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Sythetic Oil Question...

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Old Jan 6, 2002 | 09:16 AM
  #1  
RussMaxManiac
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Sythetic Oil Question...

When I change my Mobil 1 every 3k-5k depends when I have time to do it, its always pretty dark. Now my friend has Valvoline Sythetic in his car, and when he changes it, it stilll looks clean!!! He said when he used mobil 1 it was always black coming out, and his car is smoother with Valvoline? Any ideas here?
Old Jan 6, 2002 | 09:23 AM
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theMax's Avatar
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what car?

after 2oo miles my mobil 1 looks black.

I was told if you have a secondary oilter filter it will keep the stuff out of your oil and keep it cleaner longer.

what kind of car and oil filter does your friend use?
Old Jan 6, 2002 | 09:28 AM
  #3  
RussMaxManiac
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Re: what car?

Originally posted by theMax
after 2oo miles my mobil 1 looks black.

I was told if you have a secondary oilter filter it will keep the stuff out of your oil and keep it cleaner longer.

what kind of car and oil filter does your friend use?
Well, friend has a CRX with the B16 in it. Dunno what filter.

Also, both my parents use Valvoline Durablend, and its still not as dark as mine...and they use Fram Filters...I use the Nissna filter with Mobil 1....
Old Jan 6, 2002 | 11:58 AM
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Is it possible that Valvoline uses some sort of different combination of synthetics that don't blacken as quickly as the Mobile 1??? Or could it just be the type of car, or like someone else said, using an additional filter might pull more junk out of the oil??? Someone here can try Valvoline in one of our cars and see what happens... I used to use Valvoline in my other cars until I bought my Max and then got Mobile oil at my Nissan dealership and then I switched to Mobile 1 shortly thereafter when I started changing the oil.
Old Jan 6, 2002 | 12:02 PM
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Mine comes out fairly dark too. I still think it is the best on the market though.
Old Jan 6, 2002 | 12:51 PM
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Interesting

I used Vavolines' oil and my car actually burned some of it away.. So I'm back to Mobil 1 and no oil is being burned away...(both were synthetic)
Old Jan 6, 2002 | 01:10 PM
  #7  
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Re: Interesting

Originally posted by Washington DC Maxima
I used Vavolines' oil and my car actually burned some of it away.. So I'm back to Mobil 1 and no oil is being burned away...(both were synthetic)
I was contemplating switching. Not now. Thanks for the info.
Old Jan 6, 2002 | 01:59 PM
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I've read somewhere that if the oil's dark it's doing its job and holding the contaminants in. Fram sucks by the way.
Old Jan 6, 2002 | 02:44 PM
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The color of oil has little to do with its ability to lubricate the engine. My Mobil 1 turns dark in a few hundred miles, whereas the normal dino oil in my 99 Camry V6 looks as good as new (I'm not kidding) after 8000 miles of highway driving. It's amazing...those Toyota engines are incredible.
Old Jan 6, 2002 | 02:51 PM
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Oh dear.......


Color has ZERO to do with any of it.....




















I sometimes wonder why I bother trying to educate.......
Old Jan 6, 2002 | 02:53 PM
  #11  
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Originally posted by bill99gxe
Oh dear.......


Color has ZERO to do with any of it.....

why does it turn so dark compared to other name brands valvoline, castrol etc.?




















I sometimes wonder why I bother trying to educate.......
Old Jan 6, 2002 | 02:55 PM
  #12  
Telus.net
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Originally posted by bill99gxe
Oh dear.......


Color has ZERO to do with any of it.....






Yes.
Old Jan 6, 2002 | 03:49 PM
  #13  
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does synthetic lower oil pressure because it's so thin?
does that matter?
Old Jan 6, 2002 | 04:19 PM
  #14  
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Originally posted by kit99bar
does synthetic lower oil pressure because it's so thin?
does that matter?
Thinner oil is better (generally) because it flows faster and pumps through the oil galleries easier. That's why people in the arctic use synthetic - because it'll stay runny even at very low temps. I'm not sure what it'd do to oil pressure (might increase it from easier pumping?) but I wouldn't worry about it.
Old Jan 6, 2002 | 05:01 PM
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Originally posted by bill99gxe
Oh dear.......


Color has ZERO to do with any of it.....




















I sometimes wonder why I bother trying to educate.......
You're slipping Bill, that was a NICE response
Old Jan 6, 2002 | 10:39 PM
  #16  
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Originally posted by bill99gxe
Oh dear.......


Color has ZERO to do with any of it.....




















I sometimes wonder why I bother trying to educate.......

Old Jan 7, 2002 | 05:55 AM
  #17  
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I bought a 91 Maxima from a buddy of mine a few weeks back, and he told me that it burned a bit of oil, and to be sure to keep tabs on it. He was running dino oil in it....

I always use Mobil 1 oil and filters in my Altima, so I did the same in the Maxima. It hasn't burned a drop of oil, and I have been driving it every day to work and back, 55 miles round trip.

Oh yeah, I didn't use the Mobil 1 filter in the Maxima cuz I read someone on here that it wasn't recommended....
Old Jan 7, 2002 | 06:13 AM
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Originally posted by Peterson
Oh yeah, I didn't use the Mobil 1 filter in the Maxima cuz I read someone on here that it wasn't recommended....
http://forums.maxima.org/showthread....threadid=39142

A test that revealed a missing an anti-drainback valve is why the M1-208 filters aren't recommended......
Old Jan 7, 2002 | 09:29 AM
  #19  
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Depends. Thinner oil is better for cold starts, so the oil can flow quickly to all parts of the engine when it starts up. After that, thicker oil is better because once motor oil is warm, it has no problem being thin, It can actually get too thin. You need thicker oil in a warm car to deal with all the stresses that your hot VQ engine is going thru, like red-lining at 7000 rpm. You don't want your oil to be thin when your car is revving hard.

DW

Originally posted by Bman
Thinner oil is better (generally) because it flows faster and pumps through the oil galleries easier. That's why people in the arctic use synthetic - because it'll stay runny even at very low temps. I'm not sure what it'd do to oil pressure (might increase it from easier pumping?) but I wouldn't worry about it.
Old Jan 7, 2002 | 11:28 AM
  #20  
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Originally posted by bill99gxe
Oh dear.......


Color has ZERO to do with any of it.....




















I sometimes wonder why I bother trying to educate.......
did you use the search to find that out





just playin.......
Old Jan 7, 2002 | 11:37 AM
  #21  
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oH BOY!!

Sythentic 5W30 is no thicker or thinner than dino 5W30. It's more consistent in size than dino oil.
Old Jan 7, 2002 | 11:50 AM
  #22  
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How could you possibly know that? You act like you have actually researched this.







STOP REPEATING WHAT YOUR COUSIN'S SISTER'S BOYFRIEND'S AUNT'S UNCLE'S DAUGHTER'S SON'S SECOND MOTHER TWICE REMOVED SAYS AND TAKE AS GOSPEL. WE ALL KNOW THAT ONCE THE OIL IS NO LONGER CLEAR, THEN IT SHOULD BE CHANGED. THAT MEANS BI-WEEKLY OIL CHANGES FOR MAXIMAS.....
Old Jan 7, 2002 | 12:03 PM
  #23  
theMax's Avatar
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what is oil?

Back to the orgina question, it seems like Mobil 1 darkens quick but by oil anlysis its still maintaining its properties.

Other brands such as vavaline may stay lighter longer but we do not have any anysis to see if its holding up any better.

A secondary oil filter may keep the oil cleaner longer if we could get someone to try it..

Its hard to get someome to try something new when the old system works.
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