In spite of some popular misconceptions, oil doesn't come from dead dinosaurs. In fact, most scientists agree that oil comes from creatures the size of a pinhead. These one-celled creatures, known as diatoms, aren't really plants, but share one very important characteristic with them - they take light from the sun and convert it into energy. (Humans can't do this - this is why you have to eat your veggies!)
Diatoms float in the top few meters of the oceans (and lakes, for that matter - which is part of the reason why not ALL oil comes from ocean deposits!) and also happen to be a major source of food for many forms of ocean swimmers. Their skeletons are chemically very similar to sand - in fact, they are made of the same material (silica). Diatoms produce a kind of oil by themselves - both to store chemical energy from photosynthesis and to increase their ability to float. But this small amount of oil still needs to become concentrated and mature before it can be taken from the ground and used as fuel. Having said all this, synthetic does not make an engine leak. It also is reduces friction better then conventional oil. I'm using 5w20 synthetic in my built, off-shore race boat engines, with very good results.

 

True, true. Synthetic doesn't cause leaks, but it finds them. Synthetic oil breaks down sludge and varnish deposits in an older engine. The same sludge and varnish deposits that are clogging up all the little pinhole leaks and gasket cracks that have accumulated over the years. When these deposits are washed away, the oil will pour out from these previously clogged leaks. These pinhole leaks and cracks don't occur with synthetic oil, as synthetic oil keeps the gaskets and seals soft and pliable, preventing them from breaking down. One caution about synthetics, though... cars that come from the factory with synthetic oil have had special machine work done to the engines at assembly to require no "break in" so to speak. Engines designed with conventional oils in mind should NEVER be filled with synthetics for the first 6,000 miles, because they will never break in... synthetic is too slippery. At the first oil change, use conventional, and at 6,000, make the switch.

 

OK. Now explain something to me. Pinhole leaks? Gaskets cracks? What kind of gaskets are you using? I have NEVER had any pinholes, leaks, or gasket cracks. Not since the 60's or 70's anyway. Gasket and seal design and making has become very refined, and the problems of the past are no longer. Even seals, such as mains, will not wear out, unless there is a mechanical problem, such as worn bearings or worn crank, etc. This of course is only true if the oil is changed at regular intervals, and if proper fastener torquing procedures are used. I have built a large number of engines in the past 30 years, so my 100% no oil leak rate is what I am going by. I have however, had a few coolant leaks, but these were due to warped castings, or using cracked old parts.

 

Omni, you need to go down to the "Oil and Lubrication" forum under "Misc" below this forum a ways. You will get alot of good information down there, and none of the "misinformation" that people seem to give. You will also cut through the "My friend" or "My dad/brother/uncle" stuff. We have alot of good tech's down there to help you out. You can do a search down in that forum on "Synthetic" or "Synthetic vs Dino", something of the like, and get all the information (ALL) that you could ever need that has been hashed over again and again.

That said - here's a peice of information. Today's dino's are both cheap and great-performing. Chevron Supreme, Havoline, and Motocraft all have consistently produced better wear results through UOA's then synthetic oil's. If you head on down there, you can also understand WHY they do. Just food for thought, I'd recommend using one of THOSE oils. They also cost less then 2 dollars a quart.

 

I have a '90 F150 4x4 4.9. I used conventional valvoline 10w30 for the first 125,000 miles. I then changed to Mobil 1 10w30 and now have 213,000 on the truck.

It does not leak a drop, nor does it burn a drop between oil changes which occur every 5000 miles.

I run Mobil 1 in my '93 Nissan Z and my boat also. I'm a believer in it!

 

Yes, petroleum oil (not dino...just a myth) is cheap and great performing. This is true. Here is a another piece of true information for you. Synthetic is a better lubrication, that retains it's properties at higher temps then does petro oil. If you want to spend less money for the minimum amount of protection available, that's just fine. If you can afford the extra money to have the maximum amount of protection available for your vehicle, that's fine too. I can tell you one true story. I have a 28 foot offshore racing boat. It's twin engines have been maxed out, and the outdrives that put the power to the water were being destroyed about 4 times a year. The petroleum based gear lube in them was heating up, since the drives are now being spun at higher rpm's then they were designed to. I tried drive showers to keep them cooler on the outside, but they were still melting the gears in the upper gearcase. They would melt, mushroom out, and ruin the gearcase too. We're talking about 3 grand and up to get these drives repaired, depending on what else got toasted. THAT'S EACH TIME THIS HAPPENED. I was told to try synthetic high performance gearlube by a good friend, even though it would void the warranty on the drives by the rebuilder. The result? I've run my boat just as hard as always for the last two years, with zero outdrive failure. I just had it out yesterday, and was slamming 6 foot waves out in the Gulf. Coming out if the water at least 15 feet. The re-entry is really tough on parts. Sure, I had to spend a little more money for the synthetic gear lube. Do you think it was worth it? I'm sold. That's why I now use synthetic in every single motor vehicle I own.

 

Oil has to be the last great debate left in the world. I have bought 5 Ford pickups in my lifetime, I still own two of them. I put close to 150,000 on the first two. The third one had the inline six and that one went to 300,000. #4 has 100,000 on it and #5 has just 36,000. My 2002 uses a synthetic blend recommended by Ford. All of the others have never had a drop of synthetic. I ALWAYS change the oil and filter at 3,000 miles. I use a good filter, and generally Castrol, Valvoline, or Chevron oil. Never had a problem with the engines in any of these trucks and I sold the first three with their original engines intact and running fine. Just giving you a real world experience to consider.

 

stevef100s said:
"OK. Now explain something to me. Pinhole leaks? Gaskets cracks? What kind of gaskets are you using? I have NEVER had any pinholes, leaks, or gasket cracks. Not since the 60's or 70's anyway."

This is true. I work with a wide range of old, new and in between vehicles and equipment. You are right on about newer gaskets and seals.

"Yes, petroleum oil (not dino...just a myth) is cheap and great performing. This is true. Here is a another piece of true information for you. synthetic is a better lubrication, that retains it's properties at higher temps then does petro oil."

True as well. Just keep in mind that the API as well as SAE define the minimum protection requirements of motor oils, so even using cheapie oil, if you rigidly follow the maintenance schedule for your car or truck, you'll get good performance and long life. Synthetic isn't for everyone, or every car. I have a '96 F-150 with the 4.9, and have used synthetic since 6,000 miles, and the inside of the engine looked like brand new when I had the rocker cover off recently and this is at 252,000 miles. I have a 1984 Olds 98 with the 5.0L V8, and I got it with 132,000 miles. I converted it to synthetic as soon as I got it, and it started to leak, as expected. It turned black every 500 miles for about 4 changes, then stayed clean. That's when I changed the timing gears and re-sealed it. When the cover was off (and the rocker covers as well), you could see that the synthetic had cleaned the gunk out, as the engine looked new inside as well. It has 192,000 miles now, and runs like new (which is to say, sluggish, but smooth). I have a 2001 Hyndai Elantra with 32,000 miles ( a total strippo, no A/C, manual windows, 5 speed) that is nothing more than a go to work car for me. It gets Pep Boys oil and Proline filters, Futura Tires (the $99 for a set of four ones), and nothing else. When the warranty is up, I'll dump it for another Certified Pre-owned econoclunker with an extended factory warranty and do the same. I don't love it or cherish it, I use it for gas milage and to save wear and tear on my good car and my truck. I maintain it, so it can be relied on, but I don't go above and beyond, because I won't have it in another 4 years. Obviously, this is not a car to waste synthetic oil on.

If you love it and want to keep it, the most important thing to remember is to change the oil and filters regularly. Synthetic helps in my professional opinion, but is not required, so long as proper maintenance is performed. I personally use it, and am a believer, but I think that frequent oil changes are more important than quality oil, so long as the oil meets the minimum SAE and API designations for the vehicle in question.

As an aside (yeah, I know, the my friend's uncle's brother's cousin's bit) my uncle switched his 2003 F-250 S.D. 4x4 (5.4L automatic) to full synthetic motor, trans, and axle oils, and honestly picked up 2 MPGs, so perhaps there is more to this synthetic stuff than meets the eye? After all, 2 MPG is a heck of alot of friction.