Question: High Mileage oil?

[tonybabb]

This weekend my 89 coupe passed 200,000 miles and is running great. Should I consider changing to high mileage oil? Oil pressure is around 41 @ 2000 rpm and 205f - the same as it's been for years.

Thanks for any advice

 

[philbillyvette]

Not pertaining to my Vette; I've always run a high mileage oil (Valvoline) in my vehicles once they go over 100K. As fas as the benefit to it, I have noticed that on the vehicles that tend to smoke a bit at start up, the high mileage oil has stopped that. I also run a can of Restore at each oil change on the higher mileage vehicles.

 

[tonybabb]

Follow up - synthetic oil?

Is it worth considering a switch to a synthetic oil?

 

[1991-C4]

"If it ain't broke..."

They (whoever "they" are?) say that it is OK to switch from conventional oil to synthetic with absolutely no issues, but as long as what you are doing now is working for you, why change?

As a side note: in addition to my '91 coupé (which uses full synthetic), I have a 1999 Jeep Cherokee with over 250,000 miles and a 1998 Toyota Sienna van with over 200,000 miles. Both have used Valvoline Durablend 5W-30 since day one. Neither one burns a drop of oil and compression is still within factory spec. Every time there is a new kid at VIOC, they try to sell me the high mileage stuff. I politely decline and tell them their Durablend is just too good!

P.S. I do not work for Valvoline and I was not paid to endorse their products!

 

[Rex S]

Is it worth considering a switch to a synthetic oil?

I use synthetic in any new or freshly rebuilt engine. Putting synthetic in an older engine with old gaskets WILL find leaks and seeps you don't have now as synth can find it's way out of the smallest places. I wouldn't switch until the engine is rebuilt. Stay with what has gotten the engine to 200K.

 

[BADDUCK]

Is it worth considering a switch to a synthetic oil?

I would not switch to synthetic oil. "Dance with the girl who brung you".

I have used Valvoline High Millage products and they work well.

 

[NORTY]

Keep using the same stuff you have been using. Why change now?

 

[TedC]

Here are the three advantages I've discovered with HM conventional oils.
1. Good for older engines as well. 1987 Mustang GT with 5L with 80K had several oil leaks. Pennzoil 10W-30 HM did the trick. HM oil has an additive that swells old gaskets and seals. I know it works because my neighbor doesn’t borrow my pressure washer to clean oil spots off his driveway anymore.
2. Improved oil pressure when HOT. L98 Firebird had low oil pressure when hot at idle. Chevy dealership said it was in normal range and common for distributor driven oil pumps. We tried HM Pennzoil 5W-30 which added 6-8 PSI when hot at idle. Cold PSI remained the same. If you compare the oil specs, you will find HM oil maintains a better viscosity when hot compared to similar grade non-HM conventional oils. HM 5W30 works more like 5W-40 than 5W-30.
3. HM oil has more detergents, so they help clean out the engine better than standard grade conventional oils. I tried the Pennzoil 5W-30 in my 1989 with 61K and the oil was darker than normal when replaced.

 

[ProfessorBlaze]

if you change your oil when needed, it doesn't matter what you run.

I love synth, or synth blend.


a REALLY high mileage(250k +) car get dino oil in my book.

 

[BADDUCK]

if you change your oil when needed, it doesn't matter what you run.

I love synth, or synth blend.


a REALLY high mileage(250k +) car get dino oil in my book.

So you just use whatever is on sale at the time?;squint:

 

[ProfessorBlaze]

So you just use whatever is on sale at the time?;squint:

for his vette coupe, no. I would keep putting whatever he has been putting in it until now. there is no magic mileage to switch to any oil(other than after a break-in period) because every engine has been drove different.

high performance engine, or hard run engines, I use castrol syntech or a comparable synth. I change it every 5-7k miles if it is mainly highway, 4-5k if it is mix of highway/city, and 2-3k if it was a lot of hard driving.

what I meant to say was: as long as you change the oil enough to keep the engine clean.. than it doesn't matter what brand/type of oil you run, as long as it meets/exceeds manufacturers specs.


for a general really high mileage car.. yes. I run whatever is on sale, but castrol most of the time.

 

[Tuna]

What's the difference between 'regular' oil and 'high-mileage' oil anyway?

 

[Evolution1980]

I'll try and find the oil article that Hib wrote for the site here. He goes into a full dissection of oil. He also answers the question of "what's the difference".

Until I find it, what's the diff between regular and high mileage? According to what I recall from Hib's article, it's the amount of "something" (I want to say magnesium, but I know that's not correct). Essentially, the more ILSAC ratings the oil has, the LESS amount of this "something" is in the oil. Less of whatever "it" is is better for emissions, but not as good for high mileage engines. I buy Mobil-1 full synth with the least amount of certifications because I want the most protection for my engine and not the air around me.

Let me find that article and I'll update this post.

PS - when comparing different oils from the same mfg, look for the certifications. Example, if Mobil-1 has a "high mileage" oil and a "truck" oil, but have the same certs (and likely same cap color), it's most likely the exact same oil marketed differently. (Like all the flavors of Excederin. With the exception of Excedrin Nighttime, they are all the exact same ingredients & quantities of)

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EDIT1: Here's the article. CLICK!
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EDIT2: Refer to page 3 here (CLICK!) The "something" that I referred to is phosphorus. And the more ratings/certifications the oil has, the less phosphorous content in the oil. More phosphorus = better oil for preventing engine wear = not so good if you care about emissions

 

[TedC]

What's the difference between 'regular' oil and 'high-mileage' oil anyway?

Additives and viscosity. Just pull the oil specs of your favorite company and compare say 5W-30 conventional vs. the same grade in HM. HM contains more detergents and other additives to expand seals. The three name brands (P, Q, and V) I researched all maintain a higher viscosity when hot. Have not seen an indepth analysis on HM oil from Hib. Hib's articles are very important to those with tappet engines, and what may be lacking from some oils. I don't think dino HM oil offers any better protection for a tappet based engine than conventional dino oil.

 

[Curious George]

If you want to know anything and everything about oil, go to BITOG (Bob is the Oil Guy). A site dedicated to oil. Very informative...

CG

(Here is the link http://www.bobistheoilguy.com)