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what Engine oil do you use

9K views 10 replies 7 participants last post by  Ryambo8713 
#1 · (Edited)
I always thought full synthetics were the best. But a chilton repair guide says otherwise. In the book it says "older engines which have worn parts tend to lose more oil; synthetics will slip past worn parts more readily than regular oil" The cause of this is because synthetics are more slippery than regular oil and if the engine leaks oil it will leak more. So maybe using a blend of both regular and synthetic (high miliage version) is better rather than pennzoil full synthitic oil. What your opinion engine experts? My car has 155k miles and a leaky radiator =( And pepboys always use their proline filters, are they any good?
 
#2 ·
Engine oil.

Hi, I'm certainly no expert but I've been servicing (tuning?) my own cars for over 30 years now. I'd do this rather than pay a garage: at least you know its done right.

Anyway, It is true that a full-synthetic oil will find it's way through smaller gaps than a mineral-based oil but unless the engine is well worn it shouldn't make too much difference. You dont say what miles your car has but remember that with regular tuning and oil changes the Honda V6 will rack up mega miles.

Personally I use a 5/30 semi-synthetic such as Castrol GTX Magnatec (do you guys get that in the US?) which exceeds all of Hondas (Acuras) specifications. It is not too pricey either.

I've found that frequent changes (5K) with a good quality oil are far more help to an engine than infrequent changes with the most expensive oil you can buy. Obviously everyone has their favourite brand and that's fine.

Also, always use an OEM filter, they are the best.

Hope this is of some help.
 
#3 ·
Is this sad? You tell me. My motor has 242000 miles on it...that would be 387200km for you metric folk. Anyway I use the cheapest oil I can find. Sometimes I use the stuff thats marketed for "high mileage" vehicles, but they consider high mileage 70000miles+

Anyway about once a month I take a trip to Las Vegas that puts about 700 miles on the odo in one weekend.

Doesn't burn oil and runs like a champ. Passes smog no problem!


Oh what a feeling, Toyo-I mean Honda! :p
 
#5 ·
I use Mobile 1 full synthetic. My reasons are that synthetics don't break down as easily as organic oils in high heat. I've also discovered that where some organic oils will drip off some parts synthetics will adhere to those parts minimizing the wear on startup. The only drawback that I see is that synthetics are about 4 times more expensive as organic oils!
 
#8 ·
Recently i have sent my RL into the repair shop to fix my radiator and when i look under the engine oil cap of my 155k RL i see some engine parts and its pretty hollow and clean. But since my RL is at the doctor i get to borrow my dad's leased 2004 lexus Rx 330. While driving it i noticed some funny vibrations, so i poped the hood and check under the engine oil cap. Guess what i found! Black grimy solid stuff it was like the whole engine was filled up with this solid black stuff! :woowoo: What is it and is it serious? I asked my dad if he ever changed the oil, he forgot and the car has 28k miles!! My dad might end up buying a new engine for this leased car.
 
#9 ·
It sounds like, first, your dad has been using regular oil, since when it breaks down it gets all grimy and solid. The heat turns it into a sludge (that's why I use synthetic). Next, although it's not good, it may not be too late. My recommendation would be change the oil asap and put in synthetic oil (and a new filter!). It's what I do everytime I buy a used car to make up for whatever neglect the previous owner may have inflicted. Also I look at the oil after about 1000 or so miles and if it looks grimy, I change it and the filter again. It may sound like overkill, but replacing an engine is a hell of a lot more expensive!
 
#10 ·
You're dad should be happy he's only leasing. He's probably done irreversible damage to his engine. A buddy of mine who works at a dealership told me a similar story of a Toyota Highlander owner. This guy bought it brand new, and didn't change the oil for the first 30k miles. When the shop opened it up, every drop of oil in the engine was thicker than pudding, and sticky. They had a hell of a time cleaning it up. When they finished, they said that that 30k engine looked like a 300k engine, in terms of wear and tear. They were surprised they could even make it go. Just goes to show, Toyotas and Hondas are dependable, but they're not idiot proof.
 
#11 ·
Hmm thanks guys for the response. I have another question that need to be answered. How many quarts of engine oil does the RL need when completely drained? Pepboys put in 5 quarts and i think thats too much. FOr the lexus it seems the black part was metal hehe, but it did look grimmy and coarse. I didn't know lexus engines had a black metal part right under the oil cap.
 
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