Chevy & GMC Vans

Hit the 1000 mile mark on the enginge today. I've decided to switch to synthetic due to the colder temps we've been experiencing lately. Should make cold starting a lot easier. That was one of the big differences I noticed before when I switched to synthetic on one of my othe cars in the past. You can even take a quart of regualr and sythetic of the same viscosity and put them in the freezer, then poor some out and you'll see the difference. I know there are some out there that think that you should wait for more milage, but I've been abusing the poor thing good enough for break in, and I went with plasma-moly rings which break in quickly. I also did a lot of research and found that most of the synthetic stories are myths. I have a friend at GM who said they have even broken engines in at GM with synthetic. There's a reason every vette is shipped with Mobil 1 in it.

91AWDAstro wrote:... I also did a lot of research and found that most of the synthetic stories are myths.

I'm no longer surprised when it comes to anything dealing with automotives out on the net. I've yet to find another topic that is so full of half-truths that get repeated until they become absolute, fightin' words, truth as does general information posted on automotive forums. It's seems to be done mostly by those who buy into the 'Committee of They Say' edicts and who never consider checking their sources or doing some research. It's typically 'woe be to you' if you should express doubts about something given as absolutely factual as the original poster usually takes that as a personal affront. A person has to be careful when looking for real info; it's out there, but often a lot of checking, sifting and ego-deletion has to be done to get at it.
Here's some contentious, BS riddled automotive topics that I've found in my automotive website wanderings:

Timing gears versus timing chains, with the corollary "timing belts are superior to all else" line of thought. This topic can really get the fur flying with reason being the first casualty and emotion the ammunition of choice.

Exhaust pipe diameters. I was surprised when I dropped into a knock-down, drag-out fight concerning this.

Cam selection. I guess it makes sense that the very heart and soul of an engine could cause cyber fist fighting, but I think it would be better if the combatants would read all they could about cam theory before cutting loose on each other.

You won't have to look hard to find other topics, but since I've been considering building an alcohol fuel only engine, I've found a relatively new, but really hot button topic: E85 fuel. This one actually spills out of the automotive forums in short order and gets political. By all means you should look for the truth in the facets of this topic, but you probably should be wearing chest waders while you seek because it gets deep fast.

You know the real intresting thing is that I did find some honest oil test comparisons, and most sythentics are better than conventional. Like you would expect all the the race synthetics did make an improvement on the dyno in HP, but they all varied in other areas such as wear particles and viscosity changes. The conclusion based upon the results were Amsoil was the best overall, but not exceeding any one classification. I do beilive that regular Mobil-1 is not what it used to be. I'm thinking of going with Amsoil this time.

I am agreeing with Rob totally.Seems every time I try something different I end up damaging the engine when I didn't do the research.Truth is I am a tad bit lazy in terms of resarch because what I have been using worked for me.But on the other hand when I did spend the time,I recently changed from Fram oil filters to Wex filters after reading a very long in-depth report.For over 20yrs I guess I got that one wrong about Fram.

All I am say is remember no matter where the info comes from,all these newer items are being offered to make money in business.Double checking the findings is a very good way to check the end results.Time in use is also the best proof from a ref you can rely on.

Due to the mileage on my van I've been concerned with running full synthetic after it's been dino only for so long. So I've been running a mix. 3parts dino to 1 part synthetic. Mostly due to the cleaning ability of the synthetic. Which is the reason I haven't done a full switch yet as well. I really dun wanna have the full synthetic clean out a deposit that is plugging a hole in a gasket or something.

I know for trucks the GM dealer puts in a synthetic blend. I know with my dad's Van we switched to synthetic on the first change. The manual says the oil must have the API seal. I have read a lot on putting synthetic in and most stuff says that newer engines should have no problem with new synthetic oils.

I use synthetic, mainly because I removed my oil cooler. Synthetic is supposed to be good if you have "temp" issues.

For me, I run Synthetic oils in my "small engines". This includes the 4-stoke lawn mower, 2 stroke chain saw and 2 stroke weed wacker. And, my previous ATV bikes. Yes, I change their oils myself and mix my other 2-stroke gas. Been using Synthetic oils with "normal unlead" gas for years. No problem at all. For my vehicles, my local auto shop (that charges me $19.95 per oil change) uses normal OTC (over the counter) non-synthetic oils in their engines. Our Safari Van (because its also a tow vehicle) gets the much better Synthetic oil replacement in its axles every 3 years. Why normal non-synthetic engine oils? We sell or trade our used vehicles in before their engines wear out. Most often, the vehicle "rusts out" or we get too tired of paying for its old age repairs. Why use top line engine oils when the vehicle's 4.3L engine out-lasts its chassis? Others have different reasons to use (or not use) synthetic engine oils in their van. For my needs, it isn't necessary (or financially) worth it....

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I run synthetic oil in ZZ, all my service vehicles and in the Charger. The service trucks get their oil/filter changes every 10K kms, ZZ goes 3-5k and the Charger goes 3k religiously (but only because the on-board warning system drives me freakin' crazy 'till I reset it).
The main plus's of synth. oil are easier starting in winter and higher operating temps without coking in summer. I run 5/30 in ZZ, 0w40 in the Charger & 10w/30 for the service trucks. Mostly Mobil, sometimes Canadian Crappy

I run full synthetic and here's why. Several years back,,my X had a Honda Accord. She traveled alot and had all her work done on the road so I never was involved with the car much at all. After driving the car for over a year she blew the rad. just before getting on the interstate, wrecker hauled it in to the dealership and they said the rad. was plugged up from sealer and had blown both hoses, so they installed new rad. and hoses. Next day she leaves out,,,car runs hot,,back to dealer,,thermostat problems so they replace and all is good. The rad was plugged with stop leak some mechanic had put in on the road somewhere when she had blown a hole in the first rad.
I asked her where her temp gauge ran after warming up and she said it always runs on the H but never past. Ask her how long it had been that way and she said it had always run on the H since she bought the car. I told the dealer about that and they asked her to bring it back in to check temp. sender,,all was good, no problem.
She has always run Castrol Syntec and a quart of Duralube. I'm not convinced on the Duralube but the synthetic I am. The dealer said it is the only thing that could explain why the engine had not locked up from driving that long at those temps.
Passed that story on to Castrol, got a T-Shirt and cap but no lifetime supply of their oil.

Rebel wrote:I run full synthetic and here's why. Several years back,,my X had a Honda Accord. She traveled alot and had all her work done on the road so I never was involved with the car much at all. After driving the car for over a year she blew the rad. just before getting on the interstate, wrecker hauled it in to the dealership and they said the rad. was plugged up from sealer and had blown both hoses, so they installed new rad. and hoses. Next day she leaves out,,,car runs hot,,back to dealer,,thermostat problems so they replace and all is good. The rad was plugged with stop leak some mechanic had put in on the road somewhere when she had blown a hole in the first rad.
I asked her where her temp gauge ran after warming up and she said it always runs on the H but never past. Ask her how long it had been that way and she said it had always run on the H since she bought the car. I told the dealer about that and they asked her to bring it back in to check temp. sender,,all was good, no problem.
She has always run Castrol Syntec and a quart of Duralube. I'm not convinced on the Duralube but the synthetic I am. The dealer said it is the only thing that could explain why the engine had not locked up from driving that long at those temps.
Passed that story on to Castrol, got a T-Shirt and cap but no lifetime supply of their oil.

It's the DuraLube, no doubt in my mind. I don't use the stuff personally. I go with Slick 50, but the principle's the same.
At high temps, synth. oil has the advantage of coking (burning into a powder) at a higher temp. Not 100* higher, ind you, more like 10-20*. If you ran without any oil at all, I can pretty well bet you that the added anti-coking of snyth. oil isn't what saved your bacon.
The same exact thing happened to my buddy in his Buick 3.4 litre. Due to my insistence, he had started running Slick 50 in his engine 6 months earlier. Dealer was changing the oil...but hardly nuthing came out. Turns out the oil light was burnt out. Tech couldn't understand how the heck that car had come in under it's own power with no oil. When they asked my bud if he noticed any change, he told 'em that he found the engine was "a bit noisier than usual".
Long story short, they filled it up with oil, sent him off with the car & ordered him a new motor under warranty. I'm convinced that the additive was to be credited, not the synth. oil.

I'm not saying it absolutely HAS to be Slick 50. Duralube's had good reviews as well. I'm simply going by what I've personally experienced