Forget Mileage, Which Maximizes Engine Life?

[Gebo]

I could care less about maximizing my MPG. I want to use whatever weight oil
that will help my engines last the longest. I am a little old school and am just
skeptical enough to believe a 10w-40 or a 20w-50 may protect my engine more than a 0w-20. Of course, you say "ignorant" as well.

With all the pressure on the auto manufacturers to constantly increase gas mileage, have we gotten to the point of using really thin oils and shortening the life of our engines in hopes of increasing our miles per gallon to satisfy our government?

 

[rjacket]

Here we go again!

 

[MrRPM]

I have been running 75w-140 gear oil in my jeep for max engine life. I get 3MPGs but have 880k miles.

 

[AlienBug]

I filled my crankcase with Crisco. It gets 0 mpg because it doesn't run at all. But man, there is ZERO wear so far.

 

[Bluestream]

Originally Posted By: rjacket
Here we go again!

Gebo, just use a good oil and follow what the Mfgr recommends and your engine will last longer than you want to keep the car.

 

[daman]

Wow "Registered: 09/19/02" and you don't know better? any current oil(SM,SN) of today will protect your engine well,stick with what the manual recommends for viscosity and go with it you'll be fine.

what vehicle and engine are we talking about here??

 

[Gebo]

Wow, I didn't mean to cause this. Please just close my thread. Sorry...

 

[MrRPM]

we are just teasing ya. sometimes a thicker oil then whats recommended is used in certain situations like racing or other high stress times like adding after market turbos.

we need more info about your situations and what kind of machine your asking about.
about the Fuel econ debate thats been beaten to death but if your running your car in the Baja 1000 you might need a thicker oil.

I am guilty myself of running a thicker oil the spec'd in my jeep but mainly for other reasons like wanting a type of Add pack a 30 weight wont have alot of the time.

 

[CROWNVIC4LIFE]

Originally Posted By: Gebo
Wow, I didn't mean to cause this. Please just close my thread. Sorry...


Gebo relax..Just tell us the what vehicle you are talking about,mileage and maintenance history if there is any..It would help a lot if you would put your vehicle in your sig.

 

[440Magnum]

If your manufacturer RECOMMENDS a 20-weight oil (0w20, 5w20), then use it with confidence. There are plenty of Ford Modulars out there that have run 200,000 miles and more of copcar and taxicab duty on 5w20 and are still going strong. If the engine is made with a 20-weight in mind, then a 20-weight will be fine and possibly even better than a heavier oil, which might not spray through things like timing chain squirters as well as the thinner oil.

 

[tig1]

Need more info.

 

[dnewton3]

Using a lube that is recommended (or previously recommended in the same engine family) is going to yield the best results.

You can go way too think (might give good film strength at the bearings but not flow well at start up or work well with hydraulic plungers like chain tensioners and cam phasers). You can go way too thin (risk bearing film and volatility evaporation).

Whatever your manual states is "good enough" for several hundred thousand miles. Engines with good lube designs will often work well with a variety of oil; engines with poor design flaws will suffer regardless of what you put in there.

Equipment longevity is MUCH more a function of a total, overall, well desgined and executed maintenanc plan, rather than just worring about what oil is "best" ...

 

[TFB1]

Originally Posted By: 440Magnum
There are plenty of Ford Modulars out there that have run 200,000 miles and more of copcar and taxicab duty on 5w20 and are still going strong. If the engine is made with a 20-weight in mind, then a 20-weight will be fine and possibly even better than a heavier oil, which might not spray through things like timing chain squirters as well as the thinner oil.



And there was a post just a few days ago mentioning a 4.6 Ford that ran 5W-40 it's entire life.. was retired due to age from taxi service after 10 years and 700,000K miles, ...

 

[Gebo]

I've got older vehicles that have impeccable service records. A few years ago a well known and respected contributor to this site privately told me to use a 10W-30 for the best protection.

These are the cars I'm responsible for. Does this help?

I believe 5w30 is the recommended oil for all of the cars below.

 

[91344George]

Originally Posted By: Gebo
I've got older vehicles that have impeccable service records. A few years ago a well known and respected contributor to this site privately told me to use a 10W-30 for the best protection.

These are the cars I'm responsible for. Does this help?

I believe 5w30 is the recommended oil for all of the cars below.


I'm curious as to why you don't want to name that "private contributor"?

There may be some wiggle room for ambient temps ....

But I can promise you that the engineers that built your engine know better than this "private contributor" unless he is an engineer that works for a major manufacturer .

 

[tig1]

With the stable you have I would not use the 10-40 or 0-20 you mentioned. I would use M1 5-30 in all those engines with the exception that there is a bad leak or other serious engine problems.

 

[wiswind]

Gebo, if your owner's manual states 5w30, then that is a good oil to use.
In fact, a 0W-30 would protect even better.
Reason?.....in general terms, they are both in the 30 viscosity at operating temperature.....but the 0W-30 will provide better protection at startup, even when it is 80 degrees outside.
Of course, one would need to read all the specifications of the oils in question (HTHS, etc, etc).

The 0W-30 vs 5w30.....the 0W-30 will thicken LESS as the oil cools.
They will BOTH be "too thick" at room temperature.......more so at what we think of as cold temperatures.
So, in general, the 0W-xx will protect better because it will flow better at start-up and until the vehicle warms up.

I try to use a quality oil and change it at a reasonable interval for my driving conditions.
Also.....I try to stay on top of all the other vehicle maintenance.
My vehicles tend to last a long time.
Vehicles don't seem to rust out as fast as they did years ago......so my maintenance program pays off more.

I DO agree with you.....PROTECTION of the engine is of first importance.
I have found on various vehicles.....using the recommended viscosity oil and driving slower will do more to increase fuel economy than the oil.
Of course, along with this is a properly maintained vehicle.
Increasing speed over 60mph.....your fuel economy will take a major hit.

For your 3.0L lexus/Toyota.....check that PCV valve regularly as they tend to build up some deposits....and if they clog, you will develop "gelling", aka sludge.
I would not push the oil change interval on them either.
It looks like something was done right......as they have lasted this many miles....and properly maintained....they have many more in them.

 

[Zaedock]

Originally Posted By: wiswind
the 0W-30 will provide better protection at startup, even when it is 80 degrees outside.
Of course, one would need to read all the specifications of the oils in question (HTHS, etc, etc).


That is debatable. You assume a 0W30 viscosity would flow better, but at 40*C, (using Mobil 1 0W30 as an example) it has a viscosity of 62.9cSt. Just about the same +/- as most 5W30's.


Originally Posted By: wiswind
The 0W-30 vs 5w30.....the 0W-30 will thicken LESS as the oil cools.
They will BOTH be "too thick" at room temperature.......more so at what we think of as cold temperatures.
So, in general, the 0W-xx will protect better because it will flow better at start-up and until the vehicle warms up.
A 0W30 would help in extreme cold. On the average day, "protection" will be virtually the same.

You are also assuming that all cold start wear is caused by cold oil, which IMO, it is not (BuickGN would back me up on this).

 

[CATERHAM]

Gebo, like you, fuel economy is not of primary importance to me.
Minimizing engine wear is, particularly if one likes to extract the maximum performance available from an engine on a regular basis.

The answer is really very simple. Run the lightest oil that still provides the minimum recommended oil pressure when the oil is as hot as it ever gets. Furthermore, if you do a lot of short trips with a particular vehicle then choose an oil with the highest viscosity index you can find to maximize cold oil flow.

That's it. You'll notice I haven't said anything about any particular oil grade because that not important.
Now if you don't have an OP gauge in the vehicle you'll have to make some assumptions. The first place to start is what oil is recommended by the manufacturer. If you don't race the car or tow a heavy trailer, go with the lightest oil recommended.
If you do submit the vehicle to some extreme use where you suspect the engine oil temp's could rise higher than normal, install an OP gauge and base you oil selection on your findings.
In all likelyhood, even with what you may think is extreme use usually doesn't raise oil temp's high enough to use anything heavier the the lightest oil recommended.

I tust this helps.

 

[Highline9]

Im running 5w40 in my rides am I increasing engine life?