To Idle or not....

[Larry L]

One down.
Saying grace over 40-50 units is no small task. You've seen first hand what a good driver can get out of a unit versus a clown that got his license under the blue light at KMart. Drivers make a big difference in a units life.
 You can use a synthetic motor oil from day one. Years back the base oil was a PAO which is an ethylene gas to liquid process. Most folks thought that because the new engines leaked oil that the problem was the molecules of the synthetic oil were so small that they just slipped by the seals. That's another one of those "good grief" things. The issue was the synthetic base oil itself. Synthetics  Gp IV or Gp III do absolutely nothing for the seals. Seals depend on the fats in the oil to keep them supple. Synthetics are missing the saturates that a conventional has. Because the synthetic base didn't have this in the formulation, seals leaked. The "common sense" thing was to run conventional until the seals broke in when in fact they were waiting for varnish or sludge from the polymers of the day to gum the seals up. Then it wouldn't leak. Today the synthetic base oils have seal swell agents in the formulation.

[Lloyd Smale]

Larry this comment makes me wonder. If it truely causes less warantee problems and thats why Gm is using it then theres sure got to be some worthwhile advantages for me to continue using it after my warantee is gone.
 
your quote.
No need to wait for putting a synthetic in any new unit. You can do it at mile #1 if you like as most new vehicles come with synthetics already in the components. They don't do it for fuel mileage so much as the synthetic oils can make the viscosity spread between arctic cold and summer heat without issues. It saves a lot of warranty issues.

[SHOOTALL]

One down.
Saying grace over 40-50 units is no small task. You've seen first hand what a good driver can get out of a unit versus a clown that got his license under the blue light at KMart. Drivers make a big difference in a units life.
 You can use a synthetic motor oil from day one. Years back the base oil was a PAO which is an ethylene gas to liquid process. Most folks thought that because the new engines leaked oil that the problem was the molecules of the synthetic oil were so small that they just slipped by the seals. That's another one of those "good grief" things. The issue was the synthetic base oil itself. Synthetics  Gp IV or Gp III do absolutely nothing for the seals. Seals depend on the fats in the oil to keep them supple. Synthetics are missing the saturates that a conventional has. Because the synthetic base didn't have this in the formulation, seals leaked. The "common sense" thing was to run conventional until the seals broke in when in fact they were waiting for varnish or sludge from the polymers of the day to gum the seals up. Then it wouldn't leak. Today the synthetic base oils have seal swell agents in the formulation.

So you suggest just going with the NAPA Gold syn from the first oil change ? That will make things much simpler. thanks

[Larry L]

[quoteSo you suggest just going with the NAPA Gold syn from the first oil change ]


You certainly can. You can drive from the dealership to the garage and change it if you like. Oils that fleets use a lot of and have great success with would be Rotella, Delo 400, and Delvac. These are dual rated oils unlike most of the oils you're familiar with. If you have diesels in the fleet, these can eliminate any confusion at the garage as to which to use. These are very robust base oils and come with a lot of detergents in the package to keep things clean. They are pretty tough oils as they are designed for fleet use. Might do a cost comparison to see if it's worth your money to change. Your NAPA store should be a stocking dealer.


Lloyd, my comments were more directed to the components, not the engine. That would be axles, transmissions, any of the other lubes. If you have arctic cold startups, look to the oil makers website and look for the CCS rating of the oil you are considering. CCS= Cold Crank Simulator. A lower number is better. This test actually simulates the cold start properties of an oil. It may surprise you as not all oils are the same at extreme cold despite having the same SAE viscosity rating. Synthetics do not always win this category. If you're attempting to stay in Dexos spec, just so I can say so, Dexos is a way that GM is milking the oil industry and the consumer is paying out the butt for it. Because of the extreme cost of getting Dexos certification, the oil companies are using the most expensive components in their formulations to get their money back. If you read the owners manual carefully, it states that if Dexos speced oils are not available, any API certified oil will do in the correct viscosity. Also, any supercharged engine should be running a heavier than normal oil. This is because a lot of the fuel gets washed into the oil under full throttle and it dilutes the oil. Most supercharged engines will run a 15-40 minimum or like the Mustang, run a 15w-50 oil to prevent the oil from becoming too thin with fuel. The 5w/15w-50 oils requires a synthetic base (high viscosity index) to make the viscosity spread otherwise they would have to load the oil with polymers (Lucas crap) and they are known to condense out of formulation causing sludge.

[SHOOTALL]

thanks

[squirrelslayer]

Creeping up on 350k on my cummins 5.9 and it's never had anything other than rotella oil and napa gold filters. No fancy additives or aux filters. Just regular maintenance and keep it cool. Still has excellent power and no engine smoke or excessive oil use. Don't see any additives in it's future either. Buddy pete hit just over 800k with his with the same maint and only swapped it out because he can't keep it from leaking anymore.

[FPH]

Creeping up on 350k on my cummins 5.9 and it's never had anything other than rotella oil and napa gold filters. No fancy additives or aux filters. Just regular maintenance and keep it cool. Still has excellent power and no engine smoke or excessive oil use. Don't see any additives in it's future either. Buddy pete hit just over 800k with his with the same maint and only swapped it out because he can't keep it from leaking anymore.

Have you been good on injectors and FCA?

[squirrelslayer]

FPH, it's a ole 12valve. But nothing wrong with the injectors when they got swapped out for some 5x14's. Only problem is a seeping rear main on long trips or towing.