Synthetic oil change-over

Like most threads things do get off topic. wnypat provided a link to 5/40 oil. A definite no no in a Cat C7. Extended oil changes CANNOT be used in any C7 due to the HEUI system! And cat employs real techs on the phones. Try calling them and ask a hard question. If they give you oil advice it is what cat recommends unless he throws in some personal preference. Jalaxle: Normally I would agree with you but Cat recently changed their recommendations for the C7. You can still use 15/40 but they recommend 10/30. Again this is because of the HEUI pump. A lack of oil or dirty oil will become a $7000 mistake!

Moisheh

Jarlaxle wrote:
...Most diesels (including the C7 Cat) call for 15W-40 oil.

Thought you might be talking about a diesel but wasn't sure. Most gas engines recommend a lower weight oil.

Hank MI wrote:

Jarlaxle wrote:
Oil is oil. If you like wasting money, go for synthetic. Otherwise...use whatever 15W-40 you can get the cheapest.

If that's what you believe then go with it. Personally I think you're wrong but that's okay. Syn doesn't start breaking down until higher temps than dino oil. Syn reduces friction more than dino oil does. Different oils have different additives that do make them different. I can provide you with a list of oils, wear tested by an engineer, that shows how many PSI all the leading brands will survive before 2 pieces of steel start to wear or scuff. There are huge differences but if you want the cheapest then by all means buy the cheapest.

15-40? Is that what your engine manufacturer recommends? That's pretty heavy oil.

Oil is oil. Synthetics are better, but it just doesn't matter, because regular oil is more than good enough. I watched an F-550 wind up 930,000+ miles on whatever oil the company got the cheapest!

Most diesels (including the C7 Cat) call for 15W-40 oil.

gswcgi wrote:
The CAT techs ended the conversation by saying that if I wanted to spend the extra money for synthetic oil, go for it.

That is the standard answer of most any wrench spinners, but what do they know about lubes? I started visiting oil refinery labs and talking to lube engineers way back in 1983. Lube engineers know about oils and what they do while lubing the engine, while wrench spinner know about nuts, washers, and bolts and torquing them. I really doubt that the guy you talked to was any kind of a tech! He sits at a phone station and answers questions all day long. They don't pay techs to do that kind of stuff. The guy has a computer in front of him and inputs your question and reads out the answer to you. Cat pays big money to their lube engineers who know about and even design lube oils for Cat. That is who you need to find. We gave you the link to Cat's synthetic oil, and it says on Cat's web site that you can do extended oil changes when using that oil! Just look at Cat's own web page concerning their synthetic oil!

Jarlaxle wrote:
Oil is oil. If you like wasting money, go for synthetic. Otherwise...use whatever 15W-40 you can get the cheapest.

If that's what you believe then go with it. Personally I think you're wrong but that's okay. Syn doesn't start breaking down until higher temps than dino oil. Syn reduces friction more than dino oil does. Different oils have different additives that do make them different. I can provide you with a list of oils, wear tested by an engineer, that shows how many PSI all the leading brands will survive before 2 pieces of steel start to wear or scuff. There are huge differences but if you want the cheapest then by all means buy the cheapest.

15-40? Is that what your engine manufacturer recommends? That's pretty heavy oil.

WNY_PAT:

I called the CAT RV Hotline when I bought the coach new in June , 2003. The techs who man the CAT RV Hotline are very seasoned CAT techs, some of the most knowledgeable CAT engine people on the planet. What CAT may have printed after 2003 I don't know. However, at the time I called that was their answer.....they didn't recommend or not recommend synthetic oil. They were adamant that using synthetic oil would not change their warranty requirements as it related to oil change intervals for time and mileage! What CAT recommends now I don't know as I haven't talked to CAT since 6/03 about oil. The CAT techs ended the conversation by saying that if I wanted to spend the extra money for synthetic oil, go for it.

If you thought mobil 1 doesnt use conventional oil and is made in a test tube....

Mobil Super
What’s the difference between Mobil 1™ and Mobil Super™ Synthetic motor oils?
Mobil 1 is part of our ultimate line of advanced full synthetic oils. It uses the latest in additive and base oil technologies that provide superior protection

Question:
Have Group 3 Base Oils Been Substituted for Better PAO Base Oils?
Why does Mobil 1 refuse to specify as to the base oil used in their synthetic products. I remember the Mobil 1 oils in the past proudly proclaimed that it was a PAO based oil. We all know the newer group 3 hydrocracked base oils are much cheaper to use than PAO based oils and are less stable in high temps. It would seem to me that if Mobil 1 still uses the better PAO base oils as their primary base oil, you would want to clarify it among those who are switching to other oils because of the ongoing internet talk that says Mobil has substituted group 3 oils for the better PAO oils. Any comments that would clarify the issue?
-- Wayne Swicegood, Asheboro, NC
Answer:
As we're sure you can understand, ExxonMobil does not discuss formulations publicly,as this information is proprietary. We would rather focus on the advanced technology and proven performance that our engine oils and other products offer to our customers. Mobil 1 is the world’s leading synthetic motor oil and the one chosen by more original equipment manufacturers around the world as factory fill. We want those facts to speak for us so our customers feel confident they are getting a high quality, high performance product that provides ultimate protection to their vehicles.

wny_pat wrote:

wa8yxm wrote:
In my not very humble opinion calling an oil Synthetic, when it is really dino oil is false advertising,, Just like calling Survivor, or The Batchlor, Reality TV,,, About as real as Gilligan's Island they are.

I do agree, but the National Advertising Division (NAD) of the Council of Better Business Bureaus says that it's okay to do exactly that as a result of Mobil 1 taking Castrol to arboration for exactly that issue. Regretfully Mobil lost, and Castrol (an others) can sell dino (Group 3 oil) motor oil using the Synthetic description. The actual ruling use to be on line, but I can no longer find it. But this explains it better than anything I've read: http://www.opieoils.co.uk/pdfs/Beware-of-the-labelling.pdf

Yes, I know.. Does not mean I have to agree with 'em though. I still feel it is FALSE advertising to advertise dino oil as man made.

But then I actually KNOW what Synthetic means.. It is amazing the number of words today that are used improperly.. LOVE for example.. One does not "Make Love", for example (We all know what you are doing when you use that term). (LUST, not LOVE).

That said... I do not even know if Mobile 1 is still man made.. The last info I had is a few years old and at that time only some of their product line was. Amzoil is still genuine synthetic.. They claim you can go 100,000 miles on a crankcase full of it but.. Well, you are going to need filters as scheduled since the filter does a different job, and that means adding the odd quart every filter change.

RVUSA wrote:

427435 wrote:
Sorry, but plateau honing (knocks the peaks off) has been in common practice at the OEM level for at least 30 years. Blame (or credit) EPA standards and mpg standards for that.

common practice 30 years ago? Puhlease.

10 years ago, yes, but not 30. the vette didnt go syn until the c5

Thirty years ago (1984), I was working with engines at the OEM level and the EPA was in strong force. Plateau honing was common.

By the way, the C5 is 17 years old already------------and I was using Mobil 1 long before that.

Oil is oil. If you like wasting money, go for synthetic. Otherwise...use whatever 15W-40 you can get the cheapest.