Synthetic engine oils???
- Thread starter oneshot86
- Start date
I've been "researching" this since the internet became a thing and you could find such info. Bob the Oil Guy is an excellent source.
I've been running Mobil 1 for 20+ years no with no complaints. My experience mimics many other's here using the Mobil 1. But honestly, any currently available oil fulfilling the manufacture's motor oil specs will work fine.
The question is how extreme is your environment? I see below zero and over 100 in any given year. Over 100 is not really an oil issue but more of a coolant issue. Below zero is both a coolant issue AND oil issue. How well does your oil flow at zero degrees? In modern engines the majority of wear occurs at cold start up. The sooner your oil flows, the less wear you'll see. After watching some flow tests, Mobil 1 trumps Amsoil in that respect by a lot. Not sure about Redline or any others for that matter but the Mobil 1 flowed extremely well at very low temps. So for now, I stick w/ Mobil 1.
I've been running Mobil 1 for 20+ years no with no complaints. My experience mimics many other's here using the Mobil 1. But honestly, any currently available oil fulfilling the manufacture's motor oil specs will work fine.
The question is how extreme is your environment? I see below zero and over 100 in any given year. Over 100 is not really an oil issue but more of a coolant issue. Below zero is both a coolant issue AND oil issue. How well does your oil flow at zero degrees? In modern engines the majority of wear occurs at cold start up. The sooner your oil flows, the less wear you'll see. After watching some flow tests, Mobil 1 trumps Amsoil in that respect by a lot. Not sure about Redline or any others for that matter but the Mobil 1 flowed extremely well at very low temps. So for now, I stick w/ Mobil 1.
You can get an in house UOA that tells much more than Blackstone, but those can get pretty expensive. Not usually worth it on something like a passenger car.
Not totally removed, just reduced. All Mobil 1 oils still have some, just below the levels that older flat tappet motors need. One "regular" Mobil 1, the 15w-50, has significantly higher zinc content than the others. They also have "specialty" oils that are extremely high in zinc, but you probably don't want to run them in any car with a CAT converter
Yes, you are correct. The point was, having a few numbers doesn't tell the whole story of performance.
You have to do regular tests to identify a trend. You pay extra for the molecular analysis and a comparison to same engines, which you have to ask for.
But I get your point. Still, at 47K miles, the Gen 2 5.0L engine was rebuilt by the new owner three months ago to sleeve it and do all the other things rich people do to engines in order to turn up the nasty. (I was rear ended by someone who shouldn't have a driver's license driving between my shop and my alignment place and the car was sandwiched between the offender and the back of a semi tractor (not the trailer). It was totaled by insurance. Anyway, the engine was pristine inside, according to the owner. He put a chamshaft in it, turned RPMs up to 8000, and will eventually give it forced induction for road course time attack racing. I hope it ends up wining some events -- god knows I wasn't rich enough to drive 10/10 and risk a crash. 5th place was my norm.
It’s wild to watch some of the hardcore time attack guys (like you’re describing) just absolutely thrash an uber-expensive, badass car like they don’t have a dime in it. Makes me feel broke as hell!
At my employer we use Kendall synthetic in all the heavy equipment. At home I use Pennzoil Platinum in my gas vehicles.
My dad has used Mobil1 since the mid 80s in all of his trucks and cars. He changes oil 2x per year in them whether they need it or not. His 1984 Ford F-150 has well over 250k miles. His 99 Chevy 2500 over 150k and his 2007 Ram Cummins has 107k(tuned and deleted).
if you use a good filter and change oil regularly, whether it’s synthetic or Dino, your engine should last 150k easily if it was assembled correctly. My 2006 Yukon XL has 174k and not one problem with it. I started putting synthetic in it after I bought it with 140k on it. Not sure what they used before I bought it.
My dad has used Mobil1 since the mid 80s in all of his trucks and cars. He changes oil 2x per year in them whether they need it or not. His 1984 Ford F-150 has well over 250k miles. His 99 Chevy 2500 over 150k and his 2007 Ram Cummins has 107k(tuned and deleted).
if you use a good filter and change oil regularly, whether it’s synthetic or Dino, your engine should last 150k easily if it was assembled correctly. My 2006 Yukon XL has 174k and not one problem with it. I started putting synthetic in it after I bought it with 140k on it. Not sure what they used before I bought it.
The easiest answer is: follow the manufacturer’s recommended specs/schedule and don’t go a mile or day over
I’ve switched to using Liqui Moly lubricants though in my and my wife’s cars though. I try to stick to the recommended schedule as closely as possible but using a great oil I can comfortably go a little over
I’ve switched to using Liqui Moly lubricants though in my and my wife’s cars though. I try to stick to the recommended schedule as closely as possible but using a great oil I can comfortably go a little over
More than likely it would look the same with any quality synthetic in the correct grade.
I did the math, and my 250k mile truck leaks or burns a quart every 3k miles. I top it up once, change it at 5-6k. It would cost me 4-5x the $ for amsoil.
Now, the boat that only needs 4 quarts and gets changed once a year gets the $16/quart amsoil.
I have 3 vehicles with over 250k miles, they all get run either 5-6k miles or a year between changes. I'm not willing to run them the 20k it would take to make amsoil make sense.
I do find it entertaining some of you think 150k miles is a lot. I have a 350 with over 300k. Service life on the LS series of motors is 200k, with any oil meeting the dexos standard.
Per engine oil analysis in a Ram 2500 6.7 Hemi:
- Amsoil 5W-30, changed at 25-27,000 mile interval (yes you read that right, one oil change for 27,000 miles of hard use, lots of offroad/dust/water) showed significantly LESS wear than Royal Purple
- Royal Purple at 6,000 mile interval, showed modestly better wear than Pennzoil Platinum
- Pennzoil Platinum was factory fill and showed OK numbers.
Good synthetics WORK and make a measurable difference, confirmed by independent testing with Blackstone Labs. Amsoil, Schaefer, Redline are excellent oils. They easily pay for themselves with lengthened intervals.
- Amsoil 5W-30, changed at 25-27,000 mile interval (yes you read that right, one oil change for 27,000 miles of hard use, lots of offroad/dust/water) showed significantly LESS wear than Royal Purple
- Royal Purple at 6,000 mile interval, showed modestly better wear than Pennzoil Platinum
- Pennzoil Platinum was factory fill and showed OK numbers.
Good synthetics WORK and make a measurable difference, confirmed by independent testing with Blackstone Labs. Amsoil, Schaefer, Redline are excellent oils. They easily pay for themselves with lengthened intervals.
The problem with that method is, the EPA dictates what manufacturers spec in engines, and it's for fuel economy. Not engine longevity.
My wife's car specs 0w16!!! Not on your LIFE!
Watched a guy on youtube do basic oil tests. And Mobil 1 fully synthetic did very well. Especially in the department of wear. I change oil at 4k. And to put down a short story about this subject. And in correlation to the pics that were posted on page 1.
Bought a Subby back in 2012. When I got it being it was a used car it did have the brown to dark brown in some areas under the valve cover. When I got it the first thing I did was change the rear and front main seals, and some others that involved being in direct contact with motor oil. The reason is standard motor oil had minerals that cause more wear especially viscosity wise.
So after running the care for one year on 4k Mobil 1 full synthetic oil changed, filter change, air filter change what started to happen is the motor was basically self cleaning. The brown and dark brown sludge imprints (imprints because it was not on thick) started to disappear! Every 20k I would also change spark plugs.
I put about 80k on this car before selling it. When I did the final tune up for I took of the valve cover and got the gasket changed out. The motor was so damn clean compare to when I first got it, and to the point it was almost not believable! Regardless what people tell you on time tune up is the best with good products! I have had talks with many types of mechanics, and people of all sorts. And my view will never change. 4K oil change, oil filter, and air filter. And 20k or so on the spark plugs have kept my cars running without issues whatsoever.
On other thing I have hear people talk about is the cleaning agents for motors. Whatever you do to no use them. They do their jobs for sure. But the amount of crap that gets detached and flows through a engine after is crazy! let the oil and oil filter do the work.
Bought a Subby back in 2012. When I got it being it was a used car it did have the brown to dark brown in some areas under the valve cover. When I got it the first thing I did was change the rear and front main seals, and some others that involved being in direct contact with motor oil. The reason is standard motor oil had minerals that cause more wear especially viscosity wise.
So after running the care for one year on 4k Mobil 1 full synthetic oil changed, filter change, air filter change what started to happen is the motor was basically self cleaning. The brown and dark brown sludge imprints (imprints because it was not on thick) started to disappear! Every 20k I would also change spark plugs.
I put about 80k on this car before selling it. When I did the final tune up for I took of the valve cover and got the gasket changed out. The motor was so damn clean compare to when I first got it, and to the point it was almost not believable! Regardless what people tell you on time tune up is the best with good products! I have had talks with many types of mechanics, and people of all sorts. And my view will never change. 4K oil change, oil filter, and air filter. And 20k or so on the spark plugs have kept my cars running without issues whatsoever.
On other thing I have hear people talk about is the cleaning agents for motors. Whatever you do to no use them. They do their jobs for sure. But the amount of crap that gets detached and flows through a engine after is crazy! let the oil and oil filter do the work.
Last edited:
Picked up some Mobil 1 for my ‘18 Sierra. Question I have is for people who have oil life monitors. Do you go by 5k, 7500, or when the monitor says it’s due? Wouldn’t the monitor be the most accurate since it(in theory) evaluates how hard the motors being run?
I run Mobil 1 5-20 advanced synthetic in my Ford V10 + a can of the BG MOA.
I know a lot of people running the Amsoil and Royal purple.
I know a lot of people running the Amsoil and Royal purple.
I do all my cars 4K. With that said, the oil filter is actually more important. Was told by a old mechanic. Change the Oiler filter about 2x before a oil change.
This is just me. Others might see it differently.
Be careful running thicker oil. If it's too thick it won't lubricate properly. Big problem with guys running 10w-40 in a 0w-20 spec'd motor, would take forever to get oil to the cam bearings, run them dry, and smoke them. You can do it in an older worn motor sometimes, but bearing tolerances in a new motor are going to be set for the thin oil they spec.
I go by the monitor. My Denali will go between 3 and 9k depending on driving cycles. All in town, cold, short drives will be 3k. All highway long trips plenty of heat to dry the motor and it'll go to 9k.
Back in the mid 90's I ran Amsoil full-synthetic based on the guarantee from the Amsoil dealer north of Kansas City where I lived at the time. He claimed that I could change my oil once a year or up to 25,000 miles. When I pressed him on the details, he said that every 3 months to change the filter and top off the crankcase level. He gave me a good handful of farmers locally as references. I stopped and had a cup of coffee with a few and discussed it. They all swore about it's long life qualities, so I figured what the heck. Bought a gallon and used only Wix filters. My beater $500 Mazda 323 went from 113,000 to the day it was totalled with 347,400 miles. She ran like a sewing machine. Never a hiccup. In 2014 the dealer passed and I couldn't get Amsoil locally anymore. After quite a bit of research I went with Mobil 1 Gold Extended full-synthetic oil. The wife's Pontiac Bonneville got the same treatment over 175,000 miles and my daughters 2009 Pontiac Torrent from 73,000 thru sale with 213,000 miles. My last Mazda Protege posted 211,000 miles and my current Protege5 was bought with 111,700 miles and currently has right at 200,000 miles. Granted, most of these miles have been highway miles, but I've used the same procedure on all my cars, motorcycle and truck since the 90s, so I'll never go any way other than full synthetic with quarterly Wix filter changes.
I smoked a dirt bike on amsoil and blew up the same four wheeler twice on motul. I've given up on synthetics. The four wheeler, a Yamaha yfz 450, had previously ran kawasaki 20w50 conventional and when tore down looked new inside. Single cylinder 450 that turned 11,500. The dirt bike was a kawasaki 110. Lasted a day. By the end of the day it would hardly shift and the exhaust side of the piston was smoked. Rings stuck in the piston.
We had a 94 powerstroke ran 500k on rotella 15w40. Last I saw it it was still going. Asked how many miles were on it the guy said he wasn't sure. Odometer gave up around 700k. Still running rotella at 3000 mile intervals. Still didn't use oil.
My dads 04 dodge 5.9 cummins just rolled 300,000. Rotella.
Pick a good oil and stick with it. Change it as recommended. Maintenance is key.
We had a 94 powerstroke ran 500k on rotella 15w40. Last I saw it it was still going. Asked how many miles were on it the guy said he wasn't sure. Odometer gave up around 700k. Still running rotella at 3000 mile intervals. Still didn't use oil.
My dads 04 dodge 5.9 cummins just rolled 300,000. Rotella.
Pick a good oil and stick with it. Change it as recommended. Maintenance is key.
Just to add a little to this.
New oil gets a lot of credit for what better engine technology does, better ability to keep the inside of the engine clean, through running hotter, and better fuel management keeping it out go the crank case.
When I refer to school, I am speaking of an auto tech trade school. The vehicle was an experimental vehicle for an oil company or filter company, I never asked who. I don't know if they would have told.
I had an instructor there that changed his oil every three months, and he did not drive much, he also 3 cars, and had worked there since before they started mile 1 on the experimental vehicle.
All this talk about 'oil' and 'what's better' but nobody's talking about "cleaning the inside of your engine". Interesting.
Does anyone here use any of the products on the shelf, that you 'add to the engine oil' minutes before draining the oil, so as to "clean all the carbon/deposits/buildup on the inside of the engine, before changing the oil?
The premise being, the 'cleaner' that your engine is, the less "pre-change crud" you're mixing into the new 'fresh/clean/pretty' oil.
I know that there are a number of products on the shelves, and they are all listed/marketed as "bigger/badder/better/more-gooder" that the 'other guy' and they are all priced at $6-$14 for a bottle that is generally 'less than a litre'.
The point of the point for the point that I'm making, and to take a short story and stretch it VERY long, is "diesel fuel". I learned a few decades ago from a mechanic/racer that these 'cleaning products' are simply re-labeled diesel fuel. Run you engine, drive around a bit, go around a few blocks so that the engine is warm/hot 'regular operating temperature' and then pull up to the pumps and pop your hood.
(yes, I've done this many MANY times over the decades now)
Grab the handle and put 1 litre of diesel into your "oil fill" port. (Pay for said diesel) and drive for another 5 to 10 minutes, then pull your drain plug.
The very first time I did this, I truly could not believe the extra crap/crud/sludge/shit/gel-acting-stuff that oozed out, before the rest "poured out like shit-through-a-goose".... what a difference.
I've been doing this on all my 'daily driver' engines since the early 90's, and had nary a problem.
Just thought I'd throw this out there.
And yes, here where it truly gets cold, we use the synthetic (especially in the winter) and it sure makes a difference in the starting as well as the maintaining.
Does anyone here use any of the products on the shelf, that you 'add to the engine oil' minutes before draining the oil, so as to "clean all the carbon/deposits/buildup on the inside of the engine, before changing the oil?
The premise being, the 'cleaner' that your engine is, the less "pre-change crud" you're mixing into the new 'fresh/clean/pretty' oil.
I know that there are a number of products on the shelves, and they are all listed/marketed as "bigger/badder/better/more-gooder" that the 'other guy' and they are all priced at $6-$14 for a bottle that is generally 'less than a litre'.
The point of the point for the point that I'm making, and to take a short story and stretch it VERY long, is "diesel fuel". I learned a few decades ago from a mechanic/racer that these 'cleaning products' are simply re-labeled diesel fuel. Run you engine, drive around a bit, go around a few blocks so that the engine is warm/hot 'regular operating temperature' and then pull up to the pumps and pop your hood.
(yes, I've done this many MANY times over the decades now)
Grab the handle and put 1 litre of diesel into your "oil fill" port. (Pay for said diesel) and drive for another 5 to 10 minutes, then pull your drain plug.
The very first time I did this, I truly could not believe the extra crap/crud/sludge/shit/gel-acting-stuff that oozed out, before the rest "poured out like shit-through-a-goose".... what a difference.
I've been doing this on all my 'daily driver' engines since the early 90's, and had nary a problem.
Just thought I'd throw this out there.
And yes, here where it truly gets cold, we use the synthetic (especially in the winter) and it sure makes a difference in the starting as well as the maintaining.
Yes, the epa mandates a certain fuel economy(which is bullshit) but the manufacturers still set their service interval
So the safest bet would be to follow the manufacturer interval with the recommended oil and start experimenting(baby steps) to see if you can improve on duration/fuel economy
Liqui Moly (and others) sell an engine flush product that I e used a few times. Realistically though, just keep the oil changed on time, every time and you shouldn’t have any problems
And regarding extreme cold. Adding an oil pan heating element on a timer is the best way to save an engine.
I tend to run synthetics in my fleet. The ZL1 gets fresh Mobil 1 0W40 every couple thousand miles or after every track day. Having seen on-track oil temps north of 285F on warm days, a high smoke point carries some importance.
The 6.0 Powerchoke in my van gets synthetic since it runs much better on the 5W40 Rotella T5 than it does on standard 15W40 dinosaur oil.
My F250 with a 6.4L gets whatever standard diesel oil (Rotella or Delvac) is on sale at that moment. Used oil analysis on this thing at 12,000 miles showed that it has plenty of life remaining. Don't try this with the factory emissions equipment.
My Kubota gets leftovers from the truck and van oil changes (both of those engines take 15 quarts, so four 1gal jugs leaves a quart remaining). No, I don't mix viscosities.
The wife's Flex EcoBoost gets Mobil 1 since I usually get notification that it's been on 0% oil life for the past two weeks.
Expensive oil really isn't all that expensive in the context of my time and total operating costs.
Please be careful with any "flush" product. Something that is thin enough to act as a solvent is probably not a very good lubricant. I find that with regular oil changes, engines stay plenty clean inside.
The 6.0 Powerchoke in my van gets synthetic since it runs much better on the 5W40 Rotella T5 than it does on standard 15W40 dinosaur oil.
My F250 with a 6.4L gets whatever standard diesel oil (Rotella or Delvac) is on sale at that moment. Used oil analysis on this thing at 12,000 miles showed that it has plenty of life remaining. Don't try this with the factory emissions equipment.
My Kubota gets leftovers from the truck and van oil changes (both of those engines take 15 quarts, so four 1gal jugs leaves a quart remaining). No, I don't mix viscosities.
The wife's Flex EcoBoost gets Mobil 1 since I usually get notification that it's been on 0% oil life for the past two weeks.
Expensive oil really isn't all that expensive in the context of my time and total operating costs.
Please be careful with any "flush" product. Something that is thin enough to act as a solvent is probably not a very good lubricant. I find that with regular oil changes, engines stay plenty clean inside.
I’ll wait for the 6.5 CM boys to let me know what lube they run before I do an oil change.
In the meantime - may I suggest an excellent fuel lubricant -
In the meantime - may I suggest an excellent fuel lubricant -
Last edited:
I’m a big oil Finatic and there are best oils but imo definitely use any Full synthetic and do regular oil change intervals 5k-10k is safe for a full synthetic depending on how hard you run your engine.
Walmart full synthetic is the best bang for your buck. Mobil 1 is the best and easiest to find especially if you get the extended or high performance variants. Shell Rotella T6 if you need a heavier weight.
Bitog forum if you want more info
Walmart full synthetic is the best bang for your buck. Mobil 1 is the best and easiest to find especially if you get the extended or high performance variants. Shell Rotella T6 if you need a heavier weight.
Bitog forum if you want more info
Interesting you mentioned diesel fuel as a cleaning additive. I once worked for a steel manufacturer that had its own on-site switcher locomotives. One of them started showing a rising crankcase oil level over a week or so of pre-shift fluid levels checking and you could start to smell the fuel on the dipstick. It turned out that one of the injectors in one of the heads was leaking fuel to the sump. After opening a few engine hatches and looking inside, all the black soot that is commonly known to stick to all the internals of a diesel engine were completely gone! We ended up finding the leaky injector, along with changing all the crankcase oil with fresh. Engine oil pressure was fine afterwards with no signs of engine damage. I was truly amazed at how clean all the engine internals were for a 1970s era locomotive engine with just probably about 5-10% of diesel fuel in the sump for that short period.
Typed up a sentence on that in my reply. You also tend day to get big chunks of building flowing around in engine if it’s been fouled up a bit. I stay away from any kind of hard cleaner. Let the oil and filter do the job. A oil changed at a faster interval, with the oil filter changed possibly 2x in between can clean an engine like you will not believe. Did 4 years of ROP Auto repair and not saying it’s made me a damn wizard but I did learn a thing or two from the good ol uncle dan that ran the shop.
Last edited:
for the most part I use Mobil one with about a 5000 mile oil change, keeps things shiny and bright inside.
I bought a pathfinder from a guy I worked with for $127.00 and it had a leaking valve cover that made for a killer smoke screen. When I changed the gasket, the rocker covers and head were full of sludge to the point that there was a molded pile sludge that perfectly matched the cover. I literally spooned sludge out of that engine, the next Monday I asked him how often he changed the oil in it and he said, “never, burns it so fast I just put more in it.” That’s the only engine I’ve ever “cleaned”, drained half the oil out filled to full on the dipstick with diesel and let it idle up to temp, shut it off and changed the oil, changed it every 50 miles for 200 miles pulled the opposite side cover later to fix a broken stud and it was like it had never been run I would only do that for anyone I was about to rebuild or a car I didn’t give a shit about. Drove that thing until the floor under the drivers right heal rotted out and then I sold it to a kid for $560, he was happy, I was happy, the HOA got off my back. Good times with cheap cars.
I bought a pathfinder from a guy I worked with for $127.00 and it had a leaking valve cover that made for a killer smoke screen. When I changed the gasket, the rocker covers and head were full of sludge to the point that there was a molded pile sludge that perfectly matched the cover. I literally spooned sludge out of that engine, the next Monday I asked him how often he changed the oil in it and he said, “never, burns it so fast I just put more in it.” That’s the only engine I’ve ever “cleaned”, drained half the oil out filled to full on the dipstick with diesel and let it idle up to temp, shut it off and changed the oil, changed it every 50 miles for 200 miles pulled the opposite side cover later to fix a broken stud and it was like it had never been run I would only do that for anyone I was about to rebuild or a car I didn’t give a shit about. Drove that thing until the floor under the drivers right heal rotted out and then I sold it to a kid for $560, he was happy, I was happy, the HOA got off my back. Good times with cheap cars.
I had a 72 Chevy Vega, it had an automatic oil change feature. Didn't have to change the oil. When I ran it hard, I had to add a quart a day. Carried a case of Wolf brand oil in the trunk, which was the cheapest, back in the day I'd buy it in bulk for 30¢ a quart, straight 30W. I tried blowing up the engine, reving it until it wouldn't rev any faster. No luck, just kept on running and drinking oil. I did have to pull the spark plugs often an take a wire brush to them. I replaced the clutch in it 3-times before I sold it.
You do whatever you like. Solvents aren't oil, and won't lubricate like oil.
Great thing about any decent synthetic is the high smoke point. Generally no gunk to build up from oil burning off. Quality oil will clean with the incorporated detergents just fine.
I leave the snake oil on the shelf where it belongs. Zddp additive for flat tappet engines is the only thing that's actually useful.
This was common practice decades ago when oils were shit and engine designs weren't all that. "Cleaning" was a necessity maintenance item
With modern oils and fuel, detergents are included, and a formal cleaning step is no longer needed (unless you still have a 1950's model car). Also to note that you never drain all the oil out doing a standard change, so whatever cleaner you put in there, some remains and mixes with the fresh oil.
Mobil 1 for example does an excellent job at cleaning, but it is normal for your engine to have some small particles left in it stuck somewhere.
That said, I had a friend that changed oil maybe once every 25k miles in an older Toyota pickup. The stupid thing ran fine until about 100k miles. They it wouldn't run well past idle. He used a product called Auto RX to de-sludge it. He ended up getting about another 50k out of the engine before it was done. If you do something stupid, a 'cleanse' might be in order for your engine. As standard protocol, I would not do it unless the manufacturer stated it was required as general maintenance.
I am curious for people that obsess over oil, do you change your brake fluid every other year? do you change antifreeze per manufacturer guidelines?
I find some people change oil like a religion, but then ignore everything else lol
Brake fluid gets changed according to need. The "better" the fluid (read: higher dry boiling point), the more often it needs to get changed. I've dumped $40 of Motul RBF 600 fluid in my ZL1 and gotten less than 200 miles out of it
For my daily-drivers that get used in the winter, the brake fluid gets flushed every time a caliper freezes up due to salt, so roughly every other winter I run Shell DLC coolant in my vehicles. If mixed with distilled water (not tap water like a heathen), it doesn't gel or scale, and will probably outlast anything else in the cooling system.
Transmission fluid is also important, but the most neglected fluid in most vehicles is axle/differential lubricant. It usually isn't cooled in any fashion (although my ZL1 is an exception) so it can run at temperatures well over 300F in extreme conditions (on-track, towing, off-road, etc.), and it's often contaminated since there is no filtering and it sits at a low point in the vehicle. Limited slips can generate additional heat and friction as well. Use a good lubricant and change it as required by the operating conditions.
[QUOTE="E. Bryant, post: 8790801, member: 43942"
Transmission fluid is also important, but the most neglected fluid in most vehicles is axle/differential lubricant. It usually isn't cooled in any fashion (although my ZL1 is an exception) so it can run at temperatures well over 300F in extreme conditions (on-track, towing, off-road, etc.), and it's often contaminated since there is no filtering and it sits at a low point in the vehicle. Limited slips can generate additional heat and friction as well. Use a good lubricant and change it as required by the operating conditions.
[/QUOTE]
That and many differentials don’t have a convenient drain plug so most people just leave it. My favorite tool for refilling a diff is the cheap hand pump with a long hose that screws into 5 quart jugs of gear oil, makes it really easy to pump fluid from a weird angle under low cars on stands.
What kills me are the CVTs with “lifetime” fluids. I guess if it’s transmission lifetime and not the cars lifetime, the claim holds up because most Subaru CVTs seem to last about 50,000 miles.
Transmission fluid is also important, but the most neglected fluid in most vehicles is axle/differential lubricant. It usually isn't cooled in any fashion (although my ZL1 is an exception) so it can run at temperatures well over 300F in extreme conditions (on-track, towing, off-road, etc.), and it's often contaminated since there is no filtering and it sits at a low point in the vehicle. Limited slips can generate additional heat and friction as well. Use a good lubricant and change it as required by the operating conditions.
[/QUOTE]
That and many differentials don’t have a convenient drain plug so most people just leave it. My favorite tool for refilling a diff is the cheap hand pump with a long hose that screws into 5 quart jugs of gear oil, makes it really easy to pump fluid from a weird angle under low cars on stands.
What kills me are the CVTs with “lifetime” fluids. I guess if it’s transmission lifetime and not the cars lifetime, the claim holds up because most Subaru CVTs seem to last about 50,000 miles.
Yep. I really wish the fancy OE aluminum diff covers on Ford 10.5" axles had a simple drain plug, but instead a bunch of fasteners need to come off and maybe a gasket needs to be replaced (if the reusable one doesn't want to seal again).
Those hand pumps are well worth the money. Or find the nearest short person:
Most automatics are the same way. The biggest issue was over- and under-filling due to the difficulty in properly reading the dipstick. As much as I'd like to call those people idiots, I get it; the dipstick in my van is over 6' long, and it's not easy to read after drawing it through all that tube. It'd be nice to have an upper fill plug in the pan or case to simplify the task (just like with a diff or manual trans, this would make it very difficult to overfill), but I've yet to see such a thing.
