LubeDude, this one is for you!

[Boomyal]

A beautiful warm day here in the PNW, I hauled out the now 16 y/o SRM2300 Echo String edger to spiff up my yard. While doing so I had time to reflect that this tool has never had it's spark plug changed in its' whole life. And here, the first time starting it for the season, I choked it, pulled the starter three times, it fired and off I was off to do the yard.<br /><br />This tool has been used every week during the summer for its' whole life<br /><br />What's the point you say? Well back in the mid 70's some enterprising guy told me about synthetic oil. It sounded too good to be true but I decided to try it out anyway. He'd probably told many people b4 he got one that listened. My string edger has been running on 100:1 synthetic oil for, count em, 16 years on the original spark plug.<br /><br />So LubeDude, keep telling your story. A few will listen and think back fondly of you many years later. The way I see it when the first guy figured out that if he slopped some of that black natural goo on his cart axle, it would last longer and pull easier. Probably many around him thought he was nuts because it wasn't blessed by the medicine man.

 

[LubeDude]

Re: LubeDude, this one is for you!

This probably should be in the Technical forum.<br /><br />Thanks Boomyal, I have to admit, that I do get a bit frustrated at times, but I will never give up trying to let people know the benifets of synthetics, but old ways die hard. "REALLY HARD" in some instances. I dont think bad of people that wont use them, I just cant help wishing I could be more convincing. There are plenty of fine products out there, I really do not care if they use my favorite or not, as the benifits are there with most synthetics to a point. Yes, you can get by with regular oils, but why not get the benifits of synthetics? It seems the ones against it mostly havnt tried it and want proof of some kind as to the benifits. If I post testimonials they do not beleive them and call them hype or being biased. I guess they just like doing a decarb every year, and buying spark plugs. I honestly do not know anyone that has not tried them and ever went back, They all sing the praises Ive mentioned, and Ive been turning people on to them for a long time.<br /><br />Now I will get posts coming from every direction, Thanks Boomyal for starting this. <br /><br />Honestly I would like the ones that use synthetics here on the forums to come out of the wood work and say why they use it.

 

[SpinnerBait_Nut]

Re: LubeDude, this one is for you!

Just a weee little question.<br />I can not see where it would work for me since I put over 3000 miles a month on this one vehicle.<br /><br />Does not look like it would justify the cost with having to change so often.<br /><br />I can see if you do not put that many miles on in say ever 6 months, but it just seems like it would be a waste of money on one that puts 3000 mile a month on one.<br /><br />Maybe I'm wrong, I dunno.

 

[Boomyal]

Re: LubeDude, this one is for you!

SBN, 176,000 miles on my 97 E-150 w/ 4.6L V-8, carrying anywhere from 1000 to 1400 lbs over GVRW, does not lie. I put 0W-30 in it at 4000 mi and have never changed it since. Every 20 to 25K miles, I change both the bypass filter and the OEM filter and top it off with 2 qts new oil. It consumes one quart every 4K miles.<br /><br />Now even if one does not go to my extreme, say change it every 50k miles, you'd be way ahead, both for time and expense. But you must go with by-pass filtration to do this.<br /><br />If one were to go with extended change intervals, one would want to be aware of any event that might contaminate or dilute the oil. If that were to occur, the oil should be changed as soon as the problem is discovered and corrected.<br /><br />All bets are off for diesels.

 

[SpinnerBait_Nut]

Re: LubeDude, this one is for you!

This is on a 4.0L Jeep with 140K miles on it now with no problems.<br />I change at 3500 and the oil is always clean.

 

[tylerin]

Re: LubeDude, this one is for you!

11 years w/ same weed wacker (DINO). 210000 on a 89 Chevy 4x4 (DINO) 126000 on a 2000 Silverado (DINO) 4.3 480hrs (DINO) 5.7 283hrs (DINO) Kendall motor oil. Been lucky I guess, or is it that besides the wacker they're all Chevys

 

[LubeDude]

Re: LubeDude, this one is for you!

Tylerin: Wow, and with Kendall no less. Its ok, but overpriced. <br /><br />I thought we were talking 2 cycles!

 

[Skinnywater]

Re: LubeDude, this one is for you!

Lubedude requests:<br />

Honestly I would like the ones that use synthetics here on the forums to come out of the wood work and say why they use it.<br />

Operating conditions, design and purpose generally determine what gets what lubricant in my stable. I trust the manufactures engineers and stay close to their recommendations.<br /><br />The wifes '98 C230 Kompressor- 15W50 Mobil1 as Mercedes recommends for my climate.<br />This car has FSS (Flexible Service System) that measures the continueity of the oil and determines my change interval. I change it in the fall and spring.<br /><br />Our '90 YJ Wrangler- Castrol GTX 20W50 changed spring and fall. This is a fairly high mile motor that didn't get started on synthetic. It sure likes the Castrol though.<br /><br />My Sportster was sold last month with 15W50 Mobil1 in it. It ran cool and quiet with it.<br /><br />My old reliable commuter '86 Toyota 4x4 pickup with 262K miles has always run Castrol 20W50. It's worn well and uses oil from the valve guides mostly. Surely can't fault the dino oil here. It rarely got the service it needed.<br /><br />The Honda BF50 got its last oil change of Redline 5W30. It'll go to the closest Mobil1 viscosty next time. The Redline was fine and all but the case is gone and the Mobil1 is easier/cheaper and just as good.<br /><br />The horse hauler is a 6 year resoration project that got done last summer. A '73 F250 with a Lincoln 460. It got its break-in on Castrol 30w and is on 15w50 Mobil1 now. It starts fast and runs smooth. Big, heavy, cam in block technology would like almost any oil you dumped in it. This truck is pretty fast and I'm in the spreadbore on occasion. I'm hoping (fat chance)that the synthetic helps at the pump.<br /><br />All the differentials on all my vehicles have Castrol synthetic GL5 equvilant in them. This makes a ton of difference. Way more difference to vehicle longevity then the engine oil you use.<br /><br />Oh yeah, the wifes Honda push mower that we got last summer got changed to some of that Redline 5w30 last month. It'll get some Mobil1 next time when I buy a case for it and the BF50. <br /><br />I suppose about the only thing I'm "old school" on concerning synthetic oils, is that I recommend breaking-in using petro oils when you have an engine with cast iron cylinder walls. I'll switch to synthetics soon after break-in though.<br />If an engine has high miles, don't switch to synthetics. Both the Toyota and the Jeep drank a lot more of the synthetics when I used it in them. And it went back to normal when I switched back.

 

[SpinnerBait_Nut]

Re: LubeDude, this one is for you!

Thanks Skinnywater, that's what I was wanting to know.<br />I always have run Castrol in my vehicles(10) total as of right now, and I just wanted what was best for the bottom line so to speak.

 

[LubeDude]

Re: LubeDude, this one is for you!

I used Castol or valvoline for many years, I got a totaled 82 Dodge D-50 4X4 with 22,000 miles on it and rebuilt it. It hac a 2.6 Mitsubishi 4 Cyl engine. I ran Castrol 20W-50 in it only and changed at 3000 religiously. At 110,000 miles it threw a timing chain. My fault, I heard it making noise. It always used a quart of oil beween changes. You had to nearly take the engine apart to change to timing chain, and it had four bent intake valves, so I decided to rebuild it while it was apart. The bearings looked like new and I wouldnt have had to replace them, but they were in the kit so I used the new ones, But the clincher here is that there was so much carbon around the rings, even the holes that were under the compression rings were pluged solid. I liked to never got the pistons clean enough to rering them. Ive never seen rings stuck in the groves so bad in my life. The oil rings were almost one peice. Now, having said that, I do not know if it was just the nature of that particular engine, or if the Castrol GTX is even the same oil as it was back then, but I havnt used it sense then. But that is the way we are, if ya get burned, generally you do not go back to the fire. Funny thing, I thought that it would run better after the rebuild, but it still used a quart of oil between changes and ran the same after the rebuild as it did before, stuck rings and all.

 

[Skinnywater]

Re: LubeDude, this one is for you!

I liked to never got the pistons clean enough to rering them........but it still used a quart of oil between changes and ran the same after the rebuild as it did before, stuck rings and all.

Hardly an oil problem Lubedude, here's why.<br />Mass produced engine blocks are subject to machining tolerences that vary. Especially when it comes to machining circles. Since there isn't a thing of a perfect circle, there isn't a perfectly round cylinder bore.<br />Unfortunately your Mitsu block was machined close to a maintenance cycle on that particular boring bar back in Nagasaki. This is why the cotton picker always used that elusive quart in between changes. <br />That same quart, after quart, over the years and miles left a pile of carbon in the ring grooves. Still not costing you much until that chain broke.<br />Those Mitsu's always had a mile of chain, counter balance shafts and all. If memory serves me, it's all single row chain as well.<br /><br />Since you did a re-ring instead of a rebore, it makes sense the engine would go on using oil at the same rate.<br /><br />Now please understand Lubedude, I'm not fighting, argueing or meaning disrespect.<br />I'll finish laying all my cards on the table on this subject, after saying you're the first knowledgeable person in the car business I've ever heard find a fault in Castrol lubricants.

 

[LubeDude]

Re: LubeDude, this one is for you!

Originally posted by LubeDude:<br /> Now, having said that, I do not know if it was just the nature of that particular engine, or if the Castrol GTX is even the same oil as it was back then, .

Now there ya go saying that I found fault with Castrol, I did say the above. I did give the benifit of doubt, We always blame the oil though, right?<br /><br />The bores did mic within tolerence and still had some honong marks left in them.