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Engine Oil Brands?(Non Synthetic)

Shifty

NAXJA Forum User
Location
NB Canada
Hi. I was wondering what is a really good oil to run. I currently use Valvoline for no apparent reason and was wondering what others have been running. The only reason I am asking is because my brother tried the Valvoline 10W30 Extra Mileage oil and his engine started to tick. He has a 1993 Jeep Grand Cherokee. When he switched to Pennzoil 10W30 the tick went away. I don't use the high mileage oil and now am wondering if I should swicth brands. I don't like the color of Penzoil. It just looks funny to me. Thanks for any input on this. (I won't switch to Synthetic because of the price. It is about 2.5 times more expensive wher I live)
 
Valvoline or Castrol. Pennzoil isn't fit to use in a 2-stroke lawnmower.

If you get lifter tick, it is usually caused by wear (high-mileage engines) and replacing some of the normal weight of oil you use with a heavier "race" grade helps that - I know Valvoline is available in straight weights up to at least 60W, but reserve that for really hot weather.

Quaker State has improved markedly over the last few years, and Kendall is also worth using once you get used to the green colour of the stuff, but Valvoline and Castrol seem to be easiest to find. Most often, "house" oil brands for parts shops are made by Valvoline or Castrol, but ask. If they can give you a useful answer, you can work form there. If they can't, don't bother buying it and get a name brand.

5-90

Oh - Pennzoil proably knocked out the lifter tap due to the high levels of paraffin in it - long-term use can have effects similar to artherosclerosis in us people...
 
Pennzoil and Quaker State are now the same company, and the quality of Pennzoil went down the tubes 5 minutes after they merged. I avoid both.

Castrol and Amalie are the best, IMHO. Valvoline is in the running. I would not use any of the gasoline brand oils (Shell, Exxon/Esso, Texaco, Gulf, etc.) Kendall is good, and here in the northeast there's an independent brand, Wolf's Head, that's good. I don't know if that's available nationally.
 
Shifty said:
The only reason I am asking is because my brother tried the Valvoline 10W30 Extra Mileage oil and his engine started to tick. He has a 1993 Jeep Grand Cherokee.

Thats crazy, I put maxlife in my XJ and it did the same thing. It was pretty quiet before and I put in the Maxlife in and immediately it has a noticable knock at idle. I've had good luck with it in other vehicles though.
 
Sounds like the "Extra Mileage" oil has a higher detergent level, then. Cleaning the lifters after they've been getting crapped up for a while would cause a (usually temporary) knocking, due to the removal of accumulated crud.

I didn't know about the Penn/QS merger - so much for the improvements.

I've seen Wolf's Head out here - I think it was a Pep Boys. I recognise the name, so it shouldn't be too difficult to find.

Concur on the "gas branded" oil - but the house brands I was referring to are those for the parts houses. If you can't get a straight answer on who makes them, don't use them - spend the extra money instead.

5-90
 
my advice on oil has a practical portion. Decide where you live and what brands are available. You have to plan for that being 500 mile away from home and you have to go look for a quart to top off.

I use to live in Missouri and would go up to chicago, Kansas City and around most of Missouri. I grew up with my Dad using Phillips 66 oil and when I started to changed it. There were filling stations in every town I went to.

I moved to Alabama and spent 3 months making trips back and forth to St Louis. I found that I could buy the name brands but the gas stations were different chains. I considered go to mobil 1 but was not prepared at that time. I settled upon Mobil non-synthetic oil for my vehicles. I can find it in AL, TN, KY, ARK, MO, IL, and IND when I travel I can find oil if I need a quart.

For some reason brand of oil is a personal thing, people are brand loyal. Choose the brand that works for you.

I do recommend you get an oil that SL/CF and not just SL. There are added benefits to using an oil that both a S and C oil. S stands for spark engines (gasoline) and C was for compression engines (diesel). There addes stuff in a diesel oil so look on the API round seal for the stuff.

Here is the API fact sheet http://api-ep.api.org/filelibrary/ACF2AD.pdf
 
Thats funny. My manager, who sold me the Jeep, was running the Valvoline Max-Life in it, and he also has a '96 XJ. They both knock. But his wife's Buick is also running the Val. Max-Life, and it doesn't knock(not sure what motor it has). I'll proably switch to Amalie next oil change. I have a friend who works at an auto parts store and he can get me a discount. I've noticed from reading posts in this forum that 4.0s are notorious for knocking anyway, but what the heck, switching oil couldn't hurt as long as you don't buy a cheap brand. Oh, for future reference never buy Wal-Marts super tech. That crap fudged up my dads Subaru. Was running that in my Crown Vic for awhile, and then for the Vic I switched to Castrol.
 
Whats wrong with the dislike of the gas co's oils??? Billions of miles are run every year on Rotella (Shell) in a huge percentage of rigs because of it's proven quality, Delo (Chevron) makes up the balance of them..... but thats deisels.
But I personally run Havoline (Texaco) in all the trucks. My 78 F250 has had it in it since the 1st oil change and when we pulled the 460 out the other week to replace the rear main seal and timing chain the bearings still looked ok at 175k, and the last 50-60k have been short trips with 6k lbs or so of equip. in tow and I don't baby it. (I am doing rebuild though since it's out and have the $$ at present)
Side note though I was actually doing the rear main and all so I could start running Amsoil, because I'm liking the long drain intervals on the other stuff it is already in, in the WJ tests at 10k are saying to keep running it but I still change it since I can't convince myself otherwise. Synth is actually cheaper if you can convince yourself to run it till it really does need changed.
Mike B.
 
Hi. I was wondering what is a really good oil to run. I currently use Valvoline for no apparent reason and was wondering what others have been running.

My personal choice has been Valvoline 20W50 Racing oil. Most guys around here run Valvoline Racing or Kendall in our Race Hemi motors. I've been running Valvoline Racing oil in every vehicle for past 30 years... looks like honey. The Jeep has 155K and still purrrs ... still burns the same quart between changes like it did off the showroom floor.

Of course the key is to change it every 3K.
 
1986xj said:
Whats wrong with the dislike of the gas co's oils??? Billions of miles are run every year on Rotella (Shell) in a huge percentage of rigs because of it's proven quality, Delo (Chevron) makes up the balance of them..... but thats deisels.

I run either of those in my bikes with no problems. Both are rated better than the recommended oils. Getting ready to switch to the synth version.

Sarge
 
Hoo boy, asking which oil brand is better is like asking who has the better looking wife. Unless you're waking up to Claudia Schiffer, there's no clear answer. So...

It's true that oils differ in the amount of zinc and other additives they contain, but regardless of brand the single most important thing you can do--and which will keep you out of trouble--is to change your oil regularly. I change at 3000 miles using dino oil, using either Valvoline or Chevron or sometimes Castrol. Prefer a particular brand? Great, just change it regularly. Considering a synthetic? Change it regularly. Mixing weights? Change it regularly. Okay, I've hammered the point hard enough, but if you really want to know which brand is better for you and your driving habits/conditions, then the only objectively quantifiable way of determining that is to have your oil analyzed a few times.

Erik
88 Comanche
 
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