Engine Oil

Steve_SK · Post by **Steve_SK** » February 11th, 2007, 4:31 am

Hello MX3 brothers,

I have question about engine oil. I am going to replace it very soon and since I cannot find Petro-Canada 5W-40 Europe Synth here anymore, I was browsing this forum and decided to use Valvoline engine oil. My question is - do you have positive experiences with using this oil? According to local Valvoline web page, the best oil for my MX3 V6 is SynPower 5W-30, which I also wanted to use in case of PetroCanada, they only had 5W40.

But what 'impressed' me was info about exchange interval - 10 000 km instead of 15 000 km, but that's ok. Valvoline has even better specification - SM and would like to know your opinions. I can get this oil very easily here. Thank you all for posts.

S.

ryan_Fuerte · Post by **ryan_Fuerte** » February 11th, 2007, 10:57 am

hey man,

personally depending on your temperature, i would use a 10w30 synthetic. Its more of an all season oil. A 5w30 is more for colder climates. Also if your engine condition is getting poor you might experience burning oil, since its thinner. As for oil change intervals, i was always sketchy on changing it at like 10000km or even 25000km like royal purple oil says. Your oil is still getting acid build ups and dirt wether its a syn or base oil stock at 5000km (3000 miles).

-hope that helps,Ryan

Steve_SK · Post by **Steve_SK** » February 11th, 2007, 11:20 am

Ryan, thank you for the reply, temperature here is quite low in winter, -20 to -30 usually, so I'd like to use 5w30. My engine loses oil, but doesn't burn it, just leaks from everywhere.

In our Mazda6 the interval is 20000 km for oil exchange, in manuals for MX it is written 15000 km but would like to exchange after 10000 km. When I check oil after 5000 km, it is still quite clear, not black. Even now after 8000 km it has just small mark of being black, more brown. Maybe there's a difference in US and EU spec. oils.

And I'd like to save the environment, so I choose a compromise - 10000 km.

I am interested in opinions on this engine oil, if it is better than Castrol or Shell or BP etc. Thank you.

PWRD_BY_HKS · Post by **PWRD_BY_HKS** » February 11th, 2007, 12:47 pm

ROYAL PURPLE IS THE BEST WAY TO GO

kiwi_MX3 · Post by **kiwi_MX3** » February 11th, 2007, 2:16 pm

ryan_Fuerte wrote:hey man,

personally depending on your temperature, i would use a 10w30 synthetic. Its more of an all season oil. A 5w30 is more for colder climates. Also if your engine condition is getting poor you might experience burning oil, since its thinner. As for oil change intervals, i was always sketchy on changing it at like 10000km or even 25000km like royal purple oil says. Your oil is still getting acid build ups and dirt wether its a syn or base oil stock at 5000km (3000 miles).

-hope that helps,Ryan

Like Ryan, i dump my oil every 5000km as its done its dash by then
i can atest to this working as my road car ive owned since 45,000km
is now sitting over 250,000 and still going strong! and that's a 4banger!

mitmaks · Post by **mitmaks** » February 11th, 2007, 4:54 pm

Change your oil every 3k miles or 3 months

ryan_Fuerte · Post by **ryan_Fuerte** » February 11th, 2007, 5:48 pm

yah no matter what kind of oil you buy, your basically paying for the name and advertising, All the oils are going to do the same thing--->Lubricate. They just use diffrent additive packages. The best thing to do is just look in the owners manual and run the oil that meets the chart, so you saying is -20c you would use 5w30 synthetic.

To answer your main question before it got twisted into oil change intervals, Yes valvoline is a good oil as well as quaker state and castrol. But even though its synthetic you still want to follow a 5000km oil change interval.

mx3autozam · Post by **mx3autozam** » February 11th, 2007, 7:25 pm

PWRD_BY_HKS wrote:ROYAL PURPLE IS THE BEST WAY TO GO

why do you say that?

tehbrookzorz · Post by **tehbrookzorz** » February 17th, 2007, 12:55 am

Maybe he's on commission :p

papa roached · Post by **papa roached** » February 17th, 2007, 2:00 am

your oil change habbits also need to go with your diring, i drive hard and change the cars at 3000 on the dot, the truck i do ever 5000 and i use mobil 1 in both, 5w-30 all year in the truck like it calls for and 10w-30 summer and 5w-30 winter in the car

solo_ryder · Post by **solo_ryder** » February 17th, 2007, 2:04 am

Amsoil 5w40 FTW. Best oil I have used.

neumann · Post by **neumann** » February 17th, 2007, 11:07 pm

Steve

If your engine is leaking oil, you are probably adding enough replacement oil within the change interval to keep the TBN up and avoid depleting the additives that neutralize the nasty acids.

While I use synthetic oil in my Porsche, on a car that leaks oil you might actually leak less using conventional oil, or maybe one of the high mileage oils, which are usually blends of maybe 25% synth and 75% dino. If you go with a conventional oil I would back off the OCI to maybe 7500 km.

If you do stick with a synth you might want to try a 0w30 for the cold Bratislava winters. You might notice a difference in cold cranking at -20. In Dino oils any modern 5w30 should be good. Current API SM formulations are all very good and generally the European specs are better.

And most of all, go have a look at:
http://theoildrop.server101.com/forums/ubbthreads.php