A Nut About Motor Oil

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Good oils are so much improved now-a-days you needn't obsess.

Pick one which meets spec, turn around and face front and move on.

Words 6 through 10 of the above sentence are from my Grandmother.
 
Originally Posted by Mr_Luke
I'm such a nut about the oil I want to run in my newly bought '16 Ford Fiesta. I had Havoline in a box, 5w20 but took it back, it seemed too thin. Then I heard about a sale on NAPA syn blend and got 2 jugs of 5w20 for $19.71 with the NAPA $5 rewards. Then I picked up one of 5w30 in that brand. So I have three 5 quart jugs of this stuff and I feel like taking it back for a refund and buying Super Tech 5w20 conv oil to run when I do my OCI in early October. But the NAPA oil is made by Valvoline and would hold a candle to any oil out there, especially for $11.50 a jug. ST is $13.68 every day.

A few years ago I had some Valvoline NextGen recycled 5w20 oil in single quarts and I sold them. I bought them on closeout for about 65c a quart and resold them for cheap, about $2 a quart. I just didn't want to run that oil for some odd reason.

Am I the only guy out there like this? I seem obsessed about it.
I only drive 3 to 4k miles a year these days.
I do an OCI 2x a year, usually with conv oil.

If you find this post too much for you to deal with, kindly scroll on by to a post you relate to better, vs replying with insults.
The mods can also feel free to delete this if they feel the need to.


You need to drive your car more if you want to legitimately indulge in your oil obsession. 3-4k per year is not nearly enough mileage. One oil change per year on any name-brand conventional is fine for that, and the engine will last as long as you need it to.

I suggest you take any excuse to drive your car, long trips or short. Get your annual mileage up to 18,000 so you can do at least 3 oil changes per year. And get UOA's done. And buy a filter cutter and take your filters apart to inspect the media for damage and types of wear debris. Then you'll be well on your way to Oil Compulsive Disorder.
 
Originally Posted by GumbyJarvis
Originally Posted by Mad_Hatter
Originally Posted by PimTac
Did you shake the box and listen to the oil splashing to determine that it was too thin?

HMS

I've been told if you hold up an empty jug of Chevron to your ear.. you can hear Rockefellers voice?...🤔


Weird. I hear Cornelius Vanderbilts voice.


I pity you.
 
Originally Posted by ozric
You are over thinking things a bit. Any name brand 5w-20 synthetic will be just fine. None are too thin or too thick if your engine takes 5w-20. Don't obsess over the oil filter either
smile.gif




Good idea.

Thanks for all the responses.
I was afraid I'd be ridiculed but actually the replies seem very tolerable and also helpful.

I might as well stick with the 15 quarts of NAPA syn blend 5w20 and 5w30 I already bought.
I'm getting so I hate to bring oil back to Walmart or where ever and explain to them why I changed my mind about it again.

As per oil filters, I have Fram PH3614, Federated PG241F, and MC FL910S.
This oil and any of these filters should do a dandy job and I don't ever have to worry about it again.
It will probably do better than the average oil and filter.
smile.gif
 
Too thin?? Try shaking some VWB 5W20 sometime-water seems thicker! I've ran several Ford vans hard on it without incident, though (‘12 E-250 4.6, ‘15 Transit 250 3.7).
 
Just about every member of this site has a slight obsession with oil / maintenance--some more than others, but it's all good. Consider yourself a member of a small percentage of the population that actually realizes that an automobile will probably last longer with attentive, routine maintenance. As for your oil choices, nowadays you can't really go wrong as long as you stay in spec, but you'll eventually develop an oil preference based on your own experiences. If I were you, I'd keep the oil you've already purchased, use them and if you observe something noteworthy, share your experiences with us. . . kinda like everyone else here does. Welcome!





Originally Posted by Mr_Luke
Originally Posted by ozric
You are over thinking things a bit. Any name brand 5w-20 synthetic will be just fine. None are too thin or too thick if your engine takes 5w-20. Don't obsess over the oil filter either
smile.gif




Good idea.

Thanks for all the responses.
I was afraid I'd be ridiculed but actually the replies seem very tolerable and also helpful.

I might as well stick with the 15 quarts of NAPA syn blend 5w20 and 5w30 I already bought.
I'm getting so I hate to bring oil back to Walmart or where ever and explain to them why I changed my mind about it again.

As per oil filters, I have Fram PH3614, Federated PG241F, and MC FL910S.
This oil and any of these filters should do a dandy job and I don't ever have to worry about it again.
It will probably do better than the average oil and filter.
smile.gif
 
Originally Posted by A_Harman

You need to drive your car more if you want to legitimately indulge in your oil obsession. 3-4k per year is not nearly enough mileage. One oil change per year on any name-brand conventional is fine for that, and the engine will last as long as you need it to.


But I thought short trips around town in cold weather increased condensation and made 6 month OCIs a good idea.
 
Originally Posted by Direct_Rejection
Sounds about right, OP.

But you do know you're supposed to use the Ravenol in that engine, right ?

grin2.gif



I don't even know what Ravenol is yet but I've seen it mentioned a few times in member's signatures.
 
Originally Posted by Robster
Just about every member of this site has a slight obsession with oil / maintenance--some more than others, but it's all good. Consider yourself a member of a small percentage of the population that actually realizes that an automobile will probably last longer with attentive, routine maintenance. As for your oil choices, nowadays you can't really go wrong as long as you stay in spec, but you'll eventually develop an oil preference based on your own experiences. If I were you, I'd keep the oil you've already purchased, use them and if you observe something noteworthy, share your experiences with us. . . kinda like everyone else here does. Welcome!


Thank you.

I'm going to run 5w20 NAPA syn blend in early October. Around April 1 2020 I'll do another OCI and I may try some Havoline 5w20 then, in conv or synthetic, just for the sake of proving to myself that Havoline will do a fine job of lubricating my engine.
 
Going crazy about motor oil and changing it yourself is a good thing! I feel bad for people who take their cars to dinky franchise quick lube shops and get the cheapest oil and filter possible, and odds are your car ends up in the hands of one of the worst oil changers on the planet.

"Well, my boss said to make sure the drain plug is very tight, so I'll whip out the 1/2 inch drive impact to make sure!"
 
Originally Posted by Robster
. As for your oil choices, nowadays you can't really go wrong as long as you stay in close to spec, but you'll eventually develop an oil preference based on your own experiences.

Yup, my preference is cheap clearance/rebate/sale oil (2 out of 3 at a time if possible), since my experience has been oil is oil and so long as changed on a regular basis will make no difference on brand.
Originally Posted by Mr_Luke


But I thought short trips around town in cold weather increased condensation and made 6 month OCIs a good idea.

It can to an extent.
If you change the oil at the end of fall/beginning of winter, you could probably get by with an annual change with no problems since by the time moisture buildup starts to become an issue, temps warm up and should resolve (or just take on a 50 mile highway drive once a month).
 
Originally Posted by blupupher
Originally Posted by Robster
. As for your oil choices, nowadays you can't really go wrong as long as you stay in close to spec, but you'll eventually develop an oil preference based on your own experiences.

Yup, my preference is cheap clearance/rebate/sale oil (2 out of 3 at a time if possible), since my experience has been oil is oil and so long as changed on a regular basis will make no difference on brand.
Originally Posted by Mr_Luke


But I thought short trips around town in cold weather increased condensation and made 6 month OCIs a good idea.

It can to an extent.
If you change the oil at the end of fall/beginning of winter, you could probably get by with an annual change with no problems since by the time moisture buildup starts to become an issue, temps warm up and should resolve (or just take on a 50 mile highway drive once a month).


I guess I looked at it a little different, when I decided to switch to annual changes my thought process was to change in the spring to dump the fuel diluted and condensation build up in the oil. But they way you put it it probably doesn't matter for my Lucerne but with my TBI truck the air filter really reeks of fuel come April.
 
Originally Posted by Mr_Luke
Originally Posted by A_Harman

You need to drive your car more if you want to legitimately indulge in your oil obsession. 3-4k per year is not nearly enough mileage. One oil change per year on any name-brand conventional is fine for that, and the engine will last as long as you need it to.


But I thought short trips around town in cold weather increased condensation and made 6 month OCIs a good idea.


If your car has a maintenance minder that will tell you when to change the oil, it will notify you.
 
Originally Posted by A_Harman


If your car has a maintenance minder that will tell you when to change the oil, it will notify you.



It does. It has something I'm supposed to reset when I do the OCI.
 
Originally Posted by Mr_Luke
Originally Posted by Direct_Rejection
Sounds about right, OP.

But you do know you're supposed to use the Ravenol in that engine, right ?

grin2.gif



I don't even know what Ravenol is yet but I've seen it mentioned a few times in member's signatures.


An inside joke you will eventually understand.
You will do just fine with the Napa, bro.
Welcome to BITOG !
 
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