Valvoline Synpower? worth it?

[Mr. Ram]

Hello.

My girlfriend has one of the 2.7L engines from chrysler (acutally Mitsubishi) that may be one of the "sludge" prone ones. The jurry is out on weather the problem was fixed by 2001 which is her model year. Anyhow since its been in her possesion since 38,000 Km now at 65,000 km I have always had her change her oil at the 5000km mark. Usually with bulk GTX at Mr. Lube. Since the factory warranty ran out at 60,000km (she has extended powertrain to 100,000km) I decided to change over to synth for added cleaning and deposit protection. I choose Esso Superflo 5w30 for the winter along with a wix filter. I must say this engine is dead silent at idle, with or without synth. I sometimes have to look at the tach to make sure its still running! Anyhow sorry for the long winded intro, now to my point. Local wally world has 5L jugs of Synpower 10w30 on sale for $19 Canadian or approx $15 US. Now I know synpower is probably mainly group III but wouldnt this oil suffice for 5000Km OCI's? I simply will not risk any type of extended drain in this engine as oil is cheaper then a destroyed motor. For comparisons sake Mobil 1 is about $32 Can for a 4.4L and Syntec is about $29 Can for 4.4L. I realize there are other choices but do you guys think that stocking up on say 2 or 3 jugs of synpower is worth it for the price and application in which it will be used?

Thanks guys, looking forward to the replies

 

[TallPaul]

If I had the time to mosey on over to Canada I would be tempted to buy about 4 jugs at that price. It would cost me $4 U.S. per quart on sale over here. As much as I like Valvoline there is a deal at Pep Boys (not sure if in Canada): Mobil 1, buy one get one free. That may work better in a sludge monster, but I would think ultimately Redline would work best as it takes more heat and would be less prone to sludging. Might be able to run longer OCIs with Redline.

 

[jthorner]

For 5000 km intervals I would have no worries about using Synpower.

John

 

[JohnnyO]

That will be fine, I'd have no problem using it. Thing is, in the U.S. at Wal-Mart and most other places, Mobil 1 is actually a little cheaper than Synpower. Go figure.

 

[haley10]

That's a great deal on the Synpower and it is probably what I'd do for non-extended oci's. Syntec and Synpower are good stuff, but where they have fell short of M1 in the past has been in extended drain capability. Castrol is now A5,B5 so this may have been improved. Synpower is still A1 I believe, but it's still probably fine for 5K mile oci's.

 

[2KBMW]

Mr. Ram. Valvoline Synpower is a great buy
at $19.00. Heck, last year I bought some at
$16.00 (5 litre jug) at Walmart. I would use
it in my BMW but it's not A3 rated. For other
engines, I think it's great.

 

[Mr. Ram]

Anyone else have any experience with it, I know they gave it away free in the US or something awhile back, fiasco with rebates though. Consensus seems to be ok that it would work for 5000km OCI? just looking for a little more feedback.

Thanks guys

 

[Leo]

Even GTX would be fine for 5000km OCIs for years to come. So synpower would be under no stress. I would probably extend it to 10,000kms.

 

[haley10]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Mr. Ram:
Anyone else have any experience with it, I know they gave it away free in the US or something awhile back, fiasco with rebates though. Consensus seems to be ok that it would work for 5000km OCI? just looking for a little more feedback.

Thanks guys

---

The important thing will be to keep all receipts, service records, and carefully document and save all paperwork. You should be able to prove proper maintenance if and when the problem arises. Chrysler may or may not have to eventually make good on this one by court order.

A quality synthetic at short oci like this is proof positive that you have done your part.

 

[Audioquest]

I'm running Synpower 5W30 in my '03 Mitsubishi Outlander 2.4 at this very moment with a Baldwin B173s filter. I plan on running the oil for Mitsu's recommended drain interval of 6000kms.

This is a very smooth 4 cylinder motor, but I do not notice any difference between the factory fill and the Synpower. Cold starts have been flawless and silent so far.

 

[Brons2]

The 2.7 motor is not a Mitsubishi engine, it's an organic Chrysler engine. And the 2001 model year has had TONS of problems on this engine with sludge. This leads to inadequate oil flow to the pump, bearings or timing chain with predictable results.

I would (personally) recommend the Esso XD-3 0w30, since you live in Canada. It's a diesel rated PAO oil which means it will have more active additive.

check out this link:
http://www.dontbuyone.com

I would recommend getting rid of this vehicle if you can.

 

[rshaw125]

The 2.7 sludge monster.

How about an AutoRx treatment if you really want to hold on to the car?

 

[Mr. Ram]

Hello again:

Just a few more points to add.

I do keep a detailed folder of all maintenance done on her car, oil and filter, pcv, brakes etc. I do this as to have proof of OCI should chrysler respond to the CAS (consumer of auotmotive safety) letter or a possible pending class action lawsuit.

From my readings it was the earlier intreped 2.7 and yes sebring 2.7L that were blowing up left right and centre, but from my readings only a few 2001 models, Also note the 2.7L is still being issued in new Chrysler models. So even they cant be that stupid to have not fixed it by now, the only question is *when* did they fix the problem, they aren't disclosing or addmitting a problem at this point.

Spring will bring an AutoRx treatment, Last oil drain oil was black but not gritty and no evidence of sludge around the drain plug, And for what its worth looking down the Oil fill cap i can see some shiny metal with a nice light coating of oil (not varnish)

I am also aware of XD-3, as I use it in my Ram, both the dino and synth, no doubt its the best oil for the price, however it isn't the reccomended 5w30 or 10w30 API approved oil the manual asks for. so at this point i wont use it in her car as I want all my records to say a 5 or 10 W oil was used. I dont want chrysler to have anything to reject as claim should she need to make one. If Chrysler fesses up and goes good for a extend 10yr warranty which is what the CAS is pushing for I would sleep better and definately tell her to keep it. It being her first car, and a nice car at that - its great on the highway and has nice ammenities, simply getting a new car at this time is not an option.

Opinions or further discussion is appreciated

Thanks

 

[haley10]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Leo:
Even GTX would be fine for 5000km OCIs for years to come. So synpower would be under no stress. I would probably extend it to 10,000kms.

---

There is an epidemic of these engines failing up here in the US and Canada, so we may have to go overboard with premium oil, short oci's and keep good records. Seems paranoid, but Chrysler will eventually have to make good some claims. Don't know if you all have this engine down-under?

 

[Audi Junkie]

A dealer's UOA will only show viscosity, not the CC rating. It will simply get a "good or bad for service" recommendation. They will never know it's 0w30 unless you tell them. As long as 0w30 does not appear on the reciept, how about some German Syntec?
Synpower meets A3 in the 5w-40, I can't imagine the 5w30 is much worse. If the VOAs looked similar as far as additives, I'd say it could make A5 spec. I believe Mobil 1 is a better choice and the higher price is insignifigant.

 

[Mr. Ram]

Hello again

Audi: regarding they will never know unless I tell them. I have thought about that *but* if I have to keep records and prove correct spec oil was used Im out of luck as it would say Esso
XD-3 and be of the 0w30 spec. I would love to use a HDEO synth at the best price going in that engine to keep it clean. Anyone think the the thick 30 weight that it is will be too much for this 2.7L? I guess I could buy 10w30 and have her name on the reciept and then just use it in my truck and fill her crankcase with 0w-30. Only prob I can think of is that the XD-3 line does not have the "starburst" rating called for in her manual.

I just figure synth or dino at 5000km changes and some auto-rx every now and then should meet my needs. Just want to do my part in making this engine last inspite of some inherent problems.

 

[Bror Jace]

Mr. Ram, I think anytime you can get a group III oil for less than $3 per quart, it's a good thing.

It's just when they try to charge $4-5+ for this stuff that it's sad.

--- Bror Jace

 

[Mr. Ram]

I hear you loud and clear

Maybe just fretting for nothing. I will grab a jug or 2 and maybe throw caution to the wind and use some 0w30 xd3 and say to **** with Chrylser as the are not intrested in claiming responsibility. One of those situations where the consumer has to do what he/she deems best.

Thanks everyone, much appreciated

 

[JohnnyO]

If it's a sludge monster, the best course of action may be to buy the cheapest oil and filters you can find (except Fram) and change it every 2000 miles. Think SuperTech at $1.99 a filter and $4.88 for a 5 qt jug of oil.

 

[Mr. Ram]

Hello all

I think im going to settle on 5000km (3000 mile) OCI intervals with a good synth blend for the summer months (Castrol syntec blend, or the Motorcraft 5w30 sounds very appealing if the dealer prices are in line) As the Ford dealer will be the only place to get it as wally here in Canada doesnt stock it. A full synthetic for the winter Esso Superflow or Mobil 1 when I can catch the 4.4L on sale. Wix or Baldwin filters. and a yearly Auto Rx treatment. Hopefully that should suffice as this is not the easiest of cars to preform oil changes on.

Anyone see any faults with this reasoning ?

Please feel free to advise.

Thanks