I have a 2002 Caravan with a 2.4L that gets mostly around town driving. It has 54K and has always had a 5w30 synthetic blend. It uses no oil between changes. I would like to get a synthetic that will give me an extended OCI and maybe a little boost in MPG. Any thoughts?
Which Oil for a Caravan 2.4L -Extended OCI
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In mostly around town driving, extended oil change intervals are probably ill-advised.
What's your longest drive in a typical day?
How about in a week?
Truthfully, regardless of oil choice, if this thing gets typical short-trip minivan usage, 7500 miles might be the absolute outside limit.
What's your longest drive in a typical day?
How about in a week?
Truthfully, regardless of oil choice, if this thing gets typical short-trip minivan usage, 7500 miles might be the absolute outside limit.
I have never had a noticable increase in mpg with any kind of oil.
Actually, the miles in a day may be significant. It may be in operation for 2 or 3 hours at a time, but it is start and stop with frequent lengthy periods with the engine idling and the A/C running. It is mostly residential neighborhoods with 30-35mph.
I thought synthetics were supposed to improve MPG due to reduced friction.
I thought synthetics were supposed to improve MPG due to reduced friction.
Best oil for extended drains is Mobil 1 Extended Performance for extended performance. Amsoil will also hold up well. I would think 10,000 is doable with either of these oils. For milage improvement the best is regular Mobil 1 5w30. It should handle 7500 and maybe 10,000 but an oil analysis will tell you for sure. Use a good filter if you are going 10,000 miles ie Pureone,Mobil 1, Amsoil or Wix.
JHZR2
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with a very severe service, the 2.0L in my mother's 97 plymouth breeze does EXCELLENTLY on Mobil 1 5w30 at 5000 mi OCIs!
It seems that it could go even longer, though I wouldnt advise it, even with either arx or LC.
But the results are great... Youll have an edge out on protection in all situations by using syn.
JMH
It seems that it could go even longer, though I wouldnt advise it, even with either arx or LC.
But the results are great... Youll have an edge out on protection in all situations by using syn.
JMH
You didn't state your current OCI and any issues/problems arising from that. The only way you will know how far to extend your OCI is to do a few used oil analysis and make a determination based on the data. Anything else is pure conjecture.
As for improving mileage, a change in oil brand type will be almost impossible to determine based on your driving habits. A change in those habits will provide a much more noticeable improvement in mileage. There are a lot of variables that affect gas mileage. The oil you're using now is probably offering the best gas mileage you can get based on the van's usage.
As for improving mileage, a change in oil brand type will be almost impossible to determine based on your driving habits. A change in those habits will provide a much more noticeable improvement in mileage. There are a lot of variables that affect gas mileage. The oil you're using now is probably offering the best gas mileage you can get based on the van's usage.
Triple_Se7en
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Use the same brand & weight that your syn-blend is. It seems to be working perfectly - so why change oil brands?
Sometimes changing to an oil brand you think might be better turns out worse for your engine.
I do not know what you consider to be an "extended" OCI. I have been running 5w30 Mobil 1, 15k intervals for over 694,000 on obviously several vehicles. Primarily on 5 each I 6 TLC's, Z06 pushrod V-8. So to me this has been "normal" for a lot of miles and a lot of years. But Bretfraz hit the nail on the head. So I won't repeat what he has already said.
I am running 25,000 OCI's with Delvac 5w40 aka Mobil 1 Truck and SUV 5w40 in a 2003 VW Jetta TDI application (with app 69k miles on the clock). It is an even more robust oil than the 5w30 but I realize it might not be the viscosity you might want to run.
I am running 25,000 OCI's with Delvac 5w40 aka Mobil 1 Truck and SUV 5w40 in a 2003 VW Jetta TDI application (with app 69k miles on the clock). It is an even more robust oil than the 5w30 but I realize it might not be the viscosity you might want to run.
Triple_Se7en
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No joke Ugly3!quote:
Originally posted by Ugly3:
This is a joke right?
I've seen folks fiddle-faddle around changing brands to quiet, clean & non-oil burning vehicles. Now alot of em' use oil & it's permanent... even after changing back to the original oil they used. Leaving well-enough alone wasn't good enough for these folks.
I don't see any "joke" in what I wrote earlier today -- that you so kindly copied & pasted in bold as being questionably funny.
So I will repeat....
If the urge to change oils is uncontrollable with an engine exhibiting no unfavorable symptoms, I suggest staying in the same house... just move up the ladder to the next best group in that house with the urge. That increases the odds that "no unfavorable symptoms" will crop up.
[ September 10, 2005, 10:20 PM: Message edited by: Triple_Se7en ]
Thanks. It isn't bad advice to resist fixing that which is not broken. If I move up, so to speak, that would be to Pennzoil Platinum, up from the Pennzoil SUV, Truck and Minivan that I have been using. Any thoughts on how the blend compares as I understand the the Platinum is a new mix?
I have been using the Pennzoil synthetic blend. I believe it is/was marketed for vans/suvs as I used to have it changed at Jiffy Lube. But they were just too expensive. My current oil change place does not carry a synthetic blend, but they do offer a M1 change. I was thinking that it might be cost effective if it was the EP and if it ran for about 10K. Or I start to change it myself, which is hard as my time is scarce and I don't have a place to really work on it.
I am not a fan at all of synthetic blends, for you can get a higher % of synthetic by blending it yourself (by law I read somewhere it only has to be 10% "synthetic"). So the math would indicate in 10 qts one of them is synthetic. So if you do the math on 9 qts convention and 1 qt synthetic, I am sure it will be cheaper than 10 qts of "synthetic" blend. The math further indicates the verbiage should READ "conventional with a hint of synthetic". However, I don't think that would market too well.
To my way of thinking, if one is going to use a synthetic blend why not use synthetic? I realize this is probably a minority view, insofar as most folks use conventional oil.
To my way of thinking, if one is going to use a synthetic blend why not use synthetic? I realize this is probably a minority view, insofar as most folks use conventional oil.
I would think something like Amsoil's HDD 5w30 would do good in the application. You should be able to do 10-15K OCI's with ease after the engine is cleaned up. (Via AutoRx)
I have never noticed motor oil alone changing my MPG - I have seen differences when all driveline fluids and motor oil are changed over to synthetic at once - but this is probably a viscosity issue.
Is there a law for synthetic blends now? I didn't think so, but I could be wrong. Most wine producing states regulate grape blends better than oil...let's get our priorities straight
I have never noticed motor oil alone changing my MPG - I have seen differences when all driveline fluids and motor oil are changed over to synthetic at once - but this is probably a viscosity issue.
Is there a law for synthetic blends now? I didn't think so, but I could be wrong. Most wine producing states regulate grape blends better than oil...let's get our priorities straight
SomeOtherBob
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Good news, bad news. Well I think even better from a marketing point of view. With no lower limits, one could almost, like a dash of tabasco sauce, call anything with a dash of synthetic, a synthetic blend?? I don't think so. All the more reason not to get a synthetic blend, where really NO one knows how much synthetic is in a blend?quote:
Originally posted by Pablo:
I would think something like Amsoil's HDD 5w30 would do good in the application. You should be able to do 10-15K OCI's with ease after the engine is cleaned up. (Via AutoRx)
I have never noticed motor oil alone changing my MPG - I have seen differences when all driveline fluids and motor oil are changed over to synthetic at once - but this is probably a viscosity issue.
Is there a law for synthetic blends now? I didn't think so, but I could be wrong. Most wine producing states regulate grape blends better than oil...let's get our priorities straight
So with a DIY blending, if you want 25% synthetic, mix 1 qt synthetic with 3 qts convention. Want more/less? Add more/add less. It is really hard to believe that most folks who have gotten the HS diploma, GED or even HS credits for life experience can not figure out simple fractions in ones daily life.
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