High Milage Trucks

Status
Not open for further replies.
Joined
Sep 17, 2002
Messages
91
Location
Baltimore
Just wanted to get some feed-back regarding members on this board who own 2&4 drive trucks. I am courious to see what type of high milage you have on your trucks, and what type of oil and oil filters used. I am not sure if it pays me to switch to a synthetic oil or stay with a dino oil. I do not do any off roading or daily heavy hauling. I guess I do fit in with the "Severe Driver" stop and go traffic and a lot of short trips less than 15-20 miles a day.

Thanks
 
How many miles do you end up doing per year? And what type of oil change interval are you looking to do? If you're going to stick with 3k oil changes, then a dino oil is your best bet. It's just not economically wise to change a good synthetic out at 3k when it's easily capable of a lot more than this. (By the way, I don't classify any of the group 3 oils as synthetics, and I don't recommend those be used by anyone, they a terrible value for the money)
 
Patman
I use Castrol GTX 5w30 (winter) (10w30 warmer weather). I do stick to the 3 month/3000 mile oil and filter change interval.
Thanks for the advise.
 
I drive my 4x4 often. Have 77K miles on a 1997 Explorer. I use Chevron Supreme 5w-30. Great dino oil, and good price. $1.08/quart at Wal-Mart.

My top pics for dino oil are Chevron, Halvoline (Chevron blend, NOT Shell version) and Pennzoil. All are good oils for reasonable prices.

With a 3 month/3K change interval you would be pouring your $$$$ down the drain with Synthetic.
 
My best friend has an 87 Chevy P/U. Thing still runs like new. The truck has 185k with the original, untouched engine and runs perfect with NO oil consuption. He makes nothing but short trips and drives it like he stole it, full throttle or standing on the brakes. Goes thru brakes every 25k though.
grin.gif


It has had Valvoline 10W30 in it from the first change with a 3k interval and AC filters.
 
Big Red, if you're gonna stick with those 3k intervals no matter what, then stick with the Castrol.

But I would highly recommend going with a synthetic (or the Schaeffer blend) and going with 6-10k intervals. Just think of the time you'll save by not having to change the oil so often. You'll find out from reading the used oil analysis reports on here, that the 3k oil change interval isn't really saving your engine from an early death, and that longer intervals with better oils are definitely possible.

[ September 19, 2002, 01:57 PM: Message edited by: Patman ]
 
Actually, I was not trying to plug Valvoline. I don't think it's all that special I think any name brand oil at a 3k interval would have netted the same results.
 
From what we've seen on Valvoline on here lately, I wouldn't think it's all that great anymore. The virgin analysis on their All Climate oil looked to be very lacking in additives.

I'm gonna have my Valvoline Maxlife sample back very soon and we'll see how the SL formulation performed in my car for a 3300 mile interval. I wasn't super impressed with the 2400 mile interval I ran with the SJ formulation, although it was also before I ran the Auto-rx treatment too, so now that I have a clean engine it'll be a truer test of how the oil can perform.
 
I've got two high mileage trucks, and owned a third. The two I still have are both F150's. One is a '97 4x2 4.6l V8 with 152,000 miles on it. The other is a '99 4x4 4.^l V8 with 79,000 miles on it. Both have been on a steady diet of Valvoline Durablend 5w30 since new. Neither uses or leaks any oil, except the '97 uses about 1/2 qt every 3,000 miles under heavy towing. I don't have any analysis of the oil on either, but we may be changing that soon. They both have been getting 3k services based on the severe duty schedule (short tripping, stop and go, extended idling, and trailer towing).

The other was an '88 Chevy 1/2 ton 2wd with the 4.3l V6. It had TropArctic 5w30 Phillips 66 Oil from day one, and now has over 240,000 miles on the original engine (no rebuild). Still uses about a 1/2 qt every 3k, same as it did since new.
 
quote:

Originally posted by Patman:

I'm gonna have my Valvoline Maxlife sample back very soon


That may have been wishful thinking. I just found out my sample has not yet arrived at the lab, and I sent it on September 1st, so chances are good that Canada Post lost my oil sample!!
frown.gif


Unless it's stuck in customs for some reason.
This is not good. Now I don't have a post Auto-rx treatment interval to compare my Schaeffer interval to.
frown.gif
 
MNgopher
Sounds like all three trucks are going strong. I hope you get at least 100,000 more miles from each of them.I have heard stories about Nissan/Toyota trucks with 300,000 plus using dino oil.
 
MNgopher
By the way I think Ford makes a great truck. I really like the F250/F350 Powerstroke diesel trucks. Of course with a diesel they will run strong for 500,000 plus miles with the proper care.I hope to get 200,000 plus from my Nissan truck and QX4.
grin.gif
 
I have been very plesed with my Ford trucks. GM has been pretty good to me too. The fit and finish on the Fords is head and shoulders above the GM offerings at the moment. My '97 amazes me at how squeek and rattle free it is with that many miles on it. GM does some good things on the fuel econmy side, but I like the Ford motors because they feel more like a work motor, with some power down low. The GM's have to be revved a lot to get the same feel and that just isn't my preference.

Good luck with the Nissans!
cool.gif
 
I sold my '88 Chevy C2500 5.7L pickup with 193000 miles. Heads have never been off; had the valve guide seals replaced at about 120K. Engine should be good for another 100K miles. Ran Chevron or Havoline 10W30, mostly, with AC filters. Used about a quart every 3K miles, which was my oil change inverval on it (most of the time).

My current '95 C2500 5.7L uses about a half-cup of 10W30 between 3K changes. After reviewing info on this board, I've switched to Pennzoil (regular stuff).
 
I just purchased my first Nissan Frontier truck (2.4L, I4, DOHC) in May of 2000 and already have 41,000 miles on it. Great truck but very tough on lubes, and I mean every component.

I have been using only synthetic lubricants for now and testing the field of oils to determine which oil might show the least wear metals (in ppm/1000 miles), flatness of viscosity over time, and oxidation resistance.

I am keeping OCI's at approx. 3k until the warranty period had expired. I generally test new oils at 1k and 3k, and then switch. So far, M1 10W30 SS and Amsoil 10W30 ATM have about equal performance, with M1 having a slight edge at least in wear metals and price; that is, price edge as long as Mobil continues to sell their oil at $3.86/5 qts.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top