> Skip Kelsey wrote:
> >
> > Bob:
> >
> > No, my Volvo is not a diesel, but I use the marine oil due to the fact that
> > it is the only 15-40 engine oil that Amsoil makes. It just has an extra
> > additive to combat moisture.
> > Synthetic oil has no contaminants when new. Mineral oil always has some. No
> > matter how much they refine it. Things such as sulpher and wax.All Airplane
> > jet engines use synthetic oil, due to it ablility to withstand heat. As I
> > stated, you can extend the drain periods somewhat. THe color of the oil is
> > not important. All detergent oil will darken . The additive package is
> > doing its job. If you have excessive blowby from the crankcase, The oil
> > will darken faster.
>
> I've been watching this thread develop into some string, and I have a
>question based
> on experience. At one point, I was running synthetic oil in my Plym*uth, and
>as I
> was filling up, i spilled a big helping on the exhaust manifold. Expecting
>the car
> to erupt in smoke, I fired her up with the hood up to watch the stuff burn
>off. The
> funny thing was, it didn't smoke! It just kinda boiled and evaporated off,
>leaving a
> little brown mark on the mani. Does this mean that a car filled with
>synthetic won't
> smoke? Another thing I saw was less oil consumption with synthetic oil. Is
>there
> any evidence that switching from conventional to synthetic oils will harm an
>engine?
> Thanks for the insight, enquiring minds want to know!
> --
> Michael S. Lishego
> St. Andrews Presbyterian College
> Elementary Education Major,
> English Minor, Class of 1999
> R.A. of Winston-Salem Hall
>
Michael,
While I don't know the reason why the oil spilled on your manifold
didn't smoke, I can tell you that a car WILL still smoke while
running synthetic oil. My wife's 166,000 mile Honda is finally
beginning to wear its valve guides, with the result that on a cold
morning, it will blow out a cloud of smoke upon initial startup, and
then halfway down the block until the oil that dripped down overnight
gets blown out. It does this impressively on conventional or
synthetic motor oil. As for reduced consumption, I'm assuming you're
comparing equal weights of synthetic to conventional oil. If this is
the case, the only idea I have is that the synthetic oils are reputed
to be made from molecule chains that are longer, on average, than
those in conventional oils, and supposedly are less prone to leaking
through small spaces. Perhaps this leads to reduced oil burning with
rings that are only slightly worn?
Scott.
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