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UPNORTH
Dodge Dakota
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9/14/2003
11:59:21
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 Subject: Oil Question????
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I have a 98 4x4 ext cab 5.2. I live in northern Michigan and was wondering if During the cold winter months if I would get any better preformance gains by switching to synthetic 5w-30 instead of the recommended 10-30? I know the manual recommends 10-30. Are there any pros or cons for doing this????
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UPNORTH
Dodge Dakota
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9/14/2003
12:12:50
| RE: Oil Question????
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I forgot to say it has 134,000 miles on it....
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AmsoilSponsor
DakotaEnthusiast
9/14/2003
13:40:04
|  Amsoil = www.American-Synthetic-Oil.com
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#1,
You can switch to synthetic lubricants at any time and any mileage as long as your engine is healthy (no leaking seals). You may want to perform an engine flush first.
#2,
The main benefit with a synthetic oil in winter months is "cold crank" protection due to lower pour points.
#3,
As to your question on viscosity:
VISCOSITY..in the general term is defined as " a fluids resistance to flow". it's a measure of the internal friction of the fluid or the resistance to the movement of one layer of molecules relative to an adjacent layer.
THE LOWER (SMALLER or FIRST #, as in "10w-_) NUMBER.. is the Cold Cranking measurement, made at low temperatures, using a concentric cylinder viscometer to predict the oils cranking resistance in an engine during cold starting.
The measuring devices, or viscosmeters, most often used are in the form of close-fitting concentric cylinders. The fluid being evaluated is placed between the cylinder walls, the outer cylinder is held stationary and the inner cylinder is rotated. The speed of rotation is measured for a given force to calculate the viscosity, most commonly reported in cp or centipoise units. Also known as Absolute Viscosity.
THE HIGHER (BIGGER or SECOND #, as in "-30") NUMBER...is commonly measured in capilary tubes, in which the time for a fixed volume of fluid to flow through the tube under gravity at operating temp (100c)is measured and reported as cSt or centistokes. This is used most commonly to report the normal operating viscosity of motor oils or the higher number.
" 0w- " is a viscosity GRADE, not a viscosity MEASUREMENT.
When testing for cold fluidity, the temperature is lowered approximately 5 degrees centigrade between each test.
The Cold Crank Simulator Apparent Viscosity is tested at:
-20 C for 10W-
-25 C fpr 5W-
-30 C for 0W-
It is my understanding that the oil has to be labelled at the lowest temperature it meets the specifications.
It may not be long before someone comes out with a " -5W-30 " which would correspond with -35 C.
Steven Roark , Amsoil Dealer , Proud Sponsor of www.DodgeDakotas.com
AMSOIL Synthetic Motor Oils, Lubricants, Filtration, and Truck Care Products
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Curt
Dodge Dakota
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9/14/2003
18:21:29
| RE: Oil Question????
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Is it nessasary to preform an engine flush when switching to synthetic oil, i bought my truck with 57,000 on it and imediatly went to Mobil 1..
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adam
Dodge Dakota
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9/15/2003
01:05:05
| RE: Oil Question????
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i did an engine flush b4 switching to mobil 1 at 70k miles on my 97 5.2 i used STP, cost 1.99 at big lots no joke.
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Rob 1
Dodge Dakota
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9/15/2003
23:55:47
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I question the wisdom of doing a flush on any engine especially one with 134,000 miles on it. The reason is that you risk dislodging debris and clogging an oil port or damaging seals and gaskets causing them to begin to leak and also the machines and mineral oil the garages use to flush engines has been proven to do more harm than good because they leave about a half quart of the solvent in the block which thins out and breaks down the new motor oil. Also any other sludge or debris that is to thick or large to exit drain plug will remain in oil pan and most likely clog screen on pump.
The best way to flush engine is to change oil a couple of times after running the vehicle for an hour or so between. I did this in my 97 4x4 5.2 with 64,000 miles on it after replacing blown plenum gasket and switching to Mobil 1 synthetic from dino oil and have put over 5000 miles on it since with no problems and no oil usage. As far as viscosity without getting technical 10W30 should be adequeate for year around protection although there would be no harm in switching to 5W30 in winter months to provide for easier starting in cold weather.
Whatever you decide I would definitly recommend the switch to synthetic unless your truck is using alot of oil. I chose Mobil 1 because it is reasonably priced and available most anywhere. It also has less ash content than most others but there are other good oils on the market and I suggest you research and choose what suits you best.
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AmsoilSponsor
DakotaEnthusiast
9/21/2003
18:15:43
| Amsoil = www.american-synthetic-oil.com
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Curt,
#1)
I DO NOT recommend simply switching to synthetic oil in a "high-mileage" car/truck that been on "non-synthetic" oils.
I recommend a good cleaning (flush) first, so that the oil doesn't do the cleaning and use itself up. In an unflushed engine the detergents in the synthetic oil will be working overtime to remove possible deposits.
#2)
I agree with Rob 1 whereby he "question(s) the wisdom of doing a flush on any engine especially one with 134,000 miles on it."
If you know the service history and have been performing regular changes with a "quality" dino, then 2 flushes may be in order.
As to Rob 1's comment: "(flushing with a mineral solvent) ... damaging seals and gaskets causing them to begin to leak and also the machines and mineral oil the garages use to flush engines has been proven to do more harm than good because they leave about a half quart of the solvent in the block which thins out and breaks down the new motor oil.
... Somewhat true. However, I recommend a product called Auto-RX which is completely "organic". You can order it here www.Auto-RX.com
It will not harm your seals and/or gaskets.
If a vehicle is low mileage (and well maintained) you can switch to synthetics at any time with no problems.
--------------------------------------------------
Steven Roark , Amsoil Dealer , Proud Sponsor of www.DodgeDakotas.com
AMSOIL Synthetic Motor Oils, Lubricants, Filtration, and Truck Care Products
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Curt
Dodge Dakota
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9/21/2003
18:49:39
| RE: Oil Question????
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Well i am up to 71000 now on mobil 1.... changed every 3000....i do go through a quart every 1500 tho...got to check down my throttle body to see if its the gasket...or could it be cause i switched to synthetic, and should i switch back to normal oil????
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Rob 1
Dodge Dakota
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9/21/2003
20:12:33
|  RE: Oil Question????
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Here is the address of a good article on engine flushing that I recommend anyone considering an engine flush read first. It is in PDF format and is continued on a later page in this magazine but it is well worth the time it takes to download.http://www.motorminute.com/PDFiles/newzletter/2003-01+02LoRes.pdf
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Rob 1
Dodge Dakota
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9/21/2003
20:20:34
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Curt,
I would not think the change to synthetic oil would cause your truck to start using oil. I switched mine at 64,000 after repairing plenum gasket and was using a quart every 400-600 miles and now it never uses any oil between changes. It would be a good idea to check your plenum gasket as this is a problem with the magnum engines.
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Curt
Dodge Dakota
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9/22/2003
01:12:41
| RE: Oil Question????
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Yea i am going to open up the throttle body this weekend.... you repaired yours??? how much and were did you have it done or yourself?
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jdllizard
Dodge Dakota
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9/22/2003
03:10:21
| RE: Oil Question????
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I repaired my plenum gasket myself, the dealer waned $700, I spent $35 on parts and it took me about a day to complete. If your mechanically inclined you can do it yourself, its just taking off the intake manifold and replacing a gasket on a pan up underneath it. Just be careful about getting the old gasket cleaned off and getting the manifold back on without disturbing the manifold gaskets, I made sure to follow the torque specs on the plenum pan just to be careful. You have to unbolt and move some stuff out of the way so its mostly just the labor of it.
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AmsoilSponsor
DakotaEnthusiast
9/22/2003
07:05:54
| Amsoil = www.american-synthetic-oil.com
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Curt,
Mobil1 tends to thin out rather quickly. That is why I recommend to everyone ... If you are using Mobil1 perform an oil analysis to see if your oil is thinning out in your engine. Every engine is different. Also, only use Mobil1 oil filters if you use Mobil1 oil. Mobil1 performs better with their own brand of filters. After you do an oil analysis, your best bet is to switch to an oil that thins out less or a heaver weight Mobil1. This might help with your consumption problem.
For the flamers. I did not say Mobil1 was BAD, just that their oils thin out quicker than some others. So does Redline. I know this from reviewing 100's of oil analysis reports.
This is all that I have time to post today.
Thank you,
Steven Roark , Amsoil Dealer , Proud Sponsor of www.DodgeDakotas.com
AMSOIL Synthetic Motor Oils, Lubricants, Filtration, and Truck Care Products
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Waste
Dodge Dakota
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9/22/2003
07:57:02
| RE: Oil Question????
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Curt, using synthetic in your leaky clunker is a waste of money. Changing synthetic every 3000 miles is a waste too.
When you out for dinner do you eat half the meal and throw it away and order another?
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JT1969
Dodge Dakota
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9/22/2003
09:03:20
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Too bad Waste called your truck a clunker. I switched to a heavier weight mobil1 and my oil consumption was reduced. I was going thru about 1 qt. per 3k miles. There must be something to what the amsoil guy is saying. I have no knowledge to back it up just real world experience.
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JT1969
Dodge Dakota
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10/05/2003
17:40:49
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Curt,
What was the bottom line? What did you find out? What are you doing now? Did you switch to a heavier weight? Just following up big guy.
A qt. every 1500 miles is high.
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Curt
Dodge Dakota
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10/06/2003
12:32:39
| RE: Oil Question????
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I havn't switched to a heavier weight i actually went down to 5w30 last week...its starting to get cold up here in the northeast, and i don;t do to much driving now that im at school so i prolly won;t need another change till december... but i did look into the throttle body...
didn;t see to much, i mean im assuming that if the gasket was blown there would be noticable amounts of oil, i mean it wasn;t spotless metal, but i was just thinking it was stuff that built up in there over the past 5 years
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