[A/S] Oil Change Suggestions

["Thomas Dickieson" <drighten@xxxxxxxxx>]

I saw many opinions and some facts on the oil change discussion.  
First thing I have to say, is that I have a dealership license to 
sell AMSOIL, for the sole purpose of purchasing at wholesale, and 
the reason I say that is so that nobody tries to say I am 
advertising or selling on this forum.  That is not what I am going 
to do.

All that said, Oliver wrote an excellent article.  The prime things 
oil must do are 1) cusion metal from metal, thereby eliminating or 
reducing friction, and 2) carry contaminants away to the oil filter 
where thay can be filtered out.

The reason to use synthetics in this day and age is because 
petroleum oils are just not good enough anymore.  Engines have come 
a long way.  The second reason to use synthetics is cold weather 
operation, as they stay more fluid to lower temperatures, and this 
is especially important in turbo diesels with fuel injection that is 
hydraulically run by your engine oil.  If oil is changed frequently, 
the heat end of the equation is less important, but synthetics do 
not break down from heat the way that dinosaur oil does.  Oil 
filters are extremely important, and I would not put a fram on a 
vehicle.  Many people from southern climes get away with these 
filters, but in the cold, they come apart, and you don't want to see 
the mess they leave inside an engine.

If you use a synthetic, and wish to go extended drain intervals, you 
must use filters designed for this purpose, and in a diesel engine 
especially and recommended all engines, you need to send out samples 
for analysis.  If the analysis says the oil is good, you can 
continue to use it.  Otherwise, change it.

This next statement is an opinion (seeing as GM sends corvettes from 
the factory brand new filled with synthetic oil):  Do not break an 
engine in on synthetic.  It takes too long.  A gas engine needs 
about 6,000 miles to guarantee a good ring seat.  Synthetic extends 
this to about 10 to 12K miles.  A diesel already requires a very 
long break in, so the first minumum 10K should be on regular oil to 
seat the rings.  If you were to wait for full break in, it could be 
as long as 25K before you should switch to synthetic.  On the other 
hand, if you are willing to use break in behaviour for 50,000 miles 
on your diesel, and not tromp on it or stress it unduely, then you 
may try breaking in with synthetic.  It will love you for it.

Brands of synthetic found to be good to excellent:  Rotella T SB, 
Mobil 1, Castrol Syntec, Red Line, Neo and of course Amsoil.  I 
don't know if they all make a product for diesels, but I do know 
that Rotella makes both a partial synth and a full synth and so does 
Amsoil.  Both of these companies make products that are specifically 
made for diesels.  Even Ford's oil for their diesels is also 
permissable for use in gas engines, so I don't think it is anything 
special.  They aren't even proud enough of it to overcharge for it.

The following was taken directly from Castrol's web site:

"Synthetic lubricants are engineered to do the job of a conventional 
lubricant - but they do it much, much better. Think of them as 
bionic lubricants, if you will! Though a bit more costly to produce 
and, therefore, more expensive to buy, these "super lubricants" can 
actually save you money in the long run."

Take my post as a gesture of good will and sharing of knowledge.  I 
say again, I am not trying to sell anybody anything.

Tom