Wal Mart Synthetic Update
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Elder User
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Wal Mart Synthetic Update
I have put about 500 miles on a change to Wal Mart Full Synthetic 10w30 motor oil and Mobil 1 synthetic gear lube for the axle. The van is a 91 4.0 litre 2wd with 185000 miles on it. Previous oil was 20w50 QS dino.
Fuel mileage has always been good, about 20 in mixed useage, driving carefully, rarely exceeding 70 on the freeway, a/c mostly on. The vehicle is an eddie bauer with the fuel mileage computer for instrumentation.
Mileage has risen about 1 mpg overall. Is this from the synthetic or the lower viscosity of the synthetic? I suspect I would get the same results from 10w30 dino. I dunno.
Engine is still clicky, clonky, noisy. One mechanic thought it was an exhaust leak at the manifold causing the noise. I will investigate.
Ken
Fuel mileage has always been good, about 20 in mixed useage, driving carefully, rarely exceeding 70 on the freeway, a/c mostly on. The vehicle is an eddie bauer with the fuel mileage computer for instrumentation.
Mileage has risen about 1 mpg overall. Is this from the synthetic or the lower viscosity of the synthetic? I suspect I would get the same results from 10w30 dino. I dunno.
Engine is still clicky, clonky, noisy. One mechanic thought it was an exhaust leak at the manifold causing the noise. I will investigate.
Ken
Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 1,529
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From: Kansas
Originally Posted by ken1mod
Mileage has risen about 1 mpg overall. Is this from the synthetic or the lower viscosity of the synthetic? I suspect I would get the same results from 10w30 dino. I dunno.
Ken
Ken
Here's a little experiment you might want to try though. Take a quart of dyno oil and a quart of synthetic and put it in the deep freeze overnight before you do an oil change. (Just don't tell the other half about it, though. She won't understand!) Pour them (or at least one of them) into the engine and pour the other one also. There will be a big difference. I found this out one time when I left some oil out in the wintertime once, even though they both had the same viscosity.
Post Fiend
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 5,720
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From: Washington state
try a section of garden hose or a regular stethascope to listen to engine to localize the noise. i picked up a cheapy stethascope at one of the discount auto parts houses and have seen them at Harbor Freight.
check front cover for loose worn camshaft chain and gear set noise, chain will not always slap against cover depending on design but can get very noisy.
check valve covers both sides, valve train on 4L V6 Ferds is a known problem area, may even be worth pulling off valve covers and checking push rod ends, rocker ends and valve stems for excessive wear, can show up on just one or two because of inadequate valve train oiling system on 4L.
4L has roller lifters, they last forever if previous owner has not abused oil.
if all is good, try 8 oz of Valvoline Synthetic Oil Treatment, has lots of antiwear adds and other adds, made my 4L quiet and smooth as a kitten and mileage came up 1-2 mpg, in Mobil 1 syn. 5w30.
check front cover for loose worn camshaft chain and gear set noise, chain will not always slap against cover depending on design but can get very noisy.
check valve covers both sides, valve train on 4L V6 Ferds is a known problem area, may even be worth pulling off valve covers and checking push rod ends, rocker ends and valve stems for excessive wear, can show up on just one or two because of inadequate valve train oiling system on 4L.
4L has roller lifters, they last forever if previous owner has not abused oil.
if all is good, try 8 oz of Valvoline Synthetic Oil Treatment, has lots of antiwear adds and other adds, made my 4L quiet and smooth as a kitten and mileage came up 1-2 mpg, in Mobil 1 syn. 5w30.
Posting Guru
Joined: Jul 2001
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Any synthetic oil will not give you better fuel mileage as they have no more lubricity than a dino. Some of the synthetics, however, are on the thin side of their respective viscosity ranges. These will yield better fuel mileage because of the thinner viscosity. Considering the oil that you did have in it and the current viscosity, I would have expected more fuel mileage. Might keep records on it as I believe that you will net more like 2-3 mpgs. I also would not suggest running the Walmart synthetic more than 5,000 miles and would prefer to see you change at 3500. Its not that strong of an oil.
Senior User
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 391
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From: brooksville, florida
watch out with that synthetic oil, if you have any old or worn out gaskets and oil seals in the engine it will leak like a sieve, well mine did anyway when I changed to fully synthetic mobil one.
Elder User
Joined: Jul 2005
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From: Houston,TX
as stated elsewhere in this forum, the synth's potential for leakage is related to it's uniform molecule size. as far as that goes, if it leaks with synth, it will eventually leak on dino. might be time to refresh those leaky gaskets, if time/money permit.
Post Fiend
Joined: Apr 2005
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From: Washington state
some of the high end synthetic PCMO's have esters as one component of their synthetic base stock. esters are a strong detergent and will break down old built up layers of combustion and oil breakdown materials, i.e., goop/carbon/engine crud, often found built up on engine seals and gaskets.
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Post Fiend
Joined: Apr 2005
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From: Washington state
Originally Posted by xuzme720
even so, wouldn't that mean the gasket is bad, not the oil?
just pointing out one possible cause and effect of synthetic oil into an engine that has ran on good old dino fat oil for 20-30 years.
also, some old type seal/gasket materials do not favor ester base oil products and some of the additives in the latest modern oils. sealing tolerances are smaller now also. one could NOT keep oil in the first old Chev OHV sixes unless it was straight 50 weight or higher. anyone remember the 60 and 80 weight engine oils, would hardly pour out of the can let alone leak out a seal.
Last edited by 96_4wdr; Oct 12, 2005 at 11:54 PM.
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