is High Mileage oil worth it?

[Roadking]

I own two vehicles that are between 65k and 85k. I've used Castrol GTX 10w-30 religiously since the second oil change in both vehicles. My last oil change I used Napa oil(Valvoline) and they both have started to seep a little oil around the pan gasket area? (3000 miles) Do the high mileage oils really have merit in reducing oil leakage? I'm curious if anyone else has had this problem when switching from one brand to another? especially, if you've used one brand for a long time.

 

[Roadking]

I didn't really change brands, I ended up inheriting a case of napa brand oil from a neighbor who was moving. So I decided to use it last spring in both vehicles. Now i'm getting ready to do my fall/winter oil changes and it was just coincidental that both vehicles pan gasket look wet. I was investigating the high mileage motor oils and their benefits. Seemed like a good fit until I saw the price. So is one brand better then the others? I'd be willing to give it a try if it does what it says? Any advice?

 

[sbc350gearhead]

With the HM oils.....pennzoil would be my first choice. Castrol would be my 2nd.

 

[Flimflam]

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Originally posted by Roadking: So is one brand better then the others? I'd be willing to give it a try if it does what it says? Any advice?

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Shakespeare: "...for nothing is either good nor bad....but thinking makes it so." If I am a little bit in error, pardon me....it has been some time since High School!!!!! But seriously now, it all depends how you and your engine like it. For me, all my 7 or 10 vehicles since 1977 like Castrol GTX. But I do not claim that it will work for everybody. My mother, she has no idea what oil goes in her engine at each service.....nor does she care. Her vehicles have all done at least as well as mine. I think people bother about what brand of oil because they see their vehicle as some kind of phallic symbol......some extension of their Ego. So, they feel they must go the extra mile for it. Maybe that is why I am changing to an oil that costs 3X as much....even though there is nothing wrong with my old brand.

 

[Virtuoso]

My SHO eats Castrol GTX High-Milage just as fast as the regular GTX. Not worth the extra 70 cents or so a quart, at least not for me. Your milage may vary. [ October 20, 2003, 03:58 PM: Message edited by: Virtuoso ]

 

[Matt89]

Flimflam, you've hit the nail right on the head. Funny how people don't get particular about toothpaste, spray starch or skim milk. They just don't offer the psychological payoff of precisely engineered lubricants

 

[ex_MGB]

I think people bother about what brand of oil because they see their vehicle as some kind of phallic symbol......some extension of their Ego. Well, certainly you would agree that egoism is the essence of nobility? For my part, a vehicle is but a poor substitute for a Norman castle and a herd of Anglo-Saxon swine to lord over Hmmm... I wonder whether Robin Hood was the model for Marx?

 

[Roadking]

You Da Man, Flinflam I think so you are!

 

[bottgers]

For what it's worth, I tried Valvoline's Max Life in my Tercel to deal with the engine puffing smoke when I first start it in the morning. The Max Life did absolutely nothing.

 

[MolaKule]

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The combination of Auto-RX Castrol HM oil stopped the oil burning and leaks that my 93 Thunderbird 5.0 had.

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I would attribute that to Auto-RX unless you had used other oils and ARX. BTW, Not much will solve a gasket leak, save retorquing or replacement. Seals are a different matter and this is where Auto-RX will help.

 

[ruking77]

The short answer is no. I would not pay a premium for so called high mileage oil. If pan gasket is leaking, in order of easy to harder 1. to retorque the pan gasket bolts back to factory specification. 2.If it still seeps it might be a good time to change out the gasket and retorque to factory specifications at your next oil change.

 

[sbc350gearhead]

The high mileage oils have a thicker viscosity, and use about 10% esters, for cleaning and seal swelling. I don't know how much seal swell, you are going to get with only 10% esters though. The HM oils seem to be more shear stable, from looking at the UOA's posted here.

 

[Robbie Alexander]

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Originally posted by Roadking: *-*-*-*-*-* I'm curious if anyone else has had this problem when switching from one brand to another? especially, if you've used one brand for a long time.

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Yup. Can. Depends on the oil. Does not mean the oil is bad. Some oils will clean so well that an engine with lots of miles say like 60-120k for gasoline, and has a good deal of buildup, can cause leak/ more often burining for a time or a long time until rings seated. As for waht I'd rather have: a leak I can see and monitor than have a set of rings or other internal components getting clogged-up, and not see them. IMO: Some oils do not contain the additives needed to swell seals much because they are so good that the engines don't get dirty enough and so the seals can function their normal intended lifespan... As far as is Napa oil(Valvoline) the oil that caused this? Is it a good oil? will it--???? I donno, I would do a treatment to clean the engine, then replace the leaking seals, then go with a good quality oil that keeps the engine clean to begin with, and IMO this will help the future seals last longer.

 

[Flimflam]

quote:

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Originally posted by Roadking: I own two vehicles that are between 65k and 85k. I've used Castrol GTX 10w-30 religiously since the second oil change in both vehicles. My last oil change I used Napa oil(Valvoline) and they both have started to seep a little oil around the pan gasket area.......

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If something works, don't mess with it. GTX 10w-30 has worked for you, so why bother using anything else? Having said the above, I am soon about to change my motor oil to a different brand. I am going to switch over to Schaeffer Supreme 7000 as soon as I run my Auto-RX cycles with mineral oil.

 

[Intelman34]

The combination of Auto-RX Castrol HM oil stopped the oil burning and leaks that my 93 Thunderbird 5.0 had. You could always try a diesel oil like Pennzoil Long Life or Chevron Delo 400. I see that you are from Milwaukee.... with winter coming up, you may want to give Shell Rotella T Synthetic a shot in the winter.

 

[Flimflam]

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Originally posted by Matt89: Flimflam, you've hit the nail right on the head. Funny how people don't get particular about toothpaste, spray starch or skim milk. They just don't offer the psychological payoff of precisely engineered lubricants

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Re: "psychological payoff..." I wonder what the Old Timer mechanics must think of us when they get a look in this BITOG Forum. They must think we are Nuts. Those guys did just fine on Dinosaur straight 30-Weight before we came along. And now, the majority of us are saying straight 30-weight is no good for modern automobile engines. The Old Timers, many of them advise me to use synthetics only in the differential and tranny, but never in the engine.

 

[Drew99GT]

Pennz 10w-30 High Mileage has cut consumption in half on the vehicles I've used it in.

 

[GSV]

I'm running Penzoil HM 10w-30 in a Nissan Frontier that I purchased in Sept. after some bimbo t-boned my older Nissan D-21. (at least she had insurance) I ran auto-rx for 1000 miles (inside the valve cover looked great but auto-rx can't hurt) and the Penz HM is my dino rinse. Filter is a Wix 51344 (oversized compared to the thimble size Nissan calls for). Obviously, I don't have lots of experience with this truck but I do hear lifter noise for about 3-4 seconds after startup. I will try other oils (Mobil 1 10w-30 or German Castrol is next due to winter approaching)as time passes and report any differences in this noise. The additive packages in the Castrol and Penz HM oils is pretty good for the money. Schaeffers oil looks like the best HM oil out there but they don't market it as such.

 

[Bror Jace]

Back to topic, I think the high-mileage oils are worth it. They aren’t going to work miracles but the esters in them have a some success in minimizing some leaks and completely eliminating others. Plus, at around $2 per quart you are getting a synthetic blend … a real one. That’s better than paying $2.25+ per quart and getting a blend of Group II and III. --- Bror Jace

 

[Roadking]

Bror Jace, Thanks for the information, that's what I was looking for. I wasn't aware that these high mileage oils were a synthetic blend? I guess that's why the price is around the $2 mark. My car and truck run great and don't use any oil at this point. I was hoping to slow or stop the slight oil seepage that I noticed around the pan. I feel better knowing there's more in the bottle then a seal/gasket conditioner. I'm off to buy some Pennzoil! (I wish Chevron had a H/M oil)