Oil Capacity

[Fordverde]

Wouldn't be fun to have two engines(brand new) put synthetic in one and Dino juice in the other and keep them running at high rpm until one of them breaks to see which one of you guys are right. Personaly I like synthetic, but if I have an old engine with old gaskets, and good compresion, no way in Heaven Im gonna put synthetic in it; and if the engine has new gaskets and valve seals I'll put it in with no questions

[darkdan]

Wouldn't be fun to have two engines(brand new) put synthetic in one and Dino juice in the other and keep them running at high rpm until one of them breaks to see which one of you guys are right.

No doubt the synthetic would win, but that test wouldn't mean diddly in the real world. People don't drive like that.

Personaly I like synthetic, but if I have an old engine with old gaskets, and good compresion, no way in Heaven Im gonna put synthetic in it; and if the engine has new gaskets and valve seals I'll put it in with no questions

You'd only have to worry if your seals were already leaking, but blocked with sludge and deposits creating a "false seal".

Synthetics have superior cleaning abilities and would clean it out.

[Guest]

Sorry I had to delete my post.. I was holding 2 conversations and typing at the same time and hit enter..

Let me try this again.. A couple of oil questions..

Were synthetics even used in the mid 80's when Mazda engineered our engines??

If not, then why would a mfg recommend something that didn't exist at the time that they were engineered?

And if the mfg recommends certain oils, and they are gospel, then why does the same equipment from the same mfg call for different oils when they are from different countries? Such as the 121 calls for gear oil in the trans and the Festiva calls for ATF.. Both the exact same mfg and trans.

[darkdan]

Yes, the first API registered synthetic was in 1972. Before that they existed too, but were not API certified.

In America we've had this thing called "CAFE" since 1975. It fines auto makers for not having a high enough Corporate Average Fuel Economy. ATF gives better fuel mileage than gear lube. So they use it. If they use it, then they have to recommend it.

This is still happening today. Look at Ford/Honda with the 5w20 instead of 5w30 thing. Yet in other countries the same motor (built here by Ford and mailed there) is recommended everything from 5w30 up to 20w50

[monkeyracing]

This is an interesting thread. I have comments and questions:

Dan: I've been reading a bit about how of late automotive motor oils have had certain additives removed that were beneficial to engines using flat tappet lifters, seeing as most of the manufacturers have moved to roller valvetrains. These additives were primarily zincs and phosphates. The controversy of late has involved camshaft failures in cars with flat tappets. Do synthetics contain these additives, or do they have some way of compensating for the lack thereof?

(The easy solution to this is to run oil designed for diesel engines, since it still has the additives)

REDNECK: Dude, you live in Alberta, just like me. You should know the difference in starting a vehicle at -30 using different oils. EG: I ran regular oil in my car in a given year. When it hit -30, the car was a pig to start, since the oil had gelled. This also put massive strain on the oil pump, and left the engine starved for oil for the first few seconds of run time.

The following year I used synthetic, and the car fired up like it was above freezing. That alone should be worth it, right?

Jim

[darkdan]

You're talking about ZDDP.

I could look it up, but yeah it's a zinc/phosphate compound.

Starting with API SM they limited how much can be in oil. Which may or may not be a good thing.

ZDDP was a great extreme pressure/anti-wear additive. What they oil companies liked about it is the fact it's cheap!

When ZDDP was reduced I was concerned about flat tappet cams. But, as they reduce ZDDP they fortify the oil with other anti-wear/extreme pressure additives. So it shouldn't be too much of a concern.

Diesel oils would be a great option if you're concerned about ZDDP.

AMSOIL may still have high ZDDP. I'd have to check into it. They no longer certify most of their oils with the API and therefore they had kept ZDDP for a while.

[Fordverde]

May I ask a question Darkman? Which oil do you think is the best, regarding brands? I sure hate Castrol, I like Quaker State(Pennzoil and Shell which is the same thing) and Mobil1 and ther cheap version Esso. But who is the best? And another think, what do you think about Bardall additives 1 and 2??? I use them alot, The #1 in my VW Golf and My dad's Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera, and the # 2 I used it in my 78 Suzuki LJ80, but I just have my Little Green Devil(my Festiva) overhauled so I dont know if I should put the #1 in him. He is reaching the first 500miles after the rebuild.

[darkdan]

Sorry, no such thing as "best".

Certain oils (note I said oil and not brand) excel in certain situations. That's just how life is.

But ANY synthetic is better than a nonsynthetic in most situations.

I wouldn't put bardall in anything I own personally. Then again, short of www.auto-rx.com and www.lubecontrol.com I haven't found anything that isn't bad or doesn't work.

I'm not sure what's available down there, but diesel rated 10w30s may be the way to go. They should be cheap, available, and they're heavy duty. Otherwise, if you want to drop the cash and extend your oil changes Mobil1 sounds like a winner. Esso is nice too. I'm not sure how long of drains you can run because I have no idea about Costa Rican fuel quality.

[Fordverde]

Well I can tell you that the fuel quality here is sad!!!!, Can you tell me why bardall is a Dont??? and why diesel oil???, actually I'm planning on putting Esso synthetic blend 10w40, thats what I put on the oldsmobile, which by the way it says it coming from Canada

[darkdan]

Esso makes some nice products.

I'd steer clear of 10w40. They tend to shear to 10w30 very easily and when that happens it leaves behind deposits and sludge. 15w40 and 5w40 are better choices.

Diesel oils have a lot of detergents/dispersants to help control soot (which we don't get much of that in gas engines). But they do a wonderful job helping keep the engine clean. Especially since you have lower fuel quality standards.

Bardall = snake oil

It's not doing anything. Chances are the only thing it's cleaner is your wallet.

[Fordverde]

Ok, I'll take your advise, Thank you for shearing your knowledge!!!!