I just wanted some different opinions on oil. Any oil better than the other? Synthetic, synthetic blend, or regular motor oil? I've always used Castrol Syntec synthetic blend before. Will using a synthetic oil make the engine last longer, perform better? any benefits at all to paying almost 8 bucks a quart? I live in Cali now and the oil prices are wee bit steeper than Indiana. Anybody use a different weight than the factory 5w-30?

 

I say keep using what you have been using.....why change it if its not giving any problems. Castrol makes a good oil. As far as running full synthetic vs synthetic blend, your not going to see any difference in engine performance. Just change it every 3000 miles and the engine will last with what you are using

 

I use a full synthetic in all my family vehicles. Extends oil change interval.

 

what evers on sale at autozone! its been working for me for 213k.

 

Motorcraft oil and filter....been working for me for 187k

 

You'll always get different opinions from everyone you ask... but I use:

Castrol Syntec 5W30 in the Ranger
Castrol Syntec 5W20 in the Focus
Royal Purple 10W30 in the Mustang

Seems to work well, you won't likely notice anything different when changing. The only thing that was noticeable to me was my Mustang seemed to run smoother and quieter than on conventional oil. I also changed to 100% Royal Purple - engine, trans and rear end.

 

mobil 1 fully synthetic. Nuff said

 

Forgot to mention also, I don't have any high mileage vehicles, but my father-in-law finally retired his '97 Saturn SL with well over 400,000km and he always ran Castrol Syntec in it. I'm not saying that's what made it last but it sure didn't hurt it. That thing was still running like it could go another 400K but all the salt here destroyed the rest of the car.

Also, make sure you're using a good brand of oil filter! You'll get many opinions there as well, but I'll only use a Motorcraft or Wix filter.

 

I noticed in previous cars (most had over 150k miles) that if I used the sythetic blend over conventional oil, it did seem to run smoother at least in a 4 banger. My truck is 04 and only has 64k on it, so I suppose I'll stick with the Castrol syntec 5w30.
I've also been told that if you go fully synthetic, you can't go back to conventional, where if you use synthetic blend, you can still top it off with conventional if you are low and in a bind.

 

There are many who say what is mentioned above, but it won't hurt a thing to go synthetic, then back to conventional then to synthetic blend. If you really wanted to, you could put in a bottle of each at the same time.

 

Mobil 1 full synthetic paired with a K&N filter.

 

Castrol, Valvoline, Mobil are all good oils in synthetic.. out of those three Mobil is the only one that makes a jet engine oil that I know of, only because thats what I service 747's with.

I hear ams oil is good along with royal purple..

I don't belive the hype in extending your service intervals, if you like your engine you'll change it every 3K...

I can hear and feel it every time i service the tuck, she purrs like a kitten on fresh oil..

Stick with the recomended viscosity, they engineered your engine to use an oil with those spec's, if your in a hot climate year round and the engine has over say 150,000 miles on it its not a bad idea to step up to say a 10w-30 from the recommended 5w-30.. If the engine is still tight (few miles or rebuilt) then you really want the carictaristics of a 5w. thinner is better at start up and cold climates..

Never use a Fram filter, theres a thred on it in here..

Motorcraft filters are where its at. and K&N.

Never use a Pensoil or Quaker State oil,, They have perifin wax in them.. it builds up in the engine and can clog up ports.. trust me I know. I've rebuilt a few engines that have only seen Quaker.

As long as the oil has good detergents in it (Valvoline, Mobil, Royal Purple) those I know do.it will help keep the interior of your engine cleaner... you sould be good.. synthetic is better bar none.. if your wanting to transition from a standard oil to a full syn.. then use the blended for two or three services, before you go to full syn..

Just a Aircraft Mechanics two cents...

 

Ah, good to know. I'm just from a po-dunk country area that only has a convenience store and a fire station. Only thing they sell there is conventional oil, so I was always worried that it was true and if I used synthetic and needed a quart of oil, I'd be skee-rooed.
What makes the motorcraft oil filter better than say fram, bosch, purolator? I usually use fram, don't know if there is any difference between extra guard, tough guard etc.

 

Wow, informative. Thanks Tim :)

 

I use Royal Purple in my new truck mainly because I pay cost for it which is ~$6/qt. Our bulk oil at the Shop is Valvoline which is good stuff as well. I would stay away from Penzoil, I really haven't heard anything good about it.

I ran Castrol high mileage in the ranger.

I *think* its castrol? if you register your vehicle under 75k they warranty it till 300k. could have a few numbers messed up.

 

It's Valvoline you're thinking of!

 

that was my second guess haha

 

Any full synthetic is better than a blended synthetic, which is better than any conventional motor oil. Is a synthetic worth the cost....that's another argument. Changing the oil often is more important than what you use.

If money isn't a concern, use Amsoil full synthetic and change weekly!
AMSOIL Synthetic Motor Oil - Learn why AMSOIL is the Best Synthetic Motor Oil

 

Interesting AMSOIL goes out of their way to push draining their oil every 25K. The cost would add up quick using that stuff and changing every 3K. Is the general consensus change every 3K even with a synthetic? I switched to royal purple in my wife's car and will be changing the ranger over to it...but I've been changing her car every 3K and plan to do the same with the ranger. Can/should these synthetics really go as long as they claim? Am I wasting money running a synthetic and changing so frequently?

 

I would agree with what Tim (RedOctober) says absolutely on most every point . . .

(except maybe regarding K&N for the air filter due to reported MAF issues).

Just a Diesel Mechanic's two cents . . .

 

The owner's manual on my '04 recommends a 5k mile interval between oil changes for conventional oil. Newer cars are even more efficient: that '09 Escape I just gave my ex-wife was 8000 miles (the reminder light wouldn't even come on until you'd driven 7500 miles), and some cars schedule even as much as 10,000 miles between oil changes.

But use your best judgment. I commute 100 miles a day so oil changes come every 5-6 weeks on a 3k schedule. Because I run a synth blend and because most of my commute is highway (I'm also pretty light-footed these days; well, most days...), I'm completely comfortable going 5k between changes. If you're gunning it stoplight to stoplight every day in the city grind, you're probably going to want to stick to the 3k schedule.

Also keep an eye on how your engine takes to the change. If you wait 5k miles and your old oil is looking pretty dirty, then tighten up the frequency between changes. Alternately, if you're sticking to 3k and it looks brand new, you can probably afford to loosen up a bit.

 

Mobile 1 Synthetic. Always have, always will. In the Ranger and the Fusion.

 

i use castrol syntec and a motorcraft filter in my 03 fx4 and follow a 3k schedule

 

buying castrol syntec (except german syntec) over conventional is kind of pointless. Syntec is still a group 3 oil (same as dyno). If your going to spend the coin on synthetic get a group 4, RP, mobil 1, etc. mobil 1 is nice and easy to find but a couple years ago they had to back off on wear protectors so if possible get the extended performance that says its good for 15k intervals and continue on 3k services, and never use a fram filter because it puts cardboard into your motor

 

I use valvoline synthetic high mileage in both my vehicles works for me 112,000 on the explorer and 173,000 on the ranger. I have seen result of using penzoil for oil changes when we did a motor swap for my friends dad, there was alot of sludge buildup everywhere.