USED Motor Oil is being sold to you as NEW

I have to agree with Mithril.

Synthetic is the best way to go. It may cost more but you will see a difference in performance over time. Especially if you are using a "high-mileage" synthetic.

Everyone wants a bargain. No one wants to pay retail. You buy cheap stuff and then are surprised, even "outraged!"

Good, Fast, Cheap. Pick any two.

Get it yet?

reply to post by sheepslayer247


In some applications, synthetics can offer some real advantages... Extended oil change intervals (OCI), reduced metal wear, higher operating temperatures (very helpful in diesel applications), better cold flow properties, et al...

But in the case of a 21 year old motor that is burning oil, I think it would be a waste. The Yamaha 3.2L V-6 that was in the 1993 SHO was quite a beast for it's day... Very aggressive, and was probably driven that way. That being said, I don't think a 10W-40 was the manufacturer spec, I'll bet it was a lighter oil... I haven't bothered to look it up, just a hunch.

I'm sure the OP is just trying to squeeze whatever life he/she can out of that engine...

reply to post by Mirthful Me

I'm sure the OP is just trying to squeeze whatever life he/she can out of that engine...

Your guess was right.
The engine is still very strong, no real issues(probably transmission is worse) but I always though using 10w40 was better for older cars with high mileage like this.

reply to post by AnteBellum


Not necessarily... High performance engines with tight tolerances need an oil that will flow quickly and easily, otherwise you end up with metal on metal contact...

A thicker oil, in cold weather could leave a bearing starved... Ouch!

I had a 74 Dart with over 100 thousand miles on it. Burned about a quart every hundred miles. I had no qualms about dumping used oil in it, still made another 20,000 miles before I sold it, still running.
Had a 96 Grand Cherokee, friend who was a trucker told me he got 4 million miles on a set of diffs on his truck using synthetic so I switched. Drove that sucker 500,000 miles, no problems with diffs, tranny or engine.
Used to drive a cab. They gave me an old Chevy V6 with 150k on it smoked like crazy. I made a deal with the night shift driver. Use quality oil and drive carefully, the car quit smoking and did not die.

Mirthful Me--->A thicker oil, in cold weather could leave bearing starved... Ouch!

Yup, in my neck of the woods (Northern norway) 0W-30 high end synthetic is the way to go.
Even then one might have to preheat the engine to get it started, Corvette or Toyota diesel.

I spent four years as a navy engineer when I was a kid and we had oil purifiers on the boat. We would cycle oil through a stainless tube with a three wing "butterfly assembly". Heating the oil to 140 degrees and spinning the tube at 17000 rpm would allow the three wing assembly to separate the dirt/sludge from the oil resulting in a clear, bright, and shiny result that you could read through the sample bottle.
My thoughts are that any dark oil being sold as recycled hasn't been properly purified. The sludge is what changes the viscosity, and cleaning the oil is what increases the viscosity. Viscosity is the resistance to flow.
Sure makes one wonder about the overall process between manufacturer and consumer despite what they are or are not telling you.
When I was in college I thought it would be cool to develop a mini-purifier for a car. Too late, the patents are locked up so they can never be used, ensuring planned obsolescence. Imagine that...

Does the US have mandatory vehicle checks yearly?

Does the US have mandatory vehicle checks yearly?

pookle
Does the US have mandatory vehicle checks yearly?

Just smog test for cars newer than 78.

3u40r15m

pookle
Does the US have mandatory vehicle checks yearly?

Just smog test for cars newer than 78.

Smog test?

My god man, we have our cars put up on rollers, shaken about, everything pulled and tugged on, then emissions check et al. EVERY YEAR.

reply to post by pookle


It depends on where you live, there are no vehicle checks of any kind where I live.

pookle

3u40r15m

pookle
Does the US have mandatory vehicle checks yearly?

Just smog test for cars newer than 78.

Smog test?

My god man, we have our cars put up on rollers, shaken about, everything pulled and tugged on, then emissions check et al. EVERY YEAR.

Yeah most people wouldn't even smog their cars if it wasn't mandatory by DMV for registration renewal.But me personally, I usually change my oil every few months and learned to always get the expensive stuff, their is no point on putting cheap oil in your car, it's just asking for problems.

3u40r15m

pookle

3u40r15m

pookle
Does the US have mandatory vehicle checks yearly?

Just smog test for cars newer than 78.

Smog test?

My god man, we have our cars put up on rollers, shaken about, everything pulled and tugged on, then emissions check et al. EVERY YEAR.

Yeah most people wouldn't even smog their cars if it wasn't mandatory by DMV for registration renewal.But me personally, I usually change my oil every few months and learned to always get the expensive stuff, their is no point on putting cheap oil in your car, it's just asking for problems.

In some places here we change our oil twice a year (and tyres et al), from summer to winter grade and vica versa (otherwise you cant drive as tyres harden up like plastic, and gearboxes freeze solid).

pookle
Does the US have mandatory vehicle checks yearly?

it varies by state.

some worse than others.

PA has annual vehicle safety inspections requiring inspection of all systems. brakes. drive train. exhaust. and in some counties emissions, as well.

here in TX ... it's a comparative joke..... lights. horn. turn signals .... but that's about it.

reply to post by 12m8keall2c

pookle
Does the US have mandatory vehicle checks yearly?

Here in NJ it used to be ridiculous, they checked everything.
But recently in the past few years they changed it due to the outrageous lines at the DMV(that was their reasoning, to make it easier on all of us. But we know the real reason was money). Now it's only emissions and gas cap, I forget if we have to do it every 2 years or 4? Maybe depends on the cars age.

I thought that was a given. Ever go to walmart and smell the Toys? One of the good things about oil is it is used in just about everything!

Why would one through out the used oil? It can be cleaned and used again for other things.

Peace

MyHappyDogShiner
It wouldn't be such a bad idea to look into what else you are being sold as "virgin" or "new and never used"...

Y'all might be surprised at what you find when you open your eyes.

You get ripped off and lied to constantly every day and don't even realize it.

Consumers.....

You should have more than one star as opposed to some of these other posts. Here's one from me.

Well, old news or new - you have reminded me that I haven't checked the oil in my car in recent memory - I can hear the lecture from my father in my head as I type... some things still make me feel like a reprimanded teen.