Does synthetic oil make the starter last longer

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IMO the synthetic oil helped prolong the life of the starter. On my 1986 F250 running on propane I was replacing the starter every eighteen months because it took about five seconds of cranking to start the engine after sitting overnight. About six years ago I hooked up a primer system for the propane and now it only takes a second of cranking to fire up and I haven't had to change the starter in six years.
 
the force required by the starter to get the piston(s) through the compression stroke would far exceed any force imposed by thicker non-synthetic oil, at a reasonable temperature. I don't think synthetic oil had any effect on your starter. What kills starters are water and/or moisture, and heat from either cranking too long or from a weak battery not having high enough voltage.
 
PS Why is it that few ever believe anything I say even when I go to the trouble to dig up the references?


Well, it does keep you digging up references, doesn't it? Relax doc. You can't expect cold cut appetites to take to Beluga in one bite
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My take would be that although all the aforementioned benefits are abosolutely bona fide and valid (thank you Dr. Haas
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) ...that the biggest "apparent indicator" was masked by the modern FI system. (this will bolster the good doctor's offerings here).

Many of us geezers that have had carbed engines in colder climates will recall the multiple start winter morning. This would be where the perfectly tuned engine would start instantly ...then stall repeatedly until oil pressure was established. We had (relatively) very high start up idles ..that could not be sustained by the available (at that visc) oil supply. Synthetics, if used during this era (M1 being about the only one commonly available), eliminated this event due to their lower cold visc.

The condition is still there, it's just masked by better fuel managment that doesn't require high rpm start up condtions.
 
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