Oil for around town trips & local stop-go traffic

[2006_Charger_R/T]

Hi,

I recently had an UOA performed on my 2002 Jeep Sahara. Link here --> Jeep

I am the original owner and I have never had a UOA performed on my jeep. My wife started driving the jeep to and from her work ~2 years ago. She works 10 minutes from where we live. The jeep rarely sees much highway, so ~95% of the mileage on the jeep over the past two years has been local short trips. The UOA shows a higher than normal iron content either because the oil is not reaching it's operating temp or maybe corrosion

Anyway... I was wondering if someone could recommend a good oil for vehicles that are used for multiple short trips and local stop-go traffic. Right now I use M1 5w-30, but I'm thinking maybe something with a slightly higher moly content.

Thanks,
char

 

[boxcartommie22]

redline (the very best)
motul
torco

the above very high in moly

 

[Bill in Utah]

Pennzoil or Halovine and change it out every 4-6 months (since she is not getting alot of miles on it).

Take care, Bill

 

[Bill in Utah]

Havoline I meant..

Both are excellent conventional oils that will protect well and allow you to get the max out of your $$.

(Where/when is the edit coming back?)

Bill

 

[Gary Allan]

I'd pay to have Terry interpret your UOA. He'll ask all the right questions.

If you want to warm up the oil quicker (the 4.0's coolant warms very fast) go get a heat exchanger for a 2005 Grand Caravan. Plumb it into your heater circuit and forget about moisture issues due to poor oil warm up. Plan on around $140 in costs from any MOPAR dealer.

All the exotic oils are fine ..but availability is limited and costs are outragous. You can change cheaper stuff twice as often ..three times maybe for the price.

 

[Ron AKA]

For all that short trip driving the biggest mistake you are making is using a 10w30 oil. You should at minimum be using a 5w30. Better still would be a Xw20. Since you are in the US and can't get the Petrocan, I would suggest the conventional Valvoline 5w20. If you must use synthetic then the Valvoline Synpower 5w20 may be the next best choice.

Above all, change the oil at no less than 6 month intervals. If it can be arranged, it would be helpful to take the vehicle on a 30 minute or longer drive once a week to get the water out of the oil. Also make sure the thermostat is working, and not running the engine run too cold.

I think your suspicion about rust may be accurate, and it has nothing to do with wear.

 

[deven]

If you want more Moly, just use a dino oil you are comfortable with and add some VSOT to boost the moly. FWIW, i dont think you are getting high iron because of all the short trips, but Mobil 1 seems to show high iron in a lot of the UOA's.

 

[Gary Allan]

You just may have to be used to 3-4 month OCIs. 6 months isnt' making it. Your insolubles are pretty high for ever 3X the mileage.

You may be able to find some magic oil with the proper additive combo ..but there is always the possibilty that there is no solution to this on a biannual OCI basis.

Although I don't agree with Ron's rhetoric from where it appears to be coming from, you may be a candidate for a 5w-20. It would only be limited to the service that the engine currently sees. I don't think it will alter the situation that you're seeing in UOA, however. There's no reason that I can think of that would make a 5w-20 any less corrosive just because of its lighter weight. That is, the service is probably the cause of the situation ..not the oil ..hence I don't see how the wear can be altered by weight alone. It's the short trip component that's probably the cause here.

Or is 5w-20 assured to have magic properties to cope with this condition??

 

[Mystic]

If a car or truck is being used mainly in short trip driving around town I think that conventional oil can be superior to synthetic oil. Pennzoil or Chevron or Halvoline oil would be good choices. And an Auto-RX cleaning at least every 25,000 miles would be good. In a situation like this I would use synthetic only for cold weather driving.

 

[Mystic]

And of course changing the oil every 3 months or 3000 miles. A highway drive every weekend would not hurt at all.

 

[Steelhead]

too high fuel dilution from cold engine open loop ECU operation....change oil more often
change to a high quality 5w30 dino, Chev. Supreme...Havoline or TropArtic...on sale
change at 2000 miles and run a UOA again
use LC in oil religiously along with FP in gas...gotta have a huge gob of built up cold run deposits on intake valve tulips and in combustion chambers....ring packs are probably frozen from deposits
run AutoRX every 25k in these severe conditions
NY winters and 10 minutes run time, never sees closed loop hot run

 

[2006_Charger_R/T]

Thanks.

Next OC i'm gonna switch from M1 to Havoline 5w-30 and change the oil every three months.

 

[AEHaas]

A semi synthetic oil as MotorCraft 5W-20 has overlapping properties. It is slightly thinner, good for the short trip person. It has good solubility properties and has Moly for added lubrication. I would recommend this on a 6 month basis.

aehaas

 

[JHZR2]

M1 5w-30 has been excelent for severe service, very short trips in my mother's 97 plymouth breeze. We use it with confidence, and have for the last 60k.

if I were you, Id make a mix of LC and schaeffer's 132, and dope that at a reasonably heavy rate, and not worry.

JMH

 

[Gary Allan]

Just so that you understand ..as it sits, you can continue on in ignorant bliss and do just what you have been doing. You'll retire and be in a nursing home before the 4.0 will show any effects (probably).

It's just that there is a condition present ..and everyone feels compelled to get you to do something about it.