I have one more thing that fits into the topic here about running synthetic motor oil.
In the late 90's I was teaching a class at the Collage in my Lab where we were building a Chevy engine and after completion and run in the cam went flat.
I contacted Crane Cams in Florida and they wanted the camshaft and lifters back, after a few days they contacted me and asked if we were using synthetic oil, I said yes Mobile One and their reply was that this is the problem.
These engines us a flat tappet camshaft that rotates the lifter body as it follows the lift ramp on the cam and the lifter must rotate because the overturning forces are to great to raise the lifter straight up.
I already knew this because the lifter does not sit centered on the lobe.
What I did not know is synthetic oil does not allow the lifter to spin and the sheer was so excessive it wore the lobe flat.
Now you would think that if the oil is slick enough to not spin the lifter it would be slick enough not to harm the cam, it just ain't so. Once the cam is broken in it's safe to use syn.
So some applications and some circumstances are not suitable synthetic motor oil...
also crane had problems with the hardening of the lobes back then using cheaper suppliers.
your spinning your wheels with owners on this site when it comes to oil. they like changing 3k miles with syn cause they feel good and its cheap insurance. I've done oil analysis with 10w30 diesel oil and at 10k miles of usage it was still good to use. and this was over 2 yrs and 2 winters. was all going to work mileage, whereas the longest hwy trip was 15 miles. u can look up my posts trying to educate people. I just read, shake my head and laugh nowadays, what people post. DDT with his hwy usage if he done one UOA, he would have seen he could have gone at least 12-15k miles btwn each oil change maybe longer. there were other yrs ago who posted they where using 5w40 for 10k miles all of the time, just changing the filter at 5k miles and toping off.
I agree, I quit trying to convince people about anything, because if there is anything I learned it's that life is about perception and most people are very comfortable with that, I don't want to be the one that throws a stick in the spokes.
However, I will spend a lot of time if they are interested, but most are just not that interested and I can certainly appreciate that.
I like to eat but I don't want to know how a garden works. All I can say is, I'm grateful there are grocery stores. Peace-out...
