Oil in the Desert

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Originally Posted By: ThirdeYe
Have you considered maybe a synthetic blend, like Schaeffer's? I think that would serve you very well for the driving that you do and offer some more protection.

What does syn have in the way of protection that dino doesn't if I am going to change at 3000?
Originally Posted By: Camu Mahubah
There is nothing wrong with Valvoline.

I do have a question.

Is the current engine a roller or flat-tappet?


Flat tappet Goodwrench 350, and I know there was EOS added to the break in oil + the cam lube from the factory.
 
In that vehicle in that environment I would run the cheapest HDEO 15w-40 or HDEO 10w-30 I could find. Rotella, Delo, Motorcraft, Supertech, etc etc.... I would use an oci of 5k with a common oil filter.


You are averaging ~20k miles a year. Four oil changes a year would be plenty.
 
AllenWalker and MamalaBay, Yall have to be kidding. If I read his post correct he got 315k out of original engine. How much more do yall expect out of it? I think many on here would be happy to get 300k out of any engine.
 
I am pretty doggone happy. Truck cost $5000 when I bought it from a GSA auction in 1994. 14 years of reliable service.
 
Originally Posted By: tsmay51
AllenWalker and MamalaBay, Yall have to be kidding. If I read his post correct he got 315k out of original engine. How much more do yall expect out of it? I think many on here would be happy to get 300k out of any engine.


Agree 1000%. It is not a light vehicle and operated in less than perfect conditions.

Just keep doing what you have been doing. Yesterdays oils did you great to 300k.

Today's oils are MUCH better. The 99 cent Chevron is better than all of the oils from 15 years ago IMO.

Take care, bill
 
Does it have a carb or fuel injection?

Changing the oil early at 1-1.5k miles sounds good.

After that run another 3k mile oil change interval with conventional oil.

If it were mine (and I'm a Chevy guy), I would run Valvoline Maxlife Synthetic 10-30 and either Napa Gold or Wix filters.

OCI's of 6k should not be a problem. This oil meets a lot of Euro specs (Mercedes, BMW, and VW) and meets specs for many high heat turbo applications.

I have used in for years in a GM 350 TBI and a Ford 4.6 modular. Great oil.

It may be a wise investment to run a remote filtration system that runs two filters mounted in the engine compartment for max filtration.

You had asked about dino vs syn if you went with 3k OCI's....

Syn has better protection from heat, and degrades slower. The oil I mentions meets Euro automaker specs that have OCI's for 10-15k mile OCI's and for high heat turbo specs.

With this in mind, I would trust this oil at 6k mile OCI's over a cheap dino at 3k mile OCI's.
 
Carb. The truck is bone stock, don't want to add any hoses, remote filters, tubes, coolers or anything else that can break, leak, clog etc. Methinks I will just do what I did for 14 years and call it good.
 
Originally Posted By: tsmay51
AllenWalker and MamalaBay, Yall have to be kidding. If I read his post correct he got 315k out of original engine. How much more do yall expect out of it? I think many on here would be happy to get 300k out of any engine.


Well, I guess the OP believes he can do better, otherwise he would continue doing what he's always done, and he wouldn't be here asking for advice on how to it even better next time. :)
 
Actually, I wanted to deterimine if syn oil would benefit me in the long run. I had no control over the first 70K miles of the truck. This time I will control all of the service. I had thought that syn oil might benefit an engine other than extended drain times. Having read through these forums and lurking for several months, I don't think syn oil is what I want. I spend a considerable amount of time off pavement in some of the harshest climate in the lower 48. I will save money by using dino oil and doing the work myself.

If I can get 14 more years out of a 23 year old truck without non stock modifications that seem a little overkill, then I have done what I need to do to have a reliable desert vehicle. The mechanic that installed the new 350 said it looked really good from a sludge/deposit standpoint but that any engine with 315K miles could go at any time or last another 100K. I chose the new engine for peace of mind as well as the other things I have stated.
 
As far as I know, conventional oil has absolutely no strengths over synthetic oil (besides initial cost, but extended oil change intervals give you money back).

Why not upgrade to Amsoil motor oil and Amsoil oil filter and Amsoil air filter and not only allow your engine to run as long as you want, but also enjoy increased driveability and performance?

You might even save some fuel along the way.
 
Originally Posted By: MojaveK20
Actually, I wanted to deterimine if syn oil would benefit me in the long run. I had no control over the first 70K miles of the truck. This time I will control all of the service. I had thought that syn oil might benefit an engine other than extended drain times. Having read through these forums and lurking for several months, I don't think syn oil is what I want. I spend a considerable amount of time off pavement in some of the harshest climate in the lower 48. I will save money by using dino oil and doing the work myself.


A good synthetic has two major advantages over a conventional oil, cold weather flow and heat (resistance to oxidation). I use synthetics for the cold weather flow benefit as some winter days can get down to -40 where I'm at. If I lived where you do I would be using the synthetic for the exact reasons you described: "I spend a considerable amount of time off pavement in some of the harshest climate in the lower 48."

Don't fall in to the trap of "it's a synthetic, you can do extended drains." In the right applications maybe you can, and maybe you can't. If that is the only reason people are using a synthetic oil, then they are using it for the wrong reasons.
 
Originally Posted By: MojaveK20
What are the increased driveablity and performance benefits of Amsoil?


Increased bottom end torque, quieter engine, smoother operation, reduced sludge and varnish, increased cold/hot temperature stability, on and on and on.

Synthetic oil tends to be slicker than conventional oil because of molecular uniformity. Conventional oil is made up of whatever has died and been converted to oil. Millions of molecular structures are combined in one black slop drawn from the earth.

Synthetic oil is made up of hand-selected base stocks, all of which share very similar molecular structures, which is why Amsoil is so slick. Imagine a giant jar of different sized marbles spilled onto the floor. Run your hand across the surface of the layer of marbles, and you'll feel severe discomfort as your hand encounters zero uniformity in the size of marbles.

Now lay out a layer of uniformly sized marbles and run our had across them: this smoothness is what you get with Amsoil.

Hand-picked base stocks of vegetable and animal fats and other stuff are used to create a very slick and stable oil that will protect your engine like nothing else.

I wouldn't lie to you.
wink.gif
I've tried many oils, and Amsoil is the one I always come back to.
 
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Exlain how Amsoil can give me increased bottom end torque'
I thought all molecules were uniform, if they are the same molecule, at the molecular level, whether they are natural or sythetic in origin
 
Originally Posted By: MojaveK20
Exlain how Amsoil can give me increased bottom end torque'
I thought all molecules were uniform, if they are the same molecule, at the molecular level, whether they are natural or sythetic in origin


I can't explain why I get more bottom end torque. It's something I've always noticed in whatever vehicle I've installed Amsoil.

You've got to consider that petroleum oil is made up of everything that has died over several thousand years or more. Every living thing has it's own molecular makeup, all the way down to DNA.

You won't find perfect molecular uniformity in any synthetic oil, but you will find a consistency on shape and size because the base stocks used are all very similar in size and shape.
 
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