As the title says, what would y’all use for a high mileage engine? What do you think the best is?
What oil would you use for a high mileage engine?
- Thread starter williamshrader
- Start date
In my case it’s a vortec 4.2, 137k miles, no leaks. I was asking in general though.
Is it leaking oil ? Is it burning oil ?
I am guessing , a gasoline engine ? Carburated ? TBFI ? MPFI Direct injection ?
15 years on a Buick 3800 6cyld. plain 5w30 never a failure,,,
The one on sale with a rebate and that would currently be Mobil 1 HM
very broad question for a detailed answer but in general....
I would not vary from what I always use and here is why.
No lubrication known will make up for mechanical wear or damage- that's a myth.
I have tried hundreds of combinations with almost every major lube manufacturer on earth over decades with all types of machines in different environments and only on the rarest of occasions have actually documented a significant difference.
Removing marketing claim hypes , anecdotes and fanboy opinions, I would like to see a valid reviewed study showing significant benefit for any type of "worn machine" (mileage, hours or years or whatever)- I do not believe one exists.
I would not vary from what I always use and here is why.
No lubrication known will make up for mechanical wear or damage- that's a myth.
I have tried hundreds of combinations with almost every major lube manufacturer on earth over decades with all types of machines in different environments and only on the rarest of occasions have actually documented a significant difference.
Removing marketing claim hypes , anecdotes and fanboy opinions, I would like to see a valid reviewed study showing significant benefit for any type of "worn machine" (mileage, hours or years or whatever)- I do not believe one exists.
Is it an LS engine ? If so , it is not that high a mileage . I drove a company truck that was totaled around 160,000 miles . Another one that starts making clicking noises when the temperature got down to 32F and below , on cold start . Noise went away when the truck warmed up ?
Lacking more information , were it mine , I would use a name brand Dexos full synthetic .
Whatever is on sale, and this month, Napa has their house brand oil on sale.
Synthetic HM for $3.59/qt
non-syn HM for $2.89/qt
(Napa synthetic non-HM is $3.39)
Sale ends 8/31
Synthetic HM for $3.59/qt
non-syn HM for $2.89/qt
(Napa synthetic non-HM is $3.39)
Sale ends 8/31
I think it really depends on the application, every case is different. Some engine have high mileage and were taken care of, others are sludged to death from lack of oil changes and need to be treated differently. I would start with the correct oil first and see how it does. Those engines in particular don't really care and often time people use heavier oils in it in warm climates. If there is something going on such as leaks (in your case there aren't any) or oil burning then you can figure out a plan.
High mileage oils won't hurt if everything is fine and will condition the seals and gaskets if they can. Then there are products specifically for engines that are pretty much done, like RESTORE and several other thickeners and assorted snake oils. If it were mine I would start with what it takes, which in your case would probably be 5w30 6094M spec which now has been replaced by Dexos1 Gen2. Any off the shelf name brand oil would do just fine. If you find yourself losing oil then you will know what to do from there. As long as you don't go thinner than what is recommended, you should be fine.
High mileage oils won't hurt if everything is fine and will condition the seals and gaskets if they can. Then there are products specifically for engines that are pretty much done, like RESTORE and several other thickeners and assorted snake oils. If it were mine I would start with what it takes, which in your case would probably be 5w30 6094M spec which now has been replaced by Dexos1 Gen2. Any off the shelf name brand oil would do just fine. If you find yourself losing oil then you will know what to do from there. As long as you don't go thinner than what is recommended, you should be fine.
That’s middle mileage in my book...
My wife’s Volvo has 260,000 miles on it. My old 4 Runner (now driven by a friend’s kid) is somewhere above 300,000...and nobody is using high mileage oil in either of them.
Yeah that's not high mileage. Use a quality 5w-30 of your favorite brand and call it a day. I don't subscribe to the HM oils for engines > 75k marketing... If there's no engine problems or oil consumption problems, I'd stick with any old Dexos approved 5w-30.
wemay
Site Donor 2023
M1HM 10W-30
Quaker State HM SB 5W-20/30
Quaker State HM SB 5W-20/30
Just whatever, These engines will run fine on whatever, I put 5w40 Delo in mine when I changed the oil about 2000 miles ago and it's still full up on the dipstick car has over 170k on it and running strong, mine's a 2008, I bought it recently with 167k on it so I don't really know much about the history of it prior to me owning it. My dad has an 02' Bravada I assume it's always had the cheapest conventional put in it following the OLM because him and his boss who previously owned it are kind of cheapskates and at 230k miles it seems that about every seal in the engine is seeping some, maybe I should try some stop leak or switch to an HM oil the next time we change it, that car's kind of on it's last leg though the air shocks are shot and it's make some sort of rattling\shuttering noise from the drivetrain sometimes.
Anything will work for those engines. My coworker has a Trailblazer 4.2 with almost 300,000 miles. It does have a sludge problem when he bought it, and still does, but the engine still runs and takes abuse from him. He straight piped it and added all kinds of stickers like it's an SS or something lol. Revs it cold in the shop. You can bet you don't need anything special in the crankcase.
I have never understood the thought of using HM oils only after leaks are detected. IMO, I want the HM seal conditioners at work before any leaks might occour. The seal swellers are most effective if used preemptivly, again, JMO.
Im at 360,000 and never used a high mileage oil yet. My understanding was oils break down and varnish and seals give out? How much seal additive is in non hm oil? I was told that Redline was once used as a hm oil. But more important was that all oils have seal conditioners,right? So is a hm oil just a slightly higher additive package? Seems if its more in a general III oil that more is better if its the same monies
If it is not leaking and you're not having any other problems, keep doing what you've been doing! No need to change.
AutoMechanic
Site Donor 2024
Yeah as others have said it’s not really high mileage and just keep running regular stuff there. If you are set on changing to high mileage though I recommend either Valvoline or Castrol GTX high mileage those two are the best in my opinion