2nd Gen VTEC

What's up everyone, I have an 01 TL that's just about to hit 120,000. I always change my oil every 3,000 miles/6 months with Mobil 1 High Mileage fully synthetic oil and a Fram high mileage oil filter. A fellow car enthusiast had a lot of good things to say about Castrol synthetic. Any thoughts on whether it would really be worth it to switch over? Thanks everyone.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

I doubt you could see a difference switching oils.
try the switch, it wont hurt your engine.

gold2003tl (90)

Iv been using Castrol EDGE gold bottle 5w-20 API SN rated oil. Run it for about 8k mile intervals, which takes me about 1 year to do. Great oil, very smooth, very clean, no consumption, and stays in grade over the course of the oil change interval. Very satisfied.

but I most note, these engines can care less about which oil you run in them. And 3k mile oil change has no benefit to these engines. so put in whatever you feel like.

smartypants

I find the Castrol is a little more salty than Mobil and so not good in salads......


No, seriously both oils are perfectly fine and will do the job. The only thing to keep in mind is synth to synth and organic to organic.

BTW unless you're a super-maintainer, there's no reason to change synth oil every 3K miles. In fact synth should be good for 10K miles.

In my case, I don't change it ever. I "converted" to synth (Mobile 1) and I just change the filter and top up the oil... that's it. No more $19.99 oil changes that end up costing $50+ !


smarty.

Italiano

Why r u wasting money like that., with synthetic oil u can change every 5k to 7k

Skirmich

Get Mobil 1 EP Syn and change oil every Oil Reminder check (Around 7500K) Mobil 1 EP is Made to Last 15,000K so you can change it in Yearly Basis.

01tl4tl

if you want to go more than 7500 miles change the filter halfway thru
thats what keeps oil clean and able to do its job

car doesnt care what you run, swap out different each time if you want
3k is old great marketing
7500 is what the standard dino `oil reminder light` is set for

smarty- you are joking right? a certain daughter tried that and blew up the saturn!!

the additives get worn out in oil
they are designed to last the normal length of that oils life
5000-7500 and replace

btw: coolants additive package wears out too, first run on OE to 105/7 years
after that, 5 years MAX regardless of brand,,less on some!

Italiano

+1^^^^

fsttyms1

More like 15,000. That's when I change mine. 3K is a waste of oil.

Italiano

I think 15k is way overdue....agree on wasting oil and $ every 3k with synthetic...

Skirmich

Only way I do 15K is by changing the Filter Mid way around 7500

Karanx7

iTrader: (2)

Owner's manual calls for the opposite. Oil change very 7.5k, and filter only every 15k. But what does the owner's manual know, amirite?

Skirmich

Besides changing Filter Tops 13 Bucks for K&N even Cheaper if you go with other Brands.

AZsilverTl

Mobil 1 filter M1-104 ( ) and 5 quarts of Royal Purple, 8k oil change interval for me. Filter itself states 15,000 miles useful range on the package, however, even with RP I would not feel comfortable doing that. I drive between 1,500 to 2,000 miles per month, 95% of that on the freeway for leisure, car runs great and smooth (transmission aside ).

Karanx7

iTrader: (2)

^Yea, almost all oil is fine/same, except for Royal Purple. Their oil is actually quite a bit better than the rest. There was that oil comparison article that showed just how impressive some oils are, and just how regular Mobil 1 and Castrol are.

MilwaukeeDave

iTrader: (3)

I just made the switch to Royal purple on Saturday. Seafoamed my crank case first and boy did my oil come out black and sludgy. Seafoam is excellent! I think I got my K&N filter for like 10 bucks and the case of royal purple was 99 w free ship.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

hehe royal purple is all marketing.
can any one tell me why Royal purple is soo good?!?!?

I bet I have a better oil, with stats to prove!

3.2TLc

Any of the major brand name synthetics are very comparable in overall quality. For me, it usually boils down to personal preference or a promotional pricing. Running 7-10k with synthetic and a top brand oil filter is better all around when compared to 3-5k with dino !

fsttyms1

You "think" or you know? I have my oil tested so I "know" 15 is just fine and not overdue (I've run as far as 25k on it and there was still life left in it) I also recommend people spend the 20 bucks to have theirs tested so that they know what shape their motor is in and what they can actually run.
Also the Pennzoil ultra seems to be the best syn right now.

smartypants

To Kris' point, synthetic oil is completely chemically stable and it's composition does not loose it's lubrication properties over time. The only issue is suspended particulate matter (carbon) from combustion which is largely removed by the filter. Unfortunately, the performance of the filter does degrade over time as it traps more particules, eventually if left unchanged over a long period of time, clogging up completely.

Super-maintainers are fully expected to disagree, but do keep the ecconomy humming along.....


smarty

01tl4tl

kris has posted many of his blackstone lab mass spectrograph reports on his oil and engine condition
Note he tore down the 00TLengine at 200kmiles- when swapping in the cl-s setup with 6speed manual
inside the cylnder walls still had honing marks--barely broken in at 200 and he did many of those 15kmile between changes, drives 6-8 hours a day, leaves engine running at idle for 2 hours,,,

1/2 can seafoam and 30-100 miles drive before change does wonders
restore full oil pressure, clean passages and tiny port openings for bearings
Clean vtec sliders and operating system (use vtec rpm w/seafoam to get that area)

A new cheapo filter with that is a good plan for max absorption of crud

change oil and filter warm from 15 minute drive so all the crud in pan is liquified

01tl4tl

note the reason we suggest m1 EP extended protection for those who like m1:
they changed the laws on labels!!!! so to get the old-GOOD M1 its now called m1 EP
better base synthetic in that than basic M1-its all in the fine print!

I have used the penzoil Platinum several times, whenever its on sale its the first choice.
car didnt care, mpg didnt change, but I FELT better thinking it was great stuff
from its awesome commercials!

also FELT good using that recycled oil NEXGEN..see specs on how its better than its original form!
proves the point of get the oil clean and its lube part still works,,throw in some new additives and let it run

MilwaukeeDave

iTrader: (3)

Was curious about the NexGen when I was shopping. After I run thru this case or Royal Purple (probably like 2 years cause I barely drive) I'll check that out.

2nd Gen VTEC

Thank you for the advice everyone. I'm thinking about switching to royal purple and a k&n filter. I definitely always change every 3k or 6 months just because I'm extremely picky about maintenance. Also, how would I do a complete flush with seafoam. (not just putting it in my gas tank). So how much of the can would I put in my gas tank and how much gas should I have in my tank and how else can seafoam be used. Thanks in advance everyone

Skirmich

It has been Discussed before.. Check Over GOOGLE their "SCAR" test seems to be Unbeatable in Almost all Steps Making them the Very Best...

IMO if your Not HARDCORE Racing with the TL.. Royal Purple is a waste of Money.
Taking care of Oil Change Intervals seems more Relevant that if the Oil Itself has GOLD/Ti/Syn on it..

Karanx7

iTrader: (2)

Yea, that test is the only thing I base my oil brand qualities from. Tired of hearing all the BS commercials about each oil being best. Royal Purple is the only one that has shown actual proof.

There were a couple others that did really well, but I forget which ones.

Here's the link: http://www.animegame.com/cars/Oil%20Tests.pdf

Karanx7

iTrader: (2)

After a reread, there are some surprises. Guess Valvoline Durablend is a pretty good deal. Never heard of Penrite though.