If an engine is quieter after an oil change, why?

[RedCorvette]

Originally Posted By: dishdude
Perception is an amazing thing.


Are you saying I'm crazy?

I actually work a lot with removing biases from decision making so do not believe I am imagining this.

 

[KCJeep]

Originally Posted By: RedCorvette
Originally Posted By: dishdude
Perception is an amazing thing.


Are you saying I'm crazy?

I actually work a lot with removing biases from decision making so do not believe I am imagining this.


You are not crazy. I can hear it too...I hear very well and so probably do you. I also go out of my way to listen to my engine with the door open next to a wall. So... I concur most oils will make for a quieter engine right after a change, some are quieter than others, and some will slowly grow louder over time while some others seem to resist and stay nearly new quiet. My winner thus far in my Jeep is Pennzoil conventional, but I am not so foolish as to think that means it's the very best for my engine. I don't see where you implied that either.

Carry on and happy motoring!

 

[RedCorvette]

Originally Posted By: KCJeep
Originally Posted By: RedCorvette
Originally Posted By: dishdude
Perception is an amazing thing.


Are you saying I'm crazy?

I actually work a lot with removing biases from decision making so do not believe I am imagining this.


You are not crazy. I can hear it too...I hear very well and so probably do you. I also go out of my way to listen to my engine with the door open next to a wall. So... I concur most oils will make for a quieter engine right after a change, some are quieter than others, and some will slowly grow louder over time while some others seem to resist and stay nearly new quiet. My winner thus far in my Jeep is Pennzoil conventional, but I am not so foolish as to think that means it's the very best for my engine. I don't see where you implied that either.

Carry on and happy motoring!


Cool. Do you also feel a difference in vibration feedback through the accelerator pedal?

 

[KCJeep]

No, but I can tell a very slight difference in how the engine runs when started cold between certain oils. Once it's run a couple minutes I can't tell any running differences between any of them, not counting the time I tried Delo 15w40 LOL.

 

[Arctic388]

on my '99 mountaineer v-6 with 232k on it there is a huge sound change when i changed the oil at 7,700 OCI. if you know this engine you know about the timing chain rattle that is known to start at 80k and it is very loud now at 232k but its still running strong. been using amsoil since 100k.

 

[KrisZ]

I think it's people's perception as well.

Someone could do a very simple experiment. Record your engine idling just before an oil change and then right after. Don't say which video was taken when, and have people vote on it.

 

[Ursae_Majoris]

Synpower is blended on the thin side for 5w30, so at the end of the OCI it has probably sheared down to the 20w region.

Quaker State Ultimate Durability is thicker than SP to begin with, plus it was new. Thicker oil does quiet the engines.

 

[RedCorvette]

What does a typical 5w20 shear down to after a year?

Just wondering whether it makes sense to stick to 5w30 if I'm extending ocis compared to manufacturer's recommendations (time not mileage).

 

[HTSS_TR]

Originally Posted By: Ursae_Majoris
Synpower is blended on the thin side for 5w30, so at the end of the OCI it has probably sheared down to the 20w region.

Quaker State Ultimate Durability is thicker than SP to begin with, plus it was new. Thicker oil does quiet the engines.

My E430 is much quieter with thinner oil, it was loud with Mobil 1 0W40 and much quieter with Synpower 5W20, Pennzoil Platinum 5w20, Mobil 1 0W20 ...

Same for LS400, it's quieter with Synpower 5W20 than any 5W30.

 

[LazyPrizm]

I've noticed my car being much quieter after an OC -- and it's not down to add packs, VI or shear (also, not crazy): after 5000+ miles, the oil level is lower. I once went 8k miles between changes only to find ~2qts of the 4 I put in drained out, and black as night. New oil, filter -> much, much quieter. (I also check the dipstick regularly now

)

So this might be a sign to check your dipstick every few thousand miles... my car "loses" about 1qt/4000 miles. Car in sig.

 

[Lyman]

My last oil change I went from Pennzoil Platinum 5w30 to Quaker State Ultimate Durability 5w30. For the first few start ups it was quieter. After a few hundred miles it's back to normal noise levels. Seems normal enough to me.

 

[Ursae_Majoris]

My Axiom, Mirage, Tacoma, Spectra were all quieter with thicker oil.

 

[Ursae_Majoris]

5w-20 has less viscosity modifiers, so it stays in grade better.