VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - GENERAL Electrical - 6 volt Life of Organic vs Synthetic Oil

Kevin47 recently posted: "I personally only use synthetic oil to increase the mileage between oil changes.."

I, too, have heard this. I don't know how that is acheived, though.

It seems to me that oil is to cool parts that otherwise get too hot from friction and would soon wear out and/or fail. Both organic and synthetic oils do this cooling. Because organic oils don't wear out but merely get dirty, they are just the same as synthetic in function. Aren't they? Seems to me that both would need cleaning either by the filter or a change of oil or both at about the same interval.

Why do I need to change my organic, fossil oil every 1k miles but can run synthetic oil for 10k. Boggles my mind. Does too!

Would some of you scientests explain this to we who not sufficiently schooled in chemistry enough to just how this is acheived?

Chipper, Uncle Ed, Gene, Steve, P.K., JD, Brewster, Mike (all of 'um), DrDavid, et al?

I'd, for one, would surely like to entertain the notion that I can go to the store and get me some Mobil One and not worry about changing the oil in the 41 for the rest of my life.

Best,
Charlie

Oops! Wanted to submit this to tech talk. Hope someone can move it for me. sorry,
Charlie

Depending on how this plays out I will consider accepting it in Tech Talk.

Right now I am considering why this is in the 6-volt thread?

Ray,

My intent was to post it in the Tech Talk forum. There was, however, no invite rectangle box at the top to add a new topic. Accordingly, I chose to put it in the engine mechanical forum. That was next best seeming to me.

I don't have a clue as to how it ended up in electrical.

Just add it up to my ineptitude with a cumputer. That means age.

Sorry about it but that's the truth of the matter.

I still would like to know the answer to the question.

Best,
Charlie

Scroll down to "Advantages".

As information, any new subject in Tech Talk must be approved by me. I can, and will, delete any information posted in Tech Talk that is not directly applicable to the subject of the thread that it is posted in. Tech Talk is the only thread that is 100% pure and no nonsense on this Forum.

Ray,

Three things:

One. Must items for the technical forum be run by you first? Seems so.

Two. What sort of threshold must be met in order to satisfy your unilateral decision to let something in?

Three. What part of my question was either not technical or nonsense?

Given the cost of changing oil these days it seems to me that my question about the life of synthetic oils (10000 miles) would be both a technical question and one of interest to many of out members.

If not in the Technical forum then where? I agree that the 6-volt forum was a not appropriate.

With greatest respect,
Charlie

#1. If it is a new subject and a thread is not running in the Tech Talk, contact me to consider the thread.

#2. It must meet the criteria of applicability to Chevrolet, and does not have a current thread running.

#3. ?

In the past technical information has been ignored and BS posted. In this thread only, I will delete any inappropriate posting without warning. Postings must be appropriate and in the proper context.

When a member goes to the Teck Talk thread he can be reasonably sure he can get a correct answer to his question(s) and not have to weed through inappropriate entries.

You are invited to visit the Tech Talk thread for examples of the type information that is reserved for this thread. You will see entries on casting numbers for example and some How To threads. There is a very long posting called "School is in Session". It is loaded with How To and technical data.

You can make postings to any thread currently running. You can't start new threads without checking with the moderator.

We expect your understanding.

Ray,

Thanks for your timely reply.

Is there a current thread running that my question would fit under?

Thanks,
Charlie

1Bake to the oil subject.
Using Mobil products as an example Mobile makes four or five versions of a full synthetic oil.
First is Mobil Special synthetic. Mobil really dosen't make too many claims about it rather then being a low priced synthetic oil. No fancy claims.
Next is Mobil !, Kind of the original synthetic oil. Advantages according to Mobil is "thickens" less in extreem cold. Holds up better when hot. Resists corrision which is thickening when run at hot temps. over a period of time. Has more or less a standard detergent package and oil change intervals recommended are "follow the car makers suggested intervals".

Then there is Mobil High Efficency. It is a "thinner" 0W-20 oil for maximum fuel mileage.
The Mibil 1 High Milage. A litle "thicker" than other 5w-30 oils for cars with higher mileage.
Last is Mobil Extended Performance. Advertised as good for one year or 15,000 miles. Said to have a higher detertergent package to make it safe for the extended oil change period.

As a note most 2001 and up GM cars require DEXOS oils. (available in most brands-noted on lable). This is a semi-synthetic oil and GM says to go by the oil life monitor and not by mileage or time (except at least once a year for under a certain mileage. On some engines they have recalibrated the oil life monitor as is was going above 12,000 miles and the over-head cam timing chains were wearing out.

Several other makes now also reqiure a semi-synthetic oil.
With that being said actually most of the new engines should have more frequent oil changes as the hydraulic timing chain tensioners have been sticking due to sludge and varnish.
I use full synthetic in my modern cars because for an example right at this time I can get Mobil ! for lees than $4 a quart and Pennzoil for about $2.50 @ qt with a rebate. Otherwise convention oils are arounr $3 a qt. I change my oil every 2500 to 3500 miles.
Have used synthetic in my old cars as an experiment and see no difference in the results.
No all Synthetic ooils are synthetic. Some brands are "re-ineered" conventional oils. The fact that they are advertised as synthetic has been OKed by the government and the oil institute.en

Thanks Gene,

I guess the answer would be that for our old 216s and so on, synthetic oil does nothing for us that conventional oils wont. So as far as extending oil changes it actually doesn't. Especially, for those who change oil on the basis of when it merely gets black looking.

I'll continue to go by the little circle on the back of the can and buy the cheapest brand with the same, latest letters.

Charlie

Apparently you have not visited the Tech Talk and it is highly recommended you do so. Check this thread for sure: Tech Talk

While in the Tech Talk thread browse around and you will be surprised at the information available.

Ray,

I have read most of your 'school" posts. I think all of them but not sure. There sure is good information on the site. I have no complaints on what is there or what may be missing.

I just thought that the oil question would be a good item to discuss and that it would fit nicely in the tech talk forum. It is evident that I was wrong about that.

I get the point. Sure do.

In spite of my disappointment, I still think you are a great and very knowledgable guy. Are too!

Keep up the good work.

Best,
Charlie

If you had read the thread that I spotted for you, you would have seen that the thread morphed into the synthetic vs organic oil discussion.

Ray,

I have read the posts about ZDDP. I even posted therin myself.

The thread may have morphed so much that even Kafka may have been envious, but it didn't answer my basic question of how the use of synthetic oil could extend the peroid for changing oil in our old 216s. That question has not been answered anywhere that I have found.

The ZDDP thread did mention synthetic oil but did not go into the rational for this phenomeum. And, more importantly, why we should expect to extend the oil changes in our old vehicles engines. What proprities does synthetic have that allows this? (Even though at 10k the oil in a 216 would have changed itself (maybe several times) if one kept it full.)

If synthetic oil allows me to extend oil changes for my 41 216 way beyond the current interval of even 3k miles (more like 1k) to say... 10k then I'd like to know why.

I trust you understand what I'm asking.

I accept the fact that you won't regard this subject fit for tech talk. Your call there. You can exclude whatever you want to. As you pointed out, it's your exclusive domain to guard as you see fit. Thats fine and it appears from the amount of posts that you do a good job of it.

I'm done here and won't reply unless you continue to paint me as one who exercises less than due dilignece before posting. That's just not fair.

With respect (and I mean that),
Charlie

Probably still should be removed from Electrical - 6 volt, especially with all the bruhaha in the General forum about posts not being in the correct forum. It would be a good fit in Mechanical - Engine.

1941 engines are not designed to go even on a long trip). The modern fuel injected engines do not contamanate the oil with gas, modern engies are vented better and do not draw outside nfiltered air into the crankcase. Modern engines hae a full flow oil filter to remover the larger particles. \
Synthetic oils have the some amount of Zinc as conventional oils. Usually around 800 PPM.