Castrol GTX and 3million mile Volvo

[njohnson]

Sorry if this was already posted.

I saw it today on Castrol's website. Is Castrol antiwear additives better than other brands? It's a lot of miles, but, would he have had more wear with say, Pennzoil, or Mobil, or Valvoline? In the one video, the camshaft was measured, and it had worn down 0.02 compared to a new one. Also, on the lifter, there was very little wear. It seems impressive. Would other brands have had similar results?

http://www.castrol.com/en_us/united-states/motor-oil/castrol-gtx/irv-gordon.html

http://www.castrol.com/en_us/united-stat...r-the-hood.html

 

[Camprunner]

I am convinced that getting high millage out of an engine is much more about engine design and or how a particular engine wears, is driven and is maintained then the brand of oil used. Most people that I have talked to who have high millage have used on sale conventional oil changed at reasonable OCI. Not one would spend the $ on expensive synthetic oil. My mother has over 300,000 on a Buick V6 running conventional Formula Shell I am sure any oil could have taken it to 300k.

 

[RichardS]

I'm with Camprunner. One of Moms church friends retired her 92 Cutlass with 310,000 miles on the same engine and transmission doing nothing but dumping whatever the shop all the church ladies went to used (one of the other church members shop), and changing everything on the factory schedule.

It went on to drive another almost 50k miles before her niece's new beau totaled it one night.

 

[tig1]

Originally Posted By: Camprunner
I am convinced that getting high millage out of an engine is much more about engine design and or how a particular engine wears, is driven and is maintained then the brand of oil used. Most people that I have talked to who have high millage have used on sale conventional oil changed at reasonable OCI. Not one would spend the $ on expensive synthetic oil. My mother has over 300,000 on a Buick V6 running conventional Formula Shell I am sure any oil could have taken it to 300k.

But you can get the same or better results, and not change the oil near as often with a quality synthetic. A friend got 350K out of his Chevy 5.3 with M1 5-30 and changed oil every 20-25K. I put 354K on a Ford 3.0 and changed oil every 10K with M1 10-30. Both engines ran great when sold.

 

[d00df00d]

As someone who uses Castrol GTX in a demanding engine with hard use, hoping it's doing well... I really want to be happy with this.

But of course, one car lasting that long using that oil tells us almost nothing. The real question is whether cars on average do better with that oil than they do with other oils, all else equal. That's something we'll likely never know.

 

[tig1]

Originally Posted By: d00df00d
As someone who uses Castrol GTX in a demanding engine with hard use, hoping it's doing well... I really want to be happy with this.

But of course, one car lasting that long using that oil tells us almost nothing. The real question is whether cars on average do better with that oil than they do with other oils, all else equal. That's something we'll likely never know.


Right. He did change oil 870 times at about 3400 mile OCIs. He could have cut that down to about 300 oil changes at 10K. Still quit an accomplishment.

 

[Rendezvous]

He actually lives in my neighborhood and I see him driving it all the time.

 

[CR94]

Originally Posted By: tig1

... He did change oil 870 times at about 3400 mile OCIs. He could have cut that down to about 300 oil changes at 10K. Still quit an accomplishment.
The way he used the car, he probably could've done the same with only 500 changes of conventional oil.

For most of its 606K, my Mazda got changes about every 6K, and never had any wear issue in its oily engine parts.

 

[Silk]

Well, someone will just have to find another car that has done 3.5 million miles on some other brand of oil. Until then, Castrol have the high ground.

 

[PimTac]

Any major brand of oil will take a vehicle a long ways if changed regularly and proper maintenance is done. Castrol is good oil for sure but Chevron, Valvoline, etc will do the same.

 

[Lolvoguy]

I'm so sick of hearing about that stupid car.

I'm almost certain it's been rebuilt front to back so many times it would make your head spin!

 

[FCD]

I really don't think he can have 3 Million miles on the engine without it having been rebuilt atleast 2 or 3 times in it's life, i don't buy it.

 

[SirTanon]

I actually looked this car up, and a few other million+ mile cars, about 3 months ago. I can't find the article right now, but I read that the engine has indeed been rebuilt numerous times during that 3million miles.

 

[Shannow]

https://www.wired.com/2010/07/irv-gordon-2-8-million-mile-volvo/

 

[Ducked]

Been rebuilt twice according to the linked article. One of the times it didn't need it, the other it had a broken piston ring.

 

[6starprez]

Originally Posted By: CR94
The way he used the car, he probably could've done the same with only 500 changes of conventional oil.


That comes out to 6,000 mile oil changes. Conventional oil can do that today but was it good enough to do in the '60's, '70'so & '80's?

 

[Sam_Julier]

Sheldon Copper put 1mm on his 88 240 with conventional oil at 5,000 OCI. Engine was never rebuilt, just seals per Lehman Volvo in York PA. It's a tractor engine: 96mm bore, 80mm stroke; 114hp, 136ft/lb torque (B230F). The longevity really isn't a surprise. I agree with tig1 that a modern synthetic run to longer OCI will reduce the maintence cost with no effect on the engine.

 

[Garak]

Originally Posted By: 6starprez
That comes out to 6,000 mile oil changes. Conventional oil can do that today but was it good enough to do in the '60's, '70'so & '80's?

I know it could (and did) do so in the late 1970s and early 1980s with the taxis. Of course, not every usage pattern would allow for that.

 

[CR94]

Originally Posted By: Garak
Originally Posted By: 6starprez
That comes out to 6,000 mile oil changes. Conventional oil can do that today but was it good enough to do in the '60's, '70'so & '80's?

I know it could (and did) do so in the late 1970s and early 1980s with the taxis. Of course, not every usage pattern would allow for that.
Right, and the 300,000-mile Volvo would've been very easy oil, the way he drove it. Ford was recommending 6000-mile changes as early as the mid- or late 60s, I think (with ugly results for short-trippers who tried to follow that schedule).

 

[BigD1]

Originally Posted By: Sam_Julier
Sheldon Copper put 1mm on his 88 240 with conventional oil at 5,000 OCI. Engine was never rebuilt, just seals per Lehman Volvo in York PA. It's a tractor engine: 96mm bore, 80mm stroke; 114hp, 136ft/lb torque (B230F). The longevity really isn't a surprise. I agree with tig1 that a modern synthetic run to longer OCI will reduce the maintence cost with no effect on the engine.


Those red block Volvo engines are awesome. My 1990 240 wagon with the red block is still racking up the miles. I have to fix on it here and there, but no major engine problems.