Synthetic Oil/Old Cars

[Dobie Gillis]

Ran across this on YouTube. Mostly it's an ad for Mobil1 oils but it does have some good info. The presenter is an automotive engineer. I have been avoiding using synthetic in my y-block and flathead but evidently the leak issues have been resolved.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPFSR-2lhxY

[dmsfrr]

Zinc and Phosphorus for the valve train of older engines like the Y-blocks and Flatheads wasn't mentioned but I suppose an additive could be used.

One of the benefits of synthetic oil is a significantly longer acceptable mileage interval between oil changes.
If you're putting in excess of 15 or 20 thousand miles per year on a vehicle this could result in some savings, depending on the cost difference between the conventional and synthetic oils.

However... a classic or collector car driven maybe 5000 or often less miles per year would see much less benefit, unless you're willing to go 3 to 5 or more years between oil changes.
A meaningful reason for regular oil changes is to remove contaminants from the engine and oil that aren't caught by the oil filter, example: condensed moisture or acidic gases...
This is why annual oil changes are usually suggested regardless of a lack of mileage. Exceptions for the conditions under which the vehicle is used and/or stored will create a variable here.

Annual oil changes on a vehicle that gets under 5000 miles per year seems to defeat the economic purpose of using a more expensive oil intended for much longer mileage intervals.
.

[fordor41]

I used Mobil 1 in my '41 w/ SBF 302. 1 yr. oil changes, new filter every 3000 miles. after 24 yrs it burned no oil even after almost 175K miles and synthetic really keeps the internals clean. I rebuilt the engine in '95 and used Quaker state and changed to Mobil 1 after about 15 yrs or so.

[JeffB2]

Originally Posted by Dobie Gillis

Ran across this on YouTube. Mostly it's an ad for Mobil1 oils but it does have some good info. The presenter is an automotive engineer. I have been avoiding using synthetic in my y-block and flathead but evidently the leak issues have been resolved.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPFSR-2lhxY

Did you see this test ? The amazon oil is the same as Wal-Mart Super Tech and come from the same supplier.

[TravisDM]

Originally Posted by dmsfrr

Zinc and Phosphorus for the valve train of older engines like the Y-blocks and Flatheads wasn't mentioned but I suppose an additive could be used.

One of the benefits of synthetic oil is a significantly longer acceptable mileage interval between oil changes.
If you're putting in excess of 15 or 20 thousand miles per year on a vehicle this could result in some savings, depending on the cost difference between the conventional and synthetic oils.

However... a classic or collector car driven maybe 5000 or often less miles per year would see much less benefit, unless you're willing to go 3 to 5 or more years between oil changes.
A meaningful reason for regular oil changes is to remove contaminants from the engine and oil that aren't caught by the oil filter, example: condensed moisture or acidic gases...
This is why annual oil changes are usually suggested regardless of a lack of mileage. Exceptions for the conditions under which the vehicle is used and/or stored will create a variable here.

Annual oil changes on a vehicle that gets under 5000 miles per year seems to defeat the economic purpose of using a more expensive oil intended for much longer mileage intervals.
.

That must be the issue of my buddy's uncle's classic Corvette car rarely driven and only changing oil like 2-3 times a year. We're going to take a look at it after we finished installing the brake pads and dually wheels on the F350 project. He's using synthetic oil on the Corvette and now having some idling issues.

[KULTULZ]

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Don't forget that now accepted extended oil change intervals are as the result of cleaner burning and emission controlled engines. You will not have this luxury on an older carbureted engine.

Engine oil is also a cleanser (lubricant-coolant-cleanser) and keeps in suspension particulates that the filter cannot trap.The only safe way to determine proper oil change is to perform oil analysis periodically.

The quality of the oil and not the price is the key factor.

[bobss396]

I drop my oil and filter every 3000 miles or once a year regardless. So the mineral-based oil is fine for me and it is always clean when I change it. I use 20W50 Kendall high ZDDP that runs me $6 a quart.