Yesterday I put a can of Amsoil engine flush in the motor. Drained and refilled the transmission once with their synthetic ATF. There were two things I noticed. One was expected and the other wasn't.

The transmission shifts slightly harder. "Harder" is not a good word to use because it's far, far from hard. If anything it makes it feel less "sloppy" and should've shifted this way from the factory. It's not a big enough difference to notice unless you're paying attention.

The second is my car has had a very slight gear whine since new. Most likely the final drive because it's road speed related and has no relevance to engine speed or gear. To my surprise this is gone. It was never a problem and I'm sure it's normal but I was surprised it went away.

This morning I drained the Mobil-1 "fully synthetic" 5-30 out and changed with Amsoil synthetic 5-30 and bigger filter for the S2000. This was @ less than 3,000 miles for you extended drain interval people. Again, something unexpected. My car has always had a tick/rattle since new. It sounds like valvetrain. I've heard it in other TLs and it's still quieter than my friend's direct injected IS350 so I've never worried about it. First thing I noticed was the tick was gone. I ran it slowly through the rpm range and could not get it to tick. Took it for a 20 minute test drive and drove it harder than usual to make sure the oil was hot. When I got back home, opened the door to listen and ran it through the rpm range and the sound is still gone. The engine sounds so much healthier now, more so than when it was new.

I don't think it's a viscosity issue since the sound was there with Mobil-1 even before it was fully warm. Not sure if the tick being there or not being there will have an impact on engine life but it can't be a bad thing. I would comment on the feeling of extra power but I know enough about cars to know the .5 hp I might've picked up is impossible to feel.

 

I'm a mechanical engineer.

We tested Amsoil's diesel synthetic for a defense dept. application and it couldn't even compete with Mobil's standard (non-synthetic) Delvac oil in terms of flash point or corrosion resistance.

On a more personal level, I've always found it hard to believe that a small company like Amsoil can make an oil that's superior to Mobil 1, which (obviously) has the full backing of Exxon Mobil.

 

Interesting. Still it can't be that bad in a gas motor being that it is a true synthetic. I don't have plans to run it past 5K anyway and I drive very easy most of the time.

I've thought the same thing about the small company vs big company. But looking at Mobil-1's track record like going from a group IV down to a III and keeping price the same and still calling it synthetic, maybe they're just using their old reputation sort of like Chrysler's "hemi" marketing scheme.

 

I would like to add that I'm not one of those people that switch to a different brand and then brag because I've driven 100miles on the new stuff and the engine hasn't blown up yet. On the flip side, it did just eliminate the gear whine and engine tick.

 

The Mobil 1 on the shelves today is a true (PAO) synthetic:

http://www.mobil1.com/USA-English/Mo...AQs.aspx#FAQs1

Is Mobil 1 with SuperSyn Technology a fully synthetic motor oil?
Yes, it is. To meet the demanding requirements of today's specifications (and our customers' expectations), Mobil 1 with SuperSyn uses high-performance fluids, including polyalphaolefins (PAOs), along with a proprietary system of additives. Each Mobil 1 with SuperSyn viscosity grade uses a unique combination of synthetic fluids and selected additives in order to tailor the viscosity grade to its specific application.

 

Interesting thread. I am a Mobil 1 user myself, but have often wondered about Amsoil and the claims made by the company and the diehard's that swear by it. I will definatly check out the thread link from 'harddriven1le' for the mobil1 website and read more about it and also investigate the Amsoil info. Right now though, my money is on M1, but, glad your noises went away. I say keep using what works for you.

 

Price and convenience are also things to consider.

Walmarts are selling 5 quart jugs of Mobil 1 for $19.97 and most people live within a stone's throw of Walmart. (5W20 seems hard to get at many of them, though.)

The simple fact of the matter is that any modern engine that receives routine oil and filter changes will likely outlast the rest of the car - due in no small part to overdrive transmissions (which dramatically reduce highway revs, which is where most people rack up the miles).

 

For those of you on Mobil-1 5W-20 Synthetic, do you follow the MID for oil changes? I do on all my cars, and I can't help but notice on my '05 TL (now sold) how nasty the oil was at drain time. I mean, sure, oil is supposed to be black after 5k of stop and go traffic (I live in Miami) and the occasional redline runs (ok, ok, more than a few times), but the oil would look really thick and very dark.

I'm thinking that I should change at <5k and forget about the MID? Aren't oils formulated with detergents that only last so long anyway? Maybe following the MID is too long for the detergents to continue to work well?

 

Yes I have a 2006 TL 5AT and I just changed the oil after 5000 miles, using Mobil 5-20. I will now start using honda 5-20 oil every 3000 miles. One more thing my independent mechanic said to change the tranny oil with only 20,000 miles and guess what the color was a light brown, and not close to the cherry color I would think it would be with only 20,000 miles. I have heard to change it at 30,000 miles, yeah right.

 

Actually the trans oil was not fully replaced. He removed the tranny bolt and only about 1 to 2 quarts of oil was removed. He then added two new quarts of honda atz oil.

 

so we've talked about engine oil, and transmission oil...wat about flushing the differential (for those of us who have one)? i have just under 14k mi. on my '07 type s, and i'm thinking i should get the differential serviced...wat do u all think?

 

Why don't you change it when the maintenance minder tells you to change it? Use a synthetic if you want some added peace-of-mind.

That's a Honda engineered system that uses a relatively complex program to calculate oil life.

Do you think Honda's engineers put it there for no legitimate reason and don't know what they're doing?

3,000 miles in a modern car is nuts. Today's engines burn MUCH cleaner than they did in the time when that "rule" was created. Cleaner burning means cleaner oil. Overdrive transmissions also help by reducing revs on the highway.

The engine will outlast the rest of the car if you simply follow the maintenance minder. Doing anything more than that is therefore a waste of time, money and effort.

 

Couldn't have said it any better, but watch out as the flood gates are now open!!!

 

for peace of mind, have your used oil analyzed and it will tell the engines health and give idea how long you can run that brand of oil between changes

www.blackstone-labs.com for free test kits by mail-
you dont pay till you send it in- 23$ normal sample, extra 10 tells you about the life remaining in all additives to the oil

 

For anyone concerned with the extended oil change intervals, this is a great idea and very reasonable. Small price for peace of mind.

 

I think it's just plain silly.

These are new cars with clean burning engines that are equipped with O.D. transmissions and running modern motor oils.

Motor oil itself has improved dramatically since the time of the "3,000 mile rule."

No-one will be missing out by minding their maintenance minder in conjunction with running a "regular" synthetic oil (e.g. Mobil 1.)

The car will fall apart before the engine fails.

What more can you expect from an engine and motor oil?

 

for those of u that are confused, either follow the MID for oil changes or just change it at 5k if u are using dino or syn. if u use a sythetic it will probably last way beyond 5k but u would need to get a blackstone labs test to see how long it is lasting with your particular driving style.

changing the oil, doesn't matter what type u use, with less than 5k miles is just a waste of oil and money like hardrivin said.

 

I full agree with the 5K engine oil change and regular servicing will make the engine outlast the vehicle more than likely. I just find it interesting that the author of this thread had such benefit right away by using the Amsoil products, and have sort of wondered about the products in general. Like I said in my post, my money is still on M1 products, but, still curious about other types of synthetics and if they are in fact as good or better than others.

Anyway, I will probably not change, but still.....curious.

 

I'll probably take it to 5K with this oil and filter combo. Maybe a bit further.

Regardless of people's theories, the engine oil stopped the tick, and the transmission fluid stopped the gear whine. Take it for what it's worth. I'm going to stick with Amsoil.