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What motor oil do you guys run and why?

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So Marlin1975, is Havoline OK or should I change to something else? No, I am not planning on switching to synthetic on a 164K engine. I have removed the valve cover recently to check out the cams, vavles, etc and it was the cleanest engine I have ever seen with 164K on the clock. Seriously, no buildup whatsoever. My bro and I had a Olds' Cutlass a couple years back that we bought used and literaly had to take a flathead screwdriver and hammer to the areas around the valvesprings due to the massive buildup.

On another note, my father got his degree in auto mechanics (back in the day) and has pulled valve covers before and the heads have a complete imprint of sludge buildup on it as high as the valve cover! :Q This was after a customer used Quaker State for a number of years (some 20 years ago this was). To this day, he will NOT use Quaker State in anything we own. Even our lawn tractor. 😛
 
Havoline is fine, I have used it a lot in the past. I tend to buy what is on sale. As for the sludge your father speaks of I have seen that too but it was a very long time ago. Oils are much cleaner and more stable today than in the past and no oil will do this today.
 
I NEVER use Castrol. Have seen to many problems of it caking up and sludging up the engine to bad. Did some research and found their polymers they use enlarge faster than other oils which cause them to break down faster, esp if you don't change your oil enough.
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I just adjusted my valves and noticed no buildup or clogged ports after 5k+ miles on the oil. Also, compression was at least 190psi on all 4 cylinders, so no abnormal wear from broken polymers. What tests did you run? Or did you see some oil comparisons on the Exxon/Mobil site?
 
Originally posted by: slikmunks
castrol gtx 20w50

my manual says to use 20w50... synthetic vs. dino is no real difference to me or my car
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i'm actually debating on trying royal purple in my next few oil changes... from what i've read & heard from other rx people, it supposedly runs smoother than other oils (synthetic & dino) and actually gives an hp boost b/c of reduced friction!
 
Originally posted by: KennyH
So Marlin1975, is Havoline OK or should I change to something else? No, I am not planning on switching to synthetic on a 164K engine. I have removed the valve cover recently to check out the cams, vavles, etc and it was the cleanest engine I have ever seen with 164K on the clock. Seriously, no buildup whatsoever. My bro and I had a Olds' Cutlass a couple years back that we bought used and literaly had to take a flathead screwdriver and hammer to the areas around the valvesprings due to the massive buildup.

On another note, my father got his degree in auto mechanics (back in the day) and has pulled valve covers before and the heads have a complete imprint of sludge buildup on it as high as the valve cover! :Q This was after a customer used Quaker State for a number of years (some 20 years ago this was). To this day, he will NOT use Quaker State in anything we own. Even our lawn tractor. 😛
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Pretty much all oils will be OK if you change them every 3K (or how ever it is needed depending on your driving style and where you live)

I just like Mobil as myself and any other Mechanic that has used it has bever had a problem. Just like Quaker state got a bad name. They have since changed their mix and I haven't heard anything bad.

And for Castrol the tests I have seen were on how fast the polymers expand, i.e. how fast it gos from 10 to a 30 in a 10W30 mix. It was the fastest by a mile. The problem is the faster they expand the faster they are more likely to break apart. Now a lot of the problems I have seen are with castrol and maybe going a little to long on their oil changes, like 4k instead of 3K, and this is over a couple of years time. It had caked up the valve cover and it was just nasty. I have see other cars that used Castrol over a 1-2 year period, or longer, have the same problem. Now if they had changed it just a little sooner it may have helped, but I have seen people run 3500-4000 miles on other oils and not have the same problem. So that is why I don't use Castrol. But it is your car, not moine, so use what you want. Just like if a customer wants X brand of oil, that is what they get. But for me I use Mobil in my car and Mobil1 in my motorcycle.

And never use Fram oil filters

 
Thanks Marlin1975 and all you other guys! 🙂

EDIT: Also, do you guys think it would be beneficial to change to one of those "high mileage" oils? I mean it is twice the price but if it helps in the long run I will pay it. Please LMK what you guys think. 🙂
 
castrol gtx or valvoline (i recently switched to valvoline, just for the heck of it)
10W-30 for both, non-synthetics, changed every 3k miles.
 
Valvoline 10w30 I believe
Dragster gets 20w50

Everyone who is using 20w50 must live in warm climits because it takes a heck of a starter for 20w50 when its cold out.
 
Originally posted by: machintos
Mobil1 synthetic...
because I used pennzoil before and my engine started sounding rough.
I started using mobil1 and everything is A-OK 🙂
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LOL, as if a different motor oil is going to make your engine run rough.
 
What's the best non-synthetic oil to use? I've heard that if you switch to synthetic after running normal in an engine for years, it eats the seals. So maybe Valvoline Old Car? I think I'll try something else cuz mine's running rough...really rough.
 
Originally posted by: Pilsnerpete
What's the best non-synthetic oil to use? I've heard that if you switch to synthetic after running normal in an engine for years, it eats the seals. So maybe Valvoline Old Car? I think I'll try something else cuz mine's running rough...really rough.
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It's a myth. You can run synthetic with 10k or 100k.
 
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