What oil should I use at 200,000 miles?

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The '96 cherokee with the 4.0 engine I just bought has 194,000 miles on it. The owner had the oil changed every 5-6000 miles and they are mostly highway miles. (he was a salesman that drove around 300 miles away weekly) He might have used synthetic oil, but I don't know for sure. Either way, it runs perfectly. What oil do you guys think I should use? I'm going to go with dino for now. I was thinking penzoil long life 10w40.
 
I would use a quality 15w-40 in this engine. If you are not comfortable using this, one of the thicker 5w or 10w-30's. These engines seem to like higher viscosity even when they are new.

I don't like the idea of a non-synthetic 10w-40 because they seem to shear down way too fast.
 
On that engine, I'd use a 5W40 or 10W40. The clearances on the bearings are probably a little on the high side, so I wouldn't use any XW-30. It will also help for any leaking seals you may have.
 
quote:

Originally posted by Tim H.:
Ask Him what he used in it...Obviously it was doing a good job..

He just took it to an oil change place, I don't think he knows what they used. He's obviously not a car guy, he just spent $400 to have the cat replaced, $300 on a brake job, and $600 to replace the radiator.
shocked.gif
I could have done all those jobs for well under $200...
 
quote:

Originally posted by ZmOz:

quote:

Originally posted by Tim H.:
Ask Him what he used in it...Obviously it was doing a good job..

He just took it to an oil change place, I don't think he knows what they used.


The oil change place probably uses the same el cheapo oil in everything unless the customer specifies something else. Give them a call.
 
Sounds like the former owner just had the oil changed on a regular schedule. At this point i would run any brand of oil but make sure that you change it on a regular basis. Highway miles are the easiest miles to put on an engine so this engine should have a long time to go. As far as oil weight i would use a 10/30 or 10/40. Some here say try 15/40. I have a few vehicles that do not like 15/40 weight oil. My chevy 4.3 prefers 10/30 and runs great on it. i tried 15/40 in it but the engine just did not run as well with it and it took longer for it to start. Experiment with a few things and enjoy that Jeep!
 
At 243,000 miles I still use synthetic oil. I know it's my usual expected answer. But is it really that wrong? My car doesn't leak, consume much and let me tell you - one reason it HAS lasted this long (and turbo to boot) is that when I cranked the beast (15W-40) at something below 10°F this AM the car started right up, not even a hesitation to crank...you have to try hard to tell me it would have been the same with petroleum oil.
 
Dino or synthetic, probably not a bad idea to run an AutoRx cycle first just to clean anything that needs cleaning and to keep the seals in good shape.
 
I was just about to recommend some AutoRX. After the rinse cycle, I would switch to a Group III 5w-40 as mentioned above.
 
quote:

Originally posted by dustyjoe1:
Find out what the oil change place used or take it there. And just run it. It made it 200k that way, If it ain't broken don't fix it.
cheers.gif


A lot of people have said this, but it's entirely possible his choice of oil from this point on could mean the difference between his engine making it to 300k or having it die at 250k. You just never know.
 
[/QUOTE]He just took it to an oil change place, I don't think he knows what they used. He's obviously not a car guy, he just spent $400 to have the cat replaced, $300 on a brake job, and $600 to replace the radiator.
shocked.gif
I could have done all those jobs for well under $200... [/QB][/QUOTE]

$200? Parts from Midnight Auto Supply?
wink.gif
 
quote:

Originally posted by 2533a:


He just took it to an oil change place, I don't think he knows what they used. He's obviously not a car guy, he just spent $400 to have the cat replaced, $300 on a brake job, and $600 to replace the radiator.
shocked.gif
I could have done all those jobs for well under $200...
[/QUOTE]

$200? Parts from Midnight Auto Supply?
wink.gif
[/QB][/QUOTE]

Radiator: Upgraded 3 core GDI $109 w/lifetime warranty
Cat: Carsound high flow $40 new on ebay
Brake pads: Raybestos ceramic $60

Total: $209. Those are all things I did to my old jeep, and all things are much better than stock...
 
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