Lets discuss (fight, moan, argue semantics, cuss, etc......) oils

[Vetech63]

I'll start!

About 20 years ago I had a petroleum engineer tell me to NEVER change the oil in my vehicle. He used his 1978 1/2 ton Chevy truck as an example. Over 350K miles, never had the drain plug removed..........only changed the filter and added oil when needed. He said changing the oil was a huge waste of money, and that the oil only got better as its used. It sounded crazy at the time, but I knew the guy for years and went to school with both his daughters, and I saw the factory paint still on the drain plug myself. So........

What do you think!?

 

[Willie B]

I'll make popcorn.

 

[Birken Vogt]

It is hard to work inside the engine when customers do that, because it is hard to see anything through all the blackness.

 

[kshansen]

I'll make popcorn.

I'll take some with butter and a sprinkle of garlic salt, OH and how about a good IPA?

 

[JPV]

I had an uncle that did the same thing with his old Dodge. We all thought he was nuts but he had it a long time and the rest of the pickup wore out before the motor so I guess it worked out for him.

 

[Truck Shop]

Had a customer years ago that ran nothing but Salt Water Chevy's {that's my original name
for them by the way}. He never changed oil filters only, the only time the drain plugs were
removed was for repair work. He had several 8v71's and 92's that ran 700,000 plus before
major work. Filthy as hell inside. He hired a driver, said driver had oil changed at a Petro in
Calif. Driver got his walking papers.

Those were the filthiest engines I ever worked on-& the reason I hate 2 strokes.

We run 30,000 miles between oil changes on our DD15's. max.

 

[Birken Vogt]

I changed oil fairly often on Detroit Diesels when I worked at the fire department and they were still filthy.

Ford/IH IDIs are another one, the yellow oil turns black the instant you pour it in.

Also John Deere engines black as all get out.

One thing these all have in common, they blow smoke as part of normal operation. Engines that have a clear exhaust are never so filthy.

 

[Truck Shop]

Still hate'em.

 

[funwithfuel]

Don't try that sh!t on the old Macks. The soot would fill the valve cover like a bundt cake. Worked a fleet of them in my younger days. Synthetic fill, oil analysis dictated drain interval. Filters @ 15k. Again like Truck shop said, disgusting inside. Black sludge you could feel the grit in. No thanks. Been there, done that. Won't go back.

 

[Truck Shop]

No thanks. Been there, done that. Won't go back.

I knew there was someone who would agree, Look like you been tar and feathered after
working on one.

Bundt cake?

 

[Vetech63]

Now come on......some of you guys sound like you don't enjoy getting filthy. Just admit, there is just something about gritty blackness thats makes you feel a sense of exhilaration. By the way, I run 15w40 in everything I own from the mower to my wife's jeep. Convince me I'm wrong.

 

[Truck Shop]

4.0 L ford V6-----5x30---any heavier and it goes to work on the timing chains in cold weather.

 

[funwithfuel]

Hell, i r'member going in a short white kid coming out a short black kid (they called me a pygmy) and it wouldn't wash off.
There are family photos with blackened hands, the pediatrician didn't want me touching my own kids, yeah, NO! Keep that extended drain BS away from me.

 

[funwithfuel]

I knew there was someone who would agree, Look like you been tar and feathered after
working on one.

Bundt cake?

Took the valve covers off , forgot the engine, CH613 still had Mack engine. Renault influence at the time. Anyway , remove the valve covers and there were 2 perfectly baked crust cakes sitting on the heads. Just like a cake pan. No visible rocker shafts or levers, couldn't see the pushrods, like it ran on magic. And they didn't leak.

 

[funwithfuel]

I used to use Rotella in everything. Now i use 5-30 . Those little lash adjusters and chain slack doo-dads don't like the heavier oils. Takes too long to reach the top.

 

[JLarson]

Engineers have never been known for great ideas.

 

[John C.]

Never saw dirty oil in a dripper. The internal fuel leaks always kept them clean. All the Intertrationals had sludge that you generally took a putty knife to before dropping the block and heads in the hot tank. All the 17A, 14A and 46A Cat machines were sludged up and the coolant passages outside of the liners were full of creek debris and mud. The Cat 1160 and 3208 engines were reasonably clean because the vapors from all the blowby coated the whole engine compartment. Lots of slippery stuff and sharp things to get cut on in those trucks.

I always figured that if it wasn't full of sludge and crud and black slimy oil, it shouldn't have been torn down yet.

 

[Tones]

I've always been a stickler for changing oil on time and consider PM which over a lifetime is cheaper than repair IMO.
2 cases to back this up. A contractor I used to work with had the first series Hitachi UH07 and for 2 years hadn't changed the oil. It started losing oil pressure so he got a mechanic out to check and found an oil cleaner which worked in a similar manner to a cream separator totally gummed up and the filter wasn't much different. They changed the oil and filter, cleaned the oil cleaner and every thing was good.
The 2nd was a Komatsu pc40 which started overheating, I had cleaned the outside of the radiator, no difference. Ran it with the engine cover open ,no difference. So I said to the owner about changing the oil. Hell no was the reply we only just changed the oil at Xmas to which I said we are now in late October and over a 1000hrs. So the oil got changed ( 1gal mind you) and the over heating disappeared

 

[Vetech63]

I went to get Rotella T 15W40 last week and couldn't find it anywhere. All my oil sources didn't have any at all. The customer brought me out some Harvest King 15W40 he picked up from an Atwoods store for his machine. He said a 5 gallon bucket was $49.99 and he had been using it for years with no problems. He then told me that the name brand oils were just overpriced due to fancy advertising and packaging. He bought it and I put it in his engine...........and I made a note on his repair and service invoice of that fact.

 

[Truck Shop]

dirty oil is better than none.