changing oil

[mmn710]

Alright so my 88 3.2 has very low miles and from what I believe every oil change its had were with synthetic oil. Last week it was do for an oil change. I friend of mine who has been a mechanic for many years and has worked on high end cars, told me that I should change to conventional oil and stay with it because its better for the boxer engine and prevents it from leaking and what not. He told me to use straight 40 oil.

Was this a wrong move, will this mess up my motor, or will I be ok as long as i just stick to conventional for now on??????

[wnsgc]

When I bought my 85 3.2 last year, I was told to use Shell Rotella T 15w-40, which I did. Then this year, while getting my valves adjusted, my mechanic told me to use Mobil 1 5W-50, as he said it was much better for the engine. So I followed his advice and since then I haven't had any leaks. I did have a leak prior to the valve adjustment, which was due to loose nuts on the top drivers side valve cover.

As any FYI, the mechanic in my area is well recognized for his Porsche knowledge, both as a mechanic and driver and has 30 years experience. I have neither, so I rely on the kindness and knowledge of others for assistance.

[DG624]

I have not used regular oil for many years and don't think much of any mechanic that recommends it. Why use oil that will not protect your engine as well as synthetic? You should use real synthetic not a blend Amsoil or Red line or other. It will reduce friction and make more power and last longer. Look at independent research before you listen to a mechanic.

[dan88911]

I purchased a low miles 88 last year original owner ran mobil 20-50. After reading the threads in this forum I switched to swepco 306. Also changed trans fluid to mobil Delvac 75w90 gear oil.
I noticed immediate improvement in shifting.

[RWebb]

Scott - do a search on Brad Penn -- that is the brand to use

[HarryD]

Most, if not all, shelf oils at your local FLAPS (friendly local auto parts store) may not be good for your car.

I know this thread is very long but you should read it anyway to know why you need to select your oil with care. Ultimate Motor Oil Thread or Why we hate CJ4/SM oils

[DRACO A5OG]

+1 on BP, but where are you located will depend on weight of oil. Since your wrench friend stated 40, I assume it is temperate where you're at?

It is the correct move Brother

[tcar]

You can use M1, and add a couple cans of ZDDplus.

http://www.zddplus.com/index.htm

[mmn710]

So my motor should be ok then if i just stay with what i put in it?

[dshepp806]

What oil were you using? (or did I miss something in your 1st post?).

Doyle

[autovon]

Or better yet, will the type/brand/viscosity/color/smell/taste of oil you use really matter when fuel is $10/gallon?

[jurhip]

DG624

I have not used regular oil for many years and don't think much of any mechanic that recommends it.

This is a bad thought.

Mineral based vs synthetic is an old debate, with tons of misinformation. There are many, many more reasons to choose an oil that are much more important than its base stock, especially in an engine environment. A synthetic is not inherently better. For automotive engines, the majority of "benefit" is in the quality of the additive package, as long as the base oil (conv. or syn) is of high quality.

Most recommend synthetic based on racers or race teams (who are paid to run the oil) and incomplete tests that are not entirely transferable to what happens inside your engine. Race engines, though run hard also get their oil and filter changes frequently, as well as being rebuilt with many less hours than your passenger car will see between rebuilds.

For a reality check, remember these 2 points.
1) Almost all cars/race cars ran conventional oil up until recently. These were cars that did not have the advantages of modern day metallurgy optimization or machining processes (the latter probably didn't pertain to one off race cars). On properly warm engines, how many engines has one seen with a purely lubrication related failure? I have never seen one that could be attributed to lubrication breakdown alone. I have never seen this statistic. Likely because it doesn't look good for sythetics.
2) MOST IMPORTANT - Synthetic oils make more money per quart. That is why they are advertised so much. Bottom line.

I will say synthetics do offer more "flexibility" in the environment they are run. They are typically designed to offer better protection in upset conditions (i.e. water entrainment, extremely high oil temps - you would probably freak if you saw your gauge here) and usually flow better for a given viscosity.
In my industry, we usually go to synthetic only to help solve a problem that we cannot shut down for, or is too expensive (or lengthy) to fix. We also run our oil 5 years straight (8760 hours/yr, compared to a car which averages maybe 1000 hrs a year). I know I will get responses that says this is not comparable, and I agree to some extent.

Anyway, search PPs BBS and you will get all the info you need on an oil. Just don't base it on whether its syn or conventional.

[rusnak]

straight 40 weight? What are you, one of those ice road truckers?

[livi]

There are tons of info on this subject in the archives. One of those issues where it is inherently difficult to come to an consensus. Personally, I came to the conclusion that fully synthetic is probably not worse than dino anyway. I use Mobil 1. But I believe, as long as you use a good quality oil from a well known manufacturer, it is equally important to keep it fresh with regular changes. Once a year for most non tracked cars is common. Further good drivers hygiene - never strain the engine until its fully warmed up. Donīt lug the engine. No short trips, parking a semi cold engine etc etc.

[4flyboy]

Tight analysis "jurhip" thanks for the input.

S.

[azasadny]

Guys, check the threads here as this topic (oil) comes up often and some good discussion and info has been provided. We have several "lubrication experts" on this board and they know their oil! As for me, I have run AMSOIL 20W50 100% synthetic for over a year now and it has dropped my engine temps by 10 degrees, which is significant. I run Swepco 75W90 in the gearbox and my engine is a recently rebuilt 2.7L, which has leaked slightly since I got it about 17 months ago.

[jurhip]

I will add that I do not think it makes sense to use a straight weight oil on a street car. Especially given the quality of modern viscosity modifiers.

[Formerly Steve Wilkinson]

I get Brad Penn by mail order (Internet order, to be specific) from www.theoilwarehouse.com. Get a couple of cases at a time and it's a comparative bargain if you live in the 98 percent of the U. S. where BP isn't on anybody's shelves for many miles around.

[eR1c]

My '77 turbo has been running on Shell (off the shelf) oil its entire life and runs GREAT.
It's what is recommended by Porsche for my car (states in the manual and on the engine stickers).

[rusnak]

uh oh, I think Billy Mays is on his way back to start pushing BP with zddp again.