Oil Choice

[Erik the Awful]

a small-engine manufacturer that put some kind of plastic foam in the gas tank that dissolved into the gasoline/Ethanol and made a mess of the carb.

A couple years ago, racing at Houston, several teams suddenly had issues with the foam in their fuel cells breaking down and clogging filters. As it turns out, if you're running a fuel cell you need special foam that can tolerate E10.

I had to buy a new Honda fuel tank for a pressure washer that would not run because the old tank rusted. That was for a former employer, so I didn't have history with the machine when I was charged with fixing it. If the machine is run with ethanol, and stored dry-ish, I don't think there would be a problem.

The nearest gas station to my house only sells 100% gas. That stuff has clogged up plenty of my mowers. Stabilization is a problem with both E10 and straight gas. We tend to have nasty ice storms. Everybody runs out and buys a generator, uses it, parked it behind the shed, and then the next ice storm their generator doesn't work. I tell all my friends, once the ice storm is over, drain and pickle that generator. I have plenty of family nearby, so we just jump houses to whomever has power.

 

[LVJJJ]

I have new 383 engine in my 94 k1500 and started right out with Mobil 1 5w-30 and will continue that forever. I know it probably doesn't need to be changed for several thousand miles. But this vehicle is used for towing a travel trailer so based on my long time experience with oil changes (always used Havoline 30 back in the '60's, 50 cents a can) I can't stop myself from changing it every 3,000 miles. Makes me feel "clean." Use AC or Wix filters. back in the '60's I was working at an auto parts store that became one of the first Carquest stores where i was introduced to Wix filters.

Also have a 1965 Chevy Van with a 292 that I installed in 1988 to tow a travel trailer. Towed with it for 90,000 miles, extremely torquey engine, still runs and still tows but is in storage. After we bought an '88 Burb 454, van went into 18 years of storage. Started right up after that but started running real bad. Turns out that I didn't know that most of the zinc and phosphates had been removed from oil so Mobil 1 5w-30 didn't work so well, lifters started making noise. So switched to Valvoline Racing Oil 20-50 which has lots of zinc, after replacing the lifters. Runs good now. Also didn't realize that the carb would not like the ethanol which ruined the gaskets. So rebuilt the Weber 36-36 with new gaskets and started using Seafoam and Stabil in the gas tank. Use it before putting it back in storage, add some new gas, run the carb out of gas before shutting off the engine. I have an electric fuel pump that is wired direct so I can shut it off while the engine is running and eventually runs out of gas and stops.

 

[454cid]

The nearest gas station to my house only sells 100% gas. That stuff has clogged up plenty of my mowers. Stabilization is a problem with both E10 and straight gas. We tend to have nasty ice storms. Everybody runs out and buys a generator, uses it, parked it behind the shed, and then the next ice storm their generator doesn't work. I tell all my friends, once the ice storm is over, drain and pickle that generator. I have plenty of family nearby, so we just jump houses to whomever has power.

Gas has always evaporated and gummed up carbs if left to sit too long.

 

[Anthony Ray]

My friend who retired from Butler Chevrolet to me years ago that once you reach over 100,000 miles your oil pan gasket would need to be replaced. continue to use conventional oil
If the rear main seal is leaking the whole engine needs to be rebuilt because of bering scaring which puts metal in the motor, mine did.

 

[Caman96]

“once you reach over 100,000 miles your oil pan gasket would need to be replaced”.
Simply put, I disagree!

 

[Supercharged111]

5w30, dont use a Fram filter. No matter what they claim about fixing thier problems they are still glued together garbage.
The NAPA gold is a WIX with a different name.
It seems counterintuative but the more you drive on short runs the more likely you need to change the oil than you do with long runs.
Short trips are brutal on an engine.
And I dont think you get any advantage from synthetic.
You are better off changing the oil and the filter.
If you are driving long trips then maybe you see some advantage from synthetic.
But the every 3000 mile thing is ********.
Thats how they sell more oil.
And keep in mind, if your engine, axle seals, various other leaky parts are mid 94 or older and bone stock.
And they have been replaced.
There are a bunch of TSBs about using synthetic anything.
The synthetic eats the silicon seals and makes a leak.

Define "synthetic oil". Group 5 is what caused all the leaks, 99% of what's on the shelf is not Group 5.

 

[iam_camaro]

LO5 92’ 125k miles. I run Royal Purple HM 5w-30 with k&n filter, same like one of the other gentlemen, I change when I don’t like the color anymore. Always runs 100x smother afterwards. I also add liquimolly upper cylinder lubricant every other change and add it 300 miles before the change.

 

[454cid]

Define "synthetic oil". Group 5 is what caused all the leaks, 99% of what's on the shelf is not Group 5.

Group 5 is the more expensive stuff isn't it?

 

[GoToGuy]

Transfer energy. All Good.

If your doing a Physics equation. When does using a viable food commodity to produce or provide a fuel supplement be " All Good ". Driving up the price of everyday food products? Diverting food into fuel when there are better more efficient ways to produce supplemental or allternative fuel sources. California's smog Nazi's required a chemical to be added to auto gas for pollution reduction. Saying again and how safe it is. Won't harm anybody or plants or animals. Guess what? It goes through the exhaust cycle likes water gets into living creatures like mercury and surprise WILL cause cancers in humans. Not maybe or highly suspect- bzzzz. Will cause cancer. Every water body in Calif is contaminated. Just one of the state gov't little secrets they don't want you bring up in discussions.

 

[PlayingWithTBI]

Every water body in Calif is contaminated.

Check out the Kesterson Wildlife Refuge which got shut down due to selenium poisoning from irrigation runoff. we were farming near there when it happened. All the farmers had to block off their drain ditches and reuse the water somewhere else.

Kesterson National Wildlife Refuge - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org