High Mileage oils for older cars

[Mike Thompson]

Haven't seen any UOAs on any of these oils. Does anyone have any experience with any of them, and what do they contain to qualify for this description? I have a couple cars approaching 200000 miles, and one is starting to use a little oil. Castrol, Pennzoil Valvoline, etc, are they thicker or what?
Mike

 

[sprintman]

An auto-Rx clean would be a great start for a 200,000 mile engine IMO.

 

[Mike Thompson]

Actually, I'm in the middle of the treatment as we speak. I expect the A-Rx to reduce consumption somewhat on the oil-user, but my interest in the high mileage oil was more in the way of do they have any advantage over a syn blend, to justify their relatively high price.
Mike

 

[Justin]

quote:

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Originally posted by Mike Thompson:
Haven't seen any UOAs on any of these oils. Does anyone have any experience with any of them, and what do they contain to qualify for this description? I have a couple cars approaching 200000 miles, and one is starting to use a little oil. Castrol, Pennzoil Valvoline, etc, are they thicker or what?
Mike

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I tried Valvoline MaxLife 5w-30 in a '95 Chevy Lumina w/3.1L V-6 and 110,000 miles. Long story short...it did absolutely nothing to slow down the oil consumption, nor did I notice anything else that it did. Waste of money in my opinion.

After running the MaxLife, I switched to Delo 400 15w-40, which is what I run in bikes, boats, and trucks. After running about 500 miles, it has used a little bit of oil, but not NEARLY as much as before. The "fleet" 15w-40's are great oils at a good price and I'd have to just about recommend them in anything (unless you HAVE to run a light grade).

Justin.

 

[TurboFrog]

I checked out both Castrol High Mileage and Valvoline MaxLife oil in a 5 qt jug at the local Wal-Mart. I was surprised that they didn't have "Energy Conserving" label in the back regardless of its viscosity (5w-30, 10w-30). Maybe it's been discussed before, but can anyone explain why? Thanks.

 

[Patman]

I ran Maxlife 10w30 for two intervals in my Firebird, and posted both analysis reports in the UOA section here.

I'm just about to put in Castrol GTX high mileage in my mom's car too, and will have a UOA in the fall for it.

 

[Chris A]

quote:

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After running the MaxLife, I switched to Delo 400 15w-40, which is what I run in bikes, boats, and trucks. After running about 500 miles, it has used a little bit of oil, but not NEARLY as much as before. The "fleet" 15w-40's are great oils at a good price and I'd have to just about recommend them in anything (unless you HAVE to run a light grade).

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I would definately not run a "fleet" oil in a gas engine if it burned oil. The high ash in those oils will leave more piston deposits thana PCMO. It may help in the short term, but consider the long term effects.

 

[Jimbo]

If the oil burning is stopped or greatly reduced, then ash deposits will still be less in total.

The "high mileage" oils mainly contain a seal swell additive. If valve seals or external leaks are the problem, it may help. If cylinder/ring wear is the problem or there are no valve seals, only a thicker oil will help.

 

[Chris A]

quote:

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Originally posted by Jimbo:
If the oil burning is stopped or greatly reduced, then ash deposits will still be less in total.

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Yes, but why would a HDMO stop or even greatly reduce oil consumption over a PCMO with the same vis?

 

[Jimbo]

15W-40 PCMO is common in Europe, but I have not seen it in the USA. If I am using HDMO in my other engines anyway, why not use it in everything? That is why is is called "all fleet", "universal" or similar in the first place. The trick here is to use the thinnest oil that will do the job. Straight 40 or maybe 30 would work, but not in the winter.

 

[Chris A]

quote:

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Originally posted by Jimbo:
That is why is is called "all fleet", "universal" or similar in the first place.

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Yes, it is called "all fleet" which means it is safe to put in a gasoline powered auto. But so is the SL rated Wal-Mart oil, but it's not going to be the best oil for your car.

My only point is that the HDMO will leave more deposits due to it's high ash content than a PCMO. This is something to be considered when putting it in a car which burns oil.

 

[Roger]

I have a Club Wagon with 90K that developed a leak by the rear main seal after using Val DuraBlend for the 1st time. Switched to Pennzoil HM 10W30 and the leak slowed way down, but the engine labored when cold. Pennzoil HM oil is blended on the higher end of the viscosity range. On the 2nd change went back to 5W30 and the engine ran more normally when cold, but the leak persists. So I'll try Auto RX when I change the oil and hope that fixes it so I can go back to regular dino and not high mileage oils... or the dealer for an expensive repair job. Nonetheless, I'm pleased with Pennzoil HM oil.

 

[Intelman34]

Pennzoil HM 5w-30 is not consumed by my 5.0L V8 at all. Redline, Mobil, Mobil 1, and MaxLife (all of the 10w30 weight) were consumed by the motor.

 

[TheTanSedan]

I run M1 15W-50 in a '71 383 Chrysler with 135k on OEM motor since 1995. Consumption over that period (57k) is about a 1/2-quart per 4000, considerably lower than with the dino 10W-40 used since new. I just change at 1-year/6000 miles now.