10K interval OK for GC?

[HunterG69]

Vehicle is a GMC Sierra 5.3L 4X4.

Thought to run Syntec 0w30 through two OCI's on the oil life monitor? Is this a good idea? Is it recommended for extended drain. Paramount concern is condensation through the winter. How does water degrade this oil - physically or chemically?

Ran XD-3 and Duron in the past, really like the price of XD-3 but availability was a pain and it's not specifically recommended for year-round service, I think Esso recommends to 20degC or so. Just looked at the VOA for XD-3 and Syntec - and Syntec has moly among other things, does this make it a "premium oil"? Does anyone know if it is specifically recommended for year round use? Sorry, really starting to ramble there.

Anyway - thoughts anyone?

 

[SSDude]

GC is formulated for long drain intervals. I currently have 4,000 miles on the oil in my car. I plan to run it for 9,000 miles. This oil holds up well. Do a search in the UOA section.

 

[Palut]

American Syntec is a group III oil, and therefore still a dino (by most of our standards). It can put up good numbers over normal oil drain intervals, but is not as good for extended drains as true synthetics.

 

[rshaw125]

You'll see a lot of talk about long OCIs on this site. But few people actually do it. On the oil analysis page most of the UOA is for relatively low miles on the oil. Whereas you would expect to see 12,000 miles on GC as example.

 

[sewerman]

quote:

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Originally posted by HunterG69:
Vehicle is a GMC Sierra 5.3L 4X4.

Thought to run Syntec 0w30 through two OCI's on the oil life monitor? Is this a good idea? Is it recommended for extended drain. Paramount concern is condensation through the winter. How does water degrade this oil - physically or chemically?

Ran XD-3 and Duron in the past, really like the price of XD-3 but availability was a pain and it's not specifically recommended for year-round service, I think Esso recommends to 20degC or so. Just looked at the VOA for XD-3 and Syntec - and Syntec has moly among other things, does this make it a "premium oil"? Does anyone know if it is specifically recommended for year round use? Sorry, really starting to ramble there.

Anyway - thoughts anyone?

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I think that using the OLM with GC you should have no trouble what so ever...The OLM takes into account a few factors when calculating oil life and it's all done on the premise of using dino oil...Stick with the GC and keep using the OLM..

 

[Ugly3]

rshaw125 - You'll see a lot of talk about long OCIs on this site. But few people actually do it. On the oil analysis page most of the UOA is for relatively low miles on the oil. Whereas you would expect to see 12,000 miles on GC as example.

My sentiments exactly. All this talk about long OCIs and the vast majority of UOAs are in the 5,000 mile to 7500 mile range.

I have run Mobil 1 with ~10,000 mile OCIs since 1994. No UOAs but I can tell you the `94 Van ran 138,000 miles without a problem and the current `98 van has 150,000 miles on it and the MPG is as good as it ever has been. Consumption on both vans has been ~1 quart in 10,000 miles. I add a 1/2 quart at ~5,000 miles and run till it is ~1/2 low again and change it. Actually, my vans have both used a little more oil the first 5,000 miles than the second 5,000 miles.

How would CG do in the regimin? Who knows, not enough data to make that judgment.

 

[Dr. T]

I concur...it's hard to tell without a UOA....or a little trial-and-error...

 

[Gary Allan]

quote:

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rshaw125 - You'll see a lot of talk about long OCIs on this site. But few people actually do it. On the oil analysis page most of the UOA is for relatively low miles on the oil. Whereas you would expect to see 12,000 miles on GC as example.

My sentiments exactly. All this talk about long OCIs and the vast majority of UOAs are in the 5,000 mile to 7500 mile range.

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I think that many don't use UOA for figuring out the limits of the oil. They just compare the results at that limited OCI with various oils. It would seem to be a real waste of money for us that really want good protection over the longest duration to effectively reduce downtime and costs without any undue wear. Some also have "time weighted" OCIs for vehicles that don't see a great deal of mileage and pass trough a couple of seasons on the same crankcase. I would think that 6 months is about the limit for most, regardless of mileage.


As far as GC and the OLM ....use both and do a UOA. Use Terry to give you a bona fide interpretation of the raw data and go from there. This will allow you to target/inspect/maintain other systems on the engine in a routine and timely manner. This will relieve any anxiety you have over trusting the OLM.