run through several different processes where the open molecules are broken apart, and put back together as the closed molecules....see, a true synthetic, is actually just 100% man made, or man altered....... They often will use recycled oil, run it through these processes, then reuse it in a synthetic blend......(we'll get to those in a bit.) The full synthetics, after going under the processes, and being made of the good(closed) molecules, then go through a cleaning process, and then the different additives are added, and various other things added to keep the additives working correctly...
The reason you change the synthetic oil is actually due to the additives breaking down due to the extreme pressures they see as the are heated, and sheared on their way through the motor....... and thats why they claim you can run them longer, like 7500 miles between changes, with regular filter changes in the middle(which people forget to do)
Now, as for the synthetic Blends, the synthetic oils are run through the same processes, but are blended with a common base, usually petroleum based, then they have the additives added...... better than full conventional??? some, maybe..... you still have the problem molecules loose, that combine and lead to heavy sludge..... the other problem with synthetic blends, is there is no regulation of what percent is synthetic, and what part is conventional..... so you could be paying higher prices for 5% synthetic,95% conventional oil...... thats why I stay clear of synthetic blends..... there is some sneaky stuff that is in them....... as for reprocessed oils, they are safe, enough...... to each his own....... they run them through a 10 micron filter, and some run through a 3 micron filter, and then they are cleaned, and new additives added ten repackaged, and sold again.... safe, as long as the cleaning process is done thoroughly, and there isnt ny conflicting additives left behind for the new additives to react to..... And with that, I could keep going..... there is emense amounts to oil, that I wish I could forget........ a full week of learning only about engine and drive train oils..... that doesnt include the 2 weeks of gearbox oils, and greases that I have and will be going through before my next advancement..... ughh...... anyway, I hope this was as clear as mud........ I don't know how much they tell online, but the company that does the training for the phosphate mine I work at, Is Noria...... they do trainings world wide..... pretty cool for the first day, boring after 6

merlin5577 wrote:

The second number in 5W-30 is the oils actual weight; 30. The weight reflects an oils ability to flow when its hot. The higher then number, the better it flows. A 40 weight will flow better then a 30 weight when hot (212*F or higher), a 30 will flow better then a 20 weight, etc....

So, when we add these two together we get 5W (the oils ability to flow cold) and 30, (the oils ability to flow hot). Make sense?

THis second number is also the number used on the lubricity factor of the oil. It is what the lubrication factor the oil has..... in this case5w30, It lubricates at a 30 wieght, but a 40 wieght oil gives a slightly thicker oil film inbetween wear parts..... thus the reason if you have low oil pressure with a 30 wieght, and go to 15w40, it will drastically increase the pil pressure, and in some cases will make a noisey bearing quiet again..... ITs lubricating capability is just that much heavier

batty, I love reading your posts. I always learn something. Thanks for sharing.

Ive seen 0 10 synthetic, dang thin.

batty1214 wrote:

some of you have heard this spill, and some havent....... the main difference between the coventional oils and synthetic oils is the molecular makeup of it..... you see natural(dinosaur) oil, from petroleum has two basic molecules in it. one is a closed molecule(good) and the other is an open molecule(bad)..... see the problem with teh open molecule, is during the shearing, they heat up, and any other open molecule will combine with it, making a bigger mass..... when enough of them combine together, they can keep things afloat in the oils such as dirt and wear metals and particles...... This is what sludge is..... and the petroleum based oils, all have these...some worse than others, as some(cheveron, Delo 400 to be specific,) they run it through some things that make the open molecules cling together, then run it through a 3 micron filter, which gets a fair amount of the bad molecules out...... thus a higher cost.....
Now Synthetic, has several different base stocks that it can be made from. One is Man made, another is petroleum based, and others are organic(not so common anymore) The base oils are run through several different processes where the open molecules are broken apart, and put back together as the closed molecules....see, a true synthetic, is actually just 100% man made, or man altered....... They often will use recycled oil, run it through these processes, then reuse it in a synthetic blend......(we'll get to those in a bit.) The full synthetics, after going under the processes, and being made of the good(closed) molecules, then go through a cleaning process, and then the different additives are added, and various other things added to keep the additives working correctly...
The reason you change the synthetic oil is actually due to the additives breaking down due to the extreme pressures they see as the are heated, and sheared on their way through the motor....... and thats why they claim you can run them longer, like 7500 miles between changes, with regular filter changes in the middle(which people forget to do)
Now, as for the synthetic Blends, the synthetic oils are run through the same processes, but are blended with a common base, usually petroleum based, then they have the additives added...... better than full conventional??? some, maybe..... you still have the problem molecules loose, that combine and lead to heavy sludge..... the other problem with synthetic blends, is there is no regulation of what percent is synthetic, and what part is conventional..... so you could be paying higher prices for 5% synthetic,95% conventional oil...... thats why I stay clear of synthetic blends..... there is some sneaky stuff that is in them....... as for reprocessed oils, they are safe, enough...... to each his own....... they run them through a 10 micron filter, and some run through a 3 micron filter, and then they are cleaned, and new additives added ten repackaged, and sold again.... safe, as long as the cleaning process is done thoroughly, and there isnt ny conflicting additives left behind for the new additives to react to..... And with that, I could keep going..... there is emense amounts to oil, that I wish I could forget........ a full week of learning only about engine and drive train oils..... that doesnt include the 2 weeks of gearbox oils, and greases that I have and will be going through before my next advancement..... ughh...... anyway, I hope this was as clear as mud........ I don't know how much they tell online, but the company that does the training for the phosphate mine I work at, Is Noria...... they do trainings world wide..... pretty cool for the first day, boring after 6

holy crap, i just got oil-educated hahaha.. i wonder what lucas oil oil stabilizer consists of.. the stuff worls wonders on new and old motors, rebuilt or pushing 300,000. if the stuff can get rid of a start-up knock in a 302 pushing 218,000, like it was never even there, than i will swear by the stuff until the day i die lol

The lucas oil stabilizer, and oil treatments are a antiwear, and other additive supplement, that when you add it, It in a sense "beefs" up the additives that are already in the oil..... It helps the seals, as it helps to restore them, It helps the knocking, cause it raises the lubricity of the oil a little, and helps provide a little thicker oil film in the wear areas...... I peronally dont use the stuff, and never have. I just change oil regularly, as sometimes the noises the lucas helps quiet are a tell of what is happening in your engine......

well older ford V8's typically develop a 'start up knock' when they hit high mileage, because the oil pump lets the oil run back through the sump tube. the lucasoil keeps the rods and mains lubricated on startup.

an old buddy of mine, eric, had an 88 F250 that was knocking for a minute or 2 after he would start it in the morning. he did an oil change and replaced a quart of oil with the oil stabilizer and he got another 20,000 out of the motor before selling it. as far as i know, it's still rolling around somewhere with the same motor

yeah, I know that it does wonders for many people, and the people with good experiences out weigh the bad..... it is a good product. Im not going to argue that...... I personally don't use it, thats all im saying.......

well i can understand why you wouldn't use it, you run synthetic in yours and keep up on the oil changes.. yours probably haven't been beaten nearly as hard as mine or the 1's around me either lol

Currently I run 10W30 in my truck which will get an oil change before hitting the road again because it's been sitting since april... However after I overhaul my motor I plan to run full synthetic oil but I'm at a draw as to which brand I should use that will protect my motor through the riggers of daily use but also provide sufficent protection when I'm rocker panel deep and require every ounce of power my motor has to offer... So of all you regular synthetic oil users and guru's (reffering of course to merlin and batty) which brand of oil would you choose and which oild filter would you use if you where in my shoes...

doesn't royal purple sell synthetic? i know their conventional oil is top of the line

Yeah they do make synthetic oils... Immediately after the rebuild I'm gonna run RP engine break-in oil and was thinking of running RP all the time but with RP being so much more expensive I wasn't sure if it truely provided more protection then say Castrol Syntech

i think castrol is the leading brand IMO, never ran anything but castrol gtx in my bronco and the motor never really lost any power after 35,000mi of pure beating it to death.. but it could have also been the lucasoil helping to hold it together lol