Oil Recommendation for Best Cold-Start Protection

[TFB1]

Originally Posted By: Jason64

Any point in using high-mileage? I tried Valvoline 10w30 High Mileage before and the oil level went down just as fast as regular oil.

The scheduled maintenance says to change oil every 4 months. Should I bother to do this if I'm not at 5000 miles?


Jason


If high milage oil is going to help it will usually require a couple full changes before a improvement is noticed... Basically the time to use HMO is when consumption is first noticed, waiting another 10-20K miles no doubt lessons the effect...

How much oil are you adding??? If you are talking a couple of quarts in four months I'd run it at least six mo...

 

[dave1251]

Here is my two cents. Use any name brand conventional 5w30 and change it twice a year spring and fall. Synthetic will not give you any added benefits due to low use and a lot of short trips. Your engine has made it this far and has not blown up with the maintenance schedule you have provide for it in the past. I would not deviate from this too much. A high mileage oil may help with your engine seals and piston rings and make them more pliable to reduce your oil consumption. If you have the time and money I would invest in finding out what is causing your oil consumption and fix what is mechanically broke. Only if you want to keep your car long term. But if the car is only to be used until you can upgrade within the next couple of years you can just keep your crankcase topped off to ensure you are not running your engine dry.

 

[Jason64]

Originally Posted By: dave1251
If you have the time and money I would invest in finding out what is causing your oil consumption and fix what is mechanically broke.


Might be getting a bit off-topic, but when I first noticed the oil consumption, I:

-checked drive way for oil puddles... nothing
-cleaned engine and checked around valve cover for signs of seepage... nothing
-checked drain plug for signs of seepage... nothing
-did compression test... all cylinders had almost exactly the same compression... interpreted this to mean oil is not getting past the rings?
-tried high mileage oil for 2 oil changes... no improvement
-replaced PCV valve... no improvement
-changed spark plugs (simply because old ones were over 6 years old)

What am I left with? I figured either the valve stem seals or I made a mistake inspecting the things listed above.


By the way, for yesterday's oil change I went with Quaker State Advanced Durability 5w30 Full Synthetic because it was on sale for $25 for 4.7L at Walmart.

 

[boxcartommie22]

a good ester oil such as red line or motul will protect on intial startup.

 

[CATERHAM]

Jason64, the Quaker State Ultimate Durability 5w30 is a fine choice.
I would have absolutely zero concern with the need to add up to 1L between oil changes.

 

[Jason64]

Well, I'm five days into the switch to Quaker State Ultimate Durability 5w30. Engine is quiet, dipstick oil is clear, seems like there's less engine braking, car seems a touch more powerful. I was only expecting gains of say 2% max -- which I doubt I would perceive without careful measurement -- so the placebo effect might be at play here too.

I'll look into where I can send for a used oil analysis after the next drain.


For the same car and driving habits, any point of of buying expensive ATF? How often to drain it?

The ATF has only been changed on this vehicle once that I know of -- a year ago, and it was brown and burnt smelling. The new stuff is clear red and smells like ATF right from the bottle.

I just used Motormaster Dexron III. (Not sure about the Motormaster bit). Why does transmission fluid have such long change intervals? Do I need to change it more than once every four years?

Any point in Synthetic ATF?


Thanks,
Jason