First post by new member, looking for input

[ARTJR338WM]

For my first post as a new member I wish first list my personal first hand experiences with conventional oil to ask a question.

My experiences with using conventional non-synthetic oil is this:
Over the last 20 years (from 1989 to present) I have perfromed well in excess of 130 oil changes on my trucks and cars. I have always used conventional oil. My personal experiences are as fallows:
I own a 1989 Chevy Silverado bought new in 1989 with a 305CI. It has at present 312,000 miles on it. For the first 290,000 miles I used only Castrol 5W-30 and AC-Delco PF-59 oil filters. For the last 32,000 miles I have used Shell Fire & Ice or Penzoil or Valvoline all in 5W-30 which ever I could find on sale, along with eithor a PF-59 or Puralotor Gold filter.

In my wifes Malibu bought new in 2002 that has 102,000 miles in it I have used only Shell Fire and Ice or Penzoil and it has 102,000 miles on it.

My friends since 1st grade who use their trucks for their bieusness to earn a living I asked them what oil & filters they used and this is what they told me:

Friend A's #1 truck:
2002 GMC Sierra 2500 350CI 289,000 miles
Uses strictly what ever 5W-30 name brand oil he can find on sale with AC-delco filters
Friend A's #2 truck:
Dodge Ram with a V10 211,000 miles same oil and filters as above.
Friend A's SUV and wagon both have at least 150,000 miles each on them, both have same oil and filter regament as his trucks.

Friend B truck:
2002 GMC 4x4 extended cab 350CI, 230,000 miles. Strictly Penzoil and what ever oil filter is on sale. Recently sold truck.

Now you add all that up and you have a combined 1,444,000 miles all on conventional oil and filters. I will add none of these vehicles have ever had any major engine issues of any sort and are still 100% original with no rebuilds.

I will add I always without exception change my vehicles oil at 3000 miles. My friends do it at 5000 miles.

So my question is this:
Even if you do not count the cars and SUV's milage the trucks by them selves represent quite large milage on a engine so if my friends and I are getting on average of over 260,000 miles out of our truck engines, why would one wish to use synthetic oil? Does synthetic oil realy improve gas milage that much?
and I am of the strong opinion that even though I do not doubt synthetic oil is superior to conventional oil in terms of lubrication, I simply can not bring myself to trust it will remain clean enough after 25,000 miles to still protect my engine.

I just bought a 2001 GMC Sierra with only 51,000 miles and are in need of fact based advice what is the best conventional oil and filter for use in a small GM 4.8L V8. I am just getting back to work after being unemployed for 17 months, so I realy need this truck to last as my 1989 is becomming a money pit. At present I am using Penzoil and Puralotor Gold filters, but is a pure synthetic like Amsoil changed 2x a year going to serve me better than the best conventional will changed 3x a year.
If I change my oil 3x a year or every 4 months using conventional oil and filters it will cost me around $90 with a synthetic like Amsoil 2x a year it will cost me around $130 a year.
Im sorry but with all the respect due and more to those who know more than I, I simply will never be able to bring myself to change my oil only 1x per year no matter what anyone says.

So is there a conventional oil that is with out question superior than all others, and lastly does anyone know of a website that lists actual test data that shows a synthetic like Amsoil paired with a superior filter will with 100% reliability protect my trucks engine in temps from 120* to -20 below zero?

As of this posting I am of the school of thought that if I change my conventional oil and filter every 5000 miles how can I go wrong? I would value greatly peoples input to the contrary.

So is there anything conventional oil out there better than Penzoil, Castrol or Valvoline used with Purolator Gold filters?

Thanks to all who help me with this most important subject.

 

[virginoil]

Hi

Welcome to BITOG.

There are least 6 questions you require answers on.

Do a search plenty of stuff on conventional versus synthetic.

Simple answer in your case with that number of miles on each vehicle keep doing what you are doing, why change the oil chemistry and OCI at this late stage in the engines life.

 

[HTSS_TR]

Originally Posted By: ARTJR338WM

Friend A's #1 truck:
2002 GMC Sierra 2500 350CI 289,000 miles
Uses strictly what ever 5W-30 name brand oil he can find on sale with AC-Delco filters
Friend A's #2 truck:
Dodge Ram with a V10 211,000 miles same oil and filters as above.
Friend A's SUV and wagon both have at least 150,000 miles each on them, both have same oil and filter regiment as his trucks.

Friend B truck:
2002 GMC 4x4 extended cab 350CI, 230,000 miles. Strictly Penzoil and what ever oil filter is on sale. Recently sold truck.

Now you add all that up and you have a combined 1,444,000 miles all on conventional oil and filters. I will add none of these vehicles have ever had any major engine issues of any sort and are still 100% original with no rebuilds.

I will add I always without exception change my vehicles oil at 3000 miles. My friends do it at 5000 miles.


First

Modern conventional oils are much better than 20 years ago, no need to do 3k miles OCI as shown by your friends OCI of 5k miles without any engine problems. If your daily drive is more than 10-15 miles each trip then 6-7k miles OCI is reasonable with any brand name conventional oil.

If you like to do less oil change per year then synthetic oil is the way to go, the main benefit of syn oil is long OCI and extreme temperature (hot or cold). If your yearly mileage is 12-15k miles, then 2 OCI's with dino oil will be perfect.

 

[bryceban]

On your 2001 Sierra you just bought, I would run conventional and follow the Oil Life Monitor(OLM) built into truck or 5-7K OCI. No need for synthetic IMHO...

 

[hate2work]

I see no reason for you to change what you've been doing. Your post is more proof that there is no magic oil or magic oil additive, the key is regular maintenance.

Also, there really is no "best conventional oil" for your Sierra or any other rig for that matter. Any of the major brands are very good these days, just continue to buy what's on sale in the proper weight and change it regularly.

Welcome to the forum

 

[oilboy123]

I run Amsoil and change it out around a year time frame. Do this on many vehicles over the years. I don't want to be under cars changing oil all the time. For those that maintain a fleet of vehicles by themselves there are just to many other things to do as it is without changing oil every 3,4 or 5 months.

For those that want to change more often I say go for it.... Just not my thing.

 

[teddyboy]

Welcome, as a relatively new member, I can say that you wiil find that the people here are both welcoming and knowledgeable.

The empirical evidence suggests that your current strategy of buying whatever name brand product is on sale is working tremendously well for you. I would advise that you consult the oil filter forum as many kowledgeable people argue that oil filter choice matters. Another really important fact to be learned on the forums is that choosing a good air filter and keeping it changed is very important to the life and cleanliness of oil. As is keeping the PCV valve in good working order.

 

[Astro14]

You got over 300,000 miles on your '89 truck using your approach...- you're using good quality oil and changing it often...why alter how you do maintenance now? 300,000 is a great life on a small block chevy.

Just keep doing what you're doing...most people would be thrilled to get 300K on an engine...

 

[Garak]

Originally Posted By: ARTJR338WM
So is there a conventional oil that is with out question superior than all others, and lastly does anyone know of a website that lists actual test data that shows a synthetic like Amsoil paired with a superior filter will with 100% reliability protect my trucks engine in temps from 120* to -20 below zero?
...
So is there anything conventional oil out there better than Penzoil, Castrol or Valvoline used with Purolator Gold filters?


What you're doing seems to have worked fine. Any properly speced oil (meeting the appropriate API/ILSAC standards for your vehicle) will do the trick, conventional or otherwise, regardless of ambient, provided you choose the right viscosity according to the manual for the prevailing conditions.

I don't think you'll find a conventional oil better than any of those you mentioned; we all know that "better" is a difficult term to define here. Buy what you like, whether it be based upon brand loyalty, bottle color, or price, and if it's made by one of the major oil companies, you'll have a fine product.

That's not a slam at "small" oil companies or boutique oil companies. Some of these small companies make some darn fine synthetics, but unless you're extending the OCI substantially, conventional will suit you fine.

As for filters, the choices you've made are fine. I tend to use OEM (my Ford OEMs are Purolators, of course) and Wix. I don't think you can go wrong with a Purolator filter, either.

 

[Art_Vandelay]

It's all good news for you. The General Motor's Oil Life Monitor is very highly regarded. Apparently, your vehicle should have one built in. It's not only considered extremely accurate but it has a margin of safety built into it as well. Such that when your Oil Life shows 0 percent left the oil is still protecting for a while beyond that.
SN GF-5 rated conventional oils are on the shelves as we speak and they're quite a bit better than what was available in 2001. So you really have it made. Go get the Pennzoil SN or any other SN of your preference, an OEM Delco filter (or a good equivalent) and just follow that wonderful OLM on your dashboard.

Best of luck with your new job and truck in 2011!

 

[Burt]

I guess it depends on what the question is:

If short OCI's are working for you, should you change habits? Depends if you are a quirky engineer type and/or want to put the time and money towards something else. I'm more interested in what is the deciding factor when your friends decide to hang it up with their trucks and is there any preventive maintenance that could be done to further extend the life? Or what makes further maintenance and repairs uneconomic? If the body is shot, what is the point on over maintaining the engine? Bragging rights when you drop it off at the salvage yard?

As far as brand performance, there is no evidence on BITOG that one conventional brand provides better protection.

 

[demarpaint]

I'd skip the expensive extended drain oil, and change the dino oil you've been using every 5000 miles. If you are doing some serious severe service use with your vehicle you might want to shorten it. There is no point in doing extended drain intervals if you are dead set against it, honestly I don't blame you either. If you are insecure about 5000 mile OCI you can do a 4000 mile run and get a UOA report, that might help set your mind at ease.

 

[Pablo]

If you don't want to do extended OCI's then no need to choose Amsoil's extended drain oils. However, this does not mean you can't choose Amsoil.

Amsoil OEF 5W-30 can be had for $3.90 qt

Amsoil XLF 5W-30 can be had for $5 qt

As for changing 2X vs. 3X - your engine won't know any difference. It's really up to how much you enjoy changing your oil, and your schedule.

 

[ARTJR338WM]

Greatest of thanks to all who took the time to answer my questions and share their knowledge of oil, which is considerably more so than my own. I do not wish to be thought of as overly dramatic, but I am rather overwelmed by the no# reponces I received and the excellent advice they contained.

I do not mind doing my own oil changes as I am well equiped to do so, and I have had more than one bad experience as a result of having a oil change done on my 89 Silverado. My 89 needed a OC and it was simply to cold for to long for me to do so. On the advice of a trusted friend I took it to his oil change place. The next O/C after that I could not get the oil filter off using any of my large assortment of filter wrenches. Went to the old screw driver through it trick and nope did not work eithor. Finaly ended up removing the entire filter housing where it attaches to the block. Even after I placed the housing in a pipe vice and used a pair of model 460 Channel Locks, it was a SOB to get the filter off. As one might guess, I desided NEVER to take my vehicles to a quick oil change place again.

I will contine with my present OCI and system as it has served me well. I asked for help and advice because I am a strong believer in one who does not stay up to date with what has changed is one who doomed to never learning or improving.

Again thanks to all who helped by sharing their knowledage with me.

Be well,
Arthur.

 

[electrolover]

i have a friend with an old dodge with 350k on it. he has run gtx since he got it at 100k. at 200k he switched to 20/50 gtx. i have put an oil pump in it and thats it for engine work besides water pumps. it was pretty clean in there too, not like new but very clean. he is an old retired mechanic and still uses 3k ocis

 

[demarpaint]

Originally Posted By: ARTJR338WM
I will contine with my present OCI and system as it has served me well. I asked for help and advice because I am a strong believer in one who does not stay up to date with what has changed is one who doomed to never learning or improving.

Again thanks to all who helped by sharing their knowledage with me.

Be well,
Arthur.


You're welcome! No point in messing with what works, watch for sales you can get some nice deals on dino or synthetic oil and good filters just about everywhere. Build up a small stash during sales, that way you'll never overpay for oil or filters.