VALVOLINE MAXLIFE?

[JANDSZIRKLE]

ok, im new... and love the information i have found and learned the past few weeks while getting ready too change oil in my trucks. im not a total guru by any means, only do basic maintenance like oil changes, tire rotations, etc.
both my vehicles, if you look at my signature, have high mileage, both over 200k. not knowing too much about how well they have been upkept has me looking into using a HM oil, specifically, Valvolines Maxlife HM. i plan on keeping on top of them both with regular oil changes, the durangos dipstick already looks pretty nasty and dark black, the ranger however is still a honey glow. i did find a half a bottle of 5w30 peak oil in the ranger after purchase, and bought it from someone i trust who keeps his vehicles in top form. the durango on the other hand, well, its a shot in the dark with regular maintenance, didnt pay alot for it, so am not sure what weight of oil too start it off with but would like too have it last at least another year. now, the fun part... both my wife and i use them, we live 5 miles or less from work, and dont do alot of driving so its alot of start stop and short rides with the twice a month cruising/interstate drive, only putting about 5k per year on each vehicle. long story short... what would be the best weight for each, and would they benefit from valvolines maxlife? we are thinking of using 10w30 for summer here in Va. and 5w30 for winter.... any thoughts/recommendatiosn? dont want too use full synthetics, price for use dont justify the means, umless i can find one price comparable too our changing schedule. thanks in advance!

 

[JANDSZIRKLE]

just for the record, i do plan on purolator pureone filters for the change as well, i like how they work, just need some ideas about oil please, thanks.

 

[fdcg27]

Maxlife is pretty good stuff.
I posted one UOA of Nextgen Maxlife that was so clean I tought it had to be wrong.
You could run 10w30 all year long where you live, but 5w30 would likely be preferable given the short drives you give these vehicles each day.
Why don't you see what leaks and consumption are like for each and go from there?
Oil color is not a reliable indicator of oil condition, but if the Durnago's oil looks dark after only a few miles, it wouldn't hurt to do a few short runs of any conventional oil.
I take it that you've baselined both vehicles with a fresh oil change. Monitor consumption and leaks.
If the oil darkens quickly, maybe do a few 3K or so runs of anything with any filter.
If you can't get another year of use from both of these vehicles, it won't be because of the oil you used in them.
You might also want to change the coolant, the transmission fluid (and filter) and the rear end gear lube in each. A brake fluid change would be cheap and might be wise. New PCV valves would also be inexpensive and worth doing.
Inexpensive PM that cannot hurt.
An automatic transmission failure is more likely to kill either than an engine failure.

 

[fdcg27]

OTOH, just do oil changes for now as needed, and leave the rest of this for a couple of months later, after you've established that both can be relied upon to start/run/drive on a daily basis.
No point in doing a lot of PM on a vehicle that's bound for the crusher in short order.
Both of these guys might be good to go for a quite a number of miles, though.

 

[JANDSZIRKLE]

the durango scares me the most with their legendary transmissions going bad. that being said, we have gotten almost all of it done besides the pcv which will be done at the time of next oil change. i believe in PM wholeheartedly, and i think theres still some life left in these two beaters. i love it when my friends freak out over 100k miles, then i let em in on what mileage i have. i have driven many vehicles over the years too 300k and beyond (showing my age now haha) so hopefully one will keep running for a while. short trips driving is what worries me the most, when i was young, putting 30k on a vehicle a year was the norm, now, were lucky too see 5k a year per vehicle. this is the 2nd ranger, adn the 1st went over 400k with regular maintenance till it finally stopped, so hopefully this one does the same. maxlife red jug is on sale locally, never used anything but dino oil in anything, but if maxlife does what it says, cant hurt either of them.... i think .... and thanks!

 

[fdcg27]

Don't forget lime flavor Maxlife.
It may still contain moly, while red bottle no longer does.

Best wishes and good luck with these two old beasts!

 

[NMBurb02]

Originally Posted By: fdcg27
Don't forget lime flavor Maxlife.
It may still contain moly, while red bottle no longer does.

Best wishes and good luck with these two old beasts!

And some places clearance out the NextGen varieties fairly often because of the stigma of "used" oil. In fact, I picked up two 5 quart jugs of 5w30 MaxLife NextGen for $2 each a few weeks back at AZ. The store manager said he thought they were clearing it out because of an upcoming packaging change. Whatever the reason, I picked up 10 quarts of semi-synthetic high mileage oil for $4!

 

[dparm]

Not necessary to run the 10w30 in the summer and the 5w30 in winter. You can run either year round, though I would tell you to just run the 5w30 all year. MaxLife is a very solid high mileage oil, but if you can get Mobil 1 High Mileage on sale it would serve you well too.

 

[Zako2]

On an older car, you can use 10W30 year-round. It's not like you plan to make its engine last another 200,000 miles (or do you?). Also, there are probably millions of American-made cars on the road that were specified for 5W30 and then back-speced to 5W20, but continue getting the 10W30 diet from quick lube places. I bet most end up on a junk yard before having developed any oil related problems. All those cheap oil change deals with coupons and such usually get you this weight, although CarX nearby now offers bulk Mobil 5W30 with those coupons as well. 10W30 should be no problem during the summer, although it's not clear why switch from 5W30 to begin with unless you hope to reduce leaks and such by using a thicker (when cold) oil. Once they're up to normal temperature, both should have about the same viscosity.

Having said that, I am pretty happy with Maxlife (NextGen version) 5W30 in my car. It considerably reduced, but did not completely eliminate a leak through the oil pan gasket. I noticed MaxLife NextGen gets dark pretty quickly. Don't worry about that. It's good for at least 5,000 miles.

 

[CharBaby]

I do like MaxLife and have had reasonable success with it. But[BUT] if neither engine is leaking or burning any oil between oil change intervals(OCI's) then, I'd be inclined to stay with inexpensive conventional oils in either 5W30 or 10W30 and call it a day.

The PEAK oil that you found in the Ranger is a good inexpensive choice as are the store brand oils from Advance Auto Parts[AAP], Pep Boys[ProLine] or *Walmart[SuperTech]on sale or at regular prices.

W*M currently has Mobil 5000 @ $12.97/5qt jug(5qt jug of ST isn't much le$$) and Puro Classic filters for $3.27. Or any oil/filter special at your local parts store.

OTOH, if you are leaking/burning oil in either or both vehicles then, MaxLife is a good option.

 

[JANDSZIRKLE]

both are using a small amouint of oil, less than a quart since initial change. local auto store has deal going on maxlife and maxlife nexgen, never used a highn mileage oil, but like what i have read on the valvoline maxlife nexgen. im leaning towards 5w30 pretty hard i think. we didnt pay a tremendous amount for either vehicle, i like not having multiple car payments monthly, and dont mind minor issues here and there. would like to see a decent year or so outta them both, but not holding my breath. but, if they do turn into long timers, then even better. im curious as well, should i change every 3 months or wait for the 3-5000 mile interval? will take 9-12 months too hit 5000 miles, wouldnt it be better too change it out before the mileage? and thansk too all for sharing/commenting!

 

[uart]

Originally Posted By: JANDSZIRKLE
both are using a small amouint of oil, less than a quart since initial change. local auto store has deal going on maxlife and maxlife nexgen, never used a highn mileage oil, but like what i have read on the valvoline maxlife nexgen. im leaning towards 5w30 pretty hard i think.

If you get a good deal on the maxlife then go for it, it's a nice oil. I'd use regular or nextgen in either 5W30 or 10W30, whichever one you get the best deal on. With the age of the vehicles and your location either/all are fine.

Quote:
will take 9-12 months too hit 5000 miles, wouldnt it be better too change it out before the mileage? and thansk too all for sharing/commenting!

Maybe go the full 12 months on the Ford, and a few 6 month intervals on the Dodge, since it's had the more sketchy maintenance record.

 

[Merkava_4]

Originally Posted By: JANDSZIRKLE
im curious as well, should i change every 3 months or wait for the 3-5000 mile interval?


My last oil change with MaxLife was 7 months at 2,010 miles.

 

[JANDSZIRKLE]

Valvoline MAxlife in both red and green bottles are on special locally with purolator pure one filters. think im going too put some 5w30 maxlife nextgen in both this coming weekend and see how things go, always liked valvoline in everything we have owned over the years and with our mileage and usage, cant hurt. thansk again!

7 months with 2k miles, sounds about like us....

going too keep an eye on levels a little close too see how it works. we are replacing pcv valves and serpentine belts as well, same time, being as service history is sketchy on durango, we baby it and make sure its good. not looking too dump a ton of money into it, but as long as no major issues appear, im happy for a while.

great forum, glad i found this place! and thanks everyone!

 

[CharBaby]

This is the site to visit with questios like yours. I hope the MaxLife oil helps your situation.

Again, with the light oil useage that your trucks are experiencing, any High Mileage Oil should help some(problem dependent)

I am currently using QS DEFY 5W30 in my '80 Firebird FORMULA V8. I had used MaxLife 5W30 during the 3 previous OCI's/Summers prior to using the DEFY. Don't expect oil useage to stop on the first OCI. It's a gradual slow down/stop and may only minimize the oil useage(burning/drips) over the OCI's.

 

[JANDSZIRKLE]

i like the idea behind high mileage oils in our vehicles, is it ok too switch brands based upong whats on sale or do you all think i should stick with valvoline?

just looking too be cost conscience and with the age/mileage, cant justify spending tons of money on tehm but want the best protection i can get within reason.

AAP nearby always has HM oils of different brands on sale at different times, and with our next oil change after this weekends will be late october when the wether starts too turn cold. if brand changing would negatively effect things, i will get enough valvoline too keep us going the rest of the year.....

 

[JANDSZIRKLE]

Thanks for all the help. After tossing a quarter, went with maxlife nextgen 5w30, and got some purpose filters in both as well. Durango is running noticeably quieter, we did replace pcv valve and grommet in it as well, gas mileage is a lot better too, going too have too check mileage at next fill up too make sure its not just my imagination..... The ranger has sit most of the weekend, work week starts tonight, so will keep an eye on it as well, but so far, i have nothing negative too say, looks like valvolines maxlife is some good stuff.