Amsoil?

[HACCOFFICER]

I just ordered some to replace mobil 1.

Whats your thoughts on Amsoil 5w30? I am looking for the best oil I can get my hands on. It theres anything better than Amsoil, Mobil 1 exclided, please let me know. I seen so called tests that were done on Amsoil and it looked pretty good.

 

[Pablo]

What kind of car? What OCI? What driving conditions?

There is no one best oil. Just better/best for a particular application.

Which 5W-30 did you order? How did you order?

 

[HACCOFFICER]

Oh I'm sorry, 1999 Oldsmobile Cutlass 3.1, 51K miles. Driving habits 90% highway, 10% city, 400 miles per week. Average temp winter 30F, summer 90F. I change the oil when ever it becomes dark, which is around 3 to 4k.


I am looking for something with outstanding wear protection and the works. I average 300K on my cars before I buy new. Need her to last.

 

[Pablo]

Any of the Amsoil 5W-30's will be fine, but honestly you could extend your oil change interval. ASL or HDD will be good for well beyond 10,000 miles. If you bought the XL, then 7500 miles.

 

[bmwtechguy]

You are draining out perfectly good oil, my friend. For the type of driving you are doing, 10k miles should be a breeze for that oil.

 

[Shovel Head Ted]

You should really extend your drain interval. the Amsoil can handle it.I use 5w30 ASL in my 96 GMC. I put about 12,000 to 15,000 a year on it and I change it once a year. Works great.

 

[racer12306]

definetly extend those oil changes. if you got the asl then grab an eoa filter and let it go for 10000 to 15000 miles. might want to do a uoa to check at 10000 or so. you will learn here that dirty oil just means the the oil is doing its job.

 

[benjamming]

Is that 3.1L V6 on a GM? I wouldn't extend anything until a UOA was done to confirm no leaky intake gasket.

 

[HACCOFFICER]

Intake gaskets do not leak, however they will be replaced by myself next week for preventive maintenance

 

[dave1251]

HACCOFFICER
Junior Member
Member # 10651

posted 19 December, 2005 09:45
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Intake gaskets do not leak, however they will be replaced by myself next week for preventive maintenance
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Posts: 4 | From: Pennsylvania | Registered: Dec 2005 | IP: Logged |

My advise is not replace them until they do. Because if you replace them before they leak you could be doing more damage than preventive maintance.

 

[michaelc80]

I've had exceptional results with Amsoil 5W30. Since you've never used it before I would suggest running your first oil change at 5-6K miles, then extend to 10K or so. I would still change the filter and top off every 5-7K miles though.

 

[Steve S]

dave 1251, how can replacing the gaskets before or after they leak be any different?

• HACCOFFICER, why change from M1 to Amsoil?

[ December 20, 2005, 11:21 AM: Message edited by: Steve S ]

 

[mshu7]

Steve S,

I think he means that by "tearing down" the engine to do this job, you're risking stuff like not incorrect torque on bolts, etc.

I don't know what all could go wrong, but what Dave said makes sense. If it's not leaking now, why risk replacing it? It's a big job to replace those.

 

[Steve S]

mshu7, It is the same process whether the gasket is leaking or not,

 

[mshu7]

Right, I know. But what I'm saying is that if it is NOT leaking, why risk tearing down the engine to replace a gasket that is already doing it's job. He already told us that it's NOT leaking. Not every single gasket out there fails. If you have one that works, why go through the trouble of changing it?

 

[IslaVistaMan]

HACC, go here for a free oil analysis kit from Blackstone (you still have to pay for the test, though):

http://www.blackstone-labs.com/free_test_kit.html

Personally, I wouldn't extend your oil change interval either until you have several UOAs under your belt showing you don't have a problem. Benjamming is right on this one.

Amsoil is an excellent oil, and with UOAs to calibrate your changes, you'll do very well with it.

And if no one's already mentioned it....

 

[mountravlr]

Amsoil oil, 5W-30, or any of the others are not "all things to all engines". The various UOAs have demonstrated that "dino" oil for a particular engine may indeed yield better wear metals results, for a given mileage, per the mfg.

 

[HACCOFFICER]

One final question, my car has the typical GM piston slap when cold. Would Amsoil be a good anti wear oil to offset some damage that may cause.

 

[HACCOFFICER]

Also I plan to do the gaskets to eliminate that change of a gasket leak. I will have a much better peice of mind knowing theres good gaskets (fel-pro permadry) in there. I can't afford the downtime if I leave the old ones in and they fail. Better to do them on my vacation than be surprised with a possible failure later. I love working on cars so this job will be a walk in the park for me. I have all the tools and parts needed.

 

[Dick in Falls Church]

If you have piston slap when cold with Mobil 1, you are likely to have it with AMSOIL, too.
Is it harmful? GM says no--and most UOA seem to back this up.

One of the AMSOIL staff put on a pre-oiler (after all, they had to test them themselves), and said he found that the noise disappeared. Is it worth adding it? From a dollar standpoint, probably not.